Preface While the Dark Souls narratives are designed for player choice, Director Hidetaka Miyazaki makes no stranger his bias. The theme of stagnation pervasive throughout Dark Souls III is perhaps his most overt criticism of the subject. As I am often asked about the “best” ending, I feel obliged to point out that the series’ […]
Preface The Ashes of Ariandel DLC holds a special place in my heart. Painting worlds have been deeply entwined with meta narrative since the original Dark Souls, (DS1) but this is the first time that they became vehicle for commentary. The exploration of Ariandel is a dive not only into the history of one world, […]
Among the various schools of magic in Melfia, astrology might be the most idiosyncratic. Astrologists study the stars’ movements under the presumption that there are rules behind their alignment from which they can derive magic power. These heavenly bodies include the sun and moon based on the designs on their robes, which explains why we […]
Gael’s life was arguably a series of misfortunes. The sole weapon he has owned before any other is his greatsword, which the description affirms was originally for executions by beheading; hence its heavy resemblance to the Executioner’s Greatsword. In other words, before undeath, Gael lived as a headsman. But unlike a certain depraved executioner, Gael […]
Among the miracles available to us in our journey through Drangleic, none is quite so unique as Soul Appease. This tale of the gods manifests the power to tremendously damage Hollows while dealing absolutely no damage to non-Hollows. This is captured in the spell’s name, chinkon referring to the “repose of the soul” (鎮魂) when […]
Fundamental to any discussion of a sequel is its relation to its predecessor. In the case of Dark Souls II, it is clearly not a direct sequel to the original Dark Souls. (DS1) Embarking on a new adventure with a new Undead protagonist, we explore the seemingly new land of Drangleic in the hopes of […]
Wearing a dark mask in the shape of a skull with long dreadlocks and equally ominous armor, the mysterious warriors bear a striking contrast to most knights. Even more curious is the question whether they are knights at all. They do belong to a foreign country, their armor’s description insinuating one of the varying that […]
Preface As the last DLC before the Scholar of the First Sin edition, Crown of the Ivory King had to juggle its own story with the remaining loose threads the original Dark Souls II had left for it tie up. In contrast to its predecessors, this was met with mostly success. It is the only […]
Standing on two legs, sporting brown hair and green skin, the Lion Clan don’t resemble your typical wild cats. Nonetheless, this “lion tribe” or “race” (獅子族) do seem to be authentically feline, their armored sets humorously mitigating fall damage just like the Silvercat Ring. They also seem to be aware of their unconventional look. The […]
Preface If Dark Souls III is truly the end of the series, then I am glad that its final swan song was introducing the Ringed City. True, previous games had already set up all the key points for the origins of man and undeath, so the final DLC doesn’t tread much new ground in that […]
Lokey Lore 