Re-Exploring the Story of Demon's Souls with Lokey. (Lore Translation Voes)

LORE!
Did you know Demon's Souls had a story?
It's true!
Did you know it was hurt by the translation?
It's also true!
In this video we go over it.
If you've ever wondered what the game's Lore was meant to be, here you go.
We discuss Latria, The Valley of Defilement, the Vinland Family, Astrea, Allant, Rydell, Ostrava and all the other phenomena which was lost in translation.
Everything Demon's Souls, but translated!
Come you would be Slayer of Demon's, embark on this journey.
Special Thanks to Lokey for doing this with me.
Links:
/ lokey_ds
/ what_you_didnt_know_ma...
Lokey's comprehensive breakdown on the game can be found on his website:
lokeysouls.com...
Patreon: / medievalmegaman
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/aesi...
Essays&Espresso:
/ @essaysespresso8637
A Look Back At Demon's Souls:
• A Look Back At • Demon...
Exploring the Story of Demon's Souls:
• Exploring the Story of...

[@connerlayne7998]

Stoked. Demon's Souls lore has been underrepresented in the shadow of Dark Souls.

[@AesirAesthetics]

Uhm, I decided to go for more of like an audio format for this uhh video since I was already working on like 2 other ones, but uhh hope this wont be an issue. Lots of love to Lokey for the talk

[@praiseit6848]

ya, pretty passionate guy. i like him!

[@Agent_of_the_Imperium]

@AesirAesthetics this was great! I'd love to see you do more stuff like this. Bringing guests and talking about the lore and translations and such.

[@Agent_of_the_Imperium]

@Dantes230 I haven't seen that video myself. I'll have to check it out.

[@konstantinosmerikakis6206]

Two years ago i walked inside a store which sells used games and out of curiosity i looked up the ps3 section and found demon souls for 10 euros . I instantly bought it and never looked back. I love this game to death and it is my second favourite in the series after DS1 which was my first.

[@soarel325]

Yo, I had no idea about the Allant stuff where his underlying motivation was a disgust with the Monumentals’ ethical system. Shame it was lost in translation. The association between stagnant water and kegare exists in the original folklore to begin with, it’s not just something Miyazaki made up. It’s why insects and centipedes are symbols of corruption and evil. JSF’s talked about it a lot I’ve always felt that Demons Souls’ endings are very cut and dry, black and white in the context of the themes of the game. Demons Souls’ message is all about how power always corrupts humanity, no matter for what end it’s justified, and so the only moral choice is to reject power entirely. The Soul Arts are a direct representation of power as a concept, and by sacrificing them to put the Old One to sleep, one is rejecting the desire for power. This theme is very clear with Freke, Urbain, and Astraea especially.

[@xXLunatikxXlul]

The Character's tendency being explained, as how much of a Demon your character has become makes far more sense than a Morality system.

[@Zayindjejfj]

How much the world has affected you rather than you affecting the world.

[@viktor_v-ughnda_vaudville_476]

I just wish like in fable you grow twisted and horned idk may e make to turn I to a powerful melee demon where you the boss and that would have been him .and take pure white tendemcies make you vrow angelic winged glass cannon that was fast at evasion and even had a badass dashing melee with hit may e blueprint will read this mess I just wrote

[@hellboy6536]

@@viktor_v-ughnda_vaudville_476 maiden Astria is a demon but doesn't look demonic, I think a system like that would detract from some of the meaning in the game.

[@magicosagan7922]

It's awesome to see some love for DeS this days, thank you.

[@siraw50m34]

No better way to spend the 14th Anniversary of this amazing game's release! I can't get enough of the lore and story.

[@dianakhamis1783]

The Old Monk is Rasputin! And now I am down the rabbit hole of Lokey's reddit posts (many answers, many questions - I am still baffled by the Maiden in Black and her motives). Very interesting, thank you so much for this :)

[@dianakhamis1783]

I do have to say though, the Filthy Woman says that before Astraea appeared, she was the object of every man's desire, and I assume that is not because she is gorgeous and has a great personality, but because she was the only woman. Gods know why women were not discarded into the valley of defilement more often, maybe everyone else died, or maybe women were not cast away there just so that the miscreants of the valley don't reproduce (this is just an off-the-bat hypothesis). And similarly, besides the aborted and otherwise dead babies (which Astraea resurrected, mind you, and didn't really "victimise") and the Filthy Woman's boy, there seems to never have been children around to begin with, with the Filthy Woman and the Child probably in danger not because of their respective gender and age, but because they have souls which can be offered to Astraea. Sometimes Lokey seems to just grab on a thought and run with it without really looking...

[@mrm0nty550]

The original design for the Gutter is in my opinion the best rendition of the Valley of Defilement style areas. I'm often dissapointed because Dks 2 could have been much better if it had been executed with a consistent vision

[@robertwilliamson2856]

I was literally watching the Demon Souls analysis when this video was uploaded.

[@mushymcmushington7176]

Crazy how this video only has 160 views so far, but about 4 quintillion Likes.

[@viktor_v-ughnda_vaudville_476]

Uh 76 likes

[@viktor_v-ughnda_vaudville_476]

I mean 74 likes

[@mushymcmushington7176]

@@viktor_v-ughnda_vaudville_476 No no no, I'm certain he says "Like" far more than that.

[@cloudbloom]

@@mushymcmushington7176 hahaha

[@AesirAesthetics]

like, what can I say?

[@DzikiWaclaw]

Wow I didn't expect Lokey here! Awesome video as always!

[@AesirAesthetics]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@cho4d]

i apprecieate you/lokey doing this. really interesting!

[@AesirAesthetics]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mephistopheles9233]

Will always be the best 'world' for me.

[@ChannelYoshimitsu]

Great interview! Nice to see others clarifying lore that's been lost due to translation.

[@DoomKitty3000]

Excellent stuff, deep dives into translation differences are always a blast.

[@davinsosa1438]

I’ve listened to this so many times

[@lordsatyros666]

Dude needs to take it easy on the adderal

[@AlbertusSalvatierra]

Lol people keep shaming Lokey but the guy probably just has ADHD. And, if you know, you know. You got ADHD and someone asks about something u like, ur gunna give it to them in full detail and a rant faster than most can follow 😅

[@savageshot3723]

People get mad at me and make fun of the way I talk, the criticism is the same as what you said in your comment. Should I be tested/treated or something?

[@Sadiebubs]

​@@savageshot3723if you feel those symptoms are impeding on you ability to be happy and those symptoms being remedied would make you happier then yes!

[@ThommyofThenn]

​@@savageshot3723Definitely something you want a proper diagnosis for my friend. It's been four months so I wonder if you did follow up on this. And gentle reminder, it is ok to be excited about things. It is ok to be passionate about things. People just react poorly at times because I think they're mixed up themselves. They don't know who they are or what they want. Hope you are doing well

[@snakelady647]

As someone with ADHD, loki has _got_ to learn to chill, if you don't pause to let other people discuss what you say, they don't follow it as well.

[@GodsMistake1985]

I love the information presented in this video. But it is sometimes hard to listen to Lokey. If you would cut out all the aah, umm, like, you know, eh, the pauses and the repetitions, the video would only be half as long as it is.

[@AssailantLF]

I love Lokey and his insight, but I agree that he can be a little tough to listen to sometimes with how rambly he is, and his HORRIBLE TERRIBLE HORRIBLE mic quality that constantly peaks and genuinely hurts my ears.

[@RitaMaSTeR]

Thank you guys!

[@noriringtail7428]

Lokey made for a fascinating talk but his mic was absolutely murdering my ears.

[@mathewbouse1105]

And this is why Lokey is a writer and not a video maker lmaoooo

[@wvngamer1516]

More vídeos like this should be o KZbin! This is great!

[@mynameisozymandias7150]

I've finished Demon's Souls (the original PS3 version, I don't like the art direction of the remake). Thanks for this interesting video.

[@AesirAesthetics]

glad you liked it :) I also made videos breaking down the lore and gameplay if you're interested :D

[@mynameisozymandias7150]

@@AesirAesthetics Yeah, I've watched them. Very interesting too.

[@justaguy9681]

I'd watch you so much more if your mic quality was better You're excellent, dude

[@azadalamiq]

@Dantes230 dont need $500 for a good mic.

[@KirkWilliams300]

Demon’s Souls, a gold nine for content since it is kind of swept under the rug due to Dark Souls (my sons middle name is Rydell and most people say “Ride-L”)

[@KirkWilliams300]

Chad BroChill I mean I am black...

[@Garl_Vinland]

Chadbro Chill, black people outnumber you bro, chill

[@KirkWilliams300]

Garl Vinland I’m just here swinging swords in the woods man I’m not sure how this convo happened

[@cybercop0083]

Maybe the name discrepancies are intentioal? Something like "Kos....some say Kosm..."

[@j.mbarlow5952]

I really hope that, in the remake/remaster, they fix all of these script translation errors

[@personman1148]

No they better keep the sticky white stuff.

[@5Lanius5]

Riddle me this. , how come the boletaria city , seen from the kings path or is it way(?), is so smal when compared to the artwork? Further , where is the tutorial area placed?

[@rueceless7580]

My theory is the tutorial area is that fortress you see in the distance outside of Stone Fang tunnel 1, both areas outside have the same humid looking climate and the fortress in distance has the same river running through it you see when you are exploring the tutorial area. Plus beating the tutorial area takes you to a section of the Dragon God's shrine.

[@personman1148]

Makes sense.

[@personman1148]

I think that the character is going straight up the middle or side of the city straight to the center the dog probably obscures much of the city and don't forget being the first boletaria archstone is a massive gate which I think leads into the main city.

[@ashtonfeatherstoneandersen4783]

You guys need to do a KFxER video together. The creator god is still creating worlds, and the malice is rising and influencing humans. Our blood and role had remained the same for many different eras. Also I think Lokey knows more about The Great Tree more then anyone potentially. Aesir you know enough about KF to make the connections. Let's do a timeline!

[@AesirAesthetics]

we dont like timelines, we like each game as it's own thing, shared universe makes each game smaller

[@BloodhoundNax]

I tried my hardest to make it through the video but I just couldn't. Sadge.

[@dmitriyparfenov]

A strange guest. Very well versed in the ways of the game lore, but... flawed. And those flaws are somehow connected to his knowledge of the lore. A very appropriate guest for such a conversation or, should I say, monologue?

[@praiseit6848]

what do you mean? he knows the lore too well???

[@xXLunatikxXlul]

He knows the lore very well and gave in depth explanations that are true, so I'm a little confused as to why you called his talking points a monologue lol

[@dmitriyparfenov]

@@xXLunatikxXlul Maybe it`s just me, but sometimes I got an impression, that Aesir wanted to speak, but was interrupted by the guest. Also, that laughter... it`s a bit creepy, like a Dark Souls character laughter, imo.

[@wastehazey6468]

@@dmitriyparfenov I think he's just nervous, cut him some slack.

[@FleshWolf]

Just sounds like passion to me

[@AkmalGameAtion]

Any thoughts of the Remake guys?

[@ОльгаЛевченко-г3р]

The art style is frustrating

[@hopebringer2348]

I wonder if Lokey is manic...

[@QueenEmarldHisARCHANGELW-xf8cg]

Wow king Jesus

[@IHateDubstep]

Please make more DeS videos! I know you said that you don't have anything else to say about it, but I'd watch anything you post about Demon's Souls.

[@b33lze6u6]

like

[@duanemcclure8324]

I have my 'Like' counter goin' on! There's more on there than the views page! Want some Adderall? Never mind. I'll get back to that. Gis' joshin'! I can't believe that, when porting the Japanese script, that there's no pronunciation in brackets ( ) for the names like a dictionary would have. I do that myself when texting just to make sure that people understand clearly just what it is that I'm saying - and, that's for my own English counterparts! For example: Raphiel: (Rah-fee-el). Understand? Not so hard, hmm? How long was that? 10? Maybe 20 seconds at best? Then, there's the flies. Flies are symbolic of the devil..as in 'Lord of the Flies' or the flies shown in 'Amityville Horror'. It represents death and decomposition which is the opposite of God and life. "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" They really drove this point home here. The next thing is 'sprite' It is NOT a typo. That's the irony of the whole thing! Demons don't have souls because they have never lived. While it is an entity, it IS referred to as a 'sprite' in witchcraft. It's a type of spark or 'firefly' (flies again). The soul is reserved for mankind and God given. Which is why they hate mankind. They envy us for having life and bodies. Also, as someone else already said, I too, noticed the ' views' count. Uh?..O.k. All those fans but few want to know the actual source material? I watched the other two videos and now I'm clicking to make sure I haven't missed anything! Very good analysis and well done breakdowns. Excellent job!

[@azadalamiq]

japanese is a complex lang, there is rarely a 1:1 ratio on word and expression, unless latin based lang. them you have formal and informal, and then you have north dialect and south dialect. If you wanna learn more on jp to english localization. Look up final fantasy 14 behind the scenes. It is pretty informative with how the process is and why there is no 1:1 translation.

[@golDroger88]

@@azadalamiq Text plus context should make it pretty much 1:1. Especially if you have access to the original creators when translating. The problem here doesn't seem to be knowledge but rather resources, read time.

[@4thanonymousperson]

I know I'm the millionth person to say this, but this would be so much better if the guest's audio quality weren't so awful. I wish you'd been allowed to speak more, too, offering your thoughts and such, rather than the guest monologuing so much.

[@SWA81]

After the 72 "Like" in the script, it is very grit on the ears.

[@hopebringer2348]

SaltWaterAquifer What script ?

[@SWA81]

@@hopebringer2348 during the explanations, said the word "like" WAY TOO MUCH. Other than that good video

[@MugenHeadNinja]

@@SWA81 Yes, this is what a normal conversation typically sounds like, this isn't a scripted video and these guys aren't professional speakers.

[@SWA81]

@@MugenHeadNinja it sounds bad, every other word the guest says is "like" it is bad on the ears

[@SWA81]

@@MugenHeadNinja also no, I've heard unscripted talk before and it isn't as aloof as this

[@Shruggernauts]

Needs an "uh" counter.

[@AesirAesthetics]

The best I can do is the "like" counter, sorry.

[@Shruggernauts]

That's alright, scripts and preparation can be tricky.

[@GamingPenis]

16:22 is my favourite one

[@AesirAesthetics]

@@GamingPenis kind of a meta choice

[@Rokiriko]

You could really practice your "ch" as in "much" pronunciation, it grades the ears, you pronounce it as "mutz". English is not my native language too nor am I some expert on English, but you just practice it as everything else and get better it at.

[@emersonsoares9659]

I just have finished Demon's Souls and now I think its one of my favorite video games of all time.

[@viktor_v-ughnda_vaudville_476]

It's got that appeal

[@connorshort2308]

Good news you can play it again but remake

[@emersonsoares9659]

@@connorshort2308 I know!! hahahah but I think I gonna play Dark Souls first hahahhahaha

[@MrJavier1223]

Umbasa

[@emersonsoares9659]

@@MrJavier1223 Umbasa

[@c.l.a.u.d.e]

The "I've had enough of this rotten world!" line from Allant isn't cut, but you have to die to him to hear it, which is impossible if not done on purpose.

[@AesirAesthetics]

Huh

[@ArianeC7150]

good video. Having these long videos on explaining lore is great to listen to while datamining :)

[@AesirAesthetics]

:D

[@JuliusCaesar103]

Love these conversations. Always many new things to find out, my favorite was that Sage Freke was a saint himself. Adds much more depth to one of my favorite characters. Regarding favorites, Ostrava is mine, which one is yours Aesir?

[@feliperisseto9113]

This was probably the best video I have ever seen about the Lore of that game. My theory about demons: I don't think they are the knights themselves, not least because you find their black ghosts, but that they are the demons that devoured their souls. What I think happens is that demons are hollow and amorphous beings, and since the soul is basically someone's rationality and personality, when a demon devours the soul of a particularly strong being, he assumes characteristics of that individual's personality and appearance but in a distorted way. The Tower Knight was big and strong, the Phalanx was an archer and maybe a coward, some demons take the form of legends and stories that inhabit the imagination of people like the Storm King, the Adjudicator and the Old Hero, and so on. It is consistent with the themes of the story that the real evil has always dwelt in the human soul. The demons, the supernatural danger, only extrapolated what already existed.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

Or you can say that the old one was always trying to connect with humanity...it is just that those with the strongest wills often have the most skeletons in their closets so what manifests is often very twisted

[@mynameisozymandias7150]

Great theory!

[@yum9918]

All of them come from legends and stories, I think - and that includes the ones in Boletaria. Oolan was so competent with her firing that if felt like she was a legion on fighters, or that she always actes with a legion of fearsome fighters... and then the Demons projected a legion of fighters. Same with Allant, Penetraror and Tower Knight - it is a projection exarcebating their most notable traits from their stories.

[@viktor_v-ughnda_vaudville_476]

If not for bloodborne and as much as I loved dark souls i think demons souls had the biggest impact on me

[@viktor_v-ughnda_vaudville_476]

@Dantes230 yea un fortunately I never finished ds3 cuz although the trip back to anor Londo was cool I was not trying to retread and more old souls areas and honestly made me respect that at least ds 2 had all new maps and at first I did t really respe t it I do now that the nostalgia wore off immediately and although not a bad game at all after a Terrible time In lavithirryl dungeon all the way through to the profane capital to fall a d get brained by a Taurus demons club as what I think was the second bonfire th that area so it started me back to the top of the irythyll tower and man fuck those jailors, so I just put it down and went back to bb where to my suprise the naked mad who had demasculateed my man hood by punching the fume k kght to death with his bare hands ) now it was chalice time and oh boy did we go all out I ended up making a 50-all stat build to weild and weapons made for some really unique builds my favorite being my beast blood max whirling saw that at max beast has and l2 walk the is the most powerful thing in the game yet with some gnarly arcane ge.s on the hold moonlight has the highest static dps to walk through a boss grinding as that meter fill to the top and you see the damage just continually stunlocked boss who's only respite is most phase 2 trans formation which I just started walking through casually lookin like Michael j fox to just feel like I was the boss cuz that slow strut to l2 just walks through enemy the highest value I saw was orphan too 13,000 damage on till transform which fell even faster the o ly boss to survive this was def not Lawrence until ng+6 in which he become sike al.kst a new. Oss with . New fast just wtf happen hard I mean me the man who literally was the best soulsblorne player ever both pvp and.pve and our other ds2 pvp hunter demon_ hunter had taken this fight on multiple times and I never ever heard utter haracie they were done try ing! A so we wen back to the dungeons a d got a variants of each weapon which give you slots of different shapes. Which was interesting for two particular bloodtinge weapon where on ovarients is each bad a gun gem slot whis just make some the most op weapons that is if you ant to have a Chicago. That will slice and dice boo....the real bloodtinge gem crown. That being a very unique bow which was a strong long range destroyer that the was dirtg

[@00Boogie]

For a while I had thought the Old Monk was a bit of a tragic figure, because even if he was a dick to get exiled becoming a demon meatpuppet is a cruel fate for anyone. Jeered at some fans glossing over how awful his plight was because he wasn't a pretty girl, but with this new context of him being an advisor who dabbled too far in the soul arts there's an irony and a warning in his possession by the demon robes.

[@golDroger88]

Stop shittalking my waifu Astraea bro, she's perfect okay? I don't wanna hear it LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALLALALALA

[@mitchryan257]

He tried to make a distinction with how souls work between Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, but it sounds the same to me. Hollows and Dreglings are alive without souls, but they are both mindless and aggressive without souls.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

Well, dark souls was meant as a spiritual continuation of those concepts. So it is natural there is a lot of overlap. But it is not so much mindless as they both go mad from lack of souls. That souls are necessary to have enough clarity of thought to know oneself and have insight into the world. Both seem to have the ability to think and have a purpose. But it lacks a grounding in reason that would make them a person.

[@marcosfreitas798]

Souls in Demon's are responsible for thought and reason. Souls in Dark Souls is responsible for disparity and therefore life cycles. Removing souls in Demon's make you mindless, but your body can still die, removing soul in Dark Souls means the cylcle breaks and now you are a undead that can't die, resurrecting over and over again fucks with your mind. I suppose they are very similar things because the concept of life and mind are close.

[@InvertedWIng]

I knew Maiden Astraea was up to no good!

[@tristansylvester1079]

One thing I think is interesting for fromsoftware is when the Japanese and English don't clash with each other, so the sword could have been left behind both because of malice and for malicious purposes, ect

[@Matt-gh2zm]

I had considered before that Astrea was actually corrupted by the demon's soul (her name is even a play on the word "astray"), and that she continued to use her goodwill in the area as a guise for stealing the souls of the Valley's residents...but taking people's souls with the belief of it being a method of comfort may actually be even more twisted

[@Garl_Vinland]

Her name actually means “Star”. You could interpret “Star” as Idol, which is exactly her role in the Valley: Coaxing degenerate men into worshiping her.

[@personman1148]

Oof fucking simps.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

She is their guiding light. I feel she means what she says. But lets be real. She has to be kinda loony. I think seeing that place broke her heart. To the point she reviles the rest of the world. Even thinks feeding the old one the souls of these villagers helps them. I guess in a sense she is right as they can't know suffering in that state. But are they really even people anymore? To help them she stole away an essential part of them. The twisted reasoning we can deduce she used makes it clear she isn't right in the head anymore.

[@jojolafrite90]

I always wondered why some Japanese people that are perfect English speakers never tried to rectify the lore of these games. Maybe, most Japanese don't care that much about these games and their European middle-age style.

[@azadalamiq]

nothing tp rectify. the jp understand our way of speaking, ideology, and mannerism differ from theirs in video games. Am example the ff14 head dev for lore and localization explains it easy. Jp are pretty matter of fact, a quest text for them maybe: help my farm was taken over by bandits, kill them. While NA: help, im a poor farmer. Bandits haven taken over my farm, killed my wife, and sin. Please take back my farm and exact revenge. JP i know love games set in euro middle age. I mean look at the entire square enix game list. 99% of them are set in euro middle ages. The director/producer of final fantady 14 has gone on record for enjoying WoW, and dark age of camelot.

[@rogerarayasaborio549]

Um... But... Uhhh... Okay... Sorta... Uhh.

[@AesirAesthetics]

yes.

[@personman1148]

Maybe it's said Ridyell.

[@AlbertusSalvatierra]

11:11 36:00 46:46

[@smoothcat]

Hope u do some lore for the remake

[@AesirAesthetics]

I might if they retranslate it but it seems it'll be the same script.

[@cloudbloom]

What happened to my comment

[@cloudbloom]

@Dantes230 a mystery for the ages🤔

[@deathisSkele-ton]

This could have been a good video

[@WhiskeyTango76s]

Awesome vid but man..this guy cracks himself up way too easily though it's always great to hear enthusiasm.

[@magnawaves]

Like like guh huhuh

[@AesirAesthetics]

you like?

[@sanshin9]

Like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like like For funk sakes you guys are talking LIKE teenage suburban girls

[@Monanniverse]

The translator guy's microphone quality is so bad, it genuinely ruins the video.

[@ihateyoutube772]

Been going through any Lokey Lore translation video over 60 minutes recently.... It's kinda amazing how long he's been around. Wish there were more easily searchable videos!