

o 5.1Sequels
o 5.2Dark Souls: Remastered
 6Notes
 7References
 8External links

Gameplay
Dark Souls is a third-person action role-playing game. A core mechanic of the game is
exploration. Players are encouraged by the game to proceed with caution, learn from past
mistakes, or find alternative areas to explore. Dark Souls takes place in a large and
continuous open world environment, connected through a central hub area (Firelink
Shrine). The player character can travel between areas and explore various paths at will,
although prerequisites have to be met to unlock certain areas.[1][2][3][4]
A central element to the gameplay of Dark Souls is the bonfire. Bonfires are scattered
throughout the world and serve as checkpoints for each level. By resting at a bonfire, the
player character is healed to full and regains all of the healing charges of their "Estus
Flask." They can also level up and perform other functions, such as attuning magic, and
repairing and upgrading equipment. However, resting at a bonfire respawns as all of the
world's enemies, except for bosses and friendly non-playable characters.

The player character (right) battles Artorias, one of the bosses added to the game through
the Artorias of the Abyss downloadable content expansion

The player character's interaction with the world of Dark Souls includes a great deal of
combat. Combat includes melee attacks, various forms of defensive maneuvering, and
magical abilities. For melee attacks, player characters have access to a wide array of high
fantasy, medieval-style weaponry—including swords, spears, maces, and more—as well as
imaginary, fantastical weaponry—including magical swords, humongous greatswords, and
immense clubs. For defense, player characters have access to shields, armor, dodge
rolling, and parrying. For magic, which includes a wide variety of offensive and defensive
abilities known as sorceries, miracles, and pyromancies, player characters do not use any
form of mana as in most other fantasy RPGs - instead, they gain a discrete number of uses
for each attuned spell when resting at a bonfire. These various forms of combat all have
tradeoffs, variations, and in-game costs associated with them; and they can all be buffed or
altered in some fashion through leveling, smithing, consumable items, magical rings, and
new equipment.

Multiplayer
Another aspect of Dark Souls is the "humanity" system. There are two forms the player
character can be in during the game, human form or hollow form. Whenever the player
character dies in human form, they are returned to hollow form and can only have their
humanity restored by consuming an item. The player character must be in human form to
summon other players. While in human form, however, the player may be subjected to
invasions by other players and non-player characters (NPC) who seek to kill the player to
restore their humanity, harvest souls, or achieve some other goal. Humanity can be
acquired in many ways, and if no humanity is available, players are still able to progress in
hollow form.
Death (whether in human or hollow form) results in the loss of all carried souls and
humanity, but players revive as hollows at their most recent bonfire with one chance at
returning to where they died to recover all lost souls and humanity. If the player dies before
reaching their "bloodstain," the souls and humanity they previously accrued are
permanently lost.
Communication and interaction between players are deliberately restricted. Outside of five
stock phrases (which can only be used after acquiring Gough's carvings in the game's
DLC) and character gestures, the only other communication players have with one another
comes by way of orange soapstones, which allow players to write limited messages that
can be read by others in the same area. Also, players can enter cooperative or player
versus player combat with each other.[5][6]
Throughout the game, there are multiple NPCs that the player may encounter on their
journey. These characters add to the plot of the game but are not essential. If the player
does choose to engage with them, some of the characters can assist the player by being
able to be summoned for certain boss fights when the player character is in human form.

Plot
Dark Souls employs minimalist storytelling to convey its plot and lore. Historical events in
its world and their significance are often implicit or left to player interpretation rather than
being fully shown or explained. Most of the story is given to the player through dialogue
from non-player characters within the game, flavor text from items, and world design.
The opening cutscene establishes the premise of the game. Dragons once ruled the world.
In this period, a man known as Gwyn happens upon an object known as the "First Flame"
and finds the "Lord Souls." He and his allies use their power to defeat the dragons, which
starts the Age of Fire. Over time, the flames begin to fade with the rise of humans, and
Gwyn sacrifices himself to prolong the Age of Fire. With the flame artificially rekindled, the
undead curse begins to plague humanity, causing some humans to resurrect upon death
constantly.
The player character is a cursed undead, locked away in an undead asylum. After escaping
the asylum, the player travels to Lordran to ring the Bells of Awakening. The bells awaken
Kingseeker Frampt, who tells the player to ascend to Anor Londo. In Anor Londo,
Gwynevere instructs the player to succeed Lord Gwyn and fulfill the prophecy. To
accomplish this, the Lord Souls must be acquired from Gwyn's primordial allies and
returned to the flame. Optionally, the player may encounter Darkstalker Kaathe who
encourages the player not to link the fire but to let it die out and usher in the Age of Dark
instead. Once the player acquires the Lord Souls, they travel to the Kiln of the First Flame
to battle Gwyn. Once Gwyn has been defeated, the player has the choice of linking the
flame to preserve the Age of Fire, or letting it die out to instigate the Age of Dark.

Development and release

Dark Souls was developed by FromSoftware, with series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki
directing and producing. Dark Souls is a spiritual successor to FromSoftware's cult
classic previous game, Demon's Souls[7] (which was, in turn, a spiritual successor to From's
earlier King's Field series[8]). However, Demon's Souls was published by Sony and Dark
Souls by Bandai Namco; this transfer meant that intellectual property rights prevented
FromSoftware from making a sequel.[9][10] After two years of development, Dark Souls was
released with its numerous similarities (such as the gameplay, online multiplayer, and plot
presentation) and differences (such as a connected world and new characters in a distinct
universe and storyline) from its predecessor.[11]
The design and development process itself involved a guided freeform approach, with
Miyazaki steering designers while allowing them latitude for creativity:
The design ordering process for "Dark Souls" can be divided into two main categories. The
first involves providing the designers with simple keywords we brainstormed during the
early stages of project development and allowing them to design freely. We take the
images they produce and provide feedback, make adjustments as necessary, or
incorporate their ideas into our plans. [...] The second process comes into play once we've
settled on the basic details of the game world. At that point we are able to make more
detailed design requests. These requests usually include information like how the design
will be used, where in the game the design will be used, and the specific purpose of the
design in terms of what it will represent in the game. [...] Either way, I am the one who
hands out the orders and I work directly with each designer instead of having a middleman
between us.[12]

Game director and producer Hidetaka Miyazaki modeled various places in the game after real-world
locations, such the main building in Anor Londo being based on the Milan Cathedral in Italy.[12]

The characters and world of Dark Souls contain many philosophical and folkloric parallels
among Greek mythology,[13][14] Japanese mythology,[15] French existentialism,[16] and the work
of proto-existentialist philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche.[16]
Dark Souls' description of natural cycles that the world experiences, and the designs of
some individual characters, parallel Japanese and Greek myths.[15][13] The game's
presentation of a universe defined by the inevitable burning out of a flame, and the tragic
stories of the individuals in that meaningless world, parallel ideas in schools of philosophy
concerning existentialism, absurdity, meaninglessness, and the end of the universe.[16]
Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki has stated that the game draws direct inspiration from
earlier works of fantasy and dark fantasy, especially the manga series Berserk.[12][17] He has
described the driving aesthetic principal of the game as being “a certain kind of refinement,
elegance, and dignity.”[12] He also described the themes which guided the design of the
game in the following way: "I put three major guidelines in place: Gods and knights
centered around Anor Londo, demonic chaos and flames centered around Lost Izalith, and
the theme of death centered around Gravelord Nito. To these themes we added the special
concept of ancient dragons that predate all life, and this formed the basis for 'Dark
Souls'".[12]
Following the game's successful release for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, many gamers
expressed their hope for a PC version. International publisher Namco Bandai Games
administrator Tony Shoupinou responded on their page that a PC version was
possible.[18] In early 2012, fans started a petition to bring Dark Souls to PC, with over 93,000
people signing it.[19] A PC version of the game was confirmed in April 2012 via German
magazine PC Action.[20] It had been reported during the development process that
FromSoftware had been having difficulty with the port due to inexperience with PC as a
platform and were focusing on new content rather than optimization.[21] Re-branded as
the Prepare To Die Edition, it came out in August 2012 and featured new content, including
bosses, enemies, equipment, and NPCs.[22] The new content, subtitled Artorias of the
Abyss, was also released for consoles in October 2012 in the form of downloadable content
(DLC).[23] Soon after, it was announced that Dark Souls for PC would use Games for
Windows – Live for online play and DRM, spurring fan backlash.[24]
The PC version was released on August 23, 2012. A user-created mod to circumvent the
resolution cap, named DSFix, appeared shortly after release.[25] DSFix was later extended
to become an unofficial fan-made patch which additionally allowed graphical improvements,
raising the framerate cap to 60, and allowing the installation of custom texture mods.[26] On
December 15, 2014, Games for Windows – Live was removed from the Steam version and
replaced by Steamworks. The ability to transfer both achievements and save data was
provided.[27] In April 2016, Dark Souls became available on Xbox One via backward
compatibility.[28]

Reception
Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator Score

PC: 85/100[49]

Metacritic PS3: 89/100[50]

X360: 89/100[51]

Review scores

Publication Score

Edge 9/10 then 10/10[29]

Eurogamer 9/10[30]

Famitsu 37/40[31]

GameSpot 9.5/10[32]

PALGN 10/10[33]

The Daily Telegraph [34]

Awards

Publication Award

Electronic Gaming Game of the Year

Monthly,[35] Game

Revolution,[36] IncGamers,[37] Q-

Games[38]

GameTrailers,[39] Games.cz[40] Best Role-Playing Game

GameZone,[41] TeamXbox[42] Best RPG (Runner-Up)

GameZone[41] Best Action/Adventure

 Famitsu[43] Award of Excellence

Game Informer,[44] GameSpot[45] Best Boss Fights

Edge Best Game of the

Generation,[46] Greatest

videogame of all time[47]

USgamer Best Game Since

2000[48]

Edit on Wikidata

Dark Souls received positive reviews from critics upon its release. One of the reviewers
for Dark Souls described it as "a very hardcore dark-fantasy [role-playing game]" that is
"role-playing right down to the roots,, and stated that the "massive field map and powerful
enemies serve to rev up both your sense of adventure and your sense of dread." Another
reviewer said that "the sheer happiness you get after the trial-and-error pays off and you
overcome the challenge is absolutely impossible to replicate."[52]
GameSpot scored Dark Souls a 9.5/10. The online system received, as well as the sense
of jubilation felt when conquering boss fights after numerous failed attempts. They also
suggested that casual gamers may struggle to progress, whereas role-playing game
enthusiasts will thrive on the difficulty.[32] IGN gave Dark Souls a 9.0/10, praising the well-
thought-out level design, variety, strong emphasis on online features, excessively dark tone
and atmosphere, and deep gameplay. While praising the extreme difficulty, they stated that
"there's a difference between punishing, and downright unfair."[53]
Eurogamer gave Dark Souls 9/10, praising the level design and atmosphere while noting
that the game's difficulty might not appeal to casual gamers.[30] Japanese publication
Famitsu gave it a score of 37 out of 40.[31]
Jason Killingsworth wrote a response to Thomsen's review for Edge, arguing that the
game's "vertigo-inducing breadth makes it the gaming equivalent of a
marathon."[54] Killingsworth praised the game's length and addictive nature.[54] Edge later
retroactively awarded the game 10 out of 10 in their October 2013 20th anniversary issue,
stating that over time the breadth and quality of the game's design had overruled
complaints about its difficulty.[29]
In a review of the game, Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw praised Dark Souls in his Zero
Punctuation video for its deep gameplay and immersive atmosphere, but was
"disappointed" with the late-game bosses and criticized the difficulty of getting into the
game, saying that it would be a critical factor in turning new players off.[55]
Namco Bandai's yearly financial report stated that the game sold 1.19 million units in the
United States and Europe by March 2012.[56] FromSoftware announced in April 2013 that
the game had sold 2.37 million units worldwide.[57][58]

PC version
In GameSpy's review, the port was referred to as "shabby," citing the game's limit of 30
frames per second, poor mouse and keyboard controls, and nonadjustable resolution, but
the expanded content was praised, giving the game an overall favorable
review.[59] Eurogamer also commented on the quality of the port, stating: "Dark Souls:
Prepare to Die Edition does not come with the technical options you would expect from a
well-engineered PC game, because it's a port of a console game, and that's all
FromSoftware ever promised to deliver. Anyone who passes up Dark Souls for this reason
is cutting off their nose to spite their neckbeard of a face."[60] One of the producers of Dark
Souls II, Takeshi Miyazoe, responded to the criticism of the PC version by saying:[61]
This is going to sound bad but our main priority was to get the game onto the PC as fast as
possible, because people wanted it on the PC. The PC market in Japan is so minimal that
originally there were no plans to make it on the PC, but with the strong petition from the
North American and European fans, even with the lack of experience of working on a PC
platform we still did our best to try to get it out as fast as possible. [The problems] were
expected to a certain extent.
We did know there were PC-specific features like key-mapping and use of the mouse and
keyboard, high resolution and higher frame rate, stuff like that, but... It's not that we ignored
it, but it would have taken too much time for us to implement it, test it and get it up to the
level people expected. It was more of a publisher (Namco Bandai) decision to say, ‘Guys,
don’t worry about this – let’s just get it out and see how this works on PC.'

Awards
Game Revolution gave Dark Souls the Community Choice Game of the
Year award.[36] IncGamers also gave it the "Game of the Year" award.[37] Q-Games' Dylan
Cuthbert and Double Fine Productions' Brad Muir chose Dark Souls as Game of the
Year.[38] Electronic Gaming Monthly's Eric L. Patterson chose it as Game of the
Year.[35] GameTrailers gave it the "Best Role-Playing Game" award,[39] while also nominating
it for the "Best Multiplayer Game," "Best Trailer" and "Game of the Year"
awards.[62] GameZone gave the game the "Best Action/Adventure" award and chose it as
the runner-up for the "Best RPG" award.[41]
The Daily Telegraph gave the game the "Best Integration of Online Features" award, and
nominated it for the awards of "Best Director" (Hidetaka Miyazaki), "Best Level Design",
"Best Sound Design", "Best Original Score" (Motoi Sakuraba), "Best Developer"
(FromSoftware), and "Game of the Year".[63] TeamXbox gave it an honorable mention as the
runner-up for the "Best RPG" award.[42] 1UP.com gave it the "Most Rewarding Game"
award.[64] Game Informer gave it the award for "Best Boss Fight" (Sif).[44] It also received the
"Best Boss Fights" awards from GameSpot, including both the Editors' Choice and
Readers' Choice awards.[45] Famitsu gave it an Award of Excellence in its 2012 awards
ceremony.[43]
In 2013, Digital Spy named Dark Souls the best game of the seventh console
generation.[65] In 2014, Edge magazine named Dark Souls the best game of the seventh
generation of game consoles, noting that while some may initially tire of it, "We've yet to
meet a single player for whom persistence has not been enough to transform apathy into
all-consuming love." [46] In September 2015, Dark Souls topped the magazine's special
issue The 100 Greatest Videogames.[47]
In 2015, the game placed first on GamesRadar's "The 100 best games ever" list.[66] The
game was also put first on USgamer's The 15 Best Games Since 2000 list.[48] The game
was titled the "Best RPG on PC" by Rock, Paper, Shotgun.[67] In 2016, Dark Souls placed
fifth on PC Gamer's "Best RPGs of all time" list.[68]

Legacy
Dark Souls is often considered to be among the best games ever made.[69][70][71][72][73] Due to
its design and philosophy, it is often cited as an essential instance of video games as an art
form.[16][74][75] It is also considered one of the most influential video games of its
generation;[76] in 2019, GameSpot named it one of the most influential games of the 21st
century.[77] Games cited to have been influenced by Dark
Souls include Destiny,[78] Alienation,[79] Lords of the Fallen,[80] Salt and Sanctuary,[81] Shovel
Knight,[82][83] Titan Souls,[82][84] Enter the Gungeon,[85] The Witcher 3: Wild
Hunt,[86][87] Nioh,[88] God of War,[89][90] Journey, and ZombiU.[76] Dark Souls was also cited as an
inspiration for the television show Stranger Things.[91]

Sequels
A sequel, Dark Souls II, was announced at the Spike Video Game Awards on December 7,
2012, for release on the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows.[92] Amid
rumors of a possible decrease in the difficulty of the series due to comments made by the
new director to Edge, Brian Hong, global brand manager of Namco Bandai Games
America, stated that Dark Souls II would be "viciously hard."[93] Dark Souls II was released
in early 2014.[94] An updated version of it, subtitled "Scholar of the First Sin," was released
in 2015 for the same platforms as well as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.[95] The third
installment of the series, Dark Souls III, was released in early 2016.[96]

Dark Souls: Remastered

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator Score

PC: 84/100[97]

PS4: 84/100[98]
Metacritic
XONE: 86/100[99]
NS: 83/100[100]

Review scores

Publication Score

Destructoid PS4: 9/10[101]

Game Informer PS4: 8.75/10[102]

IGN PS4: 9/10[103]

A remastered version of the game, titled Dark Souls: Remastered, was released worldwide
for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in May 2018, and for the Nintendo Switch on
October 19, 2018.[104][105] The remaster was ported by the Polish studio QLOC, whereas the
Switch version was ported by the Singaporean studio Virtuos. The game runs at a native
60 frames per second on all platforms except the Nintendo Switch and supports a 4K
resolution on the PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One X, and Windows.[106] Several changes were
made to the online multiplayer, including the addition of dedicated servers, the maximum
number of players online increased from four to six, and the addition of password
matchmaking, first introduced in Dark Souls III.[107][108][109]
Dark Souls: Remastered received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according
to review aggregator Metacritic.[98] Critics praised the improved visuals and performance,
while criticism was directed towards the lack of an effective anti-cheat system[110][111] and the
PC version's price despite few significant changes.[112] It sold 71,739 copies in Japan during
the week of its release, making it the best-selling game in the country at the time.[113]

Notes
1. ^ For the PlayStation 3 only
2. ^ ダークソウル (Japanese: Dāku Sōru)

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