Dark Souls 3 (and 1... and 2): Indifference vs. Sadism - Writing on Games

[@fatbeardie5353]

that hollow that's chilling on the cliff is my favorite. I named him Henry the Hollow. i sit with him sometimes. we smoke a J and talk about the good old days of the age of fire.

[@ShadowLinx20111]

Fat Beardie hahahah ikr at first i thought he was an npc, the coolest looking one, because he seemed so inspiring and outside of the shrine, and yhat robe with the hood and the sword, then i moticed he was jusg another hollow, i was confused, but everytime i pass through him, i still like to think deep inside, nlt all of him is hollow, and he is still perhaps searching for some meaning in life

[@The_Custos]

Fat Beardie pass around green blossoms and sip the Estus, eyyyyyyyy.

[@webmastervds]

Hahahahahahahahahahaa xD imma go do that now

[@josepartida1711]

Rest In Peace Hank! He’s a homie

[@OverproofMMA]

kindle that flame baby

[@PermianExtinction]

The Hollow at 8:22 doesn't seem as much anguished as it seems to be... chilling. "Draw me like one of your Astoran girls."

[@ButterMeOrange]

you gotta learn to own your devastating sadness. that dude gets it.

[@stacycampion9902]

I always took it as a person with slightly more humanity left, enjoying the view while they can bear to open their eyes.

[@Taliesin_]

Charmer Ahead

[@wanada6938]

DON'T LET GO JACK!

[@farrex0]

The most empowering feeling I have ever had in a game has been defeating Ornstein and Smough for the first time. No power fantasy can ever recreate that feeling, and that is because Dark Souls is the opposite of pandering, people always talk about how difficult the game is but you hit on the nail on the other reason the game is empowering. This feeling of indifference, that world would exist even without you there, is what makes victory all the more rewarding. You do not need a character to act all surprised that you defeated Ornstein and Smough. It is you as a person who acknowledges that despite the hardships you defeated Ornstein and Smough. You immerse yourself on this world like in no other, you do not feel the developers constantly checking in if you feel powerful enough or the opposite if it is enough of a challenge, the world is just there and you are part of it just like everyone else.

[@noruv3816]

well that's you, i just got a feeling of "thank god that horrible shit is done" like after killing most bosses.

[@farrex0]

Drugs are good m8 And for some reason you did it. Empowerment comes from the way you see challenge. Climbing a mountain can be empowering because you overcome yourself and achieve things you might have never imagined you could. But if you see everything difficult like "thank god that horrible shit is done" you will never feel empowered by anything because you see it as a burden instead of a challenge.

[@oliverwirth42]

farrex0 I got cardiac arrest from beating that fight.

[@richardv6930]

farrex0 nah, killing manus on ng +3 was like giving Margot Robbie a facial

[@Ghost1170]

farrex0 Shit, this was me against artorias. You couldnt summon help and he was fucking hard compared to everyone else in the game for me

[@BLACKDISC]

I'd be fine with more Dark Souls videos.

[@WritingOnGames]

+JoJoXGamer As I said to another commenter, the Souls videos are by no means stopping - I just have some other subjects I want to talk about for a change that aren't Souls-related. There will absolutely be more Souls content soon!

[@siddharthagrawal8300]

+Writing on Games i just started watching ur vids, and ur language is gr8 and vid fun. only negative thing id say is that u make 15 min of videos where u say the same thing again and again. ppl dont have that time or attention span. just a suggestion :D

[@Thejigholeman]

now that i think about it, Most of the dark souls 3 bosses are just doing there own thing until you come along and try to kill them greatwood is just sitting there, with it's followers praying to it yhorm is sitting on his throne, being all reclusive the abyss watchers are having a brawl with eachother those priest dudes (the horde boss) are probably just praying The lothric brothers are trying to figure out a way around the whole kindling thing dragon dude is just doing his own shit, surprised that you even came along The demon king is pretty much just sitting there, waiting for death pontif is just pontifing everyone has their own shit they'd rather be doing. the only reason they fight you is because you came along to fuck their shit up.

[@zura8879]

lmao this gave me quite the laugh.

[@Sleksin]

Not quite, think about the Ancient Dragon, it seemed to know you were coming, it was prepared not for someone to come in and try to kill it but for you specifically. There might be one or two others, but I just wanted to point out that one.

[@TamaraBloodhoof]

Yes, a giant dragon who happened to know after you just came in and either were greeted by all of it's servants, or literally massacred it's entire retinue to get to it. It's kind of hard to NOT be prepared for either a murder-hobo or a warrior who just alerted the entire castle as to their presence :p

[@The_Custos]

Zombycow pontificating?

[@ayyub9855]

youre the villain

[@BattleKid619]

I will say, I hated DS2 when I first started it and it still is my least favourite of the series but to me it is still 8/10. I hold Dark Souls 1 as my all time favourite game and Dark Souls 3 is not too far behind, but I will say Dark Souls 2 had one of the saddest. most tragic and heartfelt enemies that I have ever met in a game. Vendrick. There is so much talk about him when you enter Drangleic and the thought of him builds in your mind as you hear more and more about him and how characters refer to him. And then when you first see him there is a brief moment of shock and fear but then as you approach and begin to notice how he is not hostile and how he is disfigured and looks as though he is being devoured by the curse. His almost lifeless corpse limping in circles through his own retreat almost searching for meaning that he will never find. Then that oh so subtle music that penetrates your heart. No enemy before or since has stirred up emotions inside me like that did. I felt so guilty for killing him as he did not wish to harm me. He was like the hollows in New Londo Ruins, x100 I would say Sif is the only other DS enemy that can even come close.

[@ragenFOX]

what's wrong with this video's framerate?

[@erikjando7389]

What's wrong with Fromsoft's framerates? :'(

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

its making me anxious

[@ghyutin]

i can't even watch it

[@electricforest17]

Yeah it's annoying. Dropped watching this right away

[@Grodon94]

Comment sections where DaS2 is involved are curious reads. People that like the game are vehemently defensive, people that don't like the game are overly vicious, it's interesting to watch. Myself, I have about as many hours in DaS2 as in 1, and nowhere near the same amount in 3. I play the games casually as I have serious problems focusing on single games and 2 generally lures me back most often. 2 however, was also likely the game that I least enjoyed my first playthrough of, closely followed by 3. DaS2 absolutely has the most haphazard and frustrating enemy placement that hammered me into oblivion to start with, though once the hump of beating it once is past then I just deal with it by executing on the pattern in the right way. The reason why DaS2 drags me back so often though is the weapon variety, or more correctly, the viability of so many weapons. I often find myself going back to it thinking "okay let's build around this weapon this time" and I do it similarly with DaS1. Which also is why I basically never go back to DaS3 as any short sword will basically do better than anything else in everything except for range, which is a negligible advantage when all enemies close on you so rapidly. Then there's the reason why my argument is invalid. I just don't care about the story. I enjoyed following it in each of the games but it didn't stick with me in any instance. I don't see an alegory for depression in DaS1, simply because that doesn't resonate with me. While it was delivered in a ham-fisted way, I found DaS2's side-narrative about existential dread far more interesting than whatever themes of celebration and perseverance were being presented in 1 and 3. Now I'm just word-dumping. Probably time to wrap up these 2 cents. ... I wanna play Bloodborne some day.

[@FootprintsForTwoTravel]

I love how you say that the hollows have anguish and pain, whilst chopping them to pieces with a wood axe! Made me laugh.

[@ultrainstinct8485]

Hey, it's all they had left. The least he could do is give them more.

[@meris8486]

I went into Dark souls 3 having never played a Souls games and I really loved it. But I completely missed allot of the lore and depth in the story and world that you so aptly pick up on in your videos. You have a really fascinating perspective on the world and you've put it all together in well rounded and enjoyable videos. Liked and Subbed :)

[@bkr1895]

headbite alien Vaatividya is your man for all dark souls lore

[@meris8486]

Friedrich Nietzsche Oh yeah for sure, love that guys vids :D

[@jasonhymes3382]

ds1 is superior in every single way, including combat.

[@Er404ChannelNotFound]

You also forgot the Giant Memories, arguably the first instance in the series where enemies aggro at each other, at least in such a scale. The battles in these Memories have happened in the past and as you visit them, they happen with or without your intervention. What's even cooler about this is that this is the only instance in any of these games where we witness the world before the plague of the undead. We still, however, arrive at a time of desperation where everyone is about to go crazy from fear because they have to fight 4 meter tall Giants that pose a huge threat to the soldiers as well as the player.

[@Dunge0n]

We also kill the Giant King, similar to how we killed Manus, in an apocalyptic moment. Artorias, the legendary hero, couldn't actually withstand the Abyss and didn't really do anything. Everything he's famous for is our doing. While our actions definitely matter, the universe at large seems oblivious to them. A cosmic joke on an epic scale.

[@sunson9522]

This is actually one of the very few moments i enjoyed DS2, such a nice idea.

[@philliphelmut1077]

Isz I know the post is old, but fuck it: I don’t think the memory of X or whatever work like AotA worked in ds1, AotA was literally time-travelling, but I think the memorys are like „seperat universes“, stuff that happened long ago but is trapped in an endless loop inside the trees (or the clothes, regarding Vendrick) and what we do changes the memory, but as soon as we leave those changes are „discarded“ because everyting resets. I mean, we see Vendrick infusing his crown to protect us from hollowing - if this was in our timeline, why wouldn’t he just use this crown himself and prevent himself from hollowing? Or, wouldnt knowing another monarch is coming to save Drangleic stop his hollowing process, because it gives him some kind of goal to hold onto?

[@twilightsparkle75]

i love how the head that rolls by and almost kills you seems to be the same head that gives pathway to the pursuer boss arena

[@twilightsparkle75]

@@philliphelmut1077 Vendrick either way needed to keep locked up for Natasha was a fragment of Manus which had latched onto Vendricks very soul and prophecy and there was no escaping her, Vendrick could not defeat her for even if he had the strength he had not the will, he had already given up and sealed himself away so when somebody who was so strong they were capable of getting past his Royal Guard Velstadt he knew it would be better to aid in there journey and steer them along the path he believes is right, for meeting Natasha would surely mean Death and it is why he fled in the first place. The memories even tell us the name of the individuals memory we are experiencing.

[@jj12343211]

I would argue that DS2 absolutely lacks this indifference as a matter of purpose. That is what alters 2 from the rest of the souls series. The point of 2 is that everyone has lost their minds and their sense of self. The player must deal with these hollows who have reached that point not because of a simple curse but also because they have lost their purpose. While you definitely have a different kind of horror through indifference, DS2 assaults you on every level. What if you really were the only one in the world who matters? Would the world, empty of other beings of thought, look up to you or try to destroy you? The Pursuer is a perfect example of this, as are the four Old Ones. Think about it. Each of them resulted from some form of ambition gone awry, much in the same way that you care challenged by others who are going or have gone hollow in DS1. They are the losers, each bound to something which they do not have the will to escape. (For the spider, I am more referring to the Duke himself.) DS2 aims for an entirely different tone, and that's why it is so satisfying to go through the entire game with a hatchet. The game is about the player... even if the player goes insane and their quest results in another Old One. Even death reflects this. With each failure to assert your personal power, you become weaker. The Emerald Herald primarily urges you to get stronger, to get more powerful souls. I could keep giving examples, but I think the point is understood. DS2 is about the player's power. It tries to strongarm the player, demanding them to give in to a world filled with others who have given in. The genocide route from Undertale is a good example. The problem with DS2 is that it does not then handle the powerful character in s creative way. Once you reach a certain point, you kind of run over everything in your path, and bulldoze your way to the end... perhaps they understood this flaw after all.

[@c0mmanderKeen]

Very interesting view on Dks2!

[@JohnSmith-op3qj]

I'd say that DS2 does give the player more agency plot-wise, rather than gameplay-wise. When compared and contrast with the endings of both Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3, Dark Souls 2 highlights the discovery of a vital knowledge; the cycle. While Dark Souls was a story of triumph that acknowledges the choice of Fire and Dark, DS2 laid out the truth of that choice being meaningless. And this truth was shown to us, the player, which I think translates well into player agency plot-wise. This is especially true with the Scholar of the First Sin and the 'Beyond Light and Dark' ending. Ultimately, the Bearer of the Curse is the only Souls protagonist who was given enough agency to find a way out of the cycle. EDIT: I think a better way to put it is, rather than player agency, it would be player RELEVANCE instead.

[@gozinta82]

I think that's an interesting opinion about DS2. I don't like 2 as much as the other games in some ways, (namely the way the player control/movement feels and the enemy/bonfire placement) but the game does do some new things and does it pretty well. I look at it as a game that flipped it's formula upside down, for better or worse. The examples you use in regards to the atmosphere and how the player and world/npc act toward each other is so true. It's like it's much worse than the first Dark Souls, everyone has gone hollow and very few are left, like the ones that come back to majula to seek refuge. (or the nexus in demons souls, firelink in ds1). Even majula feels hollow like a husk compared to firelink. There are enemy dogs that can actually rock the player pretty badly at the beginning of the game. It's like the first game was built to lead up to the conclusion of each npc's own agenda and the understanding of a cycle. Then DS2 takes it beyond the cycle and starts to hint toward the deeper agendas of the different powers, then 3 hints towards the curse as being branded by the church. 2 is a dark game, i just wish the controls felt better and the enemies were better placed. I won't play SOTFS because of the ridiculous shenanigans I've read about. Demon's Souls should always be brought up as part of it, because they did a lot of things right in that game, even with it only having a bonfire per boss for each level (which was pretty dang challenging), rather than multiple before a boss, then multiple before and one after a boss. I still wonder what the Giant world would've been if they could've completed it. And what Lost Izalith would be if it were completed.

[@pippogriffthegreat7003]

I'm so glad I stumbled upon these videos, Mr. Black. They're great! I absolutely love them and I'm certainly going to keep watching.

[@joacimtorneus]

Great commentary, you have a new subscriber -- I've often felt the same myself about both Dark Souls 1 and 3. I'll share a particular experience that stuck with me. In Dark Souls 3, in the Undead Settlement and Road of Sacrifices area, uou run into all these hollows who seem to simply be working. They seem to slowly, painfully trudge across trails in small groups. They carry but simple working tools. Long sharpened wooden sticks, pitchforks, saws, kettles. If they feel intimidated they flail at you with those tools, screaming, clumsy, heavy-handed, crude. It's clear they're no warriors. Merely rolling into them, an action that any of the armored knights or terrifying monstrosities in the game wouldn't even flinch at, causes them to recoil and reel back -- some might say just a mechanic to make it easier to fight groups, but it resonated with me. I started to feel sad about their states and about killing them. The anguished dying screams of other enemies started becoming more than sound effects. In many games I might have chalked this up to just coincidence and reading too much into it, but Dark Souls is different.

[@raioh4747]

I get what you are saying and I also loved the hollows, I never kill them, ever since the first, I'm especially fond of the dogs at the gate section because I allways do everything I can to save the poor bastards, however I don't think this makes DS2 inheritly worse then 1 or 3, I think each one of these games are bringing something diferent to the table, just like I don't think the linear design of 3 makes it worse than 1. Imo all these games succeded in what they where trying to do, and to compare one to the other is kinda of missing the point that makes each of them an unique experience. I understand not liking DS2, but what I don't understand is using DS 1 or 3 to desqualify 2, it just comes across as someone chasing the dragon, looking for the same experience over and over again

[@goncalocarneiro3043]

W-Well... In Dark Souls 2 the soldiers in the memories often focus on the giants and not on you, although they'll attack you too. In their hollowed state they'll attack the trees!

[@AlexanderForsman]

And the dragon knights only attack you if you walk where you shouldn't. And the retainers in the ivory crown dlc. And the undeads being soothed by the Malfinito

[@LostEchoDX]

While these are good examples, I think there's one even more notable one: Vendrick. I really like what they did with this character: you run around Drangleic Castle, Shrine of Amana and the Undead Crypt looking for him. You expect to find a hulking, powerful king waiting for you, the bearer of the curse who is supposed to be a challenger to his title of king. But all you find is a hollowed king, wandering aimlessly around, not caring about anything around him, including the PC. He's even an optional boss, you can finish the game, take his throne and he won't care at all. His kingdom has fallen, his reign has ended, this era has ended without the PC doing anything. The world marches on whether the PC is here or not. If we don't take the throne then someone else will, doesn't really matter.

[@goncalocarneiro3043]

I couldn't have said it better, thank you for your contribution!

[@itsallfunky4591]

"In their hollowed state they'll attack the trees!" That was not the case until the SotFS remix came out. "And the dragon knights only attack you if you walk where you shouldn't. " Not sure who you are referring to, but that's how general agro in games work "And the retainers in the ivory crown dlc." Yeah, the DLC is pretty good "And the undeads being soothed by the Malfinito" That's a good example.

[@goncalocarneiro3043]

That1Weirdo In Dragon Sanctuary, SotFS the NPC enemies in dragon armour will only bow and never attack you unless you attack them first. Oh, another example, torch hollows. The one in the Undead Cript does not attack you but follows you. Oh, the Heide Knights, they are docile until smacked.

[@D-Havoc]

In the Grave of saints and Huntsman Copse, there are pale, tattooed hollows that laugh out of insanity, bang there heads against the walls, and lay on the ground drawing in the dirt. Also similarly in the earlier parts of Harvest Valley. I said this once, and I'll say it again. Its piss easy to talk down on Dark Souls 2, but its harder to actually give the game its credit and note where it didn't mess up. Not because there isn't plenty to note but because its just plain out cooler and easy to bash at it so, that we become oblivious to those details.

[@romulusnuma116]

wow you say it like such a dick he said he couldn't remember if it did don't have to act like he wants to hate the game.

[@chaosMonkeyPoo]

Don't forget the Giant memories when enemies are actively engaging each other in combat and not you. As well as the Hollows attacking the Giant trees in the Forest of the Fallen Giants. Basically - there are just as many instances of enemies in the game ignoring you and doing something else in DS2 than there are in DS1.

[@D-Havoc]

Romulus Numa Go somewhere and hide. This guy clearly didn't care enough to spare an ounce of time to look back at DaS2 but you wanna chastise me sounding like a dick? What I said was well called for when people like him and others act so indifferent towards a game that didn't meet *their* standards.

[@Xxandrew01]

+DeeperHavoc Or or or, maybe Souls fanboys like yourself, think every game in the series is perfect because of challenge and only challenge and not what actually made Dark Souls and it's challenge shine in the first place. It's world. Dark Souls 2 world, feels more brighter and less oppressive than let's say...Dark Souls 1. When i first start Dark Souls 1, i start off in a prison cell and see a guy (Oscar) dropping a key to me to open my cell door. I walk out the cell door, head outside and open the big giant doors, i run forward inside the big giant doors, only to be killed by a giant demon. I then die a few more times, before i actually see the message on the ground telling me to run. I run, to what i see is a gate and it closes. I go to the Bonfire behind the gate, go to the hallway only to see an archer shooting at me. I look on the ground to see weapons and see that the game wanted me to look at bodies that might lead to important things, i then grab the weapons and use them, i then walk up some stairs only to be surprised and hurt by a ball coming down the stairs, showing actually what kind of world Dark Souls is. I then see that said ball opened up a wall, showing good level design here and go inside said wall only to see the man (Oscar) hurt on the floor and looks like he is near death and when talking to him, he is. And sad and scary thing about this is, he is the only NPC at that point in the game, in the Undead Asylum, so seeing the only NPC near death can be saddness and fear on the player. He then tells me what the story is about and what i need to do and then he tells me to leave him so he doesn't hurt me after he dies. So i then go up the stairs, fight a few enemies and go through a fog wall on the door and see the Asylum Demon below. Just out of no where i fell and pressed RB and did the plunging attacking for massive damage and saw that i can actually do damage and beat him and head to fire link. What this tutorial section of Dark Souls 1 does is, set the player up for the rest of the world. Getting the player ready for the rest of the world. And when you head to Firelink, you only see a few NPC's, one of which is an asshole, who barely explains where you go, and actually mocks you into quitting your adventure (Crestfallen warrior), the other is a woman who doesn't speak for some weird reason that isn't explained until a certain questline (Firekeeper), and a character who isn't all known about him, but he tells you to keep your distance for them and only talks to you again, if you talk to him about (Petrus). That is all of the NPC's from Firelink at that point in the game. The setting of Firelink is unsettling, scary and depressing. The music is sad and the sky is cloudy and enemies are there to. Enemies that can easily kill you, like the Skeletons at the graveyard. And the more NPC's you do get (That you have to find mind you), don't always stay in Firelink. Most of them leave for other Quest of their own and only are at Firelink to rest up. Dark Souls 2 lacks this. You start off seeing your character on the floor. Then you see like what, four old Firekeeper and one younger woman servant, already into the game. The game doesn't even like you fight an enemy before then. The old Firekeepers just talk about bullshit and talk about how the story doesn't matter when you run through the game (Fromsoft's B team not putting into effort into the story is being exposed by the fourth wall breaking) and they talk about how you will lose your souls over and over again (Fromsoft's B team talking about the challenge of the game and only the challenge being exposed by the fourth wall breaking) and then you leave there and you can see fog walls or just head forward. I headed forward and saw the dark and scary setting. Oh boy can't wait to see what is behind this cave! Well the place says Majula, the setting is...bright and welcoming. It doesn't feel oppressive. The music doesn't even feel that depressing, it's all bright sounding. There are only a few NPC's here, but, one is pretty much the one who explains the story and is pretty much like the Lady In Black from Demon's Souls and is quite bland (Emerald Herald), One is a cat (Forgot her name, because she was so bland), the other is a shop keeper who is nervous for some strange reason (Forgot his name because again, he is bland), and the other one is the only NPC who knows what is going on in the world and has the right attitude for what is going one, but he is a rehash of another character (Aka, the new Crestfallen warrior with the same voice actor). The other NPC's you have to find like in Dark Souls 1, but they all still stay there. No one has a questline or anything. It's all like a normal place where everyone can just...forget about what's going on in the world around them and focus on loving out their life in Majula, but that is being ignorant and not being aware about what is going on. Dark Souls 1 had great NPC's because of this. Dark Souls 2 NPC's feel like normal people in a post apocalyptic setting, unlike Dark Souls 1 where, people act like they should in a post apocalyptic setting. Scared, depressed, tense, and crazy/insane. Dark Souls 2 lack these kind of NPC's. And the fact that you can skip the tutorial section of Dark Souls 2 and the fact that said tutorial section doesn't even have a boss, make it less and less oppressive than Dark Souls 1, which is...disappointing. Dark Souls 3 goes back to the Dark Souls 1 style. You start off in the Cemtetery Of Ash, a place that is scary, unsettling and depressing and you are just thrown into this world. You go forward to see a Bonfire, and see the enemies of the area, with no NPC's around and then you walk down the round area, only to see what looks like to be a statue of a knight and you see a sword on his nipple. So you can see that you can take the sword out, only to be greeted by the knight in a boss fight (Ludex Gundyr) and you can't progress anywhere until you beat said boss. Just like Dark Souls 1 Asylum Demon. You then defeat the boss and then you go until another area with enemies and then you reach Dark Souls 3 version of Firelink, which is more scare, unsettling and depressing than Dark Souls 1 Firelink. The music sounds depressing. Few NPC's and you have to find more like the other two games and while they are still doing Dark Souls 2 way of NPC's going back to Firelink and not having any questlines of them leaving Firelink (Which i don't like that much), the NPC's at least act like what i expect them to act in a post apocalyptic setting. Dark Souls 2 has it's good things like the Life gems and better coop then in Dark Souls 1, but the flaws are the highest in Dark Souls 2. The world feels less oppressive and to me, that ruins the world of Dark Souls 2. Oh and the final boss (Nashandra) is the worst final boss of the Souls series. (Why does she have a piano piece anyway? She is a bad character! Everything she did, was out of selfishness, unlike Gwyn and the Soul Of Cinder).

[@Rasln15]

The main point of his thesys is still there. Dark Souls 2 world is not "alive", the player is needed for it to go forward, is like nothing would happen if the player hadn't shown up, the entire world would stay static. Meanwhile in Dark Souls 1 and 3, the player is not needed, stuff is happening with or without the player interference. Had the player not shown up in 1 The clerics would still die by patches trap, the firelink keeper would still die by lautrecs hand, Solaire would still go insane while looking for his "sun", the flame would eventually fade and the Lords Age would finish. You are not needed. I really can't remember one thing that would still happen in Dark Souls 2 without the player involvement. Nashandra would still be the Ruler for ages. All the NPCs have nothing to do, just stand there, for the player convenience. It's like the world exists FOR the players.

[@esper4605]

I'm making a list of people to contribute to once I get a job that pays enough to sustain college and video games, and you're within the top three of that list for the buttery Scottish accent and the interesting perspective that you've placed upon one of my favorite series of all time.

[@joshcs5914]

Very insightful. The observation of nuances in visual cues and design are part of why I love your show! Keep up the great work!

[@Vini-zv3lr]

Souls videos from you are something I could watch every day I really enjoy this channel, good work man

[@EDDYLOL100]

I've watched all the darksouls videos like 3 times maybe more lol I love your unique insight too these games and your take on them very well done mate

[@WritingOnGames]

Thank you, I appreciate it. I have some ideas for more DS related videos but I don't just want to put stuff out there for the sake of it - DS stuff is the most popular content on my channel for sure, but quality of analysis is far more important to me than views. I'm really glad people like yourself have been engaging so well with the videos I've made so far though - there will definitely be more DS content on this channel probably sooner rather than later.

[@EDDYLOL100]

+Writing on Games Ok thanks man of course take your time I enjoy your views on all games anyway so I'm happy with any videos you upload but yeah i just love dark souls lol

[@thechosenflutterbox]

in the rerelease version of dark souls 2, the dragons in the dragon aire castle area arent hostile as long as you beat the large round knights. I thought that part was pretty cool, it gave them a sort of personality. they give you permission to pass so long as you complete their trials, and that was pretty cool

[@WortsUsernameEver]

hmm enemies that are non hostile in ds2... well in scholar of the first sin we have, 1-the heide knights (unltil you kill the boss). 2-the ancient dragon(unless provoked). 3-king vendrick (unless provoked). 4-the Drakekeepers (unless provoked or you run away from a duel). 5-the drakes in dragon aerie (unless provoked). 6-some of the hollows in huntsman's corpse. 7-the torch hollows in no man's whaft and undead crypt. 8-the retainers in eleum loyce (until you unfroze loyce). 9-gunpowder barrel hollows. 10-certain enemies when you join some covenants like the rats, and of course the loyal and friendly maldron the assassin.

[@PegasiJay]

WortsUsernameEver but I think he means did any of them give you the same uncanny feeling that the new London hollows did? I’d say vendrik is the only one that comes close.

[@jasonhymes3382]

The new London hollow didn't give me an uncanny feeling. Firstly they aren't suffering they are just going mad as all hollows do. They are merely a representation what happened when the dark wraiths came. They make it very clear that the hollows attack you for your souls, not to defend their territory.

[@andrewohare3872]

@@jasonhymes3382 Yeah but it is DS1 so it has to be deeper than it really is. If it is in DS2 we just ignore it because admitting DS2 might not be all that bad is worse than death.

[@terrorswrath6806]

@@jasonhymes3382 lets just gloss over that they are mourning the loss of life because of the sealers... Not the darkwraiths.... These hollows could be the people who either escaped the flood, or came back to New Londo after the flood... You go hollow when you no longer have a purpose, or when you lose all humanity... I think they show what happens when you give up and cant continue, all humanity was lost when everything they cared for was drown and they can never go home...

[@terrorswrath6806]

@@andrewohare3872 youre right, it is deeper for people who can understand what the point of it all is. DS2 doesnt cut it. Its not as good to most people. That doesnt mean you cant enjoy it or feel differently. We dont agree, thats fine. Its all left to interpretation. You seem to interpret DS2 differently than others, and thats fine.

[@carlpowell0]

Ive just finished 2, havent played 3, but this you really hit the nail on the head as to how 2 didnt feel like you were in a world that was happening, like it did in 1, instead you were happening within a world. That subtle shift of perception around your character not being the centre of attention makes dark souls 1 feel very engrossing and real where as the heroeskness of ds2 invalidates the ambiguity and darkness that you expect a souls game to be drenched in. Really liked these two dark souls vids good job man, off to watch the full ds2 vid if i can find it

[@gil6681]

I enjoyed this a lot. Thanks for only using early game footage too, as I’m playing DS3 for the first time right now and didn’t want any surprises spoiled.

[@Omega0037]

Absolutely brilliant. I never saw the game as an analogy for the stages of depression, nor did I catch onto the sublime nature of the indifference throughout the games. Very well said, thank you

[@thalanoshutto8348]

This is important tbh. I'd love to support your patreon bro but I'm broke. Your evaluation of DS1 is really important to me, and how you alude it to the effects of depression. Your whole review on this series does the serious justice :) good work and thank you

[@bobmortock]

You're criticizing DS2 for something it never was trying to do. Of course it will "miss the mark" when DS2 was never trying to be DS1 to begin with. DS2 was about the loss of memory. Level design directly reinforces this as impossible physical connections disorient the player and make them wonder how they got there. NPCs often fear the inevitable loss of their own memories. The player traverses the giants' memories and the vibe of the game is of something forgotten. All the Souls games are great and I think too many people dismiss DS2 too readily without judging it on its own terms or thinking about its design through a more questioning lens.

[@sergiofernandez5202]

Top comment

[@biker3982]

bobmortock and I forgot the game immediately after I played it

[@OQIF87NREU]

I think the point is that what it tried to do wasn’t done as well. Not that it’s bad to do something different and not that DS2 is actually a bad game, full stop.

[@stevenredman6660]

This is THE best dark souls video I have seen. Well done! Very eloquent and insightful.

[@Razor1Name]

I am really dissappointed you didn't mention the corvians on the Road of Sacrifices that back away at the sight of the player, in fear, only attacking like an animal backed into a corner when you approach them.

[@AidanRatnage]

As well as the Heide Knights, the hollow soldiers attacking the trees of giants don't attack the player unless provoked.

[@AuroraShadowglen]

Also, the Dragon Eyrie. If you don't kill any sleeping dragons or destroy any eggs, the Drake Soldiers in the next area are non-hostile and will actually bow to the player before the large black iron knights attack and the first time the player comes into their view.

[@AidanRatnage]

Hannah Tackett I killed sleeping dragons and destroyed many eggs, only the big guys were hostile to me as well as the Invader and one slightly different coloured golden guy.

[@BologneyT]

Other than the fact that this video wasn't quite about sadism vs indifference, it was great. Made me think about things. Great your first patron-backed episode went well and you continued after this. 8-)

[@noodleshack4206]

I saw your video on the problems with dark souls 2 and i had to subscribe. You make great points, keep making content dude

[@Southpaw_Blue]

Thoroughly enjoy watching your videos mate. Thanks for making them.

[@arikzhou8198]

The hollows when you first enter the huntsmans copse who ate pressed against the wall don't attack until you instigate

[@alinkdeejay]

Was about to say that too. They are pretty much similar to the new londo ruin hollows, but rather than to be in pain they seem to be in some kind of oblivious state, likely a result of the loss of memory which is a theme in DS2. In fact these hollows had more of an impact on me than the new londo ruin hollows.

[@voyagerwitch]

listen carefully , hollow...

[@Gabriel64468]

arik zhou also the torch hollow you find in Undead Wharf and Undead Crypt that just follow you around lighting the way

[@Nevantus]

I admire your view of the Dark Souls, well done video sir.

[@janakathalu]

I'm so, so happy that I found your channel. I've been watching your videos everyday since I found them and I'm truly impressed by how good they are, quality wise and content wise. I'm looking forward to what's to come. c:

[@BknMoonStudios]

_TL; DR_: The world and characters of Dark Souls 1 & 3 live and change without the need of the main character, whereas in Dark Souls 2 the player is the center of attention and is the most important thing there, essentially stealing the spotlight and making the rest of the cast seem dull by comparison. I feel this is extremely important because almost every non-gameplay related complaint I've heard has to do with DS 2 "feeling like a standard RPG setting with some mildly interesting details" instead of "a vast, dark and tragic world filled with many memorable characters and events". For anyone working on a story, regardless of medium, take note: *If you want your characters and settings to be memorable, don't put all the focus on the main character.*

[@AlexanderForsman]

I agree that DS2 has a more personal story going forward. *But* being personal, doesn't mean center of attention. While all 3 characters is one of many, 2 is the only one that expresses a personal reason for what he's doing and why he is "one of many" to try. Personally i think the minimalism of the npcs in DS2 had more gave them more character than the npcs in DS3, who I felt in general like they just had to deliver their line and then move to the next spot. With some obvious exceptions like Greirat and Onion bro.

[@jasonhymes3382]

I felt the world of ds3 centers around you entirely. Its too linear to be anything else. The NPCs in 1 would be found across the world on their own travels and adventures. In 3 they just teleport back to your hub for further instructions. When you enter dark souls 3 you have two directions to go making it feel as though the bosses are just waiting for you. It never felt like the Capra demon was waiting for you because you only had to kill him to gain access to the depths. You didn't have to kill him at all. Even when you did need to kill him, you could skip him entirely to continue exploring. In ds3 you don't kill the mage to get a key to give you access to a door leading to the cathedral of the deep. No, he is literally blocking your path. The only enemy literally blocking your path in ds3 was quelaag and the iron golem. Every other boss was a detour. In ds3 every boss is a dead end leading to the next area. Its just so linear that it feels the world revolves around the character.

[@Syntherus]

@@jasonhymes3382 I think your criticism about bosses blocking your path is pretty valid but I don't see it as you being the center of attention. The argument was that enemies seemed to be far more concerned with you than anything else. This is kind of the opposite. I don't necessarily see it this way but if I had to label what you're describing, it's more that you yourself are putting putting yourself on a pedestal. "Hey, you're in my way. I don't really care what you were doing, you need to die now." You intruded on their territory and just bulldoze over them.

[@andimason3370]

The part where the door opens and the dogs attack the hollows was a fantastic bit of world building. When I played it I did what came natural and defended a group that was under attack. Just afterwards I suddenly realised that I had actively tried to save hollows. It felt as if in that one brilliant moment the game was asking me to actually consider what is going on in the world and my own involvement in it. To realise there was a story larger than myself and I needed to actually evaluate how my actions effected it. Magnificent piece of story telling.

[@hibiscusman]

Greatly enjoyed this video. I think that focusing on the really small details and nuanced portions of the Dark Souls series is one of the best ways to approach it. Everything important about these games in terms of message and symbolism is incredibly well hidden and subtle, so I think you're doing it a great service to dig so deep. Off to watch the rest of your DS videos on here now! (and probably make a visit to that Patreon ^^)

[@griev0r]

Been a follower since you only had a couple hundred subs, one channel I'm really happy to see grow. Keep it up dude! Quality vids through and through since the beginning!

[@rustygear447]

DS3 does capture the atmosphere a lot better than DS2, though not quite as well as DS1. I should say DS3 tries to capture a different feeling from DS1 and it total succeed in doing so, but the feeling is not as powerful as DS1's. In DS1, you're just a random hollow and the world is completely indifferent to you. Even when the NPC calls you the "chosen one", they do that to everyone else so they can fulfill their own agenda. In DS3, NPCs glorify you. NPCs ask to be at your service rather than you asking for their favor. You are their lord and you have a destiny to fulfill. This gives a different sense of adventure from what DS1 have and I like it, though not as much as DS1's indifference. I guess we could say DS1 is about exploration. You don't have any particular reason to progress other than because you want to explore more and learn more about the world. While DS3 is a classic hero's journey. And DS2.... it's just something difficult that want to drive you mad.

[@mythmakroxymore1670]

This is a good channel. First view, so analytical, oh my goodness so good for looking deep into the things we like and determining their goodness.

[@charlesstephens980]

I think that Dark Souls 2 focuses much more on the fantasy. In sort of a reverse-psychological way, it acts as a power fantasy, like any typical action brawler type game, like Darksiders or DMC. It focuses so much on the character and taunts them by saying "you'll fail, you'll die again and again and again" so as to make triumph that much more satisfying, so that you can literally feel your power coursing through you as you finally beat that boss you've been stuck on. I personally really enjoyed this and the game as a whole, but I believe that it falls flat for others in comparison to the other games because, like this video illustrates, the other two are far more subtle in there delivery of the futility of the fight, where as dark souls 2 is overt.

[@stoopy2148]

3:23 is spot on, i mean in DS 2 the moment you open the door every mob within a radius would chase you even if there is a wall and they cant see you

[@bakuhakudraws5603]

I know I just commented on your DS2 video like 2 hours ago, but I'm binge-watching a bunch of your stuff, and yet again feel compelled to discuss DS2 vs. 1 I definitely agree that the Hollows in New Londo Ruins are one of the most poignant touches that really cements that world as a whole, and though I haven't played DS3 or seen too much of it, I massively appreciate the return to that concept. However, I really felt like the Heide Knights in DS2 served a very similar purpose to the game world, despite functioning very differently. I remember, especially because the first Heide Knight you see is literally like... a foot away from you as soon as you enter the tower area, that they looked despondent and defeated. It was very different from watching the Hollows thrash around in agony, but I definitely got the same feeling from them; as though my presence there just didn't matter. In DS1 it often felt like I was intruding on or acting as an innocent bystander to ongoing events, but Heide's tower in particular made me feel like I was walking in on the aftermath of one of those sort of events. Like something had gone down that crushed these resplendent, beautiful knights' spirits so terribly that even in their elaborate pure-white armor, they look depressed, defeated, and hopeless. I actually like how they're completely still, and their white armor blends in so perfectly with the stonework that they feel like a part of the landscape; like whatever destroyed the tower and caused it to become the half-crumbled ruin you enter did exactly the same thing to them. This is coupled with the fact that the giant armored enemies that stand sentry in this area are in dark gunmetal-grey armore, and stick out like a sore thumb. they felt almost robotic; like some security system left in place, still functioning after whatever they were supposed to guard is long-gone. I haven't yet dug into the lore of DS2 as much as I did 1 immediately after finishing it, so I dunno exactly how accurate that is, but I got a real sense of atmosphere from Heide's tower; just as much as I did from a lot of areas in the first game. Like it was a holy place, desecrated and defeated, It felt like I was treading on a burial site.

[@Hollow_Specter117]

Watched all your Dark Souls vids, and now I'm subbed

[@penatio]

There are these barrel carrying enemies in Crown of the Old Iron King DLC. They don't attack you at all.

[@kuraijosho3307]

Big Boss they can attack at times. It's just only under random circumstances. I've been attacked an extremely few times. I can't figure out the situation that causes it, could be a glitch or something.

[@penatio]

They sometimes explode, but usually they are obedient and act like slaves, they're scared of you. I'm talking about this moment when they go down this trapdoor contraption.

[@kuraijosho3307]

Big Boss pretty much never seen them attack at that point.

[@bigboyjr1274]

Yeah they attack, they usually did when I forced them into a corner

[@NeverduskX]

As an aspiring game designer, I find these videos very insightful. Thank you for making them.

[@krustn]

that part about the dogs in ds3 was brilliant, so subtle and powerful. as someone who dealing with depression as well Ds3 felt better overall than ds2. btw that grindcore reference was nice aswell. cheers

[@theunlockist4955]

At first I was agreeing with all this, but replaying Dark Souls 2 in co-op was an absolute revelation for me. It was really built for that experience, but it works in solo for different reasons I'll explain soon. My point is, sequels should be allowed to do things differently, and I'm very disappointed in DS3 how it plays exactly like a mixture of DS1 and Bloodborne. It has nothing new to say, it doesn't take the series in interesting directions. All the praise in this video directed at DS3 is praise directed at DS1 and Bloodborne. All criticism of DS2 is based on the fact that it is doesn't carry over the survival horror / Lovecraftian indifference of the first one. This trait of the game kind of bothered me at first as well... but seeing the alternative, DS3, when you have nothing new to say about the subject, I realized I prefer DS2 over DS3. Its DLCs are incredibly well designed, and yes, it is a hostile world (although I still can point to the tree-worshipping undead in the Forest of the Fallen Giants who don't attack the player, also, there are numerous fights between other enemies), it is a war-torn world, it has recent memories of war and struggle. It is very different, but that's not a bad thing, really. This war-thematic aligns beautifully with co-op as well, but playing solo conveys how insignificant you are, not because of indifference, but because this game has enemies prepared to fight a war with unspeakable strength, and you are no match for a kingdom full of knights and giants. Once you realize this, you'll appreciate DS2 for what it is, even with the unfinished nature and questionable level design.

[@ramonperales7269]

GREAT as always. Didn't knew your next video was about Metal Gear Solid! Those are some really good news! :D

[@theknifesong]

The King at the end of DaS 2 is a huge exception

[@Implosionstechnologie]

Interesting video! Just one tip: Iudex is Latin (judge) and therefore pronounced like Youdex.

[@WritingOnGames]

Implosionstechnologie thank you! I knew I probably wasn't pronouncing that right...

[@coolkid33000]

doosex machingo

[@-snek.]

H-h-how DARE this person say something in another dialect?! F-FUCKING AMERICANS!!!1one!1exclamationpoint!!

[@CPalanysamy]

Dark Souls 2 is a great game. The tone is different to that of DS1 and 3 but that doesn't mean it because it's a misunderstanding .

[@lordhelmchen3154]

Yes. In my opinion DaS 2 is a pretty good game. Only it is really different from the rest of the series. The whole mechanics, enemies, bosses etc. are relatively well done but yet again, all other Soulsborne games (yes even Demon's Souls :D ) feel different from DaS 2. This is what freaks out so many players: It is not what they knew (and wanted). I too think DaS 2 is the worst game in the Soulsborne series... BUT I also think it is still a good game.

[@CPalanysamy]

LordShadow1 And because how the world branches off Majula, it is really a game you can play over and over and over as you can practically choose the order you do the levels.

[@lordhelmchen3154]

Should have guessed it wouldn't take long for the first DaS 2 haters to arrive... :D Don't get me wrong though: Everyone should have his own opinion, if you don't like it: fine.

[@CPalanysamy]

Edson Rozentalski All I read is a "a terribly designed shit" also other critics before I played. I played it and I got a good surprise because the game was very enjoyable, so much that I played often to this day.

[@CPalanysamy]

Edson Rozentalski I played the 3 souls and is not that far away from any of them. It has new mechanics, the lore expands the souls universe as gives you the understanding that there is a whole world affected not only geographically wise but also historically -as DS2 seems to have happened way in the past respect ds1 and ds3 ,I played the DLCs so maybe the game has been fixed but I enjoyed it a lot! The pvp is just wonderful, you have a lot of options on how you want to complete the areas and it adds, not substracts, to the general lore of the souls series.

[@ddd8828]

There are lots of enemies in DS2 who aren’t immediately hostile. The petrified enemies you unpetrify with Fragrant Branches. The hollow prisoners that were hunted in Huntsman’s Copse. Miner prisoners in Earthen Peak. Passive exploding prisoners near Straid’s Cell in the Lost Bastille, and inside the gourd pit cages. Mining / farming peasants in Tseldora. The buried prisoners in Undead Crypt who try to ring the bells. The caged monsters hanging above Aldia’s Keep. The Black Dragon warriors in Dragon Shrine (Sotfs only). The poison-curing ant in the Gutter. The kinky equipment repairing tree in Shulva. Corrosive mushroom bugs in the Shrine of Amana. Hollows attacking Giant Trees in the Forest of Fallen Giants. Vendrick’s soldiers fighting the giants in the giant memories. Vendrick himself. The Golems in Eleum Loyce who awaken when you kill enemies near them. Barrel Hollows in the Brume Tower. Nadalia. Also, arguably, the roosting butterflies who fart poison. You could also argue the stone soldiers and Syan Knights in Drangleic Castle count as “enemies who are doing something + only aggro when you get close”, but they’re pretty video game-y. Same with the lizards listening to music in the Shrine of Amana.

[@ddd8828]

Also, the torch bro in No Man’s Wharf.

[@twilightsparkle75]

at 7:30 theres an element in the Foreat of Fallen Giants there is a group of hollows at a couple points where the Fallen Giants exist that you can grab the Seed of a Giant from, hollows will continue to blindly attack the Giant corpses as in their hollowed mind they are still locked in a brutal hostule takeover of their castle by the Giants which you interact with through memories in late game even in base game before sotfs update. As well in Bright Stone Cove Tseldora near the end before you enter the spider cathedral or castle whatever along the spiked bridge there are tseldora villagers mining at ores in scholar of the first sin edition, in this addition as well Dragon Warriors in Dragon's Aerie will not attack you until you attack the Dragon who stays there. in Grave of Sainta and Doors of Pharros if you join the Rat Vanguard Covenenant then mobs are for the most part friendly

[@connorwilcox146]

I enjoyed the audio, but I was cringing throughout all the 10 fps gameplay.

[@jeremiahmills5015]

I could listen to you talk about dark souls all day great video.

[@ncrtrooper7153]

The honesty in your videos won you my subscribe.

[@maltsutty]

Great videos. I agree with you about DS being a message of overcoming things (even depression) and hope you keep making them!

[@JustinPalmerM]

I really enjoyed the thoughts you shared. It'll make me think more deeply about the atmosphere I experience in games. The jerkiness of the video was hard to watch, though. Hope that can be improved in future, I'm looking forward to more.

[@CodexEntry]

In defense of DaS2, Scholar of the First Sin fixed a lot of the problems with enemy placement. My favorite example is the Dragon Shrine. Describing it wouldn't do it justice, but look it up. It went from being my least favorite area of any Souls game to one of my top 3.

[@DevramAbyss]

I love the idea of life imitating art and how the player going through the game reflects their hollow or enkindled undertaking this journey. Not every character is the chosen one. Some have other missions like invading, some go hollow and never make it (quitting, making a new character, not coming back to the game) Within the context of the universe that character is one more lost hollow gone mad. To me that's amazing. The game doesn't hold your hand and doesn't let you win because not everyone can be the hero. The hero is the one that works the hardest, overcomes all adversity, conquers every challenge. That's what I love about dark souls

[@ARAudio_]

Interesting viewpoint on this! It’s funny, as I’d personally spin it that due to DS2’s story setting, there’s an ‘indifference’ given that you’re clearly just part of a cycle that keeps moving. There’s been many kingdoms before yours, and many will follow. This is just your cycle. In saying that, your argument totally holds up, a lot of fun, these discussions!

[@JorgeVazquez-ek6bk]

It just feels absolutely awesome that some DS community members like you decide to go deeper within the "obvious" inside the game. Loved both the video and the editing, keep on the good work!

[@rynoman85]

Great stuff man. Subbed. Love your take on depression and the Souls games.

[@benbenben123ben]

Good video you put it very well dark souls one and three it felt very much that you were this insignificant undead who was doomed to be hollow. So a lot of the enemies just almost seemed to see you as an annoyance. Dark souls three does a very good progression of enemies not caring to them actually starting to see you as a threat as you progress it's pretty cool to see!

[@stanbeck1662]

While i was making a friend play dark souls blind (I'd been going on about DS3 coming out and i peaked his interest). After what seemed like hours, we arrive at Firelink after a quick 360 with the camera he took off in the "right" direction. Phew, I thought, after 10 mins of dying to the first 3 hollows (or the fire bombs/cliff edge etc) i saw the light of fun in his eyes change in hue to the light of determination. For 3 hours i watch him slowly but surely fight and die his way to taurus, which killed first try, It Was Amazin' the smile on my face made my cheeks sore. i asked how he did it first try? how after all that time dying to the hollows that he crushed ( and he totally crushed it) the "First Boss"? He said "well after 10 mins i figured that if you're not giving me hints so take your time be safe and watch everything. and the boss did a long slow windup over head smash, just like the first hollow over head slash. and it clicked, ive been taught all i need to know just by getting here" so proud was i that i gave him my 360 (since i bought a bone for ds3) he is loving it got a text the other day while at work just said KAPRA DOWN!!!!

[@xTimeswordx]

Am I the only one who preferred Dark Souls 2 to Dark Souls 3/1? I love the feel of 2!

[@Nixxx2000]

I played only in DS2 and it's one of the best games I ever played

[@abyssalrayz9499]

xTimeswordx agreed

[@someweeb4110]

After playing the first one , the game is shiet in comparison . Please play the first . It’s a masterpiece . I don’t need to say anything else if you watch this mans video on it you know how beautiful it is

[@jontybray743]

Although 3 is my personal favourite, 2 was the game that got me into the series, so I will always love it. I may have an unlikeable opinion here but my least favourite is the first. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses.

[@placeholdername5559]

This channel is amazing. While many game design channels talk about "good game design" as almost entirely mechanical, Writing on Games is extremely refreshing. On par with Game Maker's Toolkit in my opinion.

[@c.j.velvet5985]

I first picked up dark souls 1 some years ago and never played past the tutorial level. It was only a few months ago when I found myself in a state of near constant depression that I re installed the game and forced myself to play it to completion. My first run of dark souls took three weeks of non stop play with no outside contact, it was just me and the game and now I'm a changed person. I genuinely believe that dark souls 1 will make you a better person for playing it through

[@victor00123q]

I am new here and you already kind of changed the way I look at Dark Souls now. Really impressive! =)

[@lukasreiman6011]

I feel like the big daddies of bioshock is a great example for the point that you're making. They become aggressive but not hostile if you get too close to the little sister they're protecting and only attack you if you attack them. I remember the horror of hearing them walking around on my first play through, I remember how terrified I became the first time I picked a fight against one and realised how weak I was compared to the giant in front of me. Picking a fight with someone only to realise that you can't beat him was one of the things I loved about bioshock

[@huwguyver4208]

The cold indifference of the game world to your existence was one of the things I Ioved the most about the STALKER series, especially Call Of Pripyat. There is something refreshing about games that resist the urge to cast you as the big hero/centre of the universe. I just find myself buying into worlds like that a lot more because they feel so much closer to real life.

[@VincentStreak]

I like how you say "I might be reading too much into this" your're totally supposed to read into it and I think your conclusion are spot on. DS3 does so much to show that player that the world exists and churns whether they are there or not, and that their action can't change the world.

[@barzombi7043]

At first, I didn't put y finger on why you didn't like the second game, but after watching the video you did on DS2, I think I might have got it. The first game was important to you because it was a celebration of life, as you said, and that was extremely important to you. When I played DS2, my life at the time felt like the world was out to get me, that more than sheer indifference, nobody wanted to see me succeed. And so I felt the beginning of DS2 as a challenge, a way to prove that they were wrong. Just like you needed the tone of the first game, I needed the tone of the second one. Since DS2 is much more about the character than the world, it felt to me like a personnal quest to overcome it all and choose for myself how I wanted to use my life in an absurd world. And the second ending of the game, *SPOILER* where you succeed even thought no one wanted you to, and you refuse the throne, the "natural" order of things, and go away to continue a quest that never really ends, to me felt just like real life where you never stop changing whatever age you may be. *END OF SPOILER* To me, it's not that DS2 didn't understand what the souls game were, it's just that it wasn't the same way to look at the world as the previous and later games did. It appeals to different peoples, because the tone is different. That being said, it's true that the game had problems, but to me it was no worst than the ones in DS1. Plus, looking at DS3, I believe DS2 took risks which greatly helped to give DS3 the quality it now has. Anyway, what I simply meant to say is that I now understand more clearly why DS1 is important to you, and DS2 to me. And for that, thank you ! Keep up the good work man, you're awesome !

[@rimosabysswalker3206]

I still prefer Bloodborne als my favorite From software game.

[@All4Randomness1]

Rimos Abysswalker It's my favorite game.

[@rimosabysswalker3206]

Its strange but after Bloodborne I had high hopes for DS3 But was seriously Dissapointed by it.

[@All4Randomness1]

Rimos Abysswalker Me too

[@Knights_of_the_Nine]

The story in Bloodborne is my favorite. ESPECIALLY Old Hunters.

[@rimosabysswalker3206]

***** Overall for me personally yes. I had ton more fun with Bloodborne.

[@theleviathan108]

THANK YOU. I have been a fan of souls series for many years and have always considered Dark Souls 2, while still a good game, to be the worst in the series, but I could never put to words the reason why. You have done it for me. I'm glad this popped up in my recommended videos.

[@MoffatLee]

Great video as always. While I agree that depression can be seen in the process of hollowing I would argue that it isn't necessarily allegorical. Instead, you can see how hollowing could also be looked at as being related to dementia or a number of other illnesses that involve slowly sapping away at the mind. Keep up the good work.

[@WritingOnGames]

A very fair point - I am in no way familiar with the ins and outs of dementia (so apologies if this is super ignorant), but I don't imagine it's something one can necessarily 'fight' in the same way one can take action to make depression easier to cope with? Like, dementia is a gradual process of the mind eating away at itself and that can't really be stopped (again, from what little I know about the disease). I guess that's why I suggest that it's allegorical for depression specifically - an illness that you can't rid yourself of entirely, but any action you take against it is valuable and therefore fighting through the tough points is actually an effective tool against the illness (much like hollowing in Dark Souls). I have no idea if that made any sense, or if I've even gotten that right, haha. It's definitely an interesting point though - the idea that hollowing could in fact be representative of a number of mental illnesses.

[@WritingOnGames]

Also, thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@MoffatLee]

A very good rebuttal, there are some steps one can take to reduce the damage caused by dementia but unfortunately you are right in saying it's a different kind of battle.

[@arcrux7348]

You earned a sub, dude. Keep the souls bids coming, please!

[@tristansylvester1079]

you have far more humanity than me..and i feel like you didn't fully get darksouls 2. youre not important but youre there and strong. everything wants to kill.you but that's not because youre you its because youre there. true you are more important at 2 but not because you're special.

[@Decrystallizing]

And even then, you're special but only as special as all the kings who have come before you, which have all been nearly forgotten. You are important, but you are trapped in a cycle of decay that will rend your name from history. It's lit.

[@cancersfinalform299]

the only qualm i have with the vid was the framerate. i enjoyed the discussion you gave and would like to see more. Keep it up.

[@l0stndamned]

Something about the way you compare them reminds me of the Silent Hill series. The atmosphere and somewhat passive/aggressive nature of the town in the earlier games being comparable to DS1+3 and the nastiness of the later games similar to 2. I respect that a) there is a key difference between the two settings as the player-character is vital to the world of SH due to the town basing its weirdness on the protagonists' individual issues and b) the my knowledge of either franchise isn't perfect, so this view of far from flawless.

[@pouncebaratheon4178]

It's the classic literary adage of "show, don't tell." The reason the best novels are so great, the reason film adaptations never seem to match up with the originals, and the reason their depth and subtlety can be so much greater than other forms of art is because literature is a well established medium (it has been around far longer than film and film has been around far longer than video games), it has a smaller barrier to entry (much cheaper to research and write a novel than to create a film or game with a competitive SFX budget) and thus a far more competitive market, and the relative lack or market pressure to pander to the massive audiences that summer blockbusters and AAA games have to aim for. The reason some recent FROM games (particularly Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne) are doing something great for their entire medium is because they've taken the leap from telling to showing. They have subtlety. They have layers. The world-building is massive in scope but is primarily told implicitly. The more you dig into the details of the world around you, the more you find. Some of it is ambiguous. Some of it has to be pieced together from disparate sources. Some of it is relevant to the plight of the protagonist, yet most of it isn't. There's an entire world out there that you are only a tiny piece of, and all of it has a history. It's worth exploring; it's worth analyzing; it's worth replaying. Or you can go through the world blind to the big picture, focused only on yourself. And that's the difference between say, Dark Souls 1 and Dark Souls 2. The first one is a piece of art. The second one is just another action game. Just my opinion.

[@corverstone]

I love your videos man, keep it up

[@Adam-118]

Apologies for the lack of ability to tip you, but you sir are a great person! wish o knew about your channel earlier!

[@SuperLlama42]

I remember getting to the mausoleum-esque building where you fight the Abyss Watchers and witnessing a pair of Darkwraiths just walking up the path and effortlessly massacring the small army of ghrus guarding the building. I thought that was a really nice and conveys without a single word that you're not even the only one hunting for the Lords of Cinder.

[@Keyce0013]

Just about every NPC I met on the way to that in-game event is an Ashen One trying to link the fire, but it didn't really click for me until I saw two dark wraiths pwning what looked like leftovers from Oolacile.

[@BasedProletarianJacob420]

the fact that ur a grindcore fan makes me love this channel even more lmao

[@caiogeliel]

actually in ds2 (in the scholar of the first sin at least) there are hollows just like the new londo ruins' in harvest valley. and there are more bosses that aren't aggressive to the player before attacking them, such as vendrick and the big dragon in dragon shrine. ds2 have its problems but i just don't think that's one of them, even in the lore your character of ds1 is way more important than the one in ds2.

[@WanderingTayson]

I cant believe there was another person that loved that tiny tiny moment where u could save the hollows. I thought i was the only one 😊liking and subscribing

[@TheBaralinChannel]

While I do enjoy the video and will give you a definite yes on a number of topics, I'd say, when it comes to Dark Souls 2, that.. it wasn't trying to match the tone of Dark Souls 1 at all. The world wasn't out to get you. The world was tired after so many kingdoms and so many rulers, all fucking up one way or another. The Ivory King had to deal with the old Chaos, the Iron King was medieval hitler, the Sunken King's object of worship ended up plunging his capital into poison-ridden, monumental filth. And Vendrick, swayed by Nashandra, ended up in a war with the giants that took its toll on both considerably, leaving everything in ruin. The tone there isn't that the world is out to get you. The world is beyond tired of this ceaseless conflict, spanning eternity since the first flame, and simply wishes to rest. Grand example of this would be Majula. Where firelink shrine was a natural formation, obscure enough to house a few runaways, Majula was an establishment built by people so they could get away from conflict. And it's a damn fine way of telling you ''you're welcome here. nowhere else.''. Hell, the entry into Drangleic Castle with all the petrified soldiers is just a way of saying that it's a place lost in time, with no desire to be disturbed. And that's exactly what it is. Vendrick, in his realization, was very smart to tuck away what Nashandra desired and left it so intentionally, entombing himself. You're the undesired element that played into Nashandra's hands with his arrival. Up until that point, everything was stale and without motion. Gutter is another good example of the unwanted simply establishing a living space for themselves and I'll be damned if it's not one of my favorite treks to date, where you can find an instance of a hollow family just sitting around a mat with pots out and about until you break through their roof ontop of them. Even then they kinda just look up in bewilderment incomprehensibly, before staggering to their feet to defend themselves and their possessions - you're the intruder, after all. Your critique of tone and pacing has been very spot on with these games save 2. Because 2 attempted to be independent and do something different. It wasn't trying to mimic 1 which is something I cannot say about 3. I love all these games to death and 2 is definitely the weakest when it comes to *SOME* level design and questionable enemy placements. But that's really the only thing it struggled with. The multiplayer, bar soul memory, was excellent and the lore was far, far more than what people give it credit for. I adore the atmosphere of Dark Souls 2 whereas Dark Souls 3 feels like it has so many things going on that you can't even pinpoint a ''mood'' that it sets. I don't know about you but I find that the third game is the most disappointing in that respect, however magical Irithyll might have felt at first sight.

[@tootyboots7202]

To me the Heide knights make me think of someone suffering from dementia. They're just slumped against things staring at the ground. I can picture them asking themselves "what am I doing here?" "who am I?" "what is my reason for being?". Like they've not quite gone hollow, they're on the cusp of losing everything and becoming a mindless killing machine like everything else. Then you strike them. They feel something familiar. The pain reminds them of they're glory days when they were warriors to great kingdom now mostly lost to the waves. They attack you with such vigor and precision, it almost appears as joyful. Like you've awakened them to what they once were and they're rewarding you in kind. A Good fight is they're gift to you for reminding them of what it feels like to be human.

[@BeautifulGaston]

I agree with a lot of your points, but there are actually a lot of enemies in DS2 that don't attack you unless provoked, like the Loyce Retainers, the hollow soldiers who are attacking the giant tree, the Spider in the gutter that repairs your armor, the dragon dudes in Dragon Shrine, there's a hollow in the undead crypt that just follows you around with a torch, and all the invisible hollows that are just hanging out. Not to mention all the hollows in the game that are just trying to run away from you, and all the enemies in the Giants memories that actively fight eachother, and don't aggro you until you're about a sword's length from them. Plus Vendrick and the Ancient Dragon. Also, in DS3 I hate how the NPC's at the shrine are just there, and have no arc and exist only to make the game more convient to you. But they did that in DS2 as well, so whatever I guess.

[@foopa777]

Naw, the Loyce retainers love ripping me a new one, the dragon kinghts are the same, giants too. The hollow in the crypt is awesome though.

[@BeautifulGaston]

Mr. Nobody Forever The retainers only attack you after you melt everything, and the dragons only attack you if you attack them. I love how they all proper bow to you. Also I love the hollow in the Crypt, there's actually another one in No Man's Wharf.

[@foopa777]

Brendan Moore I don't think I know the hollow in the wharf. But still, these are just a few nice guys in ds2, think about all the other knights that want nothing more than your horrible death. Bloodborne isn't much better either, Everything in that game wants you dead!

[@BeautifulGaston]

+Mr. Nobody Forever It's by entrance hiding behind a bunch of barrels I think. But yeah Bloodborne was a bit of a step backwards in that sense.

[@WATCHERtheCHANNEL]

Bloodborne and Dark Souls have very different tones. Dark Souls' tone was oppressive, yet hopeful, and its world is full of characters whose trials are much like the player's. Bloodborne, on the other hand, takes place in a city where beasts and other monstrosities have run rampant and killed almost every sane person. It makes sense, then, that there would be fewer people trying to help you, and that most of the few "friendly" entities you meet have locked themselves up and refuse to reveal themselves to you.

[@dawsonanderson9230]

The one hollow is just chillin on the edge and watching the anguish, that ones having a good time

[@Zer0ThePlagueDoc]

Dude, this was actually an amazing video and I loved it.. totally worth my subscription to your channel. More Dark Souls, brother. Love the work

[@fernandopires135]

Wow your points got through so much better in this video than in your DS2 video, but i'll disagree still DS2 does center the game around you, but while it does so it also shows that you are just another one. The old ladies laugh at you "another fool is trying to find a cure"; as you go from one terrain to the next you see (and sometimes fight) kings that could do what will do at the end. It is a different take on the idea of you being a part of the world instead of the center of it (and it is easy to understand that, by your lensing, it is the inferior take) but for guys like me that didn't pay heavy attention to the details, the narration of "you don't know why you're here" or "this will all just play out again" shows me that the world is above the player, and sometimes even after all your strugles, it just moves on and you became another one anyway, does anyone know why the hell is the firekeeper using the DS2 crown as a blinder?? seriously, why the hell would anyone use a crown as a blinder?

[@KuroNoTenno]

Adding to the above, remember the very first guy you meet when first arriving in Lordran? He literally greets you by saying what basically amounts to "Oh, another idiot is here. Meh, you'll go Hollow like everyone else".

[@Decrystallizing]

Yeet.

[@tahahussein3254]

@@KuroNoTenno Exactly, which makes it very weird that he finds the firekeepers, who serve the same purpose, leaving "the worst first impression a video game ever has" to quote him. Outright hypocrisy.

[@boylesmono5764]

Dark Souls II hits hard on existentialism and consistently giving enigmatic atmosphere throughout the whole game and it won on me. There's always a sense of wonder tingling inside me every time I enter a new area.

[@42percenthealth]

Interesting thoughts... I have one of my own to share. Another key difference I've noticed between DS2 and the other entries in the series is that DS1 and 3 are generally better at telegraphing your pain. Upon reaching a new area, you can usually tell if there's going to be a boss fight or an ambush. There are exceptions of course (e.g. the slime in the depths... you know the one). But DS1 in general says, "This next area has 3 hollows for you to fight, and an archer in the distance. Now what will you do?" On the other hand, DS2 says "Here's a small hallway leading to the next area... SURPRISE!!! The hallway has 4 guys in it now!"

[@wotwott2319]

there's the frenzy hollows, there's the mourning and suffering hollows, and then there's this 8:20 the super chill hollow