The Game:
Dark Souls 2 is an adventure RPG that, much like its predecessor, takes you on a very lightly guided quest. While a bit more linear then first, the journey is pretty open with bosses and areas you are able to skip. This time they allow you to port to any bonfire at the begging of the game.
Your character is yours. After collecting a certain amount of souls you are able to go back to the camp at Majula and talk to Emerald Herald and level. You have several stats from Strength to Intelligence that increases other stats like damage, health, and defense. Your class is based on the stats you pick and you are welcome to change from a caster to a beast with a sword if that is what you want to do.
You can collect different types of gear and weapons to equip your hero with. There is an assortment of weapons all with different style attacks that allow you to find weapons that play to your strengths. The same goes for armor. For example, light armor will allow you to move faster but you will take more damages per hit. There are also a plethora of items from bombs to stones that will heal you. These items are found in chests or dropped through by mobs in the game.
The main appeal and the shining glow of this game are the boss fights. At the end of each level, or sometimes in the middle, you will face off against an enemy or enemies that are much harder than everything else you encounter. They all have pretty unique mechanics and will require some practice to beat. In Dark Souls 2 this is made even more difficult since after you die you will lose a bit of life off of your maximum health till you restore your humanity. So once you die while human you will not only lose the perk of summoning people but the amount of damage you can take.
There is an online aspect to this game in that people are able to invade your world and just basically fuck up your day. If you are AFK at a campfire expect to come back to a corpse with broken armor. While the game is several years old, at the time I was playing it there was still plenty of other on. This was a curse and it also turned out to be a blessing. Some people will lay down their summoning symbol and can help you fight bosses or just get through the level. It really just depends on the their play style and how they want to interact with everyone else.
You can collect different types of gear and weapons to equip your hero with. There is an assortment of weapons all with different style attacks that allow you to find weapons that play to your strengths. The same goes for armor. For example, light armor will allow you to move faster but you will take more damages per hit. There are also a plethora of items from bombs to stones that will heal you. These items are found in chests or dropped through by mobs in the game.
The main appeal and the shining glow of this game are the boss fights. At the end of each level, or sometimes in the middle, you will face off against an enemy or enemies that are much harder than everything else you encounter. They all have pretty unique mechanics and will require some practice to beat. In Dark Souls 2 this is made even more difficult since after you die you will lose a bit of life off of your maximum health till you restore your humanity. So once you die while human you will not only lose the perk of summoning people but the amount of damage you can take.
There is an online aspect to this game in that people are able to invade your world and just basically fuck up your day. If you are AFK at a campfire expect to come back to a corpse with broken armor. While the game is several years old, at the time I was playing it there was still plenty of other on. This was a curse and it also turned out to be a blessing. Some people will lay down their summoning symbol and can help you fight bosses or just get through the level. It really just depends on the their play style and how they want to interact with everyone else.
My Thoughts:
Dark Souls has created a large following and in my opinion, it is not misplaced. Did I scream fuck over 100 times? Probably. Have I done damage to the floor and my controller? Probably. Did I enjoy the time during all of this? Definitely. Through the hours of tears and frustrations, you reach an end goal and if feels good. Along the way, it doesn't always make you feel like the game is robbing you, more that you just need to improve and practice.
The game gives you so many avenues to experience it. From a caster class dodging all the attacks, waiting for those crucial moments to let a spell loose, to a sword and board knight who takes all the hits and slowly widdles down the boss, its there for you. Sure there are builds online that tell you what the optimal one could be but your build can work too with a few stats here and there.
This goes on to the gear as well. In most RPGs, you are searching far and low for that one gear set that is just going to allow you to rip through the game like a tornado through a trailer park. There are really no weapons or gear sets like that in this game. Sure some are better than others but not in such a way that it's needed.
One lacking aspect of the game is the story. Really, does anyone truly know what the fuck is going on? Yeah, Wisecrack can make a video about what they think the philosophy of the game is but you are a warrior who has to go collect souls and then kill a boss at the end. You don't know too much more than that other than half stories you pull from people across the land losing their minds.
This land is dark and chaotic and you feel it the whole time. With small respites of beautifully rendered landscapes, you are plunged deeper and deeper into the darkness of the land. It has something of an elegance to it. A tightly woven fabric that takes all of it and makes it work into a product, not for the faint of patience and heart. Something that will deliver raw emotional joy in the cryptic world when you see those yellow letters of VICTORY appears on the screen.
I really like this game and I plan on playing through the three expansions that the game now has. I also have Dark Souls 3 that will be promptly loaded right after. Game series rarely hit their mark twice and this one has done it. From what I have heard 3 continues to do the same making the franchise one of the most consistent well-made series out there. It might not be for you but you have to at least give this game a try if you haven't yet.
TL;DR:
Dark Souls 2 is a hard, long, dark, frustrating game with some of the greatest payoff of any game out there. Its well made, its addictive, and it's just fun. I would highly recommend playing it if you have not done so so far.
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