Dark Souls is, at its core, a reaction to modern games. There's no insulting tutorial, there's no easy difficulty setting, and when enemies hit you they do real damage. You remember the sheer relief it was to finally beat Ornstein and Smough? Or the sheer terror you felt first facing The Rotten? With no way to bump the difficulty down, every step in Dark Souls is an achievement. The worst thing that Dark Souls could do is to try and streamline itself to reach a wider audience. Dark Souls is no Skyrim - its appeal is a niche one that happened to find an unexpectedly large audience. The joy in playing Dark Souls comes from the fact that beating it is a genuine achievement, that every boss you kill is a hard earned step, and that every death is another lesson learned. Were it an easy game, it wouldn't have a fraction of the appeal. Some of the suggestions in this article could ruin the Dark Souls experience if not done properly. Co-op without careful balancing would remove the danger some enemies pose. A heavier focus on story could backfire if not written well. If done correctly though, in a way that retains the Dark Souls charm, these small changes could make Dark Souls 3 the defining game of the series, if not the decade. Are you psyched for Dark Souls 3? Let us know in the comments!
Currently living the dream by studying in Wales and writing articles about the things I love for beer money. My proudest achievements are teaching myself Accordion and getting my head round the off-side rule.
