The calm before the storm...
"Sweat and tears roll down your face. Your enemies lie in a heap on the floor and yet, more of them still come rolling over the horizon. Your weapons lie shattered beside you, destroyed by your own hand for failing you when you needed them most. Despair and rage fill you, but you steel yourself and prepare to fight on."
The fire rages on...
Glory tastes sweeter in the face of unthinkable demise
It could be a scene from a Dark Souls game, or it could be a scene from your living room whilst playing. Either way, fans of the series know these feelings well, and that is why they love these games.
For too long, gaming fans have begged video game developers to stop making games too easy. They remember the good old days of lives, and impossible jumps, and the sheer panic of being on the brink of having to start six hours of gameplay from the beginning again. But in the world of big-budget modern gaming, developers have verged towards safety, to coddling gamers with infinite saves and barely taxing challenges: the diaper generation of gaming. But the Dark Souls games are aimed squarely at those who are all grown up, and love a challenge.
Without yet having a Dark Souls 3 release date, we look ahead to what fans of the series would love to see in the next iteration.
1. More difficult bosses
EEK, Firebreathing horses!!
This should not come as a surprise to anyone. When Bandai Namco announced Dark Souls 2 at E3 in 2012, they promised that it would be 'viciously hard'. Fans will have their thesaurus' out look for an adjective to describe how challenging they wish Dark Souls 3 to be: 'ferocious', 'brutally', 'maliciously', maybe even 'sadistically'. Personally, I like a bit of sadistically borderline masochist gameplay from time to time, we all remember Super Mario and Zelda, which at times was just brutal-like dying seconds away from victory- those stupid firewheels of death, but that challenge is the whole reason why we loved it. It earned our love with hour after painstaking hour of failure. But, just like Thomas Edison knew 1000 ways not to make a light bulb gamers of yesteryear knew 1000 ways not to win the battle at Bowser’s Castle.
Die Sucker!
Nowadays, games lack the limited lives component meaning you have to start all over on the level due to one mess up. It bred perfectionists and lunatics. If a game is intended to be hard, why not make it as hard as can be? If you ground your way through Dark Souls and Dark Souls II, it is pretty obvious they weren't hard enough to stop you yet! And kudos! Because I never made it—not even close.
2. Remove added annoyances
Grrrruh!!
Dark Souls II did certainly ramp up the challenging level of gameplay. Some of this was in the difficulty of the armies of enemies awaiting you, but the developers also adjusted the mechanics to further make the player's life a complete and utter misery. By far was the fact you lose a nice chuck of health every time you die. So there you were, exhausted after mowing down armoured monstrosities with your halberd, bloodied and battered before you finally fell under the fist of the giant boss, and you have to do it all over again.
Beast Mode!
You were so close last time! But this time, not only does glory escape your grasp by a whisker but now do you have to repeat what you just did. But the fun doesn’t stop there, you also have to be even better because now you have even less health to spare! It can push challenging into straight up frustrating. Like, throw your controller across the room in a tantrum frustrating; or my favourite the gripping the control so tight hoping that you don’t have a Hulk moment and crush your controller into powder.
More Armor?
The scales of frustration and intrigue are one that Dark Souls 3 will have to observe very carefully, microscopically. Every time you lose as a player, you improve and learn tricks to stay alive longer… finally a bit of redemption...But if those tricks are irrelevant by the next time ‘round because you have less health, what was the flipping point? Removing this mechanic and going back to the old way of Dark Souls 1 would save players from being pushed into the dark world of frustration. And whatever a hard core gamer may say, it is only nostalgia saying that we miss the fear of losing that last life. It was hell. Absolute hell. Hours of your life gone –lost in a haze of defeat. Having to turn human in Dark Souls II brought back those bad memories; so let gamers have their infinite attempts at impossible challenges, and save them from the excruciating pain and terror of the 'last life'.
3. More creativity with the bosses
LOTR Rip-off anyone?
There is so much opportunity for the bosses to just blow everyone out of the water because the bosses act as the showpiece of the Dark Souls series. When every standard enemy is as tough as a boss in any other modern game you get the feeling of accomplishment. Heck, everyone knows that these monsters are the baddest things around because they make the old House of the Dead bosses—the ones with single pixel weak spots look like domestic bunny rabbits in comparison.
It isn't asking much for these bosses to look as mean and bad as they fight. But fans who were expecting Dark Souls II to take it to another level over the first game could feel a little disappointed. There were too many giant suits of armour, and some bosses such as the scorpion lady and the lava demon felt borderline copy and pasted from other films and games. You can't just make The Rock in The Scorpion King into a woman, and call it original: square boobs are still square.
Marching into the fire..bring it on!
Every gamer fan has dreamt up an awesome boss at some time in their childhood - and maybe even in their adult life! Those are the sort of things that Dark Souls bosses should be imaginative and inspire the players. I mean a game with “soul” in the title better hell as ignite something inside me as a person something other than anger and resentment. I want the future bosses to be more like the bosses of Final Fantasy or Tales of Vesperia. As a seasoned gamer I want occasionally be surprised but more importantly I want to feel as though my efforts were worth it. By the time I got to the boss, I was just so over playing the game, I needed some reason to push forward but struggled to find motivation.
I hope and pray and dream and beg Namco to consider expanding their creativity! They made the newest One Piece game for goodness sake! I love it. Why did Dark Souls II have to be so great but yet so underwhelming?
4. Save the Environments!
Breath taking details...!
Ask a hardcore gamer to name a beautiful gaming environment, and chances are that might tell you all about the Infinity Engine; it created the worlds for the Baldur's Gate games and they were each works of art. But that was top-down graphics.
Tower of fire..
So when or if Dark Souls ever grows a pair and asks gamers if they want to stop and admire the view, most fans of the game will happily do so; because the worlds of Dark Souls is insanely detailed and complex reflecting the true spirit of ancient RPGs. They nailed the environment and whoever that artist was Bandai needs to keep them on the payroll because it would be a sad day if they let them go. I would personally fight for their reinstatement and chain my self to a—I’ll stop.
Look at all the great little details from the buckles to the pattern on the armor!
5. Keep advancing the graphics
It's all in the details...
Graphics have never been central to Dark Souls in the way that they have to other game series; but fans are still going to want to see improvements. With each new game it seems companies are fighting to develop better environments and lighting programs to reflect real life details. In particular when graphics improve it can enhance the environments of the game just look at the Fable Series. And of course, whilst graphical improvements can seem marginal during play, when compared to other emerging titles, it can render previous games as clunky and less engaging. Everyone has one of those games that they remember being beautiful and with stunning graphics, only for it to look like a Picasso gone wrong when they play it a few years later. Anyone who is old enough to remember the hype machine surrounding the original Unreal and its water effects knows exactly how this feels.
Fans will not want to see an over focus on graphics however, particularly if it compromises gameplay just another area to carefully tread. Too many games focus on AI assisted mechanics such as 'backstabs', 'cutscene deaths', and 'quicktime events': Dark Souls 3 players will need no such pandering, since their success is all in deft touch of the fingers and swift blow of a blade.
6. Keep the community expanding
Eat lightning!
Hi Friend! One of Dark Souls' greatest strengths has been its interactivity between players. This is another area developers are hitting hard these days. By creating a new and unique social world where players can engage and add to their gaming experience. There are always little notes to find, some left by helpful strangers leading to a less punishing solution to the next fight. And others are more tongue in cheek, such as the ever funny 'jump' advice next to a cliff.
This community is subtler than some other game series like Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto Online, where an onslaught of Voice Over Net communications eventually leads everyone to presume that the world has been taken over by nine year olds. What a scary world that is!! I keep my mic in the off position these days unless I am playing with some seasoned friends. The Dark Souls' community is exempt and mysterious leading players to feel like there are others out there that care, even care = prankster rather than a sage.
Now is the time to expand the options available for the fan community of Dark Souls. Without removing the notes mechanic and maintaining the sense of being a lone warrior against the unrelenting existential existence of the game, there is certainly space for those brave souls who have clawed their way so far to communicate in more depth and share their passion for the game.
7. Give me some mods
A moment of silence
Easier communication between fans would naturally open up the modding community for Dark Souls. Modding has always been held back, however, not by the passion of those working on mods, but by the platforms through which they are distributed. Many a player has reopened their game with new skins and levels ready to go, only to have it crash and bug the game. Steam has been successful in helpfully importing mods into games such as Skyrim in a stable manner, and also opens up the options of killer DLC since previous Dark Soul games have been fairly limited in mods.
DLC splits many fans down the line, but it allows for games to go in different directions, and with different tones expansion isn’t always good but anything that makes a game more personal is a good thing. With a strong fan community behind it, Dark Souls 3 could listen to fans' views on the initial content, before delivering DLC easily to their PCs.
8. Thicken the plot
Stop and smell the flowers.
Can I get some fries with that plot? The storyline has never been key to Dark Souls, and the addition of customisation for the character is welcome, but before the Dark Souls 3 release date, the writers could give the fans a little more background and extra motivation. The previous storytelling in Dark Souls is something which fans enjoy: it uses pacing and silence rather than heavy handed cut scenes and dialogue (which seems to be the norm of late). What sort of character would submit to the endless grind of stabbings and beheadings of the rest of the game to then flaunt around being an overpowered hero?
But that doesn't mean there aren't storylines that fans would embrace. A revenge story? A tragedy? Perhaps a love story that encompasses all these things? Who knows…? I am not a developer…all I can do is tell you what I like. Games with some form of social injustice tend to do pretty well because it pushes for a call to action. Tyrant King? Over throw that jerk! Baddies are plotting to assassinate someone important or steal something? Go back in time and steal it back. Too poor to buy decent weapons? Steal some gold.
Any of these things could fit with the atmosphere and narrative, which makes Dark Souls so successful. Dark Souls is a lot like life: you get up only to get beat back down but those who are determined prevail. So why not give the game a bit more life? Motivate me.
9. Engage new audiences
Dark Souls 1 did not exactly have an easy learning curve. So what developers should be asking is how do we get the next generation of gamers (the youngins) interested in this game? Perhaps instead of a curve well…curve isn’t the right word Dark Souls gave you a brick wall to run at repeatedly until you broke through. While running into brick walls might be fun for those in Jackass and Jackass II for the rest of us…we are looking for something a bit more sophisticated. I crave a teaching method that has failure without it being a cold hard spike of failure. And those who made it through discovered a brilliant game; but it wasn't exactly easy to get into. Not everyone is cut out to invest thirty hours just to learn the controls, hard as that may be for some fans to believe. I don’t have the time…even though school is out for summer!
Down the red carpet
Dark Souls 2 tried a little hard to be more welcoming, even going so far as including some dear little old ladies who helped you on your way. It even had a training segment, as opposed to a quick kick in the privates and an axe for a new hairstyle. But it didn't exactly ease the player into the main game. It still went from baby steps to running the hundred meters, with swords, through flames, while running from a hungry tiger, with blood running down your arm, in the blink of an eye.
Now a learning curve may not be exactly what fans think they want. They might say that anyone who hasn't learnt to love the brutality that is the opening chunks of Dark Souls games shouldn't need helping out now. It would dilute the game, they might say. But consider this: imagine all that time that the fan could save and spend playing more Dark Souls 3 if they didn't have to waste it explaining to people how the game is amazing if you just keep pushing through. Hours probably. So give the noobs a chance: maybe ten minutes of calm before the grind of fight, death, repeat begins.
Even the seasoned gamers need a life raft once in a while.
10. Add a new difficulty mode…
"Death smiles at us all - all a man can do is smile back." -Maximus, Gladiator
Oh wait, you were expecting something different?! This is Dark Souls, remember. It is like a karate master: try to hit me - aha! You missed - try again - and again - and again. And eventually you become the champion and defeat everyone. Perhaps Dark Souls 3 needs a montage or the ability to select an even more ridiculous mode of difficulty like in Fallout New Vegas with the hardcore mode.
When the Dark Souls 3 release date comes out, portions of the internet are going to erupt in crazy anticipation. This is a game made for the fans, and by now, they know exactly what they want. Keep the best parts - the challenging gameplay, the stunning environments - and improve the lesser parts - the story, the difficult to pick it up for the first time. By the time of Dark Souls 3 release date, we will have a pretty good idea of it the development team has listened to its fans.
