Dark Souls (2011) is a dark fantasy game that has been the recipient of much praise, and it is deserved. The game is known (and slightly notorious) for its difficulty and unique multiplayer concept. Most of its characteristics are brought over from its predecessor, Demon's Souls, but Dark Souls made some changes to define itself even more, making quite a name for itself in the process as a "fresh drink of water" from the world of forgiving and almost insultingly easy games to which we've become accustomed. Dark Souls has done a fantastic job of staying relevant as a contributor to video game culture for the years it has been out, but I think that the impeding release of its sequel, Darks Souls 2, calls for a reminder of what really set Dark Souls apart from other games. So, with that in mind, we're looking at the characteristics the game borrows from the earlier years of gaming and how it uses these to ignite a once burnt-out fire in our hearts to seek out the action, enjoy the adventure and conquer the challenges that made playing video games so appealing to most of us.
5. Consistency Is Key
What makes a game a game? What keeps us from just knocking off our opponent's chess pieces and saying, "I win"? One word, rules. Games need rules in order to be a game. Rules are expressed through game mechanics and are the acting laws that dictate the cause/effect aspects of the video game. Dark Souls has very strict game rules that can mean life or death (usually death) in a fight with even the lowest-level creatures, and this is expressed very well in the tutorial stage, which gives you ample time to learn the mechanics of the game's battle system and how different weapons work. These rules let the player know how to play the game and provide a skill that the player can learn and master in order to conquer the challenges that the game will present to them. Unfortunately, many games from today are not consistent, and some of them don't even have clear rules. Without rules, there is no way for the player to know how to play your game. It's a poor mimic of "difficulty" that is, in all honesty, just cheap, gimmicky and usually loaded with Quick-Time Events. Games like this become little more than interactive movies (like Heavy Rain).