There's the classic 'Game Over', or the slightly more aggressive 'You Are Dead' in games like Resident Evil and the God of War series, but no death-state words every felt quite as grave or loaded with implication as those of the Souls series. Because Dark Souls is a game in which death actually matters, seeing those red words pop up on screen was always your worst nightmare. They could signify an arduous journey to retrieve the souls from the spot where you died or, worse still, losing your souls and therefore hours of precious progress in the game. When you've been vanquished, you sometimes hope for a moment that maybe you still have a tiny bit of health left and will get up to keep fighting, but when those ominous words fade into view along with what sounds like the mournful laugh of a thousand souls, you know that's it, and you heart sinks in a way you didn't think was possible because of a mere game.
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
