I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so
pleased and disappointed by something at the same time.
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| Still used to this. |
I’ve
always been a cynic about many things, but I’m also an optimist about many
things. This has always left in a bit of a conundrum about many things, like if
something tragic happens I don’t know if I should stand sullenly in a corner
going “I knew things weren’t going to end well” or to go on a march declaring
“We shall overcome.” I suppose in reality I’m the kind of person who believes
that ultimately we are all going to go up in flames and slowly be reduced to
ash, but it’ll be more interesting to burn while dancing rather than sitting
sullenly in a corner going “I knew this was all going to happen” while my
spleen spontaneously combusts.
So
I entered Dark Souls 2 with a strong degree of hope and joy, which are the
exact two things that the series loves to deprive itself of. The fact that the
series’ key director had left the project was a cause for much fear, but the
knowledge that he still supervising the project like some omniscient cruel god
was a bit reassuring, though it feels strange to surround a Souls game with
feelings of hope and optimism.
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| Yes. |
Normally,
I wouldn’t do a ‘impressions so far’ thing-ma-jig, but considering the fact
that Dark Souls is now my second favourite game of all-time, a list capable of
changing as much as a person with a memory span of 5 hours, alongside the fact
that trudging through the game is going to take some time I felt this was a bit
of natural progression to write something on it.
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| NO. |
My
blunt opinion is splattered pretty clearly by the first line in this thing,
Dark Souls 2 really tickled my pickle but it also disappointed me and sometimes
leaves me with a feeling of desolation and hollowness… which is ironic because
these emotions are closer to the game than anything else. Was this your
intention, Fromsoft?
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| The Emerald Herald interests me because I still know NOTHING about her. |
I
think I’m a decent way into the game, having played for just about 20 hours and
seeing my fair share of areas, yet aware of the vast amount of the game left to
explore. Of course, I am a bit cynical about my cynicism thus far because I am
comparing Dark Souls 2 to the full expanse of Dark Souls, which I played the
humanity out of, so I’ll try to compare what I’ve seen in this game to the
‘equivalent’ amount of the first game.
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| Visions of... This place again? |
‘Some
steps in front, some steps behind’ is what I’d describe the game as.
Gameplay-wise it’s a definite step forward, controlling the same and using the
same mechanics but being comparatively more polished and smoother (the 60 fps
definitely helps). It still has that classic Castlevania style to its control,
where you have to work around how your character controls rather than having
full fluid control over him/her, i.e. a large amount of the difficulty comes
from fully understanding how your character and controls respond. Which is
something I learned in the previous instalment, so which negated a fair bit of
early difficulty for me.
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| You can now warp between all bonfires off the bat. |
The
changes to weight and encumbrance puzzled me at first, but it felt more natural
to not have a series of percentage-based stopgaps to decide how fast you roll,
and having a greater equipment load decrease the area covered by your dodge
rolls and increase stamina consumption of the same feels like a more fluid way
of doing the same. Though this arguably negates some of the advantages of
having a lighter character, as the overall differences in speed between the two
is not as strictly significant. Yes, the differences between a character at 69%
encumbrance and 20% encumbrance are definitely noticeable, with the latter
enjoying much swifter motion and a wide dodge roll, but the speed of their
attacks and rolls are identical. There is still a stopgap at 70%, after which
your character goes into ‘fat roll’ territory, all dodge moves being reduced to
slow and heavy movements, much like trying to weave a hummer between traffic
like it’s a scooter.
I
am definitely enjoying the changes to stats, however. It’s interesting to see
how all the stats scale, and the game is kind enough to give you more
information this time around, letting you see how much damage/defence your
stats are adding, as well as how they interact. The increased number of stats
alongside the fact that it is cheaper to level up means that you can really
play around with builds, and try some experimental stuff if you so desire,
which keeps it in line with its predecessor. I’m looking forward to playing
around with Strength and Adaptability, to create a character that floats like a
butterfly and stings like a DRILL THAT WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS.
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| The expanded and changed message-writing tool is a riot. |
One
thing that I feel I have to note about the Souls series is how, which each
instalment, the overall creativity and innovation in environment and creature
design seems to be deteriorating. Demon’s Souls is still, according to me, the
most stylish and atmospheric of the games, with a really unique feel and truly
interesting friends and foes. Dark Souls was both a step down and a step in
another direction, the atmospheric wasn’t as wholesome and the flora and fauna
didn’t strike me as quite so stylish, but it was still interesting and
absorbing. Which brings me to Dark Souls 2 and what forms one of the disappointing
aspects of the game, is that it isn’t quite as engaging in its environments and
character design. Once again, let me remind you (and myself) that I haven’t
really finished the game and I am unconsciously comparing it to Demon’s and
Dark Souls in their wholesome, so I might yet come across some environments and
creatures that blow my mind, and might learn more about the world that blows my
mind, or something else that blows my mind.
But,
what I’ve seen so far hasn’t impressed me a great deal. Not that it’s
unimpressive, but it falls short of what Demon’s and Dark Souls had shown me
this far into the game. Sif, Quelaag, Gaping Dragon from Dark, and more or less
all the bosses from Demon’s Souls easily trump what Dark Souls 2 has shown me
so far, though I do appreciate the fact that none of the bosses thus far have
been gimmick-centric, unlike Demon’s Souls where most were guilty of this. I’ve
had a rather easy time with the bosses thus far, the only ones to give me
significant trouble being the Pursuer and Flexile Sentry, both of which I beat
in the more traditional ‘learn and kill’ way. I managed to beat a fair number
of the other bosses on my first try, which disappointed me somewhat since I
don’t know if they’re just easy or if I ended up becoming overpowered, or
whether I’m just hyperaware of what to expect. On the contrary I do remember
always having an easy time against some of the later bosses in Dark Souls, and
I remember beating Nito and Seath on my first tries, so maybe I’ll get my ass
kicked by some later bosses. No Ornstein &Smough equivalent thus far (fun
fact: on my first playthrough I beat them on my 28th try).
Now
I don’t know if it’s my experience with Dark Souls carrying me forward but I
definitely haven’t had the hardest time thus far, though the fact that I know
what to expect from most things design-wise is probably an important factor.
The fact that I always hit chests before opening them, know to check my
surrounding when turning a corner, know not to charge at an enemy archer, know
to bait and punish, know to always keep my shield up and know to never take
things on first impression. Treasure lying right there? Then I better look for
that hidden enemy or trap around the corner, or right BEHIND ME.
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| Jolly Cooperation! |
So,
I’d probably summarise my impressions thus far my saying that game hasn’t
really surprised me a great deal. Enemy design, bosses, environments, traps and
mechanics haven’t really surprised me. But that doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying
the game. In fact, I’m having a blast and the fact that I went into this 100%
blind is delicious, though everyone in PvP seems to know what they’re doing
(unlike me) which is a tad annoying. The deliciousness of exploration, of
finally reaching that next bonfire, of killing that boss, of becoming stronger,
upgrading equipment, finding your way out are all still intact and still
delicious. The environments don’t seem to boast the same interconnectivity as
its predecessor, but I’ll judge that once I’ve explored everything.
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| The existentialism is still intact thus far. |
Now
let me put this to an end so I can go DIE MORE.
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