Quote Originally Posted by warty goblin View Post
So given this state of pristine ignorance and lack of skillz, why would I keep playing?
I've never been good that good at games; I've traditionally played on easy/normal mode, gravitate toward games that are casual (e.g. Sims) or are forgiving in terms of time (e.g. turn based games) or consequence (e.g. 4X games rarely punish individual decisions or actions such that the game cannot be recovered). If my CRPGs has a turn-based mode or auto-pause function, you'd better believe I'm using it. I'd even use cheat codes to progress past areas I couldn't with skill. In short, I've always been a bit of a casual.

Dark Souls changed that.

Going into the game, I'd heard that it was good and that it was a challenge, but I knew little more. And it punished me. Over and again. There weren't any shortcuts (until later in the game). There weren't any cheat codes. There wasn't even a wiki or online tutorial that could really help me more than "git gud to progress". The game has a hard "you must be *this* good to progress" sign on the door and the bouncer wasn't taking any bribes. I'm not ashamed to say that it took me hours of gameplay to even get to Firelink Shrine...I didn't even get there on my first session. I had to go away and come back to the game another day just to get past the "tutorial mission".

I didn't find any of the rest of the game much easier. Every new area held a new and unexpected challenge, my skill as a player grew about as slowly as my stats did in-game. Most of the weapons and equipment I found were either unusable due to stats or so unfamiliar that I could not use them. I gave up on melee combat and spec'd into Sorcery (the not-so-secret easy-mode of the game) to carry me through much of the game, until the game forced me to git gud again and actually learn melee combat. Let me reiterate that...I thought I'd found an easy way to progress through the game and the game said "NO! You have to get better". So I did. I learned to parry and roll and that took me so far through the game until, again, the game said "NO! You have to get better", so I learned to use armour (which I'd previously forgone for the most part; I like agility builds in games, as a rule). Each time, the game would punish me for sitting on my laurels and dangle yet another option or opportunity to learn another facet of the game and I snatched at them, one by one; miracles, pyromancy, covenants, secret areas to explore, new upgrades to be found...piece by piece the game coaxed me into learning about itself, not only in terms of the gameplay mechanics, but the lore as well.

Once I was comfortable enough to actually look up from the controller and see the game for what it was, all I saw was how beautifully crafted it is in both visual impact and in its subtlety of storytelling. Does the game slap you with a step-by-step story of a hero's rise to power, with deeds of heroic prowess and moral good? No. You're just some scrub undead struggling to survive in a world imploding in on itself, fighting sewer dragons, swamp leeches and mindless zombies that were once people that have lost their way through despair and ennui after a thousand pointless deaths, destined to die a thousand more, food only for the endless demons that infest the underbelly of the world. But within that, there are tales of hope, despair and futility, of betrayal and vengeance, of loyalty and of greed...which includes your own actions. If the game had not been so punishing or as circumspect, these themes and stories would have meant less; I'd have looked less closely and given little care.

All the while this is happening, I'm finding other aspects of the game that I enjoy; the stylistic choices, the variety of weaponry and magics that I can employ...I'm discovering things not only about the game, but about myself in the process. Do I feel like donning my plate armour and swinging for the sun with a big honking zweihander or am I going to dual wield rapiers to parry and riposte my way to success? The choice is entirely mine because every stage of the game and every boss can be dealt with with any style of game play...but only if you're good enough! There's a reason that the term "Fashion Souls" exists and it's because yes, some gear is better than others and some tactics will work better than others in certain areas, but in truth none of it matters; it's the player behind the character is all that counts at the end of the day.

Dark Souls is a crucible. It changed my outlook on how I play games, both old and new, as well as how I look at storytelling, character motivations and more. Part of the enjoyment of the game for me, is in meeting the challenge, not giving up, overcoming it and learning that the challenge wasn't some horrible monster but your own ability (or lack thereof) to defeat it. The first (and only!) time I beat the game was by grinding souls until I was so over-levelled I couldn't help but win. Legit (if lengthy) method to beat the game, but not an efficient one! So the game is still telling me to get better and improve my skills, to delve a little deeper, learn another trick, until I can beat the game at a lower level or with a different weapon or style or in a different way...and I like that it continues to present me with that challenge in a way that no other game ever really has. The harder the challenge the sweeter the reward and Dark Souls has such a high ceiling for that.