The monsters in the starting area, aside from the missing crystal beast, were all just weaklings—two swings each and they were done.
Ichin's main goal here was only to show off the basic gameplay.
Lighting the bonfire and sitting down, Ichin explained to the stream:
"This bonfire is basically the save point of the game. Whenever you find and light one, then sit down, your healing items will be restored. But at the same time, all the enemies you already defeated will respawn. And when you die, you'll revive at the last bonfire you rested at. So when you're just starting out, make sure you sit at every bonfire you find—otherwise, if you die, you'll have to run all the way back."
It sounded interesting, but the viewers knew they wouldn't truly understand until they tried it themselves.
After clearing the enemies ahead, Ichin pushed open a gate. On the plaza beyond knelt a towering knight, a massive sword thrust through his chest.
"Alright, time to show you the game's very first boss. When the game launches, this guy should still be the one you'll face first."
He walked his character up and pulled the sword out of the knight's chest.
The knight, who had been motionless until now, began to stir and slowly stood.
At the bottom of the screen, a long health bar appeared, along with the name:
Iudex Gundyr, the Ashen Judge.
Even kneeling, Gundyr was taller than the protagonist. Standing, with his hulking frame and long halberd, he looked utterly terrifying.
"So this is a boss? Way different from the trash mobs earlier."
"Now this is interesting. "
"Wonder if he's gonna die here…"
Ichin drew some distance. In fact, while Gundyr was still rising, you could sneak in some early damage—he hadn't removed that mechanic. But since tonight was just a demonstration, he didn't bother.
Blocking Gundyr's first two strikes with his shield, Ichin's stamina bar was instantly emptied, and his HP halved.
"Damn, half my health already?"
"The damage is insane!"
Dodging away, Ichin glanced at the barrage of comments and chuckled:
"High damage is normal. The point of Dark Souls isn't to trade blows with monsters. The real strategy is dodging, or blocking then countering. And of course, if you think the boss hits too hard, you can always level up or change armor for more defense."
In that sense, it wasn't so different from other big-boss games, like Monster Hunter.
Of course, there were "cheese" methods too—like the infamous Havel's Set. With high defense and poise, plus a big enough HP bar, you could just tank hits and brute-force your way through.
This time, though, Ichin planned to raise the stat requirements so it wouldn't break the difficulty curve later on.
Trading blows with Gundyr, Ichin told chat:
"I'll fight him twice—first to show you his moves, then I'll finish him off the second time."
He advanced, attacking while rolling through strikes. No parries—just dodging and countering.
Bit by bit, viewers realized how tricky the boss was.
"Holy crap—slow and fast swings mixed! If you don't dodge at the right moment, you'll get nailed!"
"That range is huge. Blocking eats stamina like crazy. Dodging seems safer."
"Wait, this is the FIRST boss?? I'm doomed. I can't even beat him in my head."
As chat blew up, Ichin whittled Gundyr's health down below half—then Gundyr roared.
To the viewers' shock, black, tar-like matter spewed from his torso, writhing and twisting until half his body transformed into a monstrous form. His left arm elongated into a skeletal limb that supported his hulking mass.
"Alright, phase two. Couple moves in and I'll probably die."
Sure enough, Gundyr's attacks became faster and more savage. After blocking a few hits and shaving off a little health, Ichin was crushed beneath Gundyr's massive leaping slam.
YOU DIED.
The screen faded to black and white. Ichin set down his controller, stretched, and asked with a grin:
"So, what do you all think? Not too hard, right? Just for demo's sake. I've already playtested this boss several times."
After a sip of water, his character respawned at the bonfire. He picked up the controller again.
"Some of you don't believe me, huh? Fine, I'll show you. This boss really isn't tough—as long as you keep a clear head and don't get greedy."
This time, he skipped the trash mobs, sprinting straight to the fog gate.
No hesitation—he rolled cleanly through every swing, counterattacking precisely, cutting down Gundyr's health.
At half HP, Gundyr transformed again. But Ichin seized the opening, slipping in three quick strikes before the boss could act.
He dodged the slam, landed two more hits.
"See? Even though phase two is more aggressive, it also gives you more dodge opportunities. Blocking still works too—just don't chain blocks endlessly."
Calmly narrating, Ichin chipped Gundyr down. At last, with one final, simple light attack, Gundyr collapsed. The black tar retracted, leaving behind the fallen knight's body, which then faded away.
In the plaza's center, a bonfire ignited.
Ichin set the controller down.
"Alright, that's everything I wanted to show. We'll wrap up soon. Before we end, I'll chat a bit more and run a giveaway—some Persona figurines for a few lucky viewers."
He set up the draw and continued answering questions from chat.
"Is the game open world? Not exactly." Ichin shook his head.
"Dark Souls has large maps with vertical areas and exploration, but technically it's a collection of interconnected zones—a sort of semi-open design. Not full open world, but you'll still have plenty to explore, with no shortage of monsters or bosses."
Even though he'd only shown one boss tonight, the audience remembered the trailer had already teased several more.
If the first boss is this well-designed, the later ones must look incredible…
*
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +70 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Thanks for the support! 🙌