Recensie van Dark Souls door Ryan Scotson — tier S

I'll try be spoiler free here: gameplay/mechanics are simple and effective. You really feel like YOU are pulling of these fights instead of just hitting the right buttons at the right time to create combos. The plot is, again, simple but effective. But what makes this the "FromSoftware Experience" is the fact that lore and subs Tories attached to the main plot is rich and dense like a Tolkien story but it's also completely optional. Meaning that it truly is a perfect Action RPG. The action is there for the Berserk inspired mayhem of felling a gaping dragon. But the story is replete with memorable characters, ancient tales of twisted beings & fallen gods for any RPG fan. The difficulty is notorious but once you accept that it will be a challenge. You find yourself wanting more and more challenging fights. There are a few times where the hotboxes don't go in your favour. But for the most part, it's a cruel but fair teacher. Aside from a few awkward faces, the art style and graphics have held up so well with a surprisingly clean and crisp look to it. To a lot of players, it's threequel is the best of the trilogy. But this is arguably the very essence of Dark Souls (and almost every subsequent FromSoft game later released)