Time: Dark Souls

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If I had to compare this game to anything in real life, it would probably be completing a gruelingly hard research paper for university and finally gotten the grade you desired, only that the professor has given you limitless attempts to do it and failed you more times than J. K. Rowling's attempts to get Harry Potter published.

Dark Souls, I will say, is not a series for someone who wishes instant gratification or results, but rather for people who are willing to learn from their myriad of mistakes and work to improve. Furthermore, I would highly advise those who have a history of short-temperment issues and throwing controllers not come near this game (This is someone who is speaking from personal experience).

Gameplay:

As I said in the preface, Dark Souls is a game in which failure is constant. But please note, this is also a good thing. Dark Souls' entire gameplay is modeled around you being able to learn from your mistakes. You will be doing much more of your fair share of dying, but you cannot blame the enemies or the graphics for your mistakes, but rather your own naivete/stupidity. If you did die, it's either because you encountered the area/enemy for the first time or you decided to try the same strategy from your previous attempt and (obviously) it didn't work.

Story:

Unlike most traditional RPGs, Dark Souls leaves the bulk of its story open for interpretation. There are a number of cryptic items, NPCs, and other clues in order to help patch up why this and that are like that, but the player has to be willing to look for these clues and piece them together to understand.

Art:

After actually giving this game a try and beating the bulk of it, I have come to greatly appreciate the artwork for Dark Souls. To decrepit medieval castles, swamps with disturbing cannibalistic enemies, and numerous other environments with graphics to send chills up your spine (though not as perturbing as Bloodborne), the art for Dark Souls is definitely one merit and is, in my opinion, a much better looking game than its spiritual predecessor Demon's Souls.

Audio:

For the most part, there really won't be much in the way of music to accompany you on your callous-creating journey through this game, but when it does start to play, I will say that the music for this series would rival all-time favorite composers of mine such as Yuki Kajiura and Hans Zimmer. Just note this: if you do hear music, prepare to have your shield up and, quite possibly, to run like hell.

Verdict:

If you asked the me from the past of about a year or so ago, he would attempt to avoid this game like the plague, continually trying to convince you that it constantly cheats and isn't worth your time. But the me of today would highly recommend you give this game a try. It may be utterly relentless in punishing you over and over and demanding you learn from your mistakes, but when you finally do and overcome that boss that kept you at it for hours on end, it's quite possibly the most rewarding experience you can get when playing a game.