It's interesting watching someone new playing Dark Souls. They have no idea what they're in for except that the game is notorious for being hard, but when they eventually get to a spot where they get a victory over their first extreme-massive-pain-in-the-backside-of-a-boss, there's a point where this new Soul fledgling will get a little bit of swagger going on, a new found cockiness in their step as they move on to the next area. Rookie mistake. Every Dark Souler knows that there is absolutely no place for cockiness in either Lordran or Drangleic. Being cocky is the easiest way to get yourself killed. You aren't good at Dark Souls; you've just gotten lucky and you should be appreciative of this at all times. The ultimate cockiness usually comes as you start New Game Plus. You've beaten the game now after all; surely you're practically untouchable? Cue immediately being slain by the most pathetic enemy in the game. Always live in fear when playing Dark Souls.
14. Why Dying Repeatedly Is Secretly Awesome
If a game has the phrase 'PREPARE TO DIE' stamped across its box in big letters, you're probably going to be in for a bit of a rough time. Even the person with even the slightest interest in Dark Souls knows that dying is a regular part of the experience in DS. What they don't know, however, is how incredibly satisfying this mechanic is. It's bizarre really; in every other game you play, dying is perhaps the most frustrating thing that can happen. This frustration is still retained in Dark Souls, but every single time you die in you'll actually learn something, deducing where you went wrong, plus why and how you can change what happened to you. So you can rest assured; dying 20 times as you try to fight that boss is all part of your life lessons. You'll grow as a person, honest!.
Dan Curtis is approximately one-half videogame knowledge, and the other half inexplicable Geordie accent. He's also one quarter of the Factory Sealed Retro Gaming podcast.
