DarkSoulsIIReview

http://www.gamescdkey.com/news/dark-souls-ii-review
PeoplejokeabouttheCitizenKaneofgames,butwhatstheDarkSoulsofmovies?Orliterature,
ormusic?Whatpieceofworkinanyothermediumhasworkedsohardandforsolongtoalienate
and brutalize its audience?Finnegans Wakeis massive and daunting but too whimsical to be
hostile.Manyfilmsaimtodegradetheviewer,fromartlikePasolinisSaltocheapoexploitation
flicks,butfewofthemeatupanamountoftimeinordinateforthatmedium.DarkSoulslurches
on for dozens of hours, forcing all but the most talented of players to retread the same turf
repeatedly.TheclosestcomparisonIcanthinkofisthatDarkSoulsistheMetalMachineMusicof
games, unrelentingly antagonizing its audience in the name of a higher truth. And likeMetal
MachineMusic,theresanalmostinexplicablebeautytothedroneofDarkSoulsanditsbrandnew
sequel. Dark Souls IIhews closely to the first games template. When it starts its essentially
theSoulsof old: Im a shambling, hollowedout manthing with a broken sword dumped in a
mysterious, openended world with almost no guidance whatsoever. My path through this
desiccated nightmare of Gothic architecture is my own to forge, with no blinking arrows or
glitteringbreadcrumbs,andonlyrareandoftenhardtofindbonfiresactingasbriefrespitesfrom
my constant suffering. These bonfires refill my health and act as waypoints that I can start from
whenIdie.Irestartatthesebonfiresalot.LikeDarkSoulsandDemonsSoulsbeforeit,DarkSouls
IIis a checklist of ways to punish the player. Health is minimal and enemies hit hard. Even the
weakest foe quickly kills me when I dont properly time my blocks or attacks. Monsters emerge
from shadowy corners, often attacking in groups, and booby traps abound. These creatures
respawnwhenIdie,makingmefightthesamebattlesagainasItrytoreachthesiteofmydeath
andventureeverforward.TheresastaminabarthatwearsdownwheneverIrun,dodge,attack
orblockablowoncethatbarhitszeroImdefenselessforabriefmomentbeforeitstartstorefill.
Just holding up my shield, which I do all the time, impacts the stamina bar, greatly reducing its
regeneration speed. I hurt when I fall and die when I fall too far. I stumble through this game
assuminganythingandeverythingcanandwillkillmeonsight.Isthatjustawallupaheadora
walllikemonsterthatwillkillmeforthetenthtimethishour?Thecruelesttrickofallinvolvesthe
soulsofthetitle.IcollectsoulswheneverIkillamonster.(ItsjustalittlethingIliketodo.)With
thesesoulsIcanincreasemystats,reinforcemyweapons,buynewgearandmarginallyimprove
myalmostnonexistentchanceofsurvivaljustatinylittlebit.WhenIdie,Ilosethosesouls.Ican
recover them if I touch my own bloodstain before I die again, but they are gone forever if I die
before recovering them. No new armor, no new arrows, no magical rings from the talking cat
salesladythathangsoutinoneofthefewsafezonesintheentiregame.Fewmomentsingames
stingmorethanlosingthousandsuponthousandsofsoulsbecauseImadeastupidmistakeagainst
anassholeskeleton.NoneofthisshouldbenewinformationforthosewhohaveplayedDarkSouls.
ThisisalltotalpercentDarkSoulssofar.TheresatleastonecrucialchangeinDarkSoulsIIthathas
surprisingly deep consequences for how a player as untalented as myself approaches the game,
though.
InDarkSoulsIItheenemiesstoprespawningafterIkillthemenoughtimes.Iwasntkeepingclose
track,butafterkillingthesameskeletonzombiemenadozenorsotimestheystoppedreappearing
aftermysubsequentdeaths.Thatmightsoundlikeafavortheselowlevelenemiesthatwearme
downbutrarelykillmecannolongerwastemytimeormyprecioushealthmeter.Itsactuallya
mighty strike against me, thoughwithout those easily attained souls, collected multiple times
throughmanylives,Irarelyhaveenoughmoneytomakeanysubstantialpurchases.AndwhenI
lost6000orsosoulsthroughastupidmistake,onlytorestartagainandrealizethepickingswere
nowfarlesseasy,Imomentarilylostabitofmymotivation.PerhapsgrindingwasaprobleminDark
Souls(althoughIfailtoseehowthatcouldbetooproblematicinwhatwaslargelyasingleplayer
game),butthischangeisnotonethatIwelcome.(Alsoofnote:Theonlineserverswerenotup
when I played the game for review. I didnt make much use of the online bits of the
otherSoulsgames, other than the warning messages left on the ground by other players, so it
wasntabigdealforme.Maybeitworks.Maybeitdoesnt.MaybeonedayIllfindout.)WhydoI
putmyselfthroughthis,then?WhydoIwillinglyplayagamethatdoesntjustmakemewantto
breakthings,butthatexistsalmostexclusivelytomakemewanttobreakthings?WithDemons
Soulsitwasthewaythegamefloutedalmosteverytrendofgamedevelopment,creatingamystery
by giving me nothing to work with and then beating my head in as often as it could. WithDark
Soulsit was the elaboration (perhaps even perfection) of that concept, with a seamlessly
connectedworldthatneverletmeescapethehorrorandpain.WithDarkSoulsIIitssimplythe
returnofsomethingthatIlikedinthepast.Itdoesnthavethatgroundbreakingedgeofthefirst
two, but it recaptures everything else that I love aboutDark Soulsthe tension, the need for
patience,thedependenceuponskill,andthesublimesatisfactionofcompletingsomethingthat
providesdeepandsustainedfrustration.Aboveallitsthepurityoftheidea,combinedwiththe
precisecyclesofgraceandterrorthatwhirwithin.ItsoundedlikebunkwhenLouReedbragged
about the microtones buried withinMetal Machine Music, but theyre definitely there, at least
accordingtomyears,andthemicrotoneswithinDarkSoulsIIarethesweetlystunningnotesthat
makecrackingitsmonolithicexteriorsorewarding.
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