Prepare to die, die, repeat. This short little recipe is something that you will encounter very often in “Dark Souls”. “Dark Souls” is a role playing game in which you play as an undead journeying through the unforgiving dungeons and forests of Lordran, a land filled with skeletons, zombies, ghosts, fiery demons from the very pits of hell, tormented souls of long lost warriors, and many more. The land is dying and it is up to you to save it, although that might not be very clear to you. “Dark Souls” doesn’t hold your hand nor does it give any detailed guidance, it just gives you vague information on where you are supposed to go and lets you on your way, which might not be very appealing for less hardcore newcomers. The game tells you a short little backstory at the beginning to set the mood and it is up to you to figure out the rest of the lore through short dialogues with rare sane NPCs and by reading little bits and pieces of lore from item descriptions.

The story isn’t the only thing you aren’t given on a silver platter, the combat can be very difficult if you do not take your time and carefully analyze your enemies and the situation at hand. If you don’t you will find yourself having to backtrack quite a bit since checkpoints are fairly limited. The controls may take some time to get used to The first few hours of playtime will be the most difficult as you get accustomed to the controls and the combat itself, but do not falter, as the game progresses, and as you acquire new skills and items, not to mention learn a few neat tricks, you will feel much more empowered and, with enough practice, cut down your foes with ease.

The game itself can be very lengthy, depending on your skill and the amount of exploration you put into it. Personally my first playthrough took me about 45 hours, and if you feel that is too short, the game offers you the ability to play again in “New Game+” in which you keep all your current equipment and level and start again with harder enemies, although I found the game to actually be easier on NG+, well except for the bosses, which were still hard as hell, but that’s all part of the fun.

If you see it, you can visit it. Visually the game is something to marvel at. Not only are the visuals very detailed and rich, the atmosphere is just superb, and the level design is one of the best I have seen in some open RPGs. Everything is beautifully and logically connected to each other, which isn’t the case for some other RPGS. The game doesn’t offer you an in game map but don’t worry because you won’t need it. Even if you don’t have a good sense of orientation in game spaces, you won’t have any problems finding your way through the game.

You are not alone. “Dark Souls” offers a very useful and challenging multiplayer mode, which is active while you play the singleplayer story. Let me explain. When you play your game and are online you will be able to find little notes left behind by other players, these notes can offer you short tips on how to prepare for what’s ahead or they could just be outright lying to you. Additionally you can see ghostly apparitions of other players every once in awhile when you are roaming through Lordran. If a player dies you can find their bloodstain left at the scene of the incident, then you can click on it to view the death of said player, cryptic. But the most important part of the multiplayer is summoning and invasions. Lets start with invasions. Any player can invade any other players’ game. When you are invaded you will be given a warning that another player has invaded you, they will then appear as a ghostly red apparition. It is then up to you to fight of the enemy invader, or die, depends on how good you are. Although it can be a bit of bitch if haven’t practiced your parry and riposte, which are a good way to ease up the combat if you can get the hand of it. The second part of the multiplayer is more cooperative, summoning. Any player can summon another player via soapstone’s, this feature can be used to help your friends out with difficult boss fights, or they can help you in the same way.

Conclusion: “Dark Souls” is not for the weak. The game is based on figuring out various secrets and different weaknesses of enemies, and will play with your patience if you rush through it. It’s not a game for everyone. The most important thing to remember is this, take your time and figure things out. You will be frustrated during some fights but when you finally win that tough boss fight after 5, 10, 20, or even more tries, you will feel a true sense of achievement.