Critically Analyzing Dark Souls 11 Years Later...

In this video, SoulReborn goes back to Dark Souls, and looks at whether it is as good as people say it is, and he analyzes it in great detail, in this Dark Souls critique and video essay.
Dark Souls is a 2011 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Namco Bandai Games. A spiritual successor to FromSoftware's Demon's Souls, the game is the first in the Dark Souls series. The game takes place in the kingdom of Lordran, where players assume the role of a cursed undead character who begins a pilgrimage to discover the fate of their kind. A port for Windows featuring additional content, known as the Prepare to Die Edition, was released in August 2012. It was also released for consoles under the subtitle Artorias of the Abyss in October 2012.
Dark Souls has been cited as one of the greatest video games ever made. Critics praised the depth of its combat, intricate level design, and use of flavor text. However, the game's difficulty received mixed reviews, with some criticizing it for being too unforgiving. The original Windows version of the game was less well-received, with criticism directed at several technical issues. By April 2013, the game had sold over two million copies worldwide. Two sequels were released in the mid-2010s, while a remastered version was released in 2018.
Dark Souls has been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. Due to its design and philosophy, it is often cited as an essential instance of video games as an art form. It is also considered one of the most influential video games of its generation; in 2019, GameSpot named it one of the most influential games of the 21st century.
Dark Souls is a third-person action role-playing game. A core mechanic of the game is exploration. Players are encouraged to proceed with caution, learn from past mistakes, or find alternative areas to explore. Dark Souls takes place in a large and continuous, interconnected environment, connected through a central hub area. The player character can travel between areas and explore various paths at will, although prerequisites must be met to unlock certain areas.
Games cited to have been influenced by Dark Souls include Destiny, Alienation, Lords of the Fallen, The Surge, Salt and Sanctuary,Shovel Knight,Titan Souls, Enter the Gungeon, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Nioh, God of War, and Journey as well as features used on the PlayStation 4 console. Dark Souls was also cited as an inspiration for the television show Stranger Things.
#darksouls #eldenring #fromsoftware

[@zachtaylor5312]

Even though Elden Ring is bigger nothing still comes close to being lost in the DS1 world the first time I played back in 2012.

[@ChadAF_YT]

I first played in 2021 and it was more special to me than elden ring is. The world map, the multi-player, the lack of direction, the difficulty. They captured lightning in a bottle, and while elden ring is a better game if you dissect it and rate it on individual aspects, there is something magical about DS1

[@brandondanforth8342]

@@ChadAF_YT see I've "played" (read: tried) DS1 a few times in the past but had never gotten past Sen's Fortress. I finally sat down a few weeks ago and watched FightinCowboy's walkthrough to get me through Sen's and honestly this playthrough has been my favorite souls experience, only really challenged by Sekiro (bear in mind i've only beaten DS1, Sekiro and DS2:SotFS, and played a solid bit in all the rest except Demon Souls and Bloodborne). This game really is a masterpiece, bar, imo, the Bed of Chaos... that was the most bullshit ive ever experienced in any SoulsBorne game. I'm currently in the Duke's Archives and kinda putting it off because I only have a few more areas and bosses before the end and I don't want it to be over...

[@Jacob-ml5bp]

@@brandondanforth8342 do yourself a favor and play bloodborne w a saw cleaver build. It got me started on the series in 2016

[@ChaosSoulYT]

I definitely agree with this. Elden Ring is massive and it is phenomenal, but it still doesn't capture that amazing feeling Dark Souls 1 has of everything being put in a specific place for a reason. Every item, every enemy and every part of the world is designed and placed in such a way that feels, to me, perfect (okay maybe not in Lost Izalith though)

[@brandondanforth8342]

@@ChaosSoulYTFuck Lost Izalith and especially fuck The Bed of Chaos... That was easily the most rage inducing thing ive ever encountered in any FromSoft game.

[@aronaranyossy]

I love the fact Priscilla offers you the exit without a fight. You can literally just walk past her and take the plunge. Its the only boss in the souls series who just allows you to proceed

[@DezZzO_YT]

What about Ancient Dragon or Vendrick? They don't give a shit about you either. Ancient Dragon even gifts you something important.

[@aronaranyossy]

@@DezZzO_YT absolutely right, I didn't even think about them as bosses 😅 I still enjoy Priscilla the most since she is there, ready to fight when you arrive but still telling you to get out

[@jhx97]

sister friede even asks you to leave so that you don't have to fight her

[@aronaranyossy]

@@jhx97 not when you're already in her arena. But I guess technically you're right!

[@Akillian1]

It is nice. They say it's because the developers didn't want a game breaking area locking players in with no escape, if they ventured there under leveled.

[@JLchevz]

Dark Souls is like Dune, Lord of The Rings, and other masterpieces. They feel important. They feel like an incredible breakthrough where we find ourselves thinking: "why had nobody else done something like this before?"

[@irisdaniels2318]

actually that might be one of the best takes I've heard on DS.

[@kettlemagic]

This is a very nice nostalgic retrospective of Dark Souls, but not a critical analysis.

[@Mary_J1998]

The giant clams in front of seaths boss room drop purging stones so you don't need to go buy any just kill a few to get some

[@Mary_J1998]

@2joa000 I was referring to later in the video when he says seath can curse you and you need to go back to buy purging stones, which is untrue if you get cured by seath his clams will drop them

[@JamesGowan]

You can do that, however… Most likely you would have already gone through the depths hours before. Farming them might be good if you are going to do a NG afterward

[@jamesbrincefield9879]

One thing I’ve always thought was impressive about the Souls games is how memorable all of the levels and enemy placements are. There aren’t many games that I can say I remember practically every room, every encounter, and every secret from. Besides the Souls series, I feel confident enough to say I remember every aspect of the original Legend of Zelda overworld, the RCPD precinct from RE2, Metal Gear Solid, and 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. All with at least 90% accuracy. The only difference is that those games are not only small and simple in comparison, but I’ve played through them dozens of times each over the 25+ years I’ve been playing video games. I’ve only ever fully played through each of the Souls games twice at most and I still have pretty much every area and enemy mapped out in my head. I wish I could retain useful information the same way I’ve retained Dark Souls.

[@ITRiBUTEI]

For me, Dark Souls was a good call back to classic NES ninja garden games, with the Castlevania SOTN, metroidvania, world map. To me it's the best way to explain the game. I absolutely hated it when I first played it, but now it's the only game I really go back and play. Sometimes I wish I could wipe my memory of the countless tutorial and lore videos and just experience it again with my mindset now.

[@shmooify]

It’s honestly incredible how much the soulsborne games have evolved over the course of only 11 years. Starting from elden ring and working my way down from now dark souls, I can still feel that incredible magic I felt in both games when transitioning. Just beat dark souls and now can’t wait to get into the sequel, even with all the negatives I’ve heard others claim about the game

[@mathog11]

Did you buy the games already? This is an unpopular opinion, but you might want to give the vanilla DS2 version a try as opposed to Scholar. Enemy placement in Scholar is just nonsensical, among other things.

[@ChaosSoulYT]

I'm working on my dark souls 2 analysis now and it is definitely the weakest but that doesn't mean it's a bad game. A weak souls game to me is still better then most other games And yes I recommend regular Dark Souls 2 over Scholar

[@shmooify]

Thank you both for the information, I have yet to buy it so I will most likely try finding the original, just kinda bummed I’ll need to purchase/ download the dlc now separately

[@EyesDontCry]

@@ChaosSoulYT I tried it myself under reccomendation from a friend singing its praises I hate it and think it plays like shit. I came in hopeful and optimistic but it just feels terrible to control and I don't enjoy it enough to keep going past the first 4 hours. I get that some love it, but for me it's god awful and genuinely bad atleast at the start. I think it would need a remake like demon souls and multiple complete gameplay overhauls for me to return, I'm not asking for or expecting that, those are simply the only way I see myself playing it. I played ds1 remake and loved it, and enjoy every other souls game but this is one I'm skipping for now

[@mathog11]

@@EyesDontCry Are you able to define the problems you've experienced? I know that DS2 (scholar or both versions) have a technical problem with deadzones and 8-directional movement on controllers, but for me it never mattered since I've always use KB&M in these games. As for gameplay things you might impact your enjoyment: do you know about adaptability and its relation to s in DS2?

[@haydenbackup6820]

How is this not a bigger channel? Love your content, long-form analysis videos are difficult af, and you put a lot of effort and work into yours. It's impressive

[@ChaosSoulYT]

Glad you enjoy it! Plenty more to come!

[@awezumify]

my dumb ass read 11 as II and thought this was gonna be about dark souls II 💀 i was like damn this ds1 tangent is going on for a long time

[@ChaosSoulYT]

Don't worry I'll be doing a Dark Souls 2 video too :)

[@casualcadaver]

Bro is living in 3022 while the rest of us are still in 2022.

[@EmblemSnake]

As a new souls fan thanks to Elden Ring, I like hearing the stories and memories people had with the older games. Makes me wish I played the games in their prime. I'm currently on Dark Souls 2 and I'm loving it so far.

[@lumeronswift]

Yeah, I played and adored the other games (apart from Sekiro, which I only bought recently), but Elden Ring was the first one I was able to play on release. I almost wish the internet didn't exist when it came out, but I did a decent enough job of avoiding content so that I could enter it ~99% blind. Oh, what a feeling.

[@NoSmoke1]

Really happy you're able to enjoy DS2. Many people don't give it a fair shake, just judging it on what souls vets said about it in the past.

[@Droxalis]

Good news my dude. The communities organize times during the year where people will create new characters and do playthroughs. Each game has its own time of year. Return to Lordran for DSR, return to drangleic for ds2, etc. If you want a somewhat genuine experience I'd recommend playing during these times to experience to coop and invasions. Check out the subreddits for more info

[@mindxfuneral]

@@NoSmoke1 I think a big reason for that, at least in my experience, is that if you don’t level up your adaptability to up your I-frames and estus speed, it feels totally clunky and horrible (imo). I tried it several times before I realized you need to upgrade adaptability and when I gave that a shot, the game felt a lot more natural and I was finally about to conquer it. I actually really enjoyed it once I made it past the first few zones. It doesn’t hold a candle to DS1, and I think DS3 combines the best elements of both of them, but it’s better than people give it credit for.

[@jakechiasson6786]

This has been one of the best retrospective videos I've seen in a while. I'm very much looking forward to seeing more content from you in the future.

[@thiagobarbosa3882]

I genuinely thought this was a channel with 100k subs I just hadn’t found before. It seems like a real interpretation of your thoughts and not something scripted. I really enjoyed this

[@itsliqs]

Amazing video! I hope you plan to do the whole series. There will never be enough long-form FromSoft game videos IMO, and you have a really nice way of narrating.

[@ChaosSoulYT]

Thank you! And yes I plan too :)

[@deviantarsenal]

I seriously think I've watched every long form Souls video and Sekiro video on KZbin!

[@topcatchillinbytrash]

I downloaded this on 360 from the Games With Gold program in like 2014 and never played it. I finally decided to play it in 2022 and was utterly blown away. It quickly became my all-time favorite and felt like a complete fool for not picking it up until now. After I completed it my first time I had the same feeling as when I went on some wild adventure with my friends and had 100 signs telling us to abandon our journey but chose to persevere instead. It changed me as a person and no other game has ever come close to what Dark Souls has accomplished.

[@AdriiSuizo]

This is my favourite video dissection of my favourite game of the souls and on the top 5 of all games. Really nice commentary, hope you do more analysis of games, because I'm not at all interested in guides since I know thos games like the palm of my hand, but I'd like to hear you talking about games more. Nice editing to illustrate what you talk about and a really calm and well thought narration. Keep the good work man!

[@Sleepy_Dan...]

A 2 and a half hour long video talking about one of my favorite games of all times? Sign me up! I subbed in hopes of more fromsoft. Keep up the awesome work!

[@oroboros2432]

I actually thought you were a way bigger channel I had seen before lol. Great DS commentary. I like longer videos like this that go into detail. Great for listening to while working. 🙏 Subbed and hoping you make similar content for other From games. Really like the analysis/critique/explained type videos and you seem to do them well. 🙏

[@ChaosSoulYT]

I appreciate it, thank you! I hope my channel gets bigger so I can keep this ball rolling :)

[@hobnoblegend6646]

Amen brother, night shifts with long commentary on your favourite games/movies help keep me sane!

[@LiquidBallz]

loved this video.Was entertaining listening to it while i was busy at work.

[@joesaiditstrue]

I don't remember it being called Dark Race. Could've sworn it was originally called Dark Ring, no? Edit: Looks like it had a few alternative titles. Dark Race, Dark Ring, and Dark Lord. Finally they settled on Dark Souls

[@Facerip]

Dark Race would have been such an awful title lol

[@boyishdude1234]

@@Facerip Same goes for Dark Ring, which was in the recesses of my memory until just now. That's a British slang term for "butthole", apparently.

[@zeroattentiongaming820]

@@boyishdude1234 "Try fingers Dark Ring" just doesn't work as well

[@Bleilock1]

@@boyishdude1234 yea that one is truly cursed

[@JamesGowan]

About the area that has Moonlight Butterfly… you said “there’s nothing really special down here”, but you have to remember it DOES include one of the best RINGS in the game: the Wolf Poise ring, which adds 40 points of poise to your character. Poise is SO important to your character, otherwise you’ll get stunlocked to death in most cases!

[@nooberus9241]

I simply cannot get enough of those reviews it doesnt matter how many years have passed :D

[@LaVidaVirtual]

Nicely Done! The large knights (Parish, Sen's and Painted World) are called Berenike Knights.

[@daladams]

in regards to the mimic chests - the chests where the chains on the side are curled FORWARD = mimics. Chests with the chains curled BACK = normal. Fantastic video, looking forward to seeing this channel grow. :)

[@ecliptairedux3281]

Just beat this game as my first souls game that i actually finished without giving up yesterday and it was amazing I can't stop playing it . I used to be scared of these games due to the difficulty now I love it

[@SBNIkato]

Very detailed overview. Nice job 👍🏾

[@skidmc]

Best retelling of this feeling any rookie seem to have. Badly chain beaten by Taurus, saying "not for me" but haunted, had to go back month later and (begin to) click. During the time I left it, visions reminded me i miserably turned hollow at the first hardship. Had to go back, see Lando at least. That gwynn theme... One has to die to live again".

[@withbravado1548]

Really enjoyed your video. Thanks so much for making it!

[@robred123s]

The Sif fight hits the feels harder if you do the dlc and save him first.

[@radmilk73]

I had to summon him to beat Manus - not because I was having trouble, but because that good boi deserved a shot at the bastard who killed his master

[@justinpoole8227]

I don’t really see an analysis… I just watched 30 minutes of play-by-play narration. More of a walkthrough

[@Dawkinsdude20]

I used this video as a guide on where to go. Loved the video! It was very helpful! First playthrough was amazing!

[@zachtaylor5312]

Great video. Love hearing others thoughts. The Anor Londo rafters and archers are my two most dreaded parts of each play-through. Sometimes I’ll get super lucky and do it first try or I’ll get stuck dying over and over

[@mictianabsterges1313]

Bow and arrow

[@SaadTheGlad]

I love you so much. This is the perfect type of video for me right now.

[@tmorts]

I love your videos mate, I like to have them on while I sleep! I really hope you continue this series.

[@ChaosSoulYT]

Thank you! I do that with a lot of videos too so it's cool that you do it with mine haha

[@hutrew14]

Wow, incredible video! When I saw your sub count, I thought it had k behind it and was flabbergasted when I realized it doesn't. As a huge fromsoft fan, it was great to hear your commentary. You earned a subscriber

[@ChaosSoulYT]

Thank you very much! I appreciate it :)

[@tlots3761]

ngl looking back, ds1 crafting was a pain to figure out but it was simple enough to memorize and complex enough to add a challenge and make it interesting

[@drfrankendoodle]

I’ve sat on the character select screen listening to that little note progression for hours it feels like. Such an ear worm.

[@lautrec359]

Thanks for detailed analysis of the game! Waiting for next games analysis of souls series

[@JamesGowan]

SUBBED and LIKED! What a video! You took us on a journey I’ve been on countless times but didn’t mind going on with you as my guide! Looking forward to watching many more of your vids!! Thank you!

[@forbesbeckum4209]

The souls series reignited my love for video games. They forced me to play in ways I had never thought, and it made me better at video games in general. Also, a quick aside on the nature of hollowing. I have never heard anyone mention this, and this is purely from my experience of DS2 on my first play through. Anyway, this has to do with how the nature of hollowing is that you die repeatedly and slowly lose your sanity. Isn’t it so cool that part of the game’s lore and basic mechanics actually banks on the fact that you will die repeatedly, give up, and within the world of dark souls you would be just another mindless hollow? Something I’ve thought about endlessly. Probably a very common thought, but I don’t recall it ever being expressed.

[@Bleilock1]

i actually find the fact that you need to restore your humanity in order to join multiplayer play way more interesting meaning you need humanity/be human in order to be able to connect/communicate with others its a strong message about our own world too

[@nelehlers6658]

Really awesome video and great content! Have one remark to your Anor Londo issue on the rafters and archers: Iron Flesh

[@ChaosSoulYT]

I never thought of that... but sadly it doesn't work for all builds

[@adamswing6115]

@@ChaosSoulYT yes it does, it has no stat requirements, and only needs a pyro flame, which everyone can get for free and with nonstst investment

[@kristophersmotherman6114]

Your video was hard to find under the search "Dark Souls Critique". I couldn't remember your channel name. Anyways, I saved it now. So I'm good! Your videos are better than 95 percent more informative than pretty much all the others put together. Not to mention entertaining!

[@nkosinathimncwango2257]

Hi bro just recently found your channel, I love your work and please carry on with other games aswell. I cannot wait for a critical analysis of dark souls III and elden Ring.

[@lumeronswift]

Couple of corrections: you don't have to pick the cleric class for Thorolund to sell you miracles, and there is a direct narrative as well as a background one (ring the bells, get the kiln, etc).

[@ooiiooiiooii]

A lot of corrections need to be made actually lol. I hate when reviewers use “you” when they should say “I”. He keeps saying stuff like “YOU need to let lautrec out or kill him” no ya dont

[@ajaxmalokimby6620]

Agree with you

[@ooiiooiiooii]

The alluring skulls placement above the fire did give me the idea as a player to get the boar to hit the flames. It made me feel smart

[@alex.starostin]

I love the graphics and art direction of DS1 more than of the later games. Its got a unique visual style which even ER doesn't top. Anor Londo is just majestic

[@ShawnBlaque]

Amazing review man. I've been replaying DS1 remastered after so long and it's amazing being back, I forgot how perfect the world was. These games actually changed my whole perspective too. I've only been able to really enjoy souls like games since then and the occasional metroidvania since there are lots of similarities. Can't wait for the DS2 and Bloodborne analysis.

[@rainegingerfish8860]

Changed your whole perspective on what?

[@RicardoDuarte2510]

regarding mimics , you forgot to say that instead of fighting them, you can throw lloyd's talisman for free looting them without danger.

[@jasantana]

Ty enjoyed the video, some of the best things I love about DS1 is the level design of how interconnected it is it always feels good to see a door you cant access originally but you know it will connect back somewhere. I'll pay full box price for a DS1 remake

[@563756297]

Man something I love about these games is how different you can play them. This guy says never level up resistance it’s useless and another hour long review type video I watched the guy said he always goes for that first. Both these guys seem like they know tons about there game from the lore to gameplay yet they have such different opinions yet still both can play it. That’s one of the reasons there is so much replayability to dark souls. So many different ways to play

[@hilbertschema]

Always ends with a str build tho XD

[@Dragomire]

I tend to do Darkroot Garden after Gargoyles instead of later because the gains there will help you kill Capra Demon. First playthrough got stuck at Capra, got Zweihander + Wolf Ring + Elite Knight, came back and slammed him. Grass Crest over there, so much stuff that's easy to get early on plus you get a lot of Souls.

[@limesub]

I’ve only taken the master key once, it is more useful for quickly unlocking izalath, but it also makes the entire run through everywhere else too easy

[@spacecityryder]

I consider myself a Soul's veteran and never thought of using alluring skulls for the boar tank. Simply amazing games!

[@QuantumTelephone]

The undead burgh bridge fire dragon is the game saying "if I fool you once shame on me, if I fool you twice shame on you" and I like that a lot

[@hondothedonkey3342]

im so happy to see elden ring’s success reignite this beautiful game as people begin to see the “humble beginnings” of Fromsoft games. They never expect the older games to be the masterpieces they are and when they finally see it, they’re blown away. i began playing dark souls in 2019 and instantly fell in love with the entire series and have been since. there’s truly nothing like your first play through of dark souls and only people who have experienced it can understand that feeling of exploring the beautifully crafted interconnected world, defeating the powerful bosses, uncovering the lore and secrets of the world, defeating gwyn, and linking the fire… the first time i heard that piano play during the gwyn fight i was overwhelmed with emotions that blew me away because i expected gwyn to be some epic boss fight, but in reality it was just a decrepit old man trying his hardest to protect his flame and preserve his age of fire. there’s so much to dark souls and i couldn’t be more blessed to be born in an age where i can experience this masterpiece and fromsoft’s future masterpieces unfold

[@jonathanbarbour8296]

What a great video, definitely earned a sub!

[@alexgoncharov6430]

“But this mechanic is how the game teaches you to get better” - it really doesn’t do anything special in terms of “teaching you” compared to any other game with a checkpoint based save system. I never understood this point about the Dark Souls. The game doesn’t teach you - when you die you have to figure what you did wrong yourself. If anything, most games do “the teaching” part better. Dark Souls has lots of poorly explained (or not explained at all) mechanics. I beat this game recently and sometimes the experience was just miserable. I have no desire of coming back to this game. Elden Ring is a better game in every aspect

[@kwonderland89]

Awesome video mate, thank you.

[@diggerdog9205]

Great video. There is no way once I get to Anor Londo I'm going back through Sens fortress and back to the beginning to get the doll. I'll warp once I defeat smough and ornstein

[@MujikMunkey]

Reason why you find a lot of humanity in the manus area is because manus is the original owner of the dark soul and the abyss is basically something that came into existence to counteract the interference of gwynn with the natural order (linking the first flame when nature dictated in needed to go out aka the first sin). Now it’s not 100% confirmed that manus is the owner of the dark soul but both the gameplay and lore support that. For anyone curious this is why i think he is the dark soul boy: - Looking at his lore we see that he was imprisoned and tortured in oolacile, which is a town that was devoted to serving the gods and doing gwynn’s bidding in particular (even anor londo is illuminated with oolacile magic). Gwynn’s agenda is stopping humanity from getting stronger so they cant get a dark age going so he imprisoned and tortured the dark soul boy. - in the base game you fight every other great soul owner. Nito, bed of chaos, gwynn but the dark soul owner is nowhere to be seen. It fits so well that in the very end of the dlc you get to fight the most mysterious figure in the game and it enhances the tragedy of artorias’ story even further. My guy was so devoted to gwynn that he unknowingly devoted his entire life to killing his ancestor and stopping a corruption that was a direct result of his master acting against artorias’ race’s best interest

[@jaredburton1300]

This game’s story, setting, and characters are all so damn sad. Beautiful game.

[@brybry7972]

I'm pretty sure you can plunging attack the armored boar in the undead parish, thats why the game gives you alluring skulls

[@grandagitator]

this should really be labelled as a review, not an analysis. Much of the content is a survey of the game but an analysis would entail far more digestion of how the design decisions affect player choice, player experience, etc. good video

[@JohnBrowser2013]

Yep.

[@GracelessTarnished]

Dark Souls still has the most incredible world design of any From Software game. Subsequent entries might have had better level design, but none of them had better world design. The interconnectivity was brilliant and it's so unfortunate that they never tried to up themselves in that regard. The first experience of this game can only be called magical and its one of those games you wish you could wipe from memory to reexperience for the first time. A timeless masterpiece that I still consider superior to all souls games, except for Elden Ring.

[@savariaxa]

Demon’s Souls early 2009 JP import PS3 was my first From Software game the rest is history !

[@kingoppsanti5830]

Beat this game over 20 times. A masterpiece.

[@TheYoungwisdom]

Legend

[@veruminfiniteofficial3334]

Many who fell in love with souls can't help but keep it installed, and run back through it at least annually.

[@partlyawesome]

I've loved the Demon's Souls video and this one, can't wait for the DS2 video!

[@ChaosSoulYT]

It's on its way, don't worry :)

[@abyssalcorgi2627]

Interesting bit about the iron golem in Sens fortress you left out is that you can fight him on the edge of the bridge, and when he falls down he can fall off the map

[@ChaosSoulYT]

I don't really speak about cheese tactics. The same can be done for Taurus if you plan it properly

[@splinterborn]

Fantastic Video. On my 5th playthrough, timeless game.

[@steviejohnson378]

I never noticed the item at 15:02 and I’m on NG+3 😂 Still learning new things about a game that came out 12 years ago.

[@randychristensen1028]

I’ll never forget my first play through of Dark Souls 1. I forgot about the door to the lower Undead Burg for so long I was 3/4 the way through the game before I noticed it again running through. By the time I got to the Capra Demon he was a 3 hit lol

[@sajed.]

Long time no see

[@ChaosSoulYT]

You've been gone for a few months 😁

[@sajed.]

@@ChaosSoulYT my laptop did cought on fire and i couldnt find any one to change the whole motherboard for it So for now i just using my mom phone until i buy new pc Wish me luck

[@PhilsophersAbode111]

This video is a masterpiece. Thank you so much for this enjoyable experience.

[@ChaosSoulYT]

Thank you! That really does mean a lot!

[@coolgamebro2611]

alright, part 1 of this comment is happening now, before I've looked at the video. So, I love dark souls 1 to death, I play it when it came out and i was 6 years old with my dad, and we got through a lot of it before not knowing where to go and stopping. We picked it up 6 - 12 months later and beat it that time, and it was the best experience ever, so magical. I come back to it over and over again, every single autumn/winter I pick the game back up and go crazy until getting bored again. I think dark souls is amazing but I'm very aware of the shitty aspects of this game, and I'm always excited to hear how people point it out. I was excited for the remaster because a real remaster of the game would be a lot of big changes, and I've never actually sat down and mapped them out, and so I'd love to hear you do that. Part 2 (an edit) will be after I've seen the video, and I'll discuss what I think as wrong or what might be interesting to talk about further or maybe something you missed.

[@Absolutemooreon]

When it comes to the anor londo archers casting the hidden body sorcery right before that section basically turns off the encounter

[@thosediamonddreams]

I hope you can fix the chapters on this vid soon, I can never find my place when I resume

[@kaik5845]

good job! i am sure V2.0 will be perfect. Had a good time watching!

[@superstar5123]

i literally did the alluring skulls into the fire to kill the boar when I was 12. No internet, i was playing blind

[@aaronlesiacsek600]

I had no idea I could fight alongside sif to take down manus.. I just fought him one on one and I eventually beat him after 15 tries or so. I also didn't beat kalameet because I didn't know how to bring him down!

[@radmilk73]

Hey! I recognize that voice! Glad to have you back man.

[@ChaosSoulYT]

What do you mean back haha? I never left

[@radmilk73]

@@ChaosSoulYT algorithm just buried you for a minute - didn’t recognize the name either ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@ChaosSoulYT]

Ah yes well SoulReborn is the only channel now and the future of all my KZbin efforts

[@theFado96]

I feel like the reason why the key to the Lower Burg isn't given by the Gargoyles is that in case players REALLLY struggle with them, they can go down into the Lower Burg, beat Capra, Gaping Dragon, possibily even Queelag and Ceaseless and especially obtain the Large Ember with which they can get up to +10 weapons and +6 armor. At that point the Gargoyles will be even easier.

[@LuXianNL]

In the catacombs you can use an occult weapon to kill the skeletons without them respawning

[@pangelsaya]

The feeling that you get when you open a shortcut to an earlier area in Dark Souls is one of the best experiences in gaming and it did not exist before Dark Souls. FromSoftware created this uniquely pleasurable experience that is something that only a video game can offer you. I too tried Dark Souls, gave up and came back later and my whole conception of what a video game is and what it should be has been completely changed. I’m not saying every game needs to be Dark Souls but this game, funnily enough, has a SOUL you feel the delicate precision and love that they infused in to this game at (almost) every level and that craftsmanship has carried over into (almost) every game they’ve made since then. My personal favorite is Sekiro because I feel like they showed incredible restraint and fine tuned an experience that feels familiar to DS veterans but is distinct enough to feel like a branched off path of development. Anyways great video, I watched the whole thing and agree with most everything you said!

[@Shadowolf1181]

Interesting side note: You can use alluring skulls to distract the dogs in the capra demon boss fight. Once I learned that it reduced the amount of "required" deaths on him. Lore fact Artorias is naturally left handed so when you fight him he has to use his off hand to wield the sword because manus broke his main one.

[@JohnBrowser2013]

Where in the game is this ever mentioned?

[@Shadowolf1181]

@@JohnBrowser2013 it's not ever mentioned but i was watching a first timer play and she used Aural Decoy which is the magic version of the skull. Distracts both the dogs and demon.

[@Shadowolf1181]

@@JohnBrowser2013 as far as the artorias thing apparently its just fan speculation after doing some research.

[@Zlagie]

Incredibly thorough and well-written analysis. Subscribed! Can't wait to see what you produce next.

[@doomraven0]

I love Dark Souls. I understand, sort of, the reverence for it and have beaten all 3 of the main games multiple times but i just can't bring myself to put any of them close to the best games of all time because of how stupidly designed they are at times. Overcoming difficulty is one thing but when you actively dread replaying areas again, that is just crap design. The curse status, Blighttown, a poison swamp that slows you(seriously, what the fuck is with Miyazaki and putting poison swamps in all his games?) most of Anor Londo(rafters, archers, platforming), forced instant death from Seeth with no prewarning, Crystal Caves, bonewheel skeletons, basilisks, the entire giant death tree level, Capra Demon dogs, Tomb of the Giants...the list goes on. Nothing in gaming really replicates the feeling of overcoming a fairly designed challenge in Souls games but there is so much that is just plain annoying, irritating, unfair, and plain unfun, i can't bring myself to revere DS1 like many do. The best part is the interconnected world. Everything else is almost entirely one-step-forward-one-step-back game design.

[@evbvini]

1:37:10 curse is really bad, but is the easyest status to protect yourself against, if you put a high curse defense armor its not a problem anymore, so i think its well balanced if you know how to deal with it

[@mictianabsterges1313]

FIREBOBMS

[@johnyoung8745]

Anor Londo archer cheese=poison arrows. Hit each archer with two and watch the health bar tick off slowly

[@dune3001]

20:40 just want to say that the first time the dragon swoops and breathes fire doesn't actually kill you. It does like 50 -70 % damage. It never killed me "first" time, but if you don't hurry to the side immediately, it will come again and finish you. After this, it does kill you every time. I guess that + the burn marks was considered warning enough lol.

[@ChaosSoulYT]

After the Taurus demon, I new player is likely to not be at full health though so they might be at lower then 70% health. Additionally, they wouldn't know to necessarily sprint immediately and go straight down those stairs... There's a lot fundamentally wrong with that encounter, despite it being so iconic.

[@dune3001]

also very true

[@michaelwerkov3438]

No time to watch is now, but subbed, saved, commented, and liked. God damn, ds1 is magical

[@geekmaster213]

Someone may have already pointed this out but if you shoot the anor londo archers with poison arrows and wait for them to die from poison that area becomes a non-issue. Poison is extremely op in the first game.

[@slr4201]

Good stuff, have a sub. Any plans on a Bloodborne long form video? Cheers

[@ChaosSoulYT]

It will be coming after dark souls 2 :)

[@bill1417]

Played through dozens of times. Never put alluring skulls + boar together in undead parish. Watching this it's a "oh yea" moment.

[@JamesGowan]

About respawning skeletons… they can be killed permanently with a Divine weapon which is easy to get. Killing the Mimic in the Anor Londo room where you get all of Havel’s armor will yield an Occult club. Take that to André and he can revert it to a Divine+5 and you’re ready to kill any skeleton permanently, regardless if he is tied to a Necromancer

[@skipboppop2129]

I can't get enough of dark souls critical analysis videos. I've played it too many times and watched too many videos like this that I know all this stuff but it's still great watching this. But I'll have to disagree with what you said at 5:38, everyone knows the master key is useless and the most op item in the game is the pendant which you should always pick on all your playthoughs.

[@ChaosSoulYT]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@KyoMinx]

Awesome video man deserves more recognition

[@ChaosSoulYT]

Thank you! I really appreciate it :)

[@evn556]

Subbed!!

[@Augustus_Imperator]

I feel like dimension of the map really plays a crucial role in this and many if not all devs still haven't got it yet. Bigger is not always better for a simple reason: too big of a map will always be alienate the players, even if almost everyon screams about the bigger the map the better, let me explain: some of the best games in terms of replayability have fairly small maps, skyrim, GTA series, Dark souls 1, why is that? because people playing the games start to recognize the places, to feel at home, comfortable, like an arena they know in which they can do different things, it gives an homely nostalgic feeling. The only games who can really get away with huge maps are mmorpgs, because the time spent is so huge and the mechanics are so tied to spend a LOT of time in it, that even huge maps in the end start to feel familiar, but normal rpgs, adventure and free world games are a different thing. If a bigger map would always be better for longevity then mobas would be 10 hours long and titles like just cause 3 would be played for thousands of hours. It obviously depends on a lot of other things too, mechanics, gameplay pace, ability to travel and mounts, but going back to los santos, to firelink shrine, whiterun will always have that special feeling, while playing again even great games like the outer worlds will never have that nostalgic feeling. and it's not just about nostalgia that will never come back, because as an example I played stardew valley for the first time in 2020 and it has the exact same nostalgic vibe when I get back to it as DS1, while Minecraft while being a great game and me playing it from time to time since 2012 it just will never have.

[@brianswain1187]

Please forgive me, where does it say that Guiana and Seeth are the parents of Pracilla?

[@ChaosSoulYT]

It is not 100% but it is heavily alluded too in item descriptions

[@Malisteen]

imo first time players should avoid the master key altogether. the game world can be confusing enough to the uninitiated without opening up extra areas at the start, and its main effect is to let players skip several zones altogether, which for a new player is just missing out on a big chunk of the experience.