Dark Souls is underrated

This Dark Souls game is pretty good I guess. Shame about the servers... and the poor remaster... and the bad original pc port... and the servers.
Patreon - / neverknowsbestyoutube
Other channel video - • We're heading towards ...
0:00 Introduction
3:08 Part 1 - The other souls game
11:13 Part 2 - Unclear beginnings
21:19 Part 3 - Conquering your foes
29:51 Part 4 - Conquering the world
44:33 Part 5 - But what's the point?
58:35 Part 6 - What's actually the point
1:06:19 Conclusion
Spoilers for all of Dark Souls 1 and the endings for Dark Souls 2 and 3.

[@NinjadoPantanoPlays]

There's this little indie gem you may never have heard of: Dark Souls!

[@durchfaII]

Yeah, such a underated game, surely the most popular review on youtube doesn't have millions of views.

[@brianlinden3042]

It's basically the Dark Souls of video games.

[@muttiilpomodoro4354]

Tbh, everything else from software made is a hidden gem. Such games as Evergrace, Kingsfield , shadow tower and enchanted arms, echo night are just extremely uknown compared to dark souls

[@durchfaII]

@@muttiilpomodoro4354 every game you just mentioned is plain uninteresting and boring, don't make stuff up when there's little to nothing to praise in games like Evergrace and Kingsfield

[@muttiilpomodoro4354]

@@durchfaII What the fuck are you talking about? Evergrace is one of the weirdest and most interestingly games fs ever made, and Kingsfield is literally dark souls in first person, even down to most story telling, atmosphere and combat. Shadow tower is the predecessor to blood borne, being a more action focused spiritual sequel to Kingsfield, and guess what, shadow tower abyss even introduces fuck GUNS. Know what you are talking about before shitting on games you've never played.

[@SoIDontUploadMuch]

Dark Souls is truly the Dark Souls of underrated gems.

[@kvimik]

look we've got a real witty lad here

[@loveableheathen7441]

So sick of people making this comparison. Dark souls isn't the "dark souls" of dark souls. It's Dark Souls. EDIT apparently it wasn't clear this comment was a joke

[@garygarypov5060]

@@loveableheathen7441 :|

[@loveableheathen7441]

@@garygarypov5060 |:

[@garygarypov5060]

@@loveableheathen7441 so we really have seen the expanse of your wit. Good talk.

[@MrGnidleif]

"The irony here is that if you didn't go looking for more answers you wouldn't have these questions" Can't really think of a sentence that would better sum up the entire story of these games.

[@DanKaschel]

Or life in general

[@aaronlaughter6471]

"who gives a shit", that would be mine, but you do you.

[@a.a.5386]

I have never been a "gamer" .. I just played games from time to time whenever I felt like And Dark Souls was the only game I played, replayed and still replaying to this day when I have some free time truly a masterpiece

[@mobbs6426]

"Dark souls has a lot of intimidating enemies. There are bosses that tower over you, monsters that ambush you in complete darkness, creatures that inflict status effects that persist on death, and yet the single most daunting thing that stands in your way, might be the world itself" Ah yes, my old enemy. Gravity

[@nevisysbryd7450]

Kek, weaponizing gravity was great. Even the hackers (aside from those who flew) were nigh helpless against it.

[@user-pj1ec5om5g]

@@nevisysbryd7450 gravity is the great equalizer

[@namethefifth7315]

@@nevisysbryd7450 even those who flew fell victim to it since if they fly to long they instantly die at least at the beginning

[@slimguy94]

@@nevisysbryd7450 wrath of god on them little bridges in the fight club area was my go to defense spot for hackers

[@nevisysbryd7450]

@@slimguy94 I rarely did Faith builds, so it was mostly backstabs and kicks for me.

[@Eval999]

The essential line to understanding the "End of Fire" ending is how the Firekeeper asks if you can still hear her AFTER the first flame dies. It demonstrates that all is not lost in the age of darkness, and people can move on. I call that hope.

[@epsteindidntkillhimself69]

Except that ignores all of the lore in the DLC, where the locust preachers admit to you that all knowledge and history will be lost, and all people will be devoured by them in the age of dark. (And these are the guys whose sole purpose is to preach about how good the ending of the flame will be. Most of them are so ravenous that they just try to eat you instead of trying to convince you to extinguish the flame so "the feast can begin".) All the fire keeper's line confirms is that she's still there in the moment immediately after the fire is extinguished. There's a lot to imply that the end of the flame will mean the end of humanity.

[@AquilaGuard]

Its far more often said that the age of dark will be the age of man rather than the end of man. Dark Souls is a world of endless cycles. No matter what end you pick, that new era will eventually go into ruin and come to an end. The world will then be reborn and a new age will start and this cycle continues until the flame is so exhausted that by DS3 a new world must be painted.

[@epsteindidntkillhimself69]

@@AquilaGuard This is incorrect. By Dark Souls 3, there has still never been an age of dark. That's why there are still locations from Dark Souls 1 and 2 in 3. There is plenty to suggest that the Age of Dark will be the end of man. There is also a suggestion that there will be another age of fire after the age of dark, but we have very little information on what such an age will look like; just that no trace of the previous age will remain.

[@Eval999]

I can't conclude that much from their dialogue at all. All I get from it is that they say don't fear the dark, it's feastin time. Implying they believe they'll be able to freely feast in the darkness. Where's the line that all knowledge and history will be lost? I might be missing the lines you're referencing. Further, are they even trustworthy? The angry line about the abyss never producing creatures in the dark that gnaw at flesh...when they seem to be just that, shows they can lie.

[@epsteindidntkillhimself69]

@@Eval999 "The angry line about the abyss never producing creatures in the dark that gnaw at flesh...when they seem to be just that, shows they can lie." This is absolutely true, but they only seem to lie when they are trying to make the dark seem more appealing. They have no motivation to lie in a way that makes the dark seem worse. Here is the dialogue I was thinking of. "One met the dark with learning. But in the end, learned his knowledge was wanting. The world began without knowledge, and without knowledge will it end. Dost not this ring clear and true? Fear not, the dark, my friend. And let the feast begin."

[@Kieranh778]

To me, the single most underrated feature of Demon's/Dark Souls was that it shipped with no map and that it didn't need one. 'GPS' mapping systems have unapologetically ruined all exploration-based games. Simply because it takes far less effort to display all game info in HUD, rather than properly, in-game. Honestly, find it so boring it's put me off them

[@alanlee67]

There was once a time when people enjoyed taking notes and drawing maps on graph paper while playing games. Nowadays you watch games more than you play

[@maathu-9523]

and yet you end up having the entire map of dark souls on your head

[@brittig8983]

I think the really problem is that adding maps saves designers from having to construct a world that fits together cohesivelly. I have a map of Dark Souls in my head because it fits together intuitively and every region of the game is incredibly distinct. Building a world like that takes a good amount of effort and the bigger the game, the harder it is to do.

[@TJ20232]

@@maathu-9523 It's not exactly a big game, imo it's fairly simple to memorise a map of that size. Every area is pretty tightly bunched. I play a MUD game and have probably 25000 squares of the game mapped out in my head almost off hand.

[@yaqubebased1961]

Open world games should go back to morrowind style exploration

[@duckhive]

the art style of Dark Souls and Demon's Souls are unrivaled

[@TheTrueFool]

I honestly feel kind of bad for all the people who are trying to play Dark Souls today after we've all been massively hyping it up for over a decade it up as one of the greatest games ever created. Playing Dark Souls completely blind for the first time was one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had and I don't know if it would have felt as special if everyone was telling me how great it was.

[@dmdk1119]

I was playing hollow knight and hyped it to my friend. He said something like "you should play dark souls, you probably going to like it". I knew dark souls was talked like hardest game ever or something. Didn't know anything about the lore or mechanics. Didn't really like the 3D aspect, but gave it a try. Took me like 6-8h to get a grip what i was actually ment to do combat wice and beat the first black knight at undead burg. Took me a little while till game totally clicked. I got so far some how thinking that nito was the final boss. I don't know why mayby cause intro cinematic calls him "first of the dead. But all in all it probably was the single greatest gaming moments in my life. Took me somewhat 80h with dlc included to complete and after that i read i could have just walked away from the kiln at the end

[@Paper323]

Nobody ever talks about the original demons souls, I went back and had a blast playing it, same with dark souls 2

[@olympusmons8439]

@@dmdk1119 hey!! Hollow knight got me into it as well.

[@mohandasjung]

@@Paper323 They both have great moments!

[@zaxmaxlax]

@@Paper323 I played the original demons souls after playing ds1,ds2 and ds3. I think if I had played it first I would like it more than ds1, there's something about that game i can't explain.

[@transientland9932]

This is such a bold step forward in the clickbait meta that I can't even be mad about it

[@diisplaynaame1323]

Yeah lol, like 1/3 of this comment section is about the title. Absolutely genius choice to name the video.

[@RyanDMcDonnell]

Next up: Super Mario 64 is underrated.

[@davipenha]

It is. To make such statement you better have what it takes to back it up or will ended up looking like a fool.

[@Rich_P_Anya]

Never say that sentence again

[@FunkeymonkeyTTR]

you are the problem

[@maxdishaw]

Dark Souls to me felt like poetry. The idea that your character going hollow is a metaphor for you giving up on the game in the real world is the most brilliant idea/theme/mechanic from any game I’ve ever played. Dark souls genuinely made me a stronger person. During difficult times in my life I would remind myself of how I persevered in the game and this would help get me through it. I can’t say this about any other game, movie, book or piece of music.

[@fssxxa4440]

Согласен, это не только метафора о депрессии, более сложная тема, но одна из граней, да, про депрессию

[@FredMaverik]

@@fssxxa4440 Great but we dont speak russian here. Do you see anything in the comment remotely russian? Why do you feel compelled about writing in russian when you, clearly, read an english sentence?

[@fssxxa4440]

​@@FredMaverik Google translate

[@ColdHawk]

@@FredMaverik- Fred, I’d wager you are great fun at a party.

[@martinszymanski2607]

​@@fssxxa4440why can't you google translate if you're the one writing the comment lol

[@tomk6292]

3 of my favourite moments from my first play thru: - Kicking down the ladder in the burg, just to realise it was the same bonfire but now I had the shortcut. - Going down the elevator in the parish and finding myself at fire link - Venturing thru blightown and recognising the area of new Londo where I had accidentally ventured when I first arrived in lordran, and quickly reaching fire link.

[@j0nnyism]

Mine was discovering the Capra demon much later in my play through and finding him a breeze then finding out others struggled with him

[@Edge-xy3fv]

one of the most fun things to ever witness as someone who finished dark souls is watching someone else play for the first time, precisely because you'll notice the pitfalls mentioned in this video aren't just a thing you went through, and that the experience is shared with other people

[@Xpwnxage]

I first played DS1 the year it came out. Couldn't get past the tutorial so I said "this is the dumbest game ever" and traded it in. Flash forward about a year and I'm browsing a GameStop. I see a used copy of Dark Souls for $16 and think "what the hell, I'll give this another try". This time I had motivation to figure out the game because I read online how many people were praising it. To keep it short, I almost immediately fell in love with it this time. In the past decade, From Software has given me thousands upon thousands of hours of entertainment. The $60-120 (collector's editions) I've paid for their games feels like a rip off now. Like it's not fair to them how much hours of gaming they've given me for relatively small amounts of money.

[@megalogoro6388]

Dark Souls still has my favorite world design out of all the souls games.

[@cabellism]

World design yeah it is really good, but I gotta give my 100/100 to Bloodborne.

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

What about dark souls 2? Did you consider dark souls 2?

[@glowerworm]

@@corncobjohnsonreal dark souls 2 is my favorite but yeah, dark souls 1 has the best level design in my opinion.

[@loveableheathen7441]

Honestly DS2 had the best environments by FAR. (aesthetically speaking)

[@glowerworm]

@@loveableheathen7441 I would agree with you but personally I think Elden Ring has beaten it out in terms of environmental detail and variety. I still prefer Dark Souls 2 over Elden Ring though, for other reasons.

[@icedragon3329]

I remember my first time ever hearing about dark souls, I saw a little screenshot of it and immediately wanted it, I called the GameStop near me and asked if they had it in stock and they did, but the employee said “are you sure you want this game I heard it’s very hard and people have been returning it”. I picked it up anyways and it was such a new feeling in gaming. I had never felt before, something super fresh and new.

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

Darks souls is actually underrated and here's why *Lists all the reasons why dark souls is popular*

[@anactualbear5683]

I think the video title was more implying how, despite all of its popularity, most people don't fully grasp just how great it actually is. It is underrated only in comparing a player's gameplay experience to the experience instilled into the player through subtly absorbed layers of depth. A lot of people will perceive why it's popular but they won't recognize just how little of that perception was their own idea. The underrated portion of the game is the way you are conditioned to receive the experience the designers wanted you to have without realizing they were guiding you to have it. It's like a tutorial teaching you how to play but instead goes through the whole game and is teaching you how to be invested. That was what I thought it meant at least.

[@atijohn8135]

@@anactualbear5683 ...or rather it was just a contrarian's clickbait

[@anactualbear5683]

@@atijohn8135 that's always an option. I think a large part of life is probably contrarian clickbait.

[@lnonno9321]

@@atijohn8135 I think the title is defensible if your perception of how the game is received is through the internet instead of friends - I feel like friends understand it but over the internet the praise comes off quite generic - based on the surface level factors only

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

@@anactualbear5683 I think most people get it, it's not like the series became shallow or watered down as time went on, everyone still maintained love for the series even when it doubles down on its oddities. I think people just wanna feel special when we are regardless of anything else cuz I'm happy to live to experience this all with this friggin sweet lois community. I mean yeah I'd rather be on literally any other time period but I don't have a choice so I'm putting all my chips on dark souls 1 and I'm gonna see how it turns out

[@claymathews8814]

During Part 6, NeverKnowsBest touched on some themes that sound a lot like ‘active vs. passive nihilism.’ Allowing the Flame to die could be interpreted as Passive Nihilism. When you know that your world is doomed, then the only rational choice would be to do nothing. This may also be what happens when someone goes hollow. Rekindling the Flame, however, could be interpreted as Active Nihilism. You know it won’t make a difference in the end, but it will matter to the people who still exist, to those who might yet be born. Letting the player choose how to interpret the lore in this way is actually pretty powerful.

[@mykal4779]

Disagree, I see letting the flame die as the ultimate anti-nihilist take. instead of martyring yourself to extend a decaying age of gods, you use your power to bring about a new age of man, to create the values of the new world. you're pr much Nieztsche's ubermench in the "flames die" ending, and i think martyring yourself to extend a doomed anti-human age is much more nihilist

[@claymathews8814]

@@mykal4779 I don’t remember the player having any control over a “new age of man” or anything like that. Letting the Flame die means letting the world die. Yeah, they tell you that a new flame will spark again in the future, but that could be thousands, or hundreds of thousands or years in the future. And Im pretty sure they imply the next Age of Fire will be exactly like the current one. Letting the Flame die is giving yourself up to the nature of the universe, which I still believe counts as Passive Nihilism.

[@dugglebay3483]

@@claymathews8814 it is often stated in the lore that the age of dark is the age of humanity. The age of fire is for the divine beings like Gwyn(at least according to a serpent)

[@dugglebay3483]

@@claymathews8814 But I think an interesting interpretation would be fire being what is divine, and dark being what is base, impulsive. It is not an uncommon aphorism. Dionysus, the god of wine, represents impulsiveness, a return to mindless nature(darkness); Apollo is the divine, he is self-disciplined, rational, and ordered, he is quite literally the sun god. In other cultures it might be a bit different, but this to me makes the most sense in connection to dark souls

[@nebulouscat2210]

@@claymathews8814 as much as I love the way you think and agree with your take for the most part. I will confirm and if you need more look into it. When you walk away from the fire and let it die, you as a human stop perpetuating Gwyn's age of fire. You begin a new age of dark, an age of man. Man is born from the dark soul. The original timeline was supposed to go, the age of ancients, then the age of fire, then the age of dark. The age of man. Gwyn was afraid of the dark so he enslaved man to the cursemark of death which inflicted mankind with undeath and bound them to the bonfires through filianores rest. Then established a religion being the way of white which taught man to worship gwyn the age of fire and the linking of the fire to perpetuate Gwyn's age. Thus humans have, for an indeterminate amount of time. Been continuously fucking themselves by continuing to link the fire, all the while thinking it's the right thing. Dark stalker Kathe and the other serpents understand this, frampt is the exception. Thus when you walk away and let the fire die. You are letting the age of fire die, and moving forward to a new age of man. Of which you are the lord. The lord of dark, the lord of MAN.

[@remixisthis]

It’s not even just the difficulty, but the world building of especially the first game was on another level. All levels, enemies, NPCs and items contributed to the narrative. They each had a story and reason for existing in the world that’s hard to see in other games that gives it an insane level of depth

[@TheVioletBunny]

I agree

[@Azaghal1988]

@John Syzlack I'm with you mate.

[@TheLuigi545]

@John Syzlack I don't think there is anything wrong with you for having different taste. I am happy for you that you found enjoyment in the game anyway.

[@michimatsch5862]

Dark Souls is not hard. I don't mean this in a weird humble brag. Dark Souls is hard to get into but is very modular in terms of difficulty (magic, weaknesses, summoning, etc.). Sekiro is the only game with no modular difficulty made by Fromsoftware.

[@johananj.j8003]

@John Syzlack Nothing wrong with you man, you just have a different taste from us.

[@DontSigh]

People underestimate how much of a difference it makes to the experience that you can't fast travel in the first half of the game. I'm happy you brought it up, because for me this is the source of what sets it apart from all the other fromsoft games. I understand why some people might find it limiting and tedious, but for me it just feels immersive. It takes me out of the "I'm playing a video game" mindset and instead makes me feel like my character is actually part of a world in a more meaningful sense. Like you said, you have to commit to where you're going because if you want or need to go back you have to actually *run* back. That's an impactful decision you're making. And you can prepare for crazy situations by buying a blacksmith kit or repair powder, bringing purple moss to cure poison and purging stones to cure curse. That way you can make sure you don't get stuck in a situation like the one you were in. But it requires active planning on the player's part, which is another thing that adds immersion. There's also the issue that merchants and blacksmiths aren't just chilling in a centralized hub waiting for you, you have to find them and return to them if you want what they have, and different merchants sell different things at different prices (I always feel like I need to go to Oswald to buy purging stones bc he sells them the cheapest), and not every blacksmith can upgrade every weapon if you're going for a specific damage type. In short, you have to learn the world in order to equip yourself with everything that you need. To me this is a completely different experience to Dark Souls 2 or 3. Even when you do get fast travel you can't warp to every single bonfire you've discovered, only a select few, which means you still have to keep track of where things are in relation to those specific bonfires. It's more engaging and more immersive and the limited fast travel is literally the source of all of it. And that's not even mentioning that incredible feeling of realizing you've just looped around to Firelink from Undead Parish or Blighttown - that only feels so incredible because you can't warp back to Firelink whenever you want. Getting to come back there unexpectedly is a reward that means something solely because of the lack of fast travel.

[@ni9274]

Idk, when you get curse and realize you need to walk from ash lake to undead burg just to get a purging stone It can be very annoying (personally I just stopped playing for many month cause I didn’t have the drive to walk all the way). It’s not really challenging, just time waisting.

[@DontSigh]

@@ni9274 I don't like the lack of fast travel because it's "challenging", that's not the point at all. I like it because it makes your decisions as a player have weight. The lack of fast travel can be inconvenient to the point of absurdity, but it creates a world with harsh consequences, which makes the gameplay and the game's themes very compatible, almost reinforcing each other. I'm sure a lot of people had your experiences, and I agree it can be very inconvenient and time wasting. I still vastly prefer it to the instant and constant warping back and forth in ds2 and 3.

[@_Tzer]

Me playing the old king's field titles: No it doesn't set it apart from all other fromsoft games the wording isn't entirely correct.

[@piotr78]

Who underestimates this? All reviews, critiques, overviews, history of, appreciation video, lore video, story video, EVER MADE mention the fact that DS1 has great world design thats is aided by no bonfire warping in its first halve.

[@Winckypoo]

It’s definitely the mixture of world design and no fast travel that makes the first half of dark souls a genuinely one of a kind experience.

[@KarateNinja13]

The themes, imagery, and scarce dialogue of Dark Souls is so emotionally evocative that it's like magic to me. It's the only game series that I've played that can handle massive heavy themes like meaning of life, death, and so on without coming off as nihilistic or shallow.

[@styku1991]

I guess that you don't have much experience with cRPGs. If you like such themes, Planescape: Torment is the absolute undisputed king.

[@KarateNinja13]

@@styku1991 I always hear great things about that game, I guess I gotta play it now lol

[@styku1991]

​@@KarateNinja13 If you like a deep, well written and somewhat heavy story, yes. To this day I consider PS:T one of the best books I've ever read, lol.

[@dg19de]

Planescape Torment. Compared to this masterpiece Dark Souls is shallow. Get used to the combat system, though, AD&D 2nd edition is a dated and clumsy experience

[@mandu6665]

@@dg19de And on the flipside, everything about Dark Souls narrative is kindergarten fluff compared to PS:T.

[@scharlachnachtfalter1900]

Dark Souls 1 will always remain special in my heart. To me hollowing is a great analogy for severe depression. In my darkest years it gave me a lot of courage to push through. Even to this day when things are rough, the thought of the bonfire still gives me strength.

[@davidkrause5604]

And never forget to praise the sun

[@skelenton92]

Same thing for me, bro. I gotta give Dark Souls on Switch some chunk of the credit for why I made it through my roughest years.

[@DarvosNethven3E]

Same here

[@luke_of_astora]

Dark Souls is the only thing that helped me overcome a major depressive episode when I was in college, so yeah. Absolutely correct take.

[@therogueserafim271]

Same here

[@TheGlenn8]

I recommend watching "Dark Souls is the Ikea of video games" it's a very interesting 20 so minute talk about how Dark Souls targeted a very specific niche of people while sacrificing broader appeal just like how Ikea did with both finding massive success in it.

[@TheGlenn8]

@@ULTRAOutdoorsman Did you watch the video? Ikea targets young families who have a lot of time but not a lot of money but can't change their schedule. 1. Ikea is often in bumfuck nowhere along some highway where the land is cheap. It takes a while to drive there but the target demographic isn't time sensitive. 2. Ikea has no employees that show people around and bring you to what you want. The target demographic doesn't mind wandering around the ikea for a little while and this allows Ikea to cut on costs. 3. Ikea offers no customization and you have to build your stuff yourself. The target demographic doesn't care about spending a part of their weekend putting together some furinture but they would care about the increase costs of hiring a trailer or some moving company. 4. Ikea has a foodcourt and children care. You can take your young kids you and not need to worry about them. You can go to Ikea out directly out of work and eat there (important since the target demographic can't change their schedule). 5. Ikea is open late. As repeated you can head there straight out of work (and eat at Ikea). And since Ikea is also along the highway in the bumfuck of nowhere anyway chances are it's on your route home.

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

@@TheGlenn8 this is the best ikea analysis I've seen

[@lavabeard5939]

ikea is the dark souls of furniture stores

[@tni333]

That Blighttown story. That was me, on my first playthrough, almost word for word. No game ever came close the sense of dread and despair I felt in that moment. The way forward seemingly unconquerable, the road back a daunting task, knowing I'll need to return anyways. Ill-prepared without poison antidotes and diminishing equipment. And yet I pushed through and prevailed in the face of desperation. I'm still searching for a game that is able to replicate this, because even Fromsoft games never again reached the heights that was the game & level design of the first half of Dark Souls 1. And that's why it's still my favorite game of all time. I love all their other games, but every time I start a new Fromsoft game and see you can fasttravel right from the beginning, my heart sinks a little.

[@TheNoxmage]

The feeling when you find bonfire in swamp for the first time was pure joy

[@irakyl]

To me Hollow Knight offered a similar experience. Definitely go try it out

[@ikewangen]

In my first playthrough I went down to the catacombs after beating Quelaag. I found pinwheel, killed him easily which made me think I was in the right place, if not that I should have beaten him sooner. So I continued on through the Tomb of the Giants. I died countless times falling off cliffs and being killed by the skeletons. I finally found each of the bonfires. I got kicked in the pit by Patches. I picked up the skull lantern not realizing it was an actual lantern so I never equipped it. I then eventually found the orange gate blocking off the Nito fight since I never got the Lord Vessel and realized I had to make the blind trek out the way I came. All my useful weapons were broken and I was very underleveled. It took me hours to find my way out, but I will never forget the indescribable sense of relief I felt when I heard the Firelink Shrine music. No game has ever made me feel like this game. My first blind playthrough of Dark Souls was the best gaming experience I've ever had. It truly is a masterpiece.

[@j0nnyism]

I hated those little fast wheels that bombard u. The enemies were slow to that point it and the way they came out of the darkness did my head in

[@ikewangen]

@@j0nnyism the stunlocks were insane

[@OtepRalloma]

I've always seen it that the cycle of Fire and Dark was never meant to be bad. It's the artificial extension of the Age of Fire throughout the Souls series that's been corrupting the world, old powers wanting to hold onto their power even when their time has past. That same hunger for power however is also why those who actively sought to be a Lord of Dark or Hollows could also be considered not quite pleasant as far as endings go. The world should be allowed to progress as it should, instead of forcing it to stick to the old ways, the old ages.

[@hex_gekko29568]

The nature of fire is to spread and shine as bright as long as it possibly can. Even the continious linking of fire is part of the natural cycle.

[@OtepRalloma]

@@hex_gekko29568 It clearly is not, when the effect is the slow corruption of the world. Ashes of Ariandel is a mirror reflection of what happens when the old refuses to die. Rot and suffering.

[@hex_gekko29568]

@@OtepRalloma who says the world is not supposed to be corrupt? You really going to argue that fire's nature is to consume everything?

[@armedweiss5531]

@@hex_gekko29568 It's also in the nature of fire to eventually burn out. If you think kindling the flame beyond its natural lifespan is good, or think that it spreading forever is "natural", just look at Dark Souls 3. The game in every second, every frame, every instant, is screaming at the player that continually linking the fire, especially for so long, is a very, very, very bad thing. The world is getting burned out by the flame lasting way too long. Hell in the DLC, you can get a glimpse of what the future will look like if you don't stop the cycle: A barren wasteland of nothing but ash. Choosing to let the flame die is ultimately the right thing to do, because forcing it to keep going will only destroy the world.

[@hex_gekko29568]

@@armedweiss5531 Without fire human beings are souless hollows with no identity. When Gwyn linked the fire it was good and beautiful for a time. I would rather prosper for as long as I could then never prosper at all. Gwyn gets alot of flak for his desire to cling to life when we all cling to life despite the knowledge that we all will all die. There is beauty in that fight. Beauty in the fact that even when fire fades the cycle continues and fire is kindeled once again.

[@steamtasticvagabond474]

This is the first time I’ve heard Dark Souls described as “underrated”

[@igeljaeger]

then you werent a gamer in 2011

[@steamtasticvagabond474]

@@igeljaeger I was a gamer in 2004

[@SirGrimLockSmithVIII]

Watch any extensive coverage of the game back when it was still raw. You'll get it.

[@PB-ie8cj]

@@igeljaeger imagine still using the term "gamer" in 2022...

[@MegaCygnusX1]

That's the joke...

[@Soulessblur]

2:37 I love this sentiment. The difficulty in DS1, while expertly crafted, is just a sliver of the meal that is this perfect gem of a game. It bothers me how much people boil down this entire experience to that. As if the game wouldn't be anything special if it weren't hard. Feels like an insult to everything else this game achieves. Loved your video!

[@derpi3438]

Or how some people think these games are just about combat

[@Xpwnxage]

I didn't realize how important build variety was to me until I played Sekiro at launch and didn't like it. While the game is difficult as hell and I respect the hell out of it for that, something is missing when I only have one primary option for dealing damage, a katana. In Souls, Borne, and Ring you have so many different ways of attacking enemies and progressing through the games. It's a little less in Bloodborne but still much more than Sekiro. Just look at Dark Souls 1. I have a multitude of smaller weapons like straight swords and maces but I also have larger weapons like halberds and ultra great swords. And then there's casting, I have offensive/defensive miracles, sorceries, and pyromancy. And as the games go on, the amount of weapons and spells only increases and become more varied. The freedom to deal with combat the way I want to, on any certain build, is a huge component of why I love Souls. It's not the sole component but it's very important.

[@Soulessblur]

@@Xpwnxage 100% Sekiro is the only Souls game (other than the PlayStation exclusives) I haven't beaten. I've tried to get it into it, so many times, but I'm not motivated enough to grind until the combat "clicks". But it does its own thing, and does what it sets out to do extremely well. It's just not a flavor of the Souls formula that I'm the audience for.

[@agbrenv]

honestly, the game is not even that hard, the main difficulty is that you don't know the recommended path and since the game is fairly open ended, you might go into areas intended for late game still there are legit difficult areas regardless of your gear and level (New Londo Ruins with the ghosts, Tomb Of The Giants narrow paths with death pits, Lost Izalith with all the lava and some others but on a second playthrough where you have an idea where you have to go, it will be a fair bit easier, since the majority of enemies don't have bullshit fast attacks and bosses aren't damage sponges either

[@MartinHindenes]

​@@agbrenv my favorite aspect of the game is that you mostly level up through increasing your own skill and knowledge of the game - this provides a bigger boost than any ingame stat, as proven by the people who beat the whole game with little to no leveling.

[@Pohtaitoh]

This is probably my favourite Dark souls video by far. Amazing work man.

[@jarlwhiterun7478]

Probably by far? That is doubt, followed by assuredness

[@OperatorError0919]

​@@jarlwhiterun7478 In the same vein as "by far one of the best", another phrase that makes me die slightly inside every time I hear it.

[@blackenedwritings]

Dark Souls is and will always be special to me. It's something about the world of the first game that just sucks me right into it. Is it flawless in every way? No. Is it noticable that the developers were running out of time in some of the later parts? Absolutely. But Dark Souls is no doubt my favorite From Software game and one of my favorite games of all time.

[@Sand0wich]

L

[@hyua6841]

@@Sand0wich bro what

[@jak9313]

just what?

[@SergioRamosIsTheKing]

Amen

[@tomm4085]

So glad I'm not alone in this, I'm replaying the DSR atm and still feel like the world is an old friend

[@scientificbrony]

Holy shit finally someone is talking about how good darksouls is; I've never seen anyone talk about it, and such a long one too.

[@JuliusCaesar103]

I know right, I can't get enough of ot personally lmao.

[@blondesummer7980]

Next this guy should talk about another unknown little budget indie game hidden gem called Sekiro that, believe it or not, made by the same guys who made Dark Souls! Maybe one day the devs will get some popularity and win Game of The Year!

[@scientificbrony]

@@blondesummer7980 eh I've got a little idea for a souls like, it's basically souls; but like in Victorian London with werewolves and shit, I have a really good twist but don't want to give it away just incase they steal my idea.

[@henrycrabs3497]

@@scientificbrony I'm a fromsoft dev

[@scientificbrony]

@@henrycrabs3497 oh shit

[@cgm4379]

I don't think you know what underrated means

[@wymanrtaylor]

DS1 is an absolute masterpiece. Superior to Elden Ring IMO. I still have amazing memories of my buddy and I playing it for the first time in 2014, switching up every death, and barely making it to the Taurus Demon after like 7 straight hours 😂.

[@TheFallingFlamingo]

@@pandaangry1267 100%. Anyone who has played Elden Ring can confirm that the number of bonfires in DS1 was bullshit. Doesn't make the game harder or add a layer of adventure, it's just tedious time wasting to pad out the play time... If running around backstabbing the same NPC for the 15th time is difficulty DS1 fanboys can keep that shit.

[@wackyanimator2476]

@Panda Angry Your pompous attitudes don't hide your saltiness.

[@wackyanimator2476]

@Panda Angry Yeah dude you totally meant well with your first reply, that and talk of fanboys is totally not condescending. I reckon you're both perturbed by the Elden Ring Is Disappointing video and that's why you're skulking about in the comments.

[@enzomonteiro3551]

​@@wackyanimator2476 but the OP is clearly rooted in nostalgia bias lmao. What can you expect from someone who had difficulty in the easiest part of the game (undead burg)? They clearly didn't play it properly, so how could you take his view of ER seriously instead of biased?

[@Wonkess_Chonkess]

​@@TheFallingFlamingo and just cus of that dark souls is bad!

[@thomascheckie2394]

I love that Elden Ring's release has obviously caused so many of my favorite creators to do exactly what I did once I finished it: play Dark Souls again

[@Alex_Barbosa]

I did the same thing. I wonder why we felt the need to go straight into DS1 after Elden Ring.

[@sergeichernitsyn2034]

Ah, one of the most underrated games along with The Witcher 3, Skyrim, Resident Evil 4, Uncharted 4, and, of course, Mario 64. Upd: the replies have brought up some other underrated gems such as Minecraft, the Zelda series (named after the player’s character), and Metal Gear (probably a Factorio clone). Try them out if you are tired of everything popular!

[@jakel4316]

Don't forget The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[@zedoctor3724]

r/gamingcirclejerk has been outjerked yet again

[@TheVioletBunny]

You spelled morrowind wrong

[@pikminologueraisin2139]

don't forget zelda OOT, some people really think it's underrated

[@utisti4976]

Witcher 3 is shit

[@Cracks094]

Dark Souls is so underrated, barely anyone has ever heard about it

[@gamma2816]

I mean Dark Souls changed my outlook on games... As a kid I always played games on easy because my mentality was that games should be relaxing fun, I also put in the occasional cheat code in San Andreas etc... Then I became a teen when Souls released, been with it since the first day of Demon's... I remember being so invested because of the challenge... People were busy playing CoD while I got lost in the Souls rabbit hole... Then it changed something in me I'll never forget. I was playing a relatively unknown title on PS2 called Cold Winter... Thus far I, as I stated earlier, had only played this game on easy... But because of Dark Souls I just felt like playing it on max difficulty to see if the feeling was transferable to other games... And damn... I was now forced to survive the brutal encounters with soldiers... So I checked every nook and cranny for ammo and heals... I had to get resources... So I found every secret... Areas of the game I had no idea even existed before. Then I played Killzone again on Ps2... Sale there, it made me get sooo much more juice out of my games, I was more invested, I found so many things and secrets out of necessity... Now I play all my games on the hardest because yes it's frustrating but you get so much more time with games like this making your money worth it... As a veteran gamer I know every trick a game can pull so nothing surprises me anymore and you probably know the familiar feelings of plowing through every game so fast you are done in a few hours, this negates that... To me it can make the most boring of games fun as you're forced to find new ways to cheese or beat regular challenges you'd otherwise win instantly. So thanks to Dark Souls now even as a soon to be 30yo I still squeeze every drop out of my games on max difficulty because I get so much more from the experience this way, and it all started because a stupid lil' RPG kicked my butt. 🤣 And sure, these days we all even speedrun souls games because we're desensitized to the difficulty, but From Soft always throws a new curve ball in their new IPs to throw us off, so as long as you play their games in order it's always fresh and new, like the new combat in Sekiro that threw my souls reflexes for a spin! ☺️ And in between their games I'll play whatever I get my hands on, on the absolute hardest difficulty to get me mad but also make the victories so so SO much better, just like Souls would do. ☺️☺️☺️

[@darknessdescends6701]

With all the praise being heaped on Elden Ring and rightfully so, it doesn't reinvent what gaming as a medium can achieve like DS1 did. It presents a living, breathing world but not one as "alive" as DS1's and for me, no matter how accessible and mainstream FromSoftware's future catalog gets, nothing would ever be able to truly capture the magic that it had.

[@jerrodshack7610]

I like Elden Ring, but not as much as DS1 or DS3. It's got some pretty major flaws

[@alaxs2431]

​@@jerrodshack7610 i dunno, i don't like elden ring as much as ds1 or bloodborne, but in my opinion its a bit better than ds3. Mind you I've played hundreds of hours of ds3 so i don't think its by any means bad.

[@carbxncle]

Ironically, Elden Ring opted to go for the "open world craze" most games seem to have these days. So much for changing gaming conventions.

[@colbyboucher6391]

@@jerrodshack7610 DS3 is just a shitstain in Blighttown somewhere if you're looking from the "living, breathing world" perspective

[@maxwell2428]

My favorite souls is now Elden Ring, followed by Ds and Ds3 (i like them equally for different reasons) then sekiro, after that bloodborne then demon souls and ds2

[@AssassinDXZ]

Man, every souls games critique gives more insight about how great this series always was.

[@number1enemyoftheuseless985]

Is..... we're not done yet 🔥

[@amysteriousviewer3772]

The Souls series almost feels like the high literature of gaming. There are so many layers and facets to every aspect of their design and so many ways to interpret them.

[@clashtwo5066]

@@number1enemyoftheuseless985 If the Dark Souls 4 Rumors are true…… man, I think I’d prefer Elden Ring 2 since that’s what it’ll be.

[@widoseidel497]

1:33 "I mean if you were to write a complete history of video games..." Hmm... I wonder who would ever do that.

[@stanalbatross8615]

Dark Souls was the first game that truely gave me that feeling of travelling alone, thousands of miles away from help. Undead burg actually felt like a city, not like a level

[@nothingiseverperfect]

Never heard of this “Dark Souls” series before. Just played Elden Ring and am looking for other games like it. Hopefully it works out!

[@austinlastname]

Miyazaki has a couple other gems called Bloodborne and Sekiro. Both of which are their own universe and bloodborne is top 5 favorite games ever made minus nostalgia games. Both are qualitatively different from other games. Hope you enjoy yourself my friend

[@LordFinkenstein]

Gr8 b8 m8, 8/8.

[@steven5548]

Gr8 b8 m8, 8/8.

[@ibrahimbaghdadi2187]

Dark souls is an elden ring ripoff Don't play it.

[@Mixs3zZ]

@@ibrahimbaghdadi2187 bruh 😂

[@zachtaylor5312]

There is something about the world design in the first game that none of the other games have been able to recapture.

[@fitzhugh7463]

If you haven’t already I highly recommend their ps2 kings field game the ancient city. The world design in that game is just like dark souls 1

[@SuperbFairy]

I think 2 did a great job with the world build too, being able to traverse the maps on foot with ease was one of my favourite things about 1 and 2, less so after that where the world design stopped and you just had to bonfire for your own sanity

[@Exel3nce]

@@SuperbFairy dont mention 2 in Connection to world design

[@heitorcruz7895]

As someone going through hard times, trying not to go hollow here, I have to say that your words really touched me from 1:04:06 and on. Thank you, really.

[@ksw8514]

I had a very similar experience to your adventure in Blighttown (around the 40 minute mark) during my first playthrough: Somehow I ended up in the middle of the Tomb of the Giants without a light source or fast travel and had to find my way back up to Firelink Shrine. It took me ages, of course, but I never considered quitting. It's one of the most memorable gaming experiences I've ever had.

[@markm5927]

I played this game for the first time in 2020, and everything you've said here resonates with my experience. I was worried the game would feel dated in comparison to From's other games, that I would appreciate it from more of a historical perspective, but in truth I think the game is timeless. Any time I see people reluctant to jump in now I always push them to it.

[@ACameronUK]

This channel is underrated ☺️

[@vmod3985]

The smile on my face when he said "the story should start with Demon's souls". it's so easily forgotten...

[@halalmaster]

The true most underrated souls game

[@pyoheliobros5773]

What a great video! I love how you can get more exciting insight out of Dark Souls even 11 years after release.

[@blondesummer7980]

Oh man, this game looks good, never heard of this game before, only known From Software was the guys who made the super popular and still remembered by everyone Armored Core series. They're gonna break into the mainstream with this!

[@funk3nst3in]

dks games are trash the new armored core game will bring fromsoft BACK TO THE FOREFRONT OF GAMING for sure or i will cut off my left arm

[@baronvonbeandip]

What about President of the United States Simulator? That's their saving grace.

[@d3bugged]

@@funk3nst3in You'll need to cut off more than that if you want Human+

[@mr.b89]

@@baronvonbeandip METAL WOLF CHAOS

[@vajoynus]

Are you sure you're not thinking of "Hammered Ore"?

[@TheReapling]

Thank you Never. You've come such a long way, and have grown considerably in eloquence, depth and confidence. I'm happy to have been along for the ride, and I wish you nothing but love and further evolution. God bless you, brother.

[@unqualifiedprofessortanuki1757]

around the 49:00 minute mark when talking about the ending and the lack of fan fare I recalled a randomizer run I did recently that upped the challenge to an extreme level. When I actually did link the fire and ended that run the feelings I felt internally were so heightened that all the fan fare needed was inside me. To that note, on the idea of overcoming challenge and the internal struggle to be your best self the ending is perfect.

[@solarammy2255]

I had my "aggressive rolling moment" very early in Elden ring. You can roll backwards to avoid tree sentinels charging sweep attack to put you right next to him after rolling.

[@Mediocrity2291]

Thanks for this. Making your own meaning and persevering are salient points. For me personally, I experienced Dark Souls as a metaphor for living life with depression. At one point in recent years I had considered going hollow, but something held me back. I am not so bold as to claim a piece of media saved me, but I certainly count it among those things that buoyed me in a bad time. No, we cannot know what lies at the end. No, we cannot know if anything we do matters or not. But we can choose to rise each day and try once more. It is the journey, not the destination. That is where I will focus.

[@PaintBottle]

Had very similar experience with first Dark Souls. I was at the brink of not caring where my life was heading or rather not heading but the way Dark Souls made me experience progress where there is only vague direction started a toughtprocess in me. DS is definitely not the sole reason why I climbed out of the hole I was in but it marks a turning point in my life and in how I approach or see life. Every revisit I do in Lordran feels like talking to my past self and every time I finish the game I feel reborn. It's a memory trip like no other.

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

Dark souls deals with existentialism in a fantastical and relatable way, depression is linked to existentialism as I see it. It romanticizes those feelings, finding your way in a hopeless world, just clinging on to some odd flame keeping you alive. You can't even explain it, you just have to play and feel it. But no I don't agree I don't think dark souls is a commentary on depression I think it's about dragons and shit

[@PaintBottle]

@@corncobjohnsonreal true that. It's first and foremost a fantasy story. Themes and undertones are still there to make the story more rich. I don't think either that it's ment as a metaphor for depression but the fact that it can be read as such makes it more interesting

[@meme6793]

I wish souls series didn't went into direction of more fast paced less decision based combat. High stamina cost was such elegant solution to problems that plage DS3 and ER.

[@jeffjefferson2853]

Elden Ring is an entirely different beast than DS3. DS3 was a refined masterpiece when it came to combat, arguably the best in series. It was more fast paced but so was the decision making. In Elden Ring, the only decision is "do I want this to be too hard by not using summons, or too easy by summoning help?" Bosses in Elden Ring move too fast to make a proper decision, the game expects you to use summons and broken mechanics to overcome. DS3 had its own problems, sure, but at least it knew what it was. Elden Ring just has schizophrenia

[@ritztan70]

Bloodborne was the pinnacle of high stamina based combat. DS3 was just spam rolling. Elden Ring was a step in the right direction, atleast they gave bosses arrhythmic movements so you had to think about how to roll, but in the end BB's pace is way better. I would much prefer something like Sekiro if they want to go full fast paced.

[@meme6793]

@@ritztan70 The arrhythmic movements does not make you think about attacks, it forces you to memorize or react. I don't enjoy memorizing bosses in such detail and the reaction window was to small to be enjoyable at my skill level. For me elden ring was step in very bad direction and made me question whether the gameplay style I liked souls series for was intentional.

[@meme6793]

@@jeffjefferson2853 Plage was bit of overstatement in DS3 case. However you can clearly see a change in direction. More stamina, more tracking, hyper armor during windup, more healing(in the end game that is). Take this changes to extreme add open world and you got ER. But where DS3 enemies where build around this system ER bosses where build around brutal difficulty.

[@bosmul_]

Perfect essay on this existentialist masterpiece.

[@alexanderhoy2477]

"if you were to write a complete history of video games"... bro knew what he was cookin up

[@doctordungus7774]

The only game to ever dethrone Final Fantasy Tactics from my best game of all time spot was the original Dark Souls. It's just a perfect game with lore that rivals Greek and Norse mythology, fantastically balanced gameplay, incredible painterly visuals, and an incredible intangible, melancholic feeling that I've never seen another game come close to recapturing. I love FromSoft games, but DS1 is in a tier higher than all their other efforts, and it genuinely deserves all the accolades it gets.

[@blah3189]

I’ve heard tactics is incredible but it hasn’t hooked me yet. What am I doing wrong?

[@noctissama3146]

@@blah3189 For me I found it really really hard!

[@Discotechque]

"fantastically balanced gameplay" Yeah... about that, my 50 vigor character got clapped by 3 hollows in 2 seconds. FML.

[@sampedro9316]

I finally got around to playing FFT a few years ago and thought it was lame.

[@TheNivek22]

@@blah3189 For me is an incredible game with the best storyline but not for everyone in terms of gameplay and sadly the second playtrough is when the fun begins (lore and mechanics, similar to DS mind you)

[@kennysalty6019]

One of the most interesting, and best parts of part 4, specifically, your journey into and back our of BlightTown. This entire thing, this whole mess of weapons and armor on the verge of breaking in the middle of a poison swamp at the bottom of the earth. All of this, happened from one thing earlier. You didn't buy the repair kit from the merchant you might not have even found in the undead burg. Another example of why you should explore every area, and what Dark Souls teaches you. Exploration, caution, and knowledge, are rewarded.

[@michaualtington]

Od you could just not go to blighttown and take the new londo route

[@yadigg4775]

(Breaks regular weapon) “imma get this one with a tenth of the durability, shiny”

[@everywhereattheendofemilyp7488]

I loved hearing about your misadventure in blighttown because I thought about what I'd do and press in the same pickle. Get the fire keeper soul and key, go up the lift, see the blacksmith in new londo ruins and upgrade the estus at firelink and then go back down. It's a testament to how great the world is that I've not played it in several years but I remember the map entirely and where most of the important items are.

[@chrisfit]

This content creator is underrated in the same way Dark Souls is underrated. Thanks for the video, it was really really good.

[@Creslin321]

I love Dark Souls. It WAS underrated when it came out, as was Demon’s Souls (especially Demon’s Souls). But now, it’s pretty much regarded as a classic, genre defining game…hardly underrated. If you want an underrated action RPG, look at Dragon’s Dogma.

[@Creslin321]

@kipskip_ well you’re entitled to your opinion…even if it’s wrong 😂.

[@blaze595]

I think you missed the point... He mentions at the very start that Dark Souls isn't ACTUALLY underrated in a standard sense; it's that the things that truly make it such an incredible, unique experience gets lost in discussion under more surface level factors like difficulty.

[@sarkaztik3228]

@kipskip_ Oof, I haven't even played the game and I can tell when someone is giving an incredibly stupid or dogshit take. If you give the game a childish "nickname" (that I KNOW you think is witty), your opinion can pretty much be ignored because I know you're full of shit.

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

Dragon doggo is so close to being fun, but it's just soooooo boring and feels awful to play, it's like my attacks do nothing and there's so much generic fantasy stuff, but man it's right on the cusp of being friggin sweet lois

[@foop145]

I feel like DD is the most overrated underrated game. The combat system is fantastic, and little things like the height of your character impacting gameplay are awesome. But most of it just ends up falling kinda flat. The story isn't very interesting, and you have to either grind a ton, or fight bosses for way longer than seems necessary. I want it to be good so badly, but it just didn't quite get there in my opinion. It's a good game to be sure, but it feels like the player character from a prolific game got dropped into the world of a mediocre one.

[@teratoma.]

the title is probably clickbait, but i agree 100% it's revolutionary in almost every aspect

[@psterud]

Very well done. It's my favorite game and probably always will be. Several thousand hours on PS3. I think you capture the gist of it. It's an existential game, no getting around it. I even went hollow once early on, on my way down to Demon Ruins from the bell. Took a full nine months, on and off, to get through the whole thing, with help. I don't think it's possible at this point for a game to match it, because it took place at a certain time in video game history, and we can't go back there, even with a remaster. It is singular. I hope someone someday makes a video that does justice to the online aspects of Dark Souls. That was where it really shined after PvE was done. Co-op and the various modes of PvP through covenants and invasions. Becoming a Darkwraith, a Blade of the Darkmoon, a Gravelord Servant, making fight clubs... So much fun, even when a few kids around the world were hacking the game so they could win. My favorite was invading people at the Anor Londo archers. Insult to injury. As an invader you could choose to be diabolical or nice, depending on your mood. Co-op was a great way to feel helpful, and there were plenty of people who needed help. It was shocking how much deeper the game could get beyond the base game.

[@madisons2117]

The audacity of this title got me. I suppose that's good marketing then.

[@sleepisdeath9016]

I remember my first time finding the path to the bonfire under the dragon bridge the realization that I was back at the previous bonfire and then the feeling of my stomach fall when I looked up and realized I walked past a ladder I was supposed to kick down and I had to go all the way around again is a memory I will never forget

[@necrosteel5013]

Dark Souls is one of the few games I know that doesn't hold back. When I observe a core demographic surrounding a game i always see that had they try to keep one upping each other. One example is the original doom games and it's mappacks. They always grew more complex and demanding as techniques becomes mastered by the average players. Doom's mappacks like eviternity and sunlust are testament to how much the community is ready to tackle. Dark Souls and it's community is exactly like this, it had it's content designed a certain way and the audience it built was ready for it and as further additions and alterations came with sequels the audience it cultivated was one like the doom community, it's one that may never be conducive to mainstream audiences but it will one that will never die.

[@Felipemelazzi]

Classic DOOM and Dark Souls live within my heart. Your comment made me realise how these two will probably last longer than my own life. This thought feels me with joy in an unusual way

[@matiasdextre9080]

This video id a fucking master piece. All the things I’ve felt regarding this game, being the first I was able to call art, are here. Amazing work, keep it up

[@TheDanyschannel]

What a great way of ilustrating what makes the DS trilogy so special, and in particular the first game. The struggle that you face, and the interacations with the enemies, the world and other players is just a unique experience that no other game has managed to replicate. (or at least it used to be when official online servers were still up). I will have to disagree on the point that it is all meaningless in the end. You seem to have completely skipped the usurpation of fire ending on ds3. The implication that all your actions can actually sum up to breaking the cycle and potentially start something completely new is IMO crucial to the conclusion of the series. The fact that all your acts put together can actually have an impact in the world, despite everything else making you believe you are insiginificant is such a powerful conclusion to the series. Yes in the end we will all die, but we can still have an impact, however small it may seem. Either way, great content! (except for the clickbaity title, cmon you are not ign)

[@GMPranav]

Saying one of the most widely recognized to be possibly the greatest game of the century so far "underrated" says a lot about how good it is. And yeah honestly it needs more attention among the souls games again.

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

It's just so deep, deeper than turbo fans realize, deeper than the lore analysts see, deeper than kingseeker framp's throat

[@bofad6074]

It REALLY doesnt

[@roberttausig9170]

When Dark Souls first came out for PC, I listened to Gwyn's Theme day in, day out, on repeat for a week. On the fourth day or so the realization hit me, what this game was all about, and how masterfully the last music piece in the game reinforces this: When I hear the piano, I see a candle burning, steady and calmly at first. But when it reaches the end of wick, the flame struggles for fuel, struggles for air, gets wilder and more erratic, burning brighter even for a second, and then - extinguishes with a deafening silence. Death is desperate, and so is Gwyn and the world as a whole. These topics are now well known staples of the series, but at the time, I didn't; and the music pulled everything together for me.

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

This is the power of music people, if you didn't see this when you were killing that man then you're just a broken human and nothing can fix you

[@TheKythia]

I wish there was a version of Dark Souls, Elden Ring & Co that didn't focus on twitchy boss fights and rather strategic battles more akin to Baldur's Gate. I love the world, lore, atmosphere, but fidgeting with a gamepad for hours just to get past a boss kills it for me.

[@vizuz]

I like how another KZbinr put it: "Dark Souls is more than art. It doesn't just inspires and aspires to greatness, it requires it."

[@yaro42]

Dark souls is a masterpiece, no other game came close to giving me that feeling, and overall vibe that I got from these games

[@IncubiAkster]

Elden Ring is better in every way tbh

[@v0Xx60]

@@IncubiAkster While I broadly agree, Elden Ring will have nowhere near the influence Dark Souls has had, lessening it's importance despite any higher quality it may objectively have.

[@patsary2190]

@@IncubiAkster nope. rehashed bosses alone make the game worse in worldbuilding, story and lore departement (how do you explain fighting the same boss 10 times)?

[@thepmanimaker4380]

@@patsary2190 well for example there are 9 night's cavalry in the lore same with crucible knights and many other enemies they are not unique bosses the shardbearers in the other hand are unique except morgott / margit which is the same person

[@titanmax111]

@@IncubiAkster uncommon opinion probably, but I think elden ring was the worst souls game because I didn't feel like there was an impact and replayability, and I only felt really immersed the first few days.

[@spicymoist2889]

Dark Souls will always be such a unique experience and your first playthrough of each game is just so magical. It really changed my whole life and made me appreciate the little things about video games hence forth.

[@reissjones4043]

Incredible video. You really put into words what it means to play Dark Souls and the feelings it evokes. Thank you.

[@thebailey67]

Replaying Dark Souls after 120hrs into Elden Ring is bizarre and still amazing. Smaller areas, claustrophobic and interconnected areas linking back together…is still a grand and yet punishing adventure.

[@grfrjiglstan]

Everyone who plays this game has a different, unique story. I just got my friend into the game, and he saw shit I've never seen before. Not only did he stumble upon two Vagrants, one in the Undead Parish, but he also somehow made the Berenike knight in the parish walk off a ledge without being anywhere near him, which created a sense of unfinished business that was satisfyingly resolved once he found the one in Sen's Fortress. Something about either his behavior or luck of the draw teased out a lot of rare enemy attacks - for instance, in his fight with the butterfly, he got the laser three times in a row, followed by the aerial bombardment. It's such a varied, expressive game - no wonder I've played it two dozen times and still not seen all it has to offer.

[@Exel3nce]

Eh, thats a stretch. Such things dont alter the overall experience

[@sebastianpenales2861]

Dark Souls 2 is underrated change my mind

[@An_actual_walrus]

I love how in part 4 you mention that from Firelink there are “wrong ways” to go. And you’re right, unless you know what you’re doing. Most play throughs these days I go straight to the catacombs to smack Pinwheel for the rite of kindling, New Londo for the fire keeper soul, master key my way to Blighttown, smack Quelaag and then cheese Ceaseless Discharge for all the souls. By the time you get back up to firelink again so you can proceed the “correct” way you’re already so OP that the game is a cake walk up to O&S

[@devindalton4688]

That's quite a starting route, lol. I personally just go for the fire keeper soul, really love the feel of progression down the golden path so to speak.

[@An_actual_walrus]

@@devindalton4688 lol it’s definitely a great experience to go down the “correct path” but there are so many ways you can goof the game up and it’s hilarious. If you can make it to undead parish through darkrooot then the Taurus demon won’t pop up, basically meaning you could go the entire game without fighting it. I remember one time I had just wrapped up the dlc and was about to fight Gwyn and I remembered that I hadn’t fought Taurus, Capra or gaping dragon so i went round the “correct way” and one hitted them all. I just love all the experimentation with the world and the way it connects.

[@devindalton4688]

@@An_actual_walrus DS1 in particular is a beautifully "breakable" game, no doubt about it. All kinds of different ways to play through it, be it glitches or intentional design.

[@keithritter2051]

Wonderful use of dark souls as an analogy for life. One of the reason these games mean so much to me. You elegantly explain the reasons this franchise is so important to so many people. Thank you for taking your time with this essay!

[@XLegiitBadassX]

>Wins award for the greatest game of of the decade >”Ok this game is underrated…” Ok

[@8304u]

based

[@mirrorblade6268]

Pretty sure its in the Wikipedia list of greatest games ever made too.

[@corncobjohnsonreal]

@@mirrorblade6268 Joe viben passed a bill saying it's somewhere in top 5 greatest games ever made alongside ape escape 2, legend of Zelda phantom of the past, fallout 4, and dark souls

[@mr.voidroy6869]

@@corncobjohnsonreal his list has no credibility putting fallout 4 on that list and dark souls in the same place. But I know you just made it up

[@mtsoccerman]

@@mr.voidroy6869 nah Joe Biden really said that

[@Xxbte96xX]

Damn that last stretch of part 6 actually got me kinda emotional. I've been struggling with depression a lot lately, so it kinda spoke to me I guess, might sound silly idk. I've been afraid of death for a long time, even still kind of am today, so idk I guess it makes sense why it effected me so much.

[@nextcaesargaming5469]

Ah, Dark Souls 1 When 'Git Gud' actually meant something and wasn't just from trolls and tryhards

[@oldsingleplayer3012]

great video, poetic. I fell in love with dark souls since it's release because it brought me back the same feeling when I first played vagrant story (another underrated gem) on the PS1 back in the day.

[@shalaskaja452]

Man that’s an instant click on the notification to watch the new upload right here, right now - really, really appreciate your content💙

[@aver155]

Your words my words

[@VikingSchism]

My interpretation of letting the flame fade in DS3 is somewhat more optimistic - the problem of the age of fire is not that it exists or that it may exist again, but that it was linked so that it would never truly die. Letting it die allows the world to rest, and beginning a new age of fire would renew the world in a similar way to the peak of the original age of fire. If the next age of fire was allowed to end when it should, there wouldn't be a problem. But that's just how I interpreted it

[@kindlingking]

But there's nothing to suggest the fire will ever return, let alone constitute to a new age of prosperity. Firekeeper in DS3 specifically talks not about big powerful flame, but tiny flame dancing across the darkness, "like embers linked by lords past". It's not new/old the first flame, it's the remnants of those who linked it over the years is what could remain in the age of dark. On meta level, Miyazaki is saying Dark Souls is over (the first flame), but there will be more other new projects (tiny flames).

[@ildathet]

that's ... surprisingly more wholesome than how the game represent it. This interpretation is much more optimistic than 'hey you've done all that for nothing basically, the world is doomed and you've condemed some for the sake of other for a time" Ty kind sir

[@ildathet]

@@kindlingking That's forgetting how fire work. As long as there is consummable, fire burn. On a non meta level the fire NEVER will fade until it has conssumed everything.

[@kindlingking]

@@ildathet that's has never been stated anywhere. In fact the opposite is true - unless you keep throwing souls into the first flame (which in itself is just a highly concentrated mass of souls) it will eventually die out. That's why you are presented with a choice at the end of each game: throw some more souls into the fire and continue to struggle or walk away and let the darkness consume the world.

[@ildathet]

@@kindlingking have you read my comment ? i specifically talked about consummable.

[@nicoblasss]

"If you were to write a complete history of videogames ... " Yeah I wonder if one would dare :)

[@jonts7]

Watched this 1 hour video in one sit. Just awesome. I didnt even think it was possible for me to like Dark Souls even more. But you managed to do that.

[@sanctuarygaming4984]

I've always said that the first 2 original Resident Evil games are very similar to Dark Souls. You have these massive, interconnected levels that have shortcuts opened up after difficult challenges. Lots of lore and story told through finding items and then inspecting them. pockets of levels all connected to the central area (in dark souls firelink, in res evil the mansion). And of course, a brutal level of punishment. Resident evil games are not RPG's, but survival horror, however like Dark Souls it gives you plenty of opportunities to ruin your playthrough, mainly with wasting ammo or resources, which when you run out of, you lose. Essentially they are games about decision making, same as Dark Souls. To stand and shoot a zombie requires the animation going through which when timed wrong can result in death, on top of which if you miss your shot, the ammo is gone. Even consumables are a similar, Res Evil having a Demon Souls style consumable system where you find herbs that can replenish health. If you have never played them, check out resident evil 1 and 2.

[@KnjazNazrath]

That's why, like Dark Souls, they are overrated shite. Silent Hill is the Severance of survival horrors: it did it better and isn't mentioned half as much.

[@yurtthesilentgod1225]

Hm very nice connection. I do a playthru of resident evil 2 atleast once a year. I've noticed that over time the controls I thought were insanely clunky (tank controls) are now just second nature and as smooth as butter just like dark souls.

[@jeffjefferson2853]

Yeah back in 2013 when I played Dark Souls for the first time, survival horror was the genre it most reminded me of most. I called it a survival horror western rpg when recommending it to friends

[@nundulan]

@@KnjazNazrath shit tier opinion

[@Azure9577]

It's called a metroidvania

[@Mathiasz.]

I have to say this might be on of my favorite yt videos that I've ever watched the way you covered the themes and the experience of dark souls was masterfull in my opinion

[@benn1181]

I got the Kaathe ending accidentally by leaving the room on my first playthrough. I never even met him.

[@fffrrraannkk]

I remember feeling a dreamlike lonely vibe when I played Dark Souls. Haven't felt anything like it since.

[@sirsamalot90]

Dark Souls 1 is by far my favorite game of all time. Such a beautiful game, with such a rich world. Ill never forget thinking that there were similarities to the film Excalibur, and then being blown away when I found out that Miyazaki found inspiration from said film.

[@Rosiestoned]

he's inspired by Arthurian legends in general

[@sirsamalot90]

@@Rosiestoned Oh for sure, but even the green lighting that reflects off their armor is clearly inspired directly from Excalibur.

[@bludtinge]

Ah yes. One of the most influential games in the industry is underrated.

[@ArilandoArilando]

What gamed has it influenced?

[@paxtonl1330]

@@ArilandoArilando there's an entire genre named after it lmao

[@ArilandoArilando]

@@paxtonl1330 Comprised almost exclusively of indie games.

[@paxtonl1330]

@@ArilandoArilando If it's enough to inspire an entire genre, it's very influential, even if it's mostly indie games.

[@bludtinge]

@@ArilandoArilando God of War, The Witcher to not look too far And before you question it, the devs of both these games confirmed Dark Souls to be an inspiration.

[@thepro5102]

I've been feeling this way about a lot of things you said in this video, and i thank you so much for sharing to more ppl about this absolute gem of a game. Very good video too!

[@gazagne251190]

Bravo !! thx for the journey. your Channel is also underrated. the quality of your channel deserve so much more attention. The bell is on for ever and I do this rarely on any channel. Thx again, it was a wonderful moment to listen to you.

[@TheVioletBunny]

Definitely great series if it wasn’t as impactful is it so many developers wouldn’t be making clones of the game. Elden ring is a great game but nothing beats the magic of og demons souls and dark souls 1

[@pendarazaripoor4296]

Might I suggest a contender? Blodborne

[@PB-ie8cj]

Honestly, elden ring is just a "too big to fail" title, riding on the fame of it's predecessors and the hype of its marketing. The game isn't terrible, but it is easily the worst of the modern From titles when you consider the whole picture. It was certainly a massive downgrade from Sekiro, that's for sure

[@flamingmanure]

@@PB-ie8cj thats a laughable statement considering it did everything better than sekiro but the combat. i chuckle when ppl talk objectively, especially when their opinion is devoid of any thought or merit. anyway your argument isnt a valid one considering its just a disguised version of "i hate the thing when it got popular". elden ring is easily the best fromsoft game to date, modern or otherwise, almost to a laughable degree. the other games are kinda like indie games imo. less thought out, far less quality and quantity in most aspects of game design. its obvious why elden ring is regarded as their best games to date and the pinnacle of the open world genre, many other game devs seem to agree. "but it is easily the worst of the modern From titles when you consider the whole picture" hmmm. i considered the whole picture, and yep, its still substantially better than the other fromsoft games, maybe your whole picture of the old games is riddled with blind bias? so far elden rings full picture looks like this: best level design by far, best combat by far barring sekiro, best environment variety by far, best enemy variety and design by far, best world design by far, best build variety by far, middle ground in quality when it comes to bosses and music. its bosses are still better than bb and ds1. easily the biggest and best picture fromsoft have ever drawn. "riding on the fame of it's predecessors and the hype of its marketing" so just like sekiro then? and ds3? ive noticed this new found salt of some souls vets around elden ring, some of the delusions u convince urselves of kinda prelexing, especially since most of you with that opinion dont provide any actual critique. i guess u cant take how much better it is than your favorite fromsoft game. u can say u like the other games better, but acting like elden ring isnt an objectively higher quality and far more thought out game than the others is just pure blind delusion. for example, bb is a better game than ds2, but i like ds2 quite a bit more than bb. build variety and pvp has alot to do with it.

[@PB-ie8cj]

@@flamingmanure k

[@Someone-vq6jk]

@@flamingmanure …damn bro I think elden ring is one of their best game yet too but Jesus…

[@blackaua]

Dark Souls will forever remain my favourite video game, and one of my favourite pieces of fiction of all time.

[@cubialpha]

thank you, this was beautiful. all of these games have been a large part of my life since the original demon's souls and you've perfectly laid out what makes the experiences so meaningful.

[@zdfraser9907]

So underrated that every difficult game gets called "just like dark souls".