Forums > Submission Feedback > Suskie's Dark Souls review

"Let me set up a scene that people who played Demon’s Souls will be familiar with. You’re moving slowly but steadily through a castle level, and you come to a bridge. You need to get to the other side of the bridge to progress, so you begin to cross, whereupon you instantly drop dead because a dragon you couldn’t see and had no reason to suspect had been waiting for you swoops down and sets the entire bridge alight."

This level opens with a cutscene of an angry dragon glaring at you. You will see this dragon at least three more times before you reach the first boss. The bridge in question is littered with charred corpses and small fires. The in-game hint system usually has messages saying things like, "watch out!" or "there's a trap ahead." The only possible way From could've spelled it out any more is if they simply put up a glowing neon sign saying THAR BE DRAGONS HERE. You would've had to be playing with your eyes closed to miss all of that!

Or,

"So, having suffered through this once and contended with a fanbase that’s quickly becoming the gaming equivalent of bulky dudes who drive enormous trucks because they feel insecure about themselves, I can finally say: I give up."

You're just projecting. I have a feeling it's the latter.

Now, I could not possibly care less if liked the game or not. Your opinion is the whole purpose of a review, after all. But why would you write a review of a game that you've made pretty clear you're not any good at? And then project your own faults over the game and its audience? It's very reminiscent of that video where somebody rags on Goldeneye because he couldn't beat it. It's the same reason I've never written anything on games like Starcraft or Street Fighter. The other reason is I'm too busy doing donuts in my Ford.

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I'm curious as to who you're talking to, since the game's difficulty isn't why I hate it. Had you actually read the entire review instead of just skimming it, you would have known that.

You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it.

You know I loved Dark Souls. You've read my review. With that said, I don't believe that in general, we're terribly different when it comes to the reasons we play games. I actually prefer simpler games, most of the time, because I play them to unwind and I play them to lose myself in fantasy worlds. I was able to unwind with Dark Souls and I was able to enjoy tension, and I was able to do those things on the game's terms because to me, the world that it presented (especially further into the experience) was worth exploring. When the game wasn't kicking my ass, it was doing only things I loved.

With all of that said, I understand why some people wouldn't enjoy the game. By all rights, I should be one of those people! In my review, I almost made the point you did: that games should be played when they are fun, and if they're not fun it's not worth playing them. It's just that I had too much fun with Dark Souls to stop playing it or even to think badly of its high difficulty level. You didn't. So although I don't agree with your conclusions and never will, I can appreciate the place you're coming from. I can't imagine someone coming along anytime soon and doing a better job of presenting that perspective in a review.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto

The Souls games aren't as hard as they're made out to be by reviewers, I think. You're associating difficulty with death because in most games that's the case, but Demons/Dark Souls is rather simple because dying is the way you beat it. You learn as you are defeated, and finally you will win. Anyone can get through it, it doesn't take a 10 year fighting game veteran to do a simple roll dodge. It just requires patience, and it will piss you off, but that's kind of the point. Anyone can beat Demon's Souls with the right attitude, whereas few people here could probably get through say, Ninja Gaiden on master difficulty, even if they wanted to.

I do agree with the point about replaying segments upon death. The punishing nature of these games is part of what makes them great, but the few low points we could talk about would probably include the fact the game makes you fight the same enemies over and over, enemies you've already figured out -- so it really has no place in the game IMO.

Mobius 1, engage...

That's a good point, holdthephone, on the dying thing. When I would go through an area, I'd do scouting runs to get a feel for what I had to deal with. Then I'd practice defeating a certain enemy until I got the hang of where he was and how best to face him. I'd fight him a few times, see what items he dropped, see what he was guarding, decide which new gear I wanted to use and what I would save for possible refinement later. There were treasure runs, too, where I'd loot things and not necessarily care if I died because at least I came away with cool new stuff. I think that approach is what made me care less about most of my deaths. A lot of others were doing the same thing, and people would leave notes for each other pointing to secret areas and great treasure and such, so there was some real comraderie with people I never met, people who never got a chance to call me a homo or sing loudly into my headset or anything else that 13-year-old boys do to ruin a lot of online games. By the time I decided I was prepared to attempt clearing an area, it usually took me only a few attempts and then I was onto another area. In that way, I conquered areas without feeling like the game was screwing me over. It was the perfect way to play the game, and I believe the way it is meant to be played.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto

:) ..from what I've seen of Dark Souls so far, I kind of agree with Suskie, though. Demon's Souls had these segments you could play at your own pace, while trying to figure out the story of the guardians, and exploring the very different locations.

The way the saving worked as well made it very easy to stop playing in the middle of a level, and then continue next time. Then whenever you defeated a boss, you would create a new portal, or a shortcut back to the Nexus. And you would more or less choose to go through to the next segment whenever you entered the fog. That's when you would know there was a difficult battle ahead, and that you were in danger.

Same with the levels - after you had cleared one of the levels, you would suddenly discover that the way from a to b was actually really, really short. And it always was intended that you could complete a segment in 15 minutes if you made a good run.

Dark Souls seems to be a little bit more of a grind, it seems to me. A bit more about memorizing and beating the mechanics, more than the first game.. not sure how to really describe that specifically, though..

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You can save your game and exit anywhere in Dark Souls and when you start playing, you'll be standing in that exact place with the same enemies defeated. Enemies only regenerate when you rest at a bonfire. If anything, it's easier to play Dark Souls in small chunks, though of course that's not the ideal way to do it.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto

Mm. I don't know.. I think it's the way Dark Souls in some ways punish you even less for dying than Demon's Souls. Like they have designed the game to make you fail, and then eventually succeed by repeating the same thing until you move on to the next part..

Demon's Souls was more about giving you everything you needed to succeed from the beginning, and then killing you off if you did something stupid. Or if you charged some of the bosses before you were ready, that kind of thing..

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Ooo, debate. I'll drop my first-impressions opinion sometime later today when I've gotten a chance to game a bit. I will say that Jason's review convinced me to want the game more than Suskie's did to not want it. I don't know if that's because the game truly is for me or if it's because Jason's review was the more persuasive.

I will say that one thing I didn't like about this review was its anger. It felt irrationally upset at times and I actually felt like the reviewer was yelling at me for something I didn't do. I think it was the pacing more than anything; there was a feel to the review of rushing from one point to the next, just laying out everything you hated about the game. While that's probably honest, there's that old adage in writing where its easier to convince someone that something is ugly than it is to convince them it's evil. Focusing on one or two really sour points in the game I think would've been easier for me to follow and go along with. The shotgun/vomit approach made me think less that the game was really bad and more that you just really didn't like it. Like there were too many complaints in this review for it to seem accurate.

Which is all fair. You're obviously aware of this, because you put a disclaimer that this is an opinion piece right at the start of the review. So hopefully you won't take offense when I critique the review. My disclaimer is that I'm not saying it's poorly written, but I am saying it isn't one of your more persuasive reviews.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

The Souls games aren't as hard as they're made out to be by reviewers, I think. You're associating difficulty with death because in most games that's the case, but Demons/Dark Souls is rather simple because dying is the way you beat it. You learn as you are defeated, and finally you will win.

You're absolutely right. I mean, they are difficult games, but it's the shortage of checkpoints and Dark Souls' new found emphasis on exploration and backtracking that make the difficulty so hard for me to tolerate. Let me put it this way: If everything about Dark Souls was kept intact, BUT there were more checkpoints and less backtracking, I'd be eating it up. You said it yourself: Dying is how you beat it. So why, then, is there such a huge penalty for death?

I mean, I'd even be willing to put up with the dragon incident had there been a checkpoint immediately beforehand, which, like I said, there should have been anyway, since it was right after a boss.

I will say that one thing I didn't like about this review was its anger.

I'll admit it was a very angry review, but I felt it was necessary to convey that, since my anger played such a major role in my reaction to the game. I mean, ask anyone who follows me on Twitter (both Jason and Ben have made comments about things I've said), and they can confirm that playing Dark Souls often put me in a violent rage. Jason even admitted in the other thread that the game is designed to get inside your head like that, and that's not something I can get behind.

As I hinted at toward the end of the review, Dark Souls is a "high quality" game. It's got great combat, gorgeous environments, amazing creature designs, unique online features and atmosphere up the ass. From a technical standpoint, it was made by people who know what they're doing. Yet the developers made a couple of design choices that I absolutely abhor, and which completely contradict why I play video games. Dark Souls made me irrationally angry, intentionally and without reward, and that's its problem.

By the way, thanks to everyone who's read and commented so far. This is an unusual review by my standards so I'm glad to see that it's inspired discussion.

You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it.

I've played four hours now and I have to say this game makes me RAGE HAPPY. By that I mean it's one of the most frustrating games I've ever played, for all the right reasons. I feel like I'm back playing the original Castlevania on NES, except I can actually progress in this game.

My only complaint right now is that there could have been a much better tutorial. I still don't know what some of the options do and I have very little idea of what to expect from the game overall. I really am enjoying it, though, A LOT. This game will keep me entertained over the next six months, easy (remember, I can't play hours and hours every day like some of you lucky folk).

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

Quick question: my girlfriend wants to start a "new game" on Dark Souls. Will that just start up a new profile or will it erase the one I've got going? Saving is done so automatically in Dark Souls that I wasn't sure how it worked.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

No, you can save more than one file at once.

And I can't play games for hours and hours a day either, which is why I'd rather spend my time playing something that's actually fun and rewarding.

You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it.

I do not agree with your review..
This is your opinion, I respect it and I do understand your complaints.

However, I am 32, a full-time employed civil engineer and my free-time, all I think about is beating Dark Souls, not finishing it, but beating it to the bones!
It's not a game about story and all today's cliche, it's a packaged challenge and although it plays it too safe staying in Demon's Souls envelope, it still will surprise you...

I have put around 60 hours since game's launch and nothing comes close to the atmosphere, ambiance, combat and fair challenge..
It's a game to be played slowly (but surely) and the multiplayer aspect of it is astonishing.. (Demon's souls online ameliorated)

Game Design, you'll be surprised how brilliantly it has been executed and the Dragon on the bridge example is misleading.. It's meant to make you think, look elsewhere, come back later... Its one open world cleverly inter-connected... The levels are not that big, once you map them in your mind.. And the exploration aspect is bedazzling although it is not a fully open world a-la-elder-scrolls style..

If you don't have time, don't play it..
For my friends who do not have the patience, I did not recommend it to them..
Hence, I said that if ever they do, they should give it a try.

Slowly but surely, it's challenging and rewarding and some segments are simply made to be played coop, close to each other, supporting each other...

It's old-school.. it's hardcore.. its depressing but but it's fair almost all the time.. (almost lol)

The combat is meticulously crafted especially when you reach higher levels and every other game afterwards feels "bland", "empty"..

I do respect its not your type of game, but I find it unfair to rate it low..
Instead you simply can, not rate it at all..

Regards
John

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..honestly, the more I play the game there are a few things that stand out. Predictable and annoying AI. Dead ends where you have to grind to get past. There's just no way around it. On top of that they've done unspeakable things to the animation flow from Demon's Souls that make the hit-detection and the combo triggers less accurate..

Yeah.. so that was two sequels that I regret buying. First inFamous 2, with overworked auto-parkour assist and twitch-control, along with more polished surfaces - but sucky physics and none of the cartoon style that made the first game so unique.

And now Dark Souls. Not a bad game because of plot, or more items and weapons, along with better fighting animation and so on. But because it's a grind rather than a successful run to a goal you can see. With too many engine-weaknesses that interfere with the game-flow.

Here's what happened today. I went off in one direction - hit a wall. The ghosts take 10 damage for each cut. And the pair of the ghosts have an ai that responds very specifically every single time. So if I miss one of them on the third stroke - then I will get a whack that nearly kills me. I have no way to interrupt it, and can't roll away. If you time it perfectly, you can manage to force the AI to trigger at the same time for both of the ghosts, and then get in the four hits. On top of this the ghosts have an embrace attack that randomly overcome your def value. If your def value is high enough, it's unlikely to succeed (if you for example picked up the knight shield in the other direction where you also hit a dead end). But there's no way of really knowing that.

Now repeat this insanely unlikely to succeed hit eight times in a row without dying and depleting your health. Your reward? Another set of two ghosts. Not a lighting sword, or a shield or something like that. Two more ghosts.

This kind of thing repeats over and over. I kid you not - the bosses are the easiest to defeat. What will kill you is the 100% predictable AI that manage to get you with two soldiers at once, after cornering you with an impossible leap-move the AI will launch to "scare" you. Or it gets you with the homing stabs, that turn around and home in on you even if you jump off a cliff. Or it gets you with the stab moves that somehow are impossible to parry, even with a perfect parry trigger.

Basically, what happens is that the AI hits you, and you don't hit the AI. And instead of you getting the stagger-animation, you just lose stamina as well as life.

There are a lot of these things in this game. I managed to fall through the map when stabbing the boar in the tail, for example. It happens because the animation wants to adjust to the creature going (extremely predictably) up the stairs after it's been stabbing you through solid walls. And if you hit the backstab animation while it's low enough on the stairs, you fall through the map. Not the most fun I've had.

Then when I finally got past this, and over to the next couple of rooms, there are five-six knights equivalent to the blue-eyed knights. Except they too have these homing stab-moves. That force me to block the attack, and then spam the front attack. Or, attack from a distance with leap moves, because the AI doesn't respond to that.

Ok, so an hour later, my scimitar is worn out - I kid you not, I wore out my primary weapon before finding a shop. And this happens eventually, and while the weapon is /about/ to break.. while it's only got 25% durability left, or something, it suddenly does less than half damage. Imagine how fun it is that the inventory screen doesn't pause now. Note that this is different from Demon's Souls, where the weapon wouldn't suddenly start to do half damage at some arbitrary point, and where you would never in a million years end up wearing out your weapon before returning to the nexus. You also started with or could buy relatively cheap repair tools.. no such thing in Dark Souls. It costs an arm and a leg. And there are no grinding spots open at the beginning of the level. You have only the ghosts.

Anyway. So I get past this part of the level with all the knights. Four-five of them, in narrow corridors. It takes a long while. But I have two more potions left, so I'm not really in much danger. And I have come up to the gate that open the passage behind the boar. So I open the gate. But suddenly another knight attacks from behind. I defeat that one. And then when I'm about to return to the bonfire god knows how many leagues away, I get shot by an archer from the previous segment. It's been standing there shooting arrows into the rock for the last hour, apparently, and finally could take the shot.

Oh, well, I go back to the previous spot, defeat the same monsters again, and the same cheap shield-guys that hit you for simultaneous damage, or wait forever to attack while getting stuck on a corner while strafing. And when I get back there, my 8000 souls are stuck --- wait for it --- behind the gate that now somehow is closed again.

*shrug* Fun? Not really.

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Fleinn, your experiences and mine in that area were generally different because:

1) I activated a shortcut so I could more easily get to the portcullis that the boar was guarding from the bonfire (it's an exceptionally short trip);

2) I killed the boar in basically two hits by dropping down on him from above (the item to lure him toward you is sitting right on the overhead ledge, and the boar doesn't come back once you kill him that one time);

3) I noticed the archer on the ledge and easily dealt with him before even killing the boar;

4) I realized that if you take too long and don't kill him, an enemy runs and pulls a lever that closes the portcullis, so I made sure not to let that industrious fellow sneak it shut on me more than once;

5) I surveyed the area ahead of me and found that I could go around most of the blue-eyed knights to find another bonfire (and a blacksmith) in a nearby passage before making a suicide run into the chapel;

6) I didn't try to fight the ghosts in the New Londo Ruins until much later in the game (you can fare better against them if you have Transient Curse in place, by the way, and they do poorly against fire attacks).

Those are all things that you learn with time and experience. There's nothing in the game that isn't avoidable, no area that careful exploration and planning won't allow you to clear with only moderate difficulty. For that matter, a lot of the game can be cleared on your initial run through the game if you take your time and watch for the numerous visual cues. Multiple trips are more necessary when you play the game the way a lot of other titles in the genre can sefly be played: by rushing forward into each new challenge without making preparations. Myself, I took multiple runs to make things even easier on myself, but there were times where I'd easily clear an area that I didn't intend to clear on my first run, just because I was playing smartly.

When I hear someone raging about how difficult the game is, if they provide details I can almost always see where they're making a bunch of little mistakes that they surely wouldn't let themselves make in some other game, but in this case they're letting the game psych them out and paying the price. It's a game that is designed to punish people who play in a hurry, sort of like the old Castlevania titles. That's not bad design. It's smart design that isn't right for some audiences. One of the things I like about Suskie's review is that it's aimed at precisely the audience that should never play Dark Souls, a fitting disclaimer for a game that needs it.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto

..Think what you want, I guess.

But the "exceptionally short trip" after you kick down the ladder is the same two shielded skeletons, the same rats in the narrow hallway (that will poison you if they manage to hit you three four times in the shield and stagger you). Then it's the three shielded skeletons that pursue you to the end of time, but who will wait endlessly before they charge if you are looking their way. You have to kill them every single time you go there, unless you want to get plowed into an unwinnable "fifteen attacks from all directions" situation.

Then it's the corridors through the same "traps" and same "scares" again. This takes about 15 minutes if you're quick.

And then if you don't get through the four plus one blue-eyed knight class skeletons at the end - that come at you at the same time, and attack at the same time for twice the hit in the shield, etc - you have to do it again. Because one of these knights that respawn with you are going to close the gate in your face when you get back. 15 minutes.

Like I said: the boss is the easiest monster in the whole segment (as long as you manage to avoid falling out of the map, or getting pierced through a solid rock-face. Same with the guy with the morning star - he isn't going to suddenly stand behind three other skeletons with quick stab that stacks with the first attack from the other skeleton. So he's also really easy to beat. It's the grind in between that kills you.

At least in Demon's Souls, you could stand behind a stone pillar and avoid the sweep-attacks from most enemies. Or go on to the next area after you beat the boss. Kill most enemies in two-three well-placed attacks. In Dark Souls, we get homing stabs that can't be dodged, along with homing boss-combos that twist around the boss as you dodge. While your attacks still get stuck in walls, and your dodges and attacks won't track the enemy as well as the ai tracks you. And then the series of slashing and piercing resistant skeletons come back again. That randomly shrug off your strong attacks depending on the def parameter.

Anyway. So there's definitively a reason why healing items are more common, durability lasts longer, etc.

And in my opinion, it's because the combat isn't as solid as it was in Demon's Souls. I'm having my doubts about the monster designs as well now..

edit: another example - what is it that kills you in the goat-man bossfight? Is it your carelessness, or maybe complete lack of planning? Not at all - it's one of the dogs that randomly stagger you with insta-leaps while your character locks on to the other dog that fly across your view-screen. Or, it's the time the dogs manage to hedge you in in behind an object that you cannot go past or around. Which means you're going to be standing there looking stupid.

On top of that it's the goat-man's homing super-charge. This attack cannot be dodged, and if you try to circle the guy, he turns around on a dime so the charge (announced three minutes ahead of time) always comes down on your head.

In other words, you don't dodge the attack, you just dodge through the boss so you end up behind him. That works. But as long as you try to do it in a way that looks reasonably good (or in a way that worked perfectly in Demon's Souls), you're going to die.

Not because the fight is difficult, but because you need to beat the game-mechanics to win. And the less graceful moves you use, the more effective you are going to be.

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@Fleinn:

(1) There's a bonfire directly before the area with the boar. You just have to run across the bridge guarded by the dragon. This seems like an intimidating feat, but it's very easy. When the dragon flies forward, you can just run right between its legs.

(2) The Capra Demon fight is hard. I don't know why you insist it's not. This sounds like the "no true scotsman" fallacy to me. You say, "oh, it's not *really* hard because..." and then you list several difficulties you faced during the fight which somehow mean, contrary to all logic, that it's *not* hard.

You can both dodge the demon's initial attack and, if you have any decent shield, block *all* of his attacks. There's also a staircase and ledge in the room--these are specifically there to help you deal with the dogs.

It sounds to me like your definition of "hard" is something that looks and sounds hard, but actually doesn't challenge you. But as soon as you were actually challenged--in this case by the Capra Demon and its two dogs--you claim that, oh, this isn't *truly* hard anymore.

Finally, if the AI were so 100% predictable, why is it even a challenge? Anything you can predict so easily would be easily defeated.

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Damn. If you're having trouble with the boar, just wait until you get to the Bell Tower Gargoyles.

I'm still playing Dark Souls and still enjoying it, though I tend to do it in stints... I'll play for a week straight and then not again for a month. Arkham City has had something to do with the latest break away.

Anyway, there are only three things about Dark Souls that I think are truly bad design, none of which I think you've mentioned.

1) Platforming Sections
Why does this game even have platforming sections? This is a game where there is no "jump button" (yes, I know you CAN jump, but it's not very easy to control or even to do) nor a good way to stop yourself from drifting off platforms and there is NO good way to have a melee battle on a tiny ledge.

For the most part, that's all well and good; most of the game avoids platforming except to reach special items and there are often ways to lure enemies off tiny ledges to take you on in a better location. But when you put in a whole dungeon filled with death traps and tiny ledges I start to feel like the challenge is in poor controls, not in learning how to do a section correctly and having the finger dexterity to do it. Anyone who has gotten to Sen's Fortress probably knows exactly what I'm talking about.

2) Flinging yourself over edges when you were just trying to attack
I tend to use Great Swords a lot, which admittedly have this problem more than other weapons, but it's true for regular swords and other melee weapons as well. I can't count the number of times I've died because my attack animation drifts me towards an enemy, lining up the characters for a hit, and then flings me over the ledge that I was fighting on. It sort've connects with my above complaint about tiny ledges so I won't go into it more.

3) Being able to kill important NPCs by accident
I'm not the only person this has happened to. Not by a long shot.

So I save this guy from a barrel in some dungeon, kay? First of all, even saving this guy requires caution. If you swing your weapon to break open the barrel, you hit him and kill him. That would be a neat little laughable one-time-gag on the part of the designers, if it weren't !@#$!ed permanent, and if this guy wasn't one of TWO GUYS in the entire game who can sell you pyromancy spells (and the other guy, by the way, you can only get late in the game after completing a certain quest and even then he's rumoured to be kind've glitchy).

Anyway, I'm well aware of designer tricks in Dark Souls by now, so I carefully roll into all the barrels and save the guy. Then I go up to the Firelink shrine to buy some spells and, as I'm standing in front of him, the controller trigger bumps into my knee (I was just adjusting my position on the couch) and I stab the guy. No worries, it doesn't kill him... but now he attacks me every time he sees me and when I come back to the area to see if he's reset his ire, he's left the game permanently. Because in chasing after me, he threw his ass off a cliff.

This is why most games either have a thing where you can't kill merchants OR if you can kill them, they warn you when you first hit them, saying something like "Are you Sure you want to do that?" Then, if you hit them again, only then do they attack. That's good design.

Even more frustrating, Dark Souls DOES do this!!!! With a VILLAIN that you SHOULD kill! The first time you attack the guy, he asks if you are sure you want to start a fight. Only by attacking him twice in a row does he gain a life bar and engage in combat with you. So why in the name of fuck would this not happen for someone NO ONE would ever want to kill?

SO frustrating. This happened to me about 30 hours into the game and hell no I wasn't going to start over. I'm playing a Pyromancer so I've pretty much had to go through the rest of the game ignoring my fire ability and using melee weapons. I did recently get to a point where I could start upgrading my one flame spell and hopefully I'll be able to get the other pyromancer to appear soon, but SHIIIIIIT.

And that's not as bad as it could have been... I know people that have accidentally attacked the smith! If you can't upgrade your weapons, you are FUCKED. Might as well reset. Granted, there is a way to make guys you've pissed off reset their neutrality and not attack you... oh yeah, you only have to pay 1000 souls PER LEVEL to a cleric in the bell tower... unless you've attacked him, too.

I don't like games which let you totally screw yourself over.

But everything else just feels to me like an honest challenge that you have to just play a bunch of times to get good at. And if you're REALLY having trouble, just go level a ton. Especially once you gain access to the area with the Cat Hunter Clan, then you can gain about 10,000 souls in little under five minutes. It's crazy.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

I was wrong about the cleric's fee... it's 2,000 souls per level. So, if I piss someone off where I am now, I owe something like 120,000 souls. Better be careful with my couch adjustments...

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

As far as pyromancy trainers go, Quelana of Izalith appears in the Blighttown swamp at some point and can sell you some pyromancies as well as upgrade and ascend your Pyromancy Flame. She should be there if you've killed Quelaag and talked to Quelaan, who leads the Chaos Servant covenant beyond the Quelaag boss chamber.

It shouldn't be a big deal that Laurentius left. In fact, if you talk to him after having spoken with Quelana, he'll ask you where you got your new knowledge of pyromancy from, and if you tell him he'll leave forever.

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I already mentioned Quelana in my little rant. Don't misunderstand me; I actually like Dark Souls. But just think... I could accidentally kill HER, too, and that's something that shouldn't be allowed by the game. That's my point.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

Oh, and speaking of that Chaos Servant guy you mention... I didn't mess it up, but do you know how many people have attacked him because he looks exactly like one of the creatures you fight all through that section? And then they can't do that whole series of side quests, either....

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

As it happens, Quelana is the only NPC that I accidentally killed in the game. So there's that. The others were all easy to recognize and I had no problems at all. I also had very little trouble falling off ledges during combat throughout the game (and I put a lot of time into it, as I was writing a walkthrough). So I think a lot of the criticisms people level against the game come down to different play style or just from being too used to other games that let you get away with stuff for streamlining purposes. The ease with which you can accidentally wound or kill NPCs? Yeah, that's touchy. I still think the game's 10/10 material, but there are little things I wouldn't have minded seeing done differently.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto

By the way, Jason, I loved your review of the game. It's held very true for my experience of it. The game is more 9/10 material for me, but I do often think of it while playing as a modern zelda (your words in my head).

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."