Preface Out of all of Dark Souls III‘s new additions, the Abyss Watchers are perhaps the most mundane, which may play a role in their popularity. There is something cool yet heartfelt about a legion of warriors that seek to emulate one of the more popular characters from the original Dark Souls. (DS1) It doesn’t […]
Preface Although understandably overlooked by fans trying to jump from one Lord of Cinder to the next, the Catacombs of Carthus provides some of the most charming bits of worldbuilding in all of Dark Souls III, (DS3) combining various elements from past games into something truly novel for the series and fantasy games as a […]
Preface Izalith is my favorite part of Dark Souls (DS1) lore, so there are certainly elements I enjoy in Dark Souls III. (DS3) And while much of it does simply reiterate statements and implications from the original game, there is a fair amount of new content here as well. In fact, you can argue that […]
Preface When I had originally written my analysis of Irithyll, Pontiff Sulyvahn made up for more than half of the topic. Despite the Boreal Valley’s long and fascinating history, one character has since dominated the entire culture. Tyrants are nothing new to fiction, and villainous popes are a dime a dozen in Japanese fantasy. But […]
Preface Latria’s place in the narrative is two-fold. First, it serves to show that evil exists and will commit terrible atrocities if given the power to make its will reality. Second, it highlights the oftentimes arbitrary distinctions regarding the concept of humanity. It is ingrained in our psyche to look at such horrors with revulsion, […]
Preface The Undead Settlement is admittedly pretty mundane. Compared to many other part of Dark Souls III, (DS3) a town of Undead is nothing new. In fact, I assume that most recognize the obvious allusion to the Undead Burg, another town of immortals found at the foot of a much larger and more powerful country. […]
Preface C.S. Lewis once stated that he would rather live under the tyranny of robber barons than that of moral busybodies, for the latter’s conscience encourages them to never relent. While I cannot say if Director Hidetaka Miyazaki is familiar with the words of a Christian theologian, they are certainly appropriate for the story of […]
Preface I originally found Stonefang Tunnel to be the least interesting area of Demon’s Souls. Indeed, it is a rather unremarkable locale compared to the more culturally unique places we visit, with its people perhaps the most uni-dimensional in theming. Even in terms of gameplay, the area serves mostly as a place to farm and […]
Preface During an interview for the original Dark Souls, Director Hidetaka Miyazaki said that he had created the character of Solaire partially to rebut accusations that he had a slant against religious people, presumably in reference to his depiction of the priesthood in Demon’s Souls. While I can understand these complaints on their surface, the […]
Preface The Gutter is perhaps the most visually appealing iteration of FromSoftware’s infamous trash levels, largely because it is divorced from the traditional swamp aesthetic. Despite inheriting almost all of the themes and motifs from past levels of its ilk, omitting their most recognizable aspect helps alleviate the repetition. That said, a more creative aesthetic […]
Lokey Lore 