Post by Silent Sputnik on Aug 22, 2014 13:46:01 GMT -5
The majority of players who complete Dark Souls will never appreciate its story. Indeed, I would argue that more than half would not recognize that it has a coherent story. I, on the other hand, think that it is has one of the greatest stories in video game history. I’ll attempt to summarize VaatiVidya’s story analysis and add my own insights on the subject.
The Nature of Stories:
Dark Souls is about struggle. This struggle is extremely apparent in both the gameplay and the characters of the game. And what is at the heart of every story? Struggle and conflict. What's the LOTR without Isenguard and Mordor? A tapestry of creative cultures and characters, but with nothing meaningful for them to do. What's Harry Potter without malicious dark forces? It's simply a shallow imagining of a world which -- though cooler than ordinary life -- doesn't bring up feelings of hope, anxiety, fear, or triumph. It would be environmentally creative but emotionally dead.
The Prologue Lore:
Gwyn, his army of Silver Knights, and the Witch of Izaleth under the guidance of Seath the Betrayer wage and win an epic war against the Dragons of above. This is presented in the opening cinematic of the game. It functions to give the game some lore which everything else hangs upon. It's a fitting backdrop and history for the story to come.
Immersion:
The fact that there is only a handful of cutscenes in the entire game tells us that the game’s story has the potential of being very immersive and interactive. The story is almost entirely conveyed through the little chunks of information gleaned from reading item descriptions and hearing small bursts of dialogue. This tale is discovered, not told explicitly. It’s a constructivist narrative which bends and breaks depending on what the player pays attention to. The game doesn’t care if you don’t fit all of the puzzle pieces together. It happily conceals enormous areas behind nearly impossible-to-find fake walls in unpleasant optional areas which players naturally stay away from in the first place. But for the players who put in the necessary time into the game and into research to better understand the story, its greatness can be revealed.
Futility, Fighting the Inevitable, and Meaning:
Every single character in the Dark Souls universe is doomed to misfortune. Despite the best efforts of both Gwyn and the Witch of Izaleth to maintain the Age of Fire and to control the Dark, they eventually fail. Gwyn’s ultimate dedication to the Fire is shown when he sacrifices himself in order to keep the First Flame lit for just a little longer. Gwyndolin’s illusions play to the same effect. Under his guidance, Anor Londo appears to be an extremely bright and sunny place, as if the Age of Fire was still at its height. As soon as the player kills the illusion of Gwynevere, however, the illusion fades and the true darkness of the realm is revealed.
Siegmeyer of Caterina is a relentless adventurer whom you meet on your journey. However, whenever you meet him, he is in a position of trouble which requires your assistance. Every time you help him, his spirit and will fades a little more. Finally, on your last meeting, Siegmeyer offers to sacrifice his own life in order to provide the player with an escape route. Should you accept his offer, his quest ends in death. But instead, if you help him one final time, his spirit breaks and he turns hollow by the next time you encounter him next. Either way, he was doomed from the beginning.
These are just a few examples of the many characters that follow this theme.
The Player’s Story:
To the casual players of Dark Souls, it seems that the player’s story is of a character that is “chosen” by the Gods or by prophecy to ultimately steal all of the power of the giants and kings of the land to Link the Flames and reverse the Curse of the Undead. Kingseeker Frampt, the serpent, says so in a very ancient and noble voice, so it must be true… Right? Wrong. The entire time, he is telling the ignorant player what he needs to hear in order to convince them to Link the Fire. He is trying to artificially lengthen the Age of Fire and the illusions of power that Gwyndolin and others have by sacrificing you. Darkseeker Kaathe, the alternative and much lesser known serpent, has his own stake in making the player come to conclusion of killing Gwyn and abandoning the first flame in order to usher in the Age of Dark. This ending is quite a bad one for humanity in general. So no matter your choices in the game, the game’s conclusion does not offer victory for a brave and noble warrior on a divine quest. It offers only death and failure. And the time that the timeline of Dark Souls 2 rolls around, the decisions which are made in the original game have no effect whatsoever.
What Does It All Mean?:
I’m sure that you’ve noticed by getting this far that the theme of characters taking action and doing their best to accomplish their goals despite being doomed from the start runs through so many facets of the storyline. These themes are perfectly paralleled by Dark Soul’s gameplay. Its punishing nature frustrates many players into abandoning it. In effect, those who quit the game become Hollow. They have lost their purpose and meaning in the game and therefore have an insufficient drive to live in this universe.
For me, Dark Souls is a tribute to life itself. Every life ends in death, but it’s what we accomplish in spite of that inevitability that offers us the pleasure and meaning which we care so deeply about. It’s about struggling against impossible odds, failing time and time again, and never giving up. It’s about disregarding fear and anxiety in the pursuit of our dreams. It reminds us that the process through life is more important than its conclusion. It offers one of the greatest stories in gaming.
“The human form is fragile, and death comes quickly. But the spirit is strong and clings to life like only a mortal can. So in a way man was not designed to become undead. Fear of death is what lets us live. Take that away and humanity becomes harder to hold on to. Take that away, and you could become more hollow than man. Yet an undead who would die for something has nothing to fear. For death simply becomes a stepping stone to his goal. If you fall down seven times, stand up eight. It’s not a matter of life or death. It’s about breaks first: Your will, or the barriers in your way. Everyone has their own paths to face.” – VaatiVidya, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBJDBtn2MbQ
In my final year of university, I had to write a creative piece of writing for 25% of my final grade in a class.
I used the story of Dark Souls as inspiration in order to to do so.
[Name]
February 26th, 2014
“The Struggles of the Undead”
Based on the “Dark Souls” video game
I unsheathed my sword and prepared for a duel
Against my ancient foe, cunning and cruel.
I started towards him with bloodshed in mind
Though he left me no doubt that he’d counter in kind.
I remembered my training that mattered the most:
Intercept, lacerate, parry, riposte.
I took a great swing and our weapons collided.
A tactic – I found – that was rash and misguided.
The impact was strong, and my poise was disrupted
And so the beast’s full fury was prepared and erupted.
My foe gripped his pike and lashed out with a start
And thrust his great weaponry straight through my heart
If you think that this ended me you are quite mistaken
For the undead are reborn both alive and unshaken.
I woke up nearby with vengeance in my head:
The ending of my rival: crippled or dead.
I reclaimed my saber from the cold musty ground
And sought to ambush my foe to confuse and astound.
I crept on with patience and remained undetected
For I now reckoned the beast as skilled and respected.
And so I do claim that he was flanked and upstarted
As my sword found his neck and his soul was departed.
Epilogue:
Undead – as immortals – have nothing to fear
For death inspires ambition into high gear.
Failure is painful but if endured and corrected
One’s crafts and abilities may be refined and perfected.
February 26th, 2014
“The Struggles of the Undead”
Based on the “Dark Souls” video game
I unsheathed my sword and prepared for a duel
Against my ancient foe, cunning and cruel.
I started towards him with bloodshed in mind
Though he left me no doubt that he’d counter in kind.
I remembered my training that mattered the most:
Intercept, lacerate, parry, riposte.
I took a great swing and our weapons collided.
A tactic – I found – that was rash and misguided.
The impact was strong, and my poise was disrupted
And so the beast’s full fury was prepared and erupted.
My foe gripped his pike and lashed out with a start
And thrust his great weaponry straight through my heart
If you think that this ended me you are quite mistaken
For the undead are reborn both alive and unshaken.
I woke up nearby with vengeance in my head:
The ending of my rival: crippled or dead.
I reclaimed my saber from the cold musty ground
And sought to ambush my foe to confuse and astound.
I crept on with patience and remained undetected
For I now reckoned the beast as skilled and respected.
And so I do claim that he was flanked and upstarted
As my sword found his neck and his soul was departed.
Epilogue:
Undead – as immortals – have nothing to fear
For death inspires ambition into high gear.
Failure is painful but if endured and corrected
One’s crafts and abilities may be refined and perfected.