The Dark Souls series is a critically acclaimed series of games, developed by Japanese company FromSoftware and is the brain child of Hidetaka Miyazaki. Dark Souls 2 is a game of controversy however, mainly due to the game not being what fans wanted. The game is still very much a "Dark Souls" game but some fans thought otherwise. With the first game of the series directed by Miyazaki himslef, fans exspected the second to also be headed by him but where left dissapionted, knowing that he was tied up with another project of his that came to become BloodBorne. However did this truly affect the series in a negative way?
This game, released in 2014, explored another side to the Dark Souls universe. Set on a completely different landmass (or not), Drangleic is a land rife with challenge and adversity and is gripped with the all consuming Undead Curse. The game explores the theme of hope, an undead pilgrim with very little to set him or her apart from the other hollows must embark on a tiresome journey to Link the Fire. An arduous journey indeed as the Dark Souls series is known for it's challenge. The game also exsplores the themes of fear, whether it's the boss' or the enemies or even the NPC's this game strives to keep you on edge, stressing your mental and emotional connection to the game. Drangleic was once a thriving kingdom ruled by it's monarcy, King Vendrick and Queen Nashandra, but even monarchs with the greatest of souls where not immune to the all consuming curse.
Dark souls 2 is a role playing game with multiplayer capability, you play the role of a character you yourself can design before beginning your journey across Drangleic. The game is of course 3D in the third person perspective. If the thought of taking on this challange frightens you, you can playthrough the game with your freinds and engage in "Jolly Cooperation". Taking on boss' together only makes this game better. If cooperation is not your thing, you can invade another human player and reap the rewards of your covanent if you successfully kill your target.
Visually Dark Souls 2 is very odd, the environments seem to be lacking in geometry and textures are blatantly repeated. For example in the first area of the game "Forest of Fallen Giants" the mossy overgrown style is very fitting however the texture is very overused and little thought went into the design. The world doesn't have as much depth as the first Dark Souls however the intricate Souls style level design is very much in use, but is almost made redundant by the traveling system which is given to the player instantly. The story, as commenly seen in Souls games, is obscure and certainly not given to you like most conventional games. You have to dig for lore found on items, character dialogues and even the boss' and enemies found throughoput Drangleic. The controls are classic Souls style, with only one change being the jump mechanic switching from the "B" button to the "Left Stick". The gameplay is subblime, the game is very polished and is of a high quality indeed which is certainly the games strongest aspect.
Out of the three games this one to many is the worst, however in my opinion it's my favourite of the three. By no means the hardest of the three nor the most in depth, I do believe that the daring changes made by the developers have worked rather well, after all it's still very much a Dark Souls game. I love the world of Drangleic and the lore surounding the kingdom.
Official game trailer: https://youtu.be/U6uyuIQYlfY
Gameplay reveal: https://youtu.be/z_JFDPCtXFY?t=48s 0:48 - 4:12
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