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Recommend the essential Souls games
- Thread starter Carnby
- Start date
Dark Souls is a refinement of Demon's Souls whose formula peaked in Dark Souls 3 but the latter drives itself a bit on nostalgia so I would stick with Dark Souls 1. Bloodborne and Sekiro to experience different takes on the Demon's Souls formula.
So: Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Sekiro. Have fun.
So: Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Sekiro. Have fun.
Agreed. DS2 and DS3 are great but don't bring anything new to the table.
But it reuses some ideas from Dark Souls so none of that counts! /s
Dark Souls III needs a remake... now I've heard it all. What exactly would they change in this remake?
??????????????
Dark Souls 3 isn't even 5 years old yet and it still looks great. There's nothing to remake.
All of that is subjective. Bosses and combat have way too much Bloodborne influence for my taste. Even aesthetically it looks like DS1 levels with a Bloodborne color palette. And the actual level design is nowhere near as good as DS1's.
It just doesn't do anything new.
But its a fine game, just feels like going through the motions for me.
Balance, in a word. Make spells decent, arts useful, revamp the world, change poise (add it!), work a bit the rough edges.
And the engine!
So basically "The only problem with the combat and bosses is that they're TOO good"? Because Bloodborne combat and bosses are top tier. As for the level design, I assume you're referring to the interconnected world of Dark Souls 1 because none of the individual levels come remotely close to matching the complexity/density of Undead Settlement, Cathedral of the Deep, Grand Archives, etc. Yeah the interconnected world is cool, but DS1 is the only game in the series that does it to any worthwhile degree so I guess all the other games suck in comparison?
1, 3, and Bloodborne are the essential FromSoft Souls games, make sure you play those.
I also very strongly recommend playing Nioh. It's not made by FromSoft, but its take on the Souls formula is extremely good due to its sublime combat (I'd argue that it's better than any of the actual Souls games, though Bloodborne still has it beat as an overall package).
I also very strongly recommend playing Nioh. It's not made by FromSoft, but its take on the Souls formula is extremely good due to its sublime combat (I'd argue that it's better than any of the actual Souls games, though Bloodborne still has it beat as an overall package).
I prefer the slower combat of Dark Souls 1. And Bloodborne introduced the whole "2nd phase for almost every boss" which is fine sometimes but can get annoying with how much they do it lately.
And yes none of the other games have quenched my thirst for exploration like Dark Souls 1. I mean you say those individual levels are better but I have zero memory of them, while I know DS1 like the back of my hand. And I've replayed DS3 fairly recently too.
And no none of the games are bad. And they're all my GOTYs for every year one has come out. DS3 is just the least interesting and least memorable for me.
Balance, in a word. Make spells decent
I did a magic build shortly after launch. It was great. What's the issue?
arts useful
Some are great, some are mediocre. Just like every other facet of combat in every game in the series.
revamp the world
What does this even mean? You want it to be more like Dark Souls 1's interconnected world? Then I guess all the games in the series need a remake since no game has replicated that to any worthwhile degree.
change poise
Poise is fine as is and works exactly as it's intended. It makes heavy armor and weapons viable in a strategic way and not just in a "lol I ignore attacks time for backstab" way.
rough edges
Elaborate.
the engine
wat
Sure, if you prefer slower combat and mechanically simpler bosses then I can understand preferring DS1's combat. I understand it, but I don't get it. It's like going back to 50cc in Mario Kart after you're used to 150/200cc.
For the level design, whether or not you personally remember them isn't a very good metric. On average the levels in Dark Souls III have better complexity, density, shortcuts, secrets, and verticality than those in Dark Souls and is only really matched by a few areas in Bloodborne and Sekiro.
None of them are BAD
Dark Souls II is very long and has some obnoxious enemy encounters though
Play all of them.
You can skip Dark souls 2, if you want. It's still a good game, but not as good as the rest of them. For some people DS2 is actually their favorite in the series, so maybe you'll enjoy it.
Also you should play Sekiro. It's awesome.
You can skip Dark souls 2, if you want. It's still a good game, but not as good as the rest of them. For some people DS2 is actually their favorite in the series, so maybe you'll enjoy it.
Also you should play Sekiro. It's awesome.
Sorry, replied fast because had to drive to work. Let me elaborate.
- spells decent: right now spells are in an odd situation. They give an useful support, but a pure spellcaster just isn't viable, and the ashen estus forces you to be extremely cautious. As such, a spell user is reserved for expert players. Doesn't have to be like in DeS OP, but a nice say, balance, would be nice. Right now, you miss 2 casts and are fucked.
- weapon arts: have a very, very situational use, cost way too many MP, and require a long windup. So they are mostly irrelevant. Give one or two useful!
- revamp the world: it's pretty linear, lacking in connectiveness, colour, and thematically is very...off. Plus there is a distinct lack of useful items in the first third or so. And as a personal note, I dislike how it funnels you into crowds.
- poise does not fucking work, you see clothed enemies whose attacks aren't stopped by hits. What you said are iframes, poise is broken since release and has never been fixed.
- rough edges: most infusions provide close to no benefit, builds lack variety, it abuses hp sponges enemies, how the combat feels is completely out of place within the world (and looks stupid), the weight is gone. The estus progression is fine. The changes in enemy behaviour made shields pretty useless except as an "oh shit" emergency block, because dodgerolling is faster, costs way less stamina and gives you iframes...
- the engine: textures load very late, playing on ps5 you see texture loading and geometry warping in and out of existence when you move the camera. And even at 1080p, it stutters a lot.
Hopefully this will clarify a bit my position.
Yes I prefer slow and methodical, to fast and twitchy. It fits with how I slowly explore the games. To me combat like that belongs more in a character action game with linear design than it does in an action rpg with exploration as a focus.
The only level I loved in Bloodborne is the Forbidden Woods. And DS3 doesn't even have a zone that comes close to that.
And better secrets? Dark Souls 1 has entire zones And bosses that are completely hidden. I never found any secret in DS3 that comes close to discovering Ash Lake, the Gwyndolin boss fight, or figuring out how to return to the undead asylum.
The games will always be there OP. And none of them are bad. Dark Souls - Bloodborne - Sekiro is the strongest line-up for new ideas and different game elements. However if you don't like Sekiro or Bloodborne (more restricted builds, especially Sekiro), Dark Souls 2/3 have lots more multi-build medieval era monster smacking for you. Dark Souls 2 dlc is essential, but for Dark Souls 1/3 and Bloodborne the dlcs are excellent extensions as well. I'm not sure you can buy Dark Souls without the dlc included anymore. Sekiro has no dlc (😢).
Bloodborne does not have a PS5 performance patch so you could try waiting for that by going Dark Souls -> Sekiro -> (more Dark Souls, go in order). If you do go straight from Dark Souls to Sekiro, let me know how that works out for you enjoyment-wise because I'm real curious.
Bloodborne does not have a PS5 performance patch so you could try waiting for that by going Dark Souls -> Sekiro -> (more Dark Souls, go in order). If you do go straight from Dark Souls to Sekiro, let me know how that works out for you enjoyment-wise because I'm real curious.
I've played ds1, ds2, demon's PS5, and bloodborne. All are among the best games I've ever played
except ds2, I quit after 6 hours because the combat felt bad to me
except ds2, I quit after 6 hours because the combat felt bad to me
It's definitely worth a try. You can watch some YouTube videos for guides to get overpowered quickly.
I would say they are all essential, but I would recommend playing 2 last since its the weakest of them all.
Bloodborne should be in your PS Plus collection and it's a must play.
Dark Souls 1 is great and has some of the highest highs of the series.
Dark Souls 3 is the greatest hits of the series. To me it feels more like a mesh of Demon's Souls and Bloodborne, which is only a good thing.
Dark Souls 1 is great and has some of the highest highs of the series.
Dark Souls 3 is the greatest hits of the series. To me it feels more like a mesh of Demon's Souls and Bloodborne, which is only a good thing.
All of them in release order. Then play Sekiro if you want something a little different. They're all worth playing.
Bloodborne, it'll teach you how to play the "fun way" aka no shield, two handing rolling monster and you can apply that to the rest of the games. I'd start with the original Dark Souls then go to DS 3, then give Scholar of the First Sin a go if you're still hungry for more.
Did you play the original or remastered dark souls 1?
OP if you're tight on time I say either play dark souls 3, bloodborne, or both. Bloodborne is a closer experience to demons souls IMO.
whatever you do, DONT play the dark souls games out of order unless you ONLY plan to play one of them.
Don't skip any of them. Every single one is worth playing, and a masterpiece.
Some of them have flaws that the others don't have, some of them have unique qualities that the others don't have, and that's OK. They're all great and they're all worth it.
Some of them have flaws that the others don't have, some of them have unique qualities that the others don't have, and that's OK. They're all great and they're all worth it.
To everyone saying "all of them", OP did mention they are on "short time" which if that means what I think it does, sorry to hear OP.
If you had to play just one of them I would probably say Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition. The world design is so good (sans-Izalith).
If you had to play just one of them I would probably say Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition. The world design is so good (sans-Izalith).
My nephew has recommended I start with 3 as it's the most accessible and then play 1. Any agreement with that here? I haven't played any of them. I'm generally fine with hard games if they have a satisfying gameplay loop but I don't really click with split-second "git good" action games like Bayonetta so I don't think I could handle Bloodborne.