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- Dark Souls 1 was released back in 2011, and it initiated the start of a new genre.
- The genre has evolved a lot now, featuring amazing titles like Dark Souls 3, Sekiro, and Elden Ring.
- While the first entry in the Dark Souls franchise is brutal, it provides one of the best experiences.
Having played every FromSoftware title and almost every single Soulslike game, I can’t help but appreciate Dark Souls 1. At the same time, there are some who don’t like this game because it is extremely punishing.
To be very honest, this game is brutal, and it is most likely to make you rage quit. So, overall, the game is pretty hard and might feel impossible to beat sometimes, but you can’t deny that 13 years ago, it basically created a whole new genre.
That is exactly why we have so many great Souls titles nowadays, so I can’t help but appreciate this beauty.
Why it matters: Demon Souls is basically the game that started a new genre, but it didn’t really get that much attention, so with the release of Dark Souls 1, many heads were turned, and a new genre was born.
Dark Souls 1, A Brilliant Masterpiece
I can still remember the first time playing this game, as it was a brutal experience for me. I think that, among all the games FromSoftware has ever released, this and its sequel are the most punishing ones. However, that is what makes them unique.
You can easily clear some levels and beat the bosses, but some of them will make your life literal hell, and yes, I am talking about Ornstein and Smough. This duo boss fight is arguably one of the toughest fights I have faced in my gaming journey.
I still can’t believe it has been 13 years since I played this game. While it might not be perfect in the eyes of many people, to me, it is a masterpiece, and that is the reason why I got to play such amazing games like Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring.
It is fair to say that the first Dark Souls features some of the hardest areas in gaming history. Like, come on, who in their right mind would find Anor Londo an easy place to traverse? I literally have trauma due to that.
Its Legacy Still Lives On
The best thing about this title isn’t that it is such a great game but that its legacy still lives on. That is something very rare for a game to achieve. Now, how is it that its legacy still lives on when hardly anyone would play this game in this era?
Let me tell you why. Do you remember the time when Demon Souls was released? You might be doing this because not many people did, and I don’t blame them. This game wasn’t really that successful, which is why not much knows that it isn’t the one that initiated the start of the Soulsborne genre.
However, things weren’t like this when the first title in Dark Souls franchise was released. The game didn’t sell that well, but it surely was way more successful than Demon Souls. Also, if you account for the title starting a new genre, the success was pretty surprising and great.
I am not going to lie; when this game came out, I wasn’t clearly sure of what it was. That is because it was fundamentally different from all the other games I have played. It was brutal, mean, horrifying, and disturbing.
I did like the game, but it felt niche to me; little did I know that it would lay down the basis of a massive genre that everyone is chasing now. What surprises me the most is that the Soulsborne genre now has a subgenre known as Soulslike, and there are hundreds of titles available in this category alone.
Soulsborne Genre Has Evolved
It goes without saying that over the years, the Soulsborne genre has evolved, and Dark Souls 1 is to be thanked for that. Now, see how many great games have been released in the genre. Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring are among the best games now.
In fact, two of them are even Game of the Year, which speaks volumes. I am really glad to have witnessed the initialization of the genre and to be able to see how far it has come. Elden Ring is among my favorite games now, and I have spent over 200 hours playing it.
In all Soulsborne games combined, I have over 1000 hours, which shows how much I love this genre, and yes, I am not adding the Soulslikes.
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[News Editor]
Obaid is pursuing a Law degree while working as a content writer. He has worked as a gaming writer for over three years because of his passion for the medium and reporting the latest updates in the industry. Having played hundreds of games, Obaid finds himself coming back to Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Red Dead Redemption 2, with these games being among his favorites. He has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as Wccftech, Metro UK, PS Lifestyle, GamePressure, VGC, and Gamespot.
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