Now playing: Dark Souls 3

So yes I've been playing Dark Souls 3 lately as I teased in a recent post. I wasn't originally planning on it. I think I even made that clear in my anticipated videos list. But damn-it, Dark Souls is one of the best games and gaming franchises ever made, and taps into the very notion of existence and human nature. Its kind of amazing that way. I can't remember anything specifically dragging me back in. I avoided all hype, knew just about nothing about its changes, and didn't even notice when the good lore/guide bits were posted. I just remember that after I successfully disguised its launch with Ratchet & Clank awesomeness, played through that, and enjoyed some other games around the time, Dark Souls crept in and hung there in the air waiting for me to buy and play it. I got a pay in, and imediately siezed upon it with the promise that it still wasn't too late to get the Day One edition with the superior box art, and physical soundtrack attached. ...and I love it! Even with a busy and hectic week from Tuesday to Sunday of playing, I've sunk around 16 hours into it, and I've got a lot left to try out and do. As usual I took my path as a Wanderer for the first run, and I've been shaping him into a mean and adaptable Dexterity focused class.

How is the struggle? Really weird with its ups and downs, and my last hour was practically spent goofing off of the main quest. At first it was worst than ever. The first boss is the hardest beginner boss in the franchise, and gets to you right when you have nothing more than the class basics. The first town was a slog, and took me quite some time without ever being slowed by traps and whatnot. However once I got past a certain point in the beginning, things started to go smoothly. I started finding myself in a loop, established that I could handle all the regulars of the undead settlement, found some tips and weaknesses (living cages are devastated by fire attacks), and the only major problem for what must have lasted me an hour or two was just where to go next. I had cheated my fight with the fire demon, looted a bunch of stuff, discovered the cursed tree boss was an optional just for souls, and found myself struggling at the infamous swamps of Farron keep. I was mostly done with it, but still had a suspicion I was doing something wrong. I looked through some tips and realized I missed a path through the crystal sage. Rammed through that boss with ease (at least as a melee character, must be a pain for ranged). Then was on my way to the correct path... only to find it lead to a dead end and redirects me back to the swap. But getting to that dead end took a lot of effort, got me some great loot, and gave me a lot of strength. By the time I was back at the swamp it was all child's stuff. I now walk with 9 estus flasks, dealt with the abyss walkers, and I'm working through the skeleton filled tombs. Things are actually going fairly smoothly for the most part.

You can't stop this!!!

My last hour was actually spent completely goofing off. I found the Wolf guardian and joined his covenant, and have been running back on errands and backtracking while waiting for signals and pulls into PVP battles. The one thing that would make me put down my sunbro badge as a tribute to Solair, would apparently be a mysterious wolf figure on an ancient keep that looks a bit like one of the starting locations in the original Dark Souls. So far it seems like players are self-aware of that system and area, because every time I'm pulled in I see phantom guarded players. However that's not all. Twice I've been pulled in with red phantoms, and the first time the guy seems to have just killed himself... or maybe that was a red phantom again. The 2nd time I came in with one I was also with a friendly watchdog, and he started just thrashing on the red phantom while I thought "WTF!? Dude he could help us!" and left to go track the host... who was with a white phantom because of course. The confused red phantom won out, and jumped in as I signaled the phantoms into the swamp, and we didn't know whether or not to attack each other, so it was just a big uncoordinated disaster.... and I loved it for that reason! Its a complete battleground, and as long as I'm not back on the main quest discovering and rationing my items, I'm standing by waiting for the signal to go fight in the woods. Its great fun. On that note of covenants, I really need to go do some work for the sunbros, but just haven't felt like getting to that point of soapstoning stuff yet.

Don't get me wrong the game is still tough. My last advancement died of a giant boulder trap while being more concerned with kiting some skeletons. Meanwhile I've also been beaten 4 times over before my first victory with the tutorial boss, I had a frustrating trip completing the cathedral, and there's a good bit of cryptic info and a good reason to stay in touch with the community. Its just that I've also got freakin' 9 flasks, a huge health bar, and I'm doing a fairly good job of adapting. So lately when I see a giant crytal lizard the online signs warn me about, or that stray demon, I'm not sweating over it so much as going "I got 7 flasks left and an easy trip to the bonfire plotted in my mind, so why not shove my sword in his face a little bit?" I'm kind of hoping that pace continues, because its the set pieces, bosses, and other surprises that still keep me guarded, but I don't want the entire game to be so hard that I just decide to play something more light-hearted instead. I like the feeling that I've now sort of earned an easier time (loosely speaking),and if I want to pick up the challenge I know quite a few ways to go find one.

and its always possible for the challenge to find you

Finally, how does it compare to the rest in the series? I'll be blunt when I simply say that its another entry. As weird as it sounds for a guy that's used to heavily analyzing the mechanics, I just don't take a big note over the differences between games. I think of them a lot for what experiences they gave me, and what they introduced me to. I remember Dark Souls 1 for solair, interesting shortcuts, the painted world, that first time I was enjoying it, etc. With Dark Souls 2 I remember it for those weird moments in Majula, all the co-op fun I had (and sort of exploited), and that day where connecting a simple shortcut in the canyons made me feel surprisingly good for that entire day even after putting the controller down. Bloodborne? The savage and awesome creatures, that blind fight with a werewolf in a pitchblack basement, and that grim reaper looking guy that takes you to a whole new world with a ridiculously eerie atmosphere. How does Dark Souls 3 compare to all that you might ask? Overcoming the tutorial boss by hugging him and hacking away at the chance to. I'll probably remember being lost in the swamp, questioning my path, finding the real path, only to find a new dead-end that said "now go to the swamp". I'll probably remember some PVP if it keeps going at the rate it is now. And who knows what else I'll fine. Mechanically its a very strong game still. I love the systems they have in place, and it feels like a good balance borrowing from all the games before it. The art style still looks awesome as well, though only a couple things grabbed my like some of the creations from Bloodborne or the original Dark Souls. Then again there's still much left to go and see. So without further hesitation, I have some lord souls to go collect.

Don't know what this is, but I'm sure I'll find and kill it soon