Dark Souls is a revolutionary title that refined and popularized the FromSoft formula -- that is, 3rd-person Action RPG set in a large interconnected almost Metroid-like world emphasizing punishing difficulty, block/dodge/strike melee combat gated by an endurance meter, a dour mood, minimalistic environmental story telling, and optional PVP integrated directly into the single-player experience It is the third FromSoft game I've played, after Bloodborne and the PS5 Demon's Souls Remake.
While much has already been said and written about Dark Souls, I will join in and say also that this game is very much worth your time. While it may not be as refined as newer titles (the game did originally come out for Gen 6 consoles after all) for both newcomers and for fans who have enjoyed later entries in FromSoft's repertoire -- and those of its many imitators -- it remains a masterpiece of game design whose historic impact must be experienced to be understood.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Dark Souls is by far its most notable achievement. While it was not the original FromSoft RPG, it did refine the formula established by Demons Souls. Players explore a large world of smaller interconnected zones, each with their own enemies and bosses as they progress through the game. Checkpoints, in the form of bonfires, are established throughout the world at which characters can cash in the points (called souls) they gain from killing enemies and level up their character by investing points into statistics which effect HP, endurance, strength, and spellcasting abilities among other things. More often than not however these checkpoints will serve as the place where your dead character respawns. Despite the noted difficulty of these games, they are undeniably a rewarding experience. As both your skills as a player and your statistics as a a character improve, the feeling of finally conquering an area boss is unmatched in gaming. What's more is that these deaths do not feel unfair. So long as players have the patience and persistence to keep going they WILL learn how to succeed. Compared to other games in the series, the combat in Dark Souls particularly emphasizes a slow and methodical approach. You will be punished if you try and rush enemies and do not time your blocks, parries, and dodges well.
The game is extremely flexible with regards to character builds. There is a mind-boggling array of weapons, spells, armors, and accessories to support a wide variety of playstyles. Do you want to be a spell-slinging mage? You can do that. A thief who stabs enemies in the back? That works too. A katana wielding ninja? Do it. If you find yourself at the end craving more black screens with iconic red text, you can always start a new playthrough and explore different builds. Newcomers to the series will likely have the easiest time with a sword-and-shield bearing strength/vitality build. I also recommend using a guide when necessary especially with regards to planning your character build as the instructions for the values of certain statistics and armor upgrades are not well elucidated, and it doesn't feel good to invest scarce points or resources into things you don't need. Also optional is the game's inclusion of PVP. I found this aspect of the game especially rudimentary compared to titles like Bloodborne, but certainly fun enough. It just wasn't the focus of my playtime, but your mileage may vary.
Narrative
The narrative elements of Dark Souls are understated, minimalistic, and almost matter-of-fact. What you see makes up the entirety of what you get. If you do not speak to optional NPCs (which are few and far between), read optional texts of items, and think critically about where you are visiting and what you are seeing as a player or character, it is totally possible to finish Dark Souls without even the slightest idea of what you just experienced. However, if a player does opt to do all of these things, he or she will be rewarded for their efforts.
The game takes place in an apocalyptic world populated by monsters and demons in which various inhabitants are cursed by undeath and a creeping progressing insanity threatening to erode all that remains of their sanity. You as a character are one such undead living out what remains of your limited days. By exploring the game's world, you may slowly uncover what lies at the heart of the cause of this curse and formulate a plan to stop it. While the story itself does not have much of a plot, any particularly interesting supporting characters (fans of "praise the sun" not withstanding), the depressing setting does have a rich lore veiled beyond an aura of intended mystery and obfuscation which has enchanted a community into publishing endless Wikipedia pages and YouTube videos with various takes and theories. Engaging with this community of content creators is like the icing on the cake to playing these games and I feel that FromSofts approach to narrative in this game was refreshing rather than detracting, and rather unique and almost retro, as far as RPGs go. I'd go so far as to say the lore elements of not the narrative itself are rather memorable as far as videogames go.
Aesthetic
More emphasized than story in this game is presentation. FromSoft offers a master-class in environmental and creature design in this title, and expertly crafts a depressing fantasy setting with muted colors that appears to be decaying from the inside out. Once proud castles are crumbling, horrors infect the tombs beneath the city, and dying gods, shadows of their former selves, wither away into madness. The success in environmental design is commentary in the extreme to the sparse story and punishing difficulty. This is world, the designers seem to scream at you, that does not care whether you live or die.
There are few if any music tracks in the game. Most of the game passes by in silence interrupted only by the sounds of monsters groaning blades swinging and of the environment decaying. The exception to this is during boss fights in which the catchy neo-gothic music emphasizes the higher stakes of the battle and the peril you face . There are scant few cutscenes in the game. One at the beginning, two at the end (which one you see depends on the one meaningful choice your character is allowed to make), and one each time a new boss is encountered. These are handled quite well and feel special given their sparseness.
I played the remastered version and encountered no performance issues. This version of the game features upscaled 1080p graphics running at 60fps. While this remastering does not make the game feel entirely like a modern AAA title, I think it certainly makes the game more visually appealing and approachable for newer fans.
Score: 5/5
While no game is perfect, a 5/5 game is one that can be recommend to a broad gaming audience, achieves greatness in all areas of gaming design for it's genre, attempts and succeeds at pushing the medium forward, and leaves a lasting impression that is emotional, philosophical, or amusing in nature. In short, a 5/5 game is a masterpiece.