Chapter 186: A Thousand Undead, A Thousand Dark Souls Stories
Just like in the original Dark Souls, after the release of the prequel, First Flame Age, many players also complained online. The main complaint was that the bonfire could not be used for teleportation.
"Ah, I'm dying to! Why can't the bonfire in this game be used to teleport? I'm trapped in Blighttown!".
"Same! I'm lost and I can't find my way back to the Firelink Shrine!".
"Exactly, +1 for being lost! Why cancel the bonfire?".
"Ahem, let me explain, the bonfire has not been canceled. After you get to the royal city, you can start teleporting after you meet the Princess of the Sun and get the royal artifact."
"I also read that strategy post, and I have to say that the Princess of the Sun is really great!".
"Oh, so great, she has several things!".
"Hehe, it's regular, not much."
"But to be honest, when fighting the Chaos Witch Quelaag, the animation was so exciting that I couldn't help it!".
"Damn it! Good for you, brother, you can't help it even if there's a spider's body underneath!".
"Players, don't deviate the conversation, isn't it because of the bonfire?".
"To be honest, at first I wasn't used to the lack of bonfires, but then I discovered that the map design in Dark Souls: First Flame is absolutely incredible, with all kinds of routes that extend in all directions."
"+1, the Firelink Shrine connects with the Undead Parish outside the city, the Little Londo ruins, the catacombs, and other places. It's a marvel!".
"Yes, new players can consult the maps and guides that the big guys post online. Although there is no teleportation, there are several shortcuts, so it is still quite easy to get started."
"That's right, don't believe those who say that not reading the guide and preserving the original essence is the perfect experience. Dark Souls is not a narrative game. The first round is when your enthusiasm reaches its maximum splendor. Read the guide to avoid detours and don't regret your first adventure in the Firelink!".
"+1. Thanks to reading the guide I saved my Sun from going crazy!".
"Maps and gigantic boss guides! What good are they? The big guys have already faced famous bosses like the Grave Lord Nito, the Witch, and Artorias, and I'm still suffering in Blighttown!".
As a sequel, many players have already understood the true nature of Dark Souls. So, although there are many complaints, there are also many more who support it. In addition, as players experience it, they discover the exquisiteness of the game's maps, and the praise increases.
Meanwhile, in the player communities and the main live streaming platforms, Dark Souls: First Flame, a prequel, has also become a viral hit.
After all, its intrinsically masochistic hardcore nature makes it a particularly effective platform for live streaming. Along with the popularity of the previous game, despite being more difficult than its predecessor, Dark Souls: First Flame has had a good performance in terms of sales, selling 2.4 million copies in its first week in the United States and 3.1 million copies abroad. The buzz around it has also skyrocketed, far exceeding the sales figures.
Alex is not surprised by this. After all, Dark Souls itself is still a hardcore game. This inevitably leads most players to choose to watch it instead of playing it themselves. Even if the game's difficulty curve is well balanced and most players can complete it with perseverance, persistence itself is a difficult feat.
However, for true Dark Souls fans, especially those focused on the story, it is a revelation.
Dark Souls: Age of First Flame further expands the Dark Souls universe and answers many questions. Of course, due to the nature of the game, there are no definitive answers, which leaves players, to a large extent, at the mercy of their imagination in the various empty spaces. Each one has their own version of Dark Souls, each with their own interpretation.
The question of whether to spread or extinguish the fire permeates the entire game, a dilemma shared by all players.
From the content of the game, players can intuit that the extinction of the flame will, ultimately, be the end. In Dark Souls: The Age of the First Flame, if the player decides to pass the fire, they can see that the first fire at that moment is like a huge sun of a furnace.
However, in the previous game, if the player decided to pass the Flame, there was only a small flame left. This suggests that if the Flame continues, it will eventually go out.
Many players also have different opinions on whether the Flame is actually a scam. Beyond simply believing that it was a scam by Gwyn, some have also proposed bold hypotheses.
The opening scene features four characters who have obtained the King's Soul. In addition to the three known gods: the Sun King Gwyn, the Witch of Izalith, and Nito, there is also a little-known dwarf. The game speculates that this dwarf is very likely the ancestor of humanity. If Gwyn and the other two obtained the King's Soul, is it possible that the fire that the dwarves obtained was actually the Dark Soul, which was then distributed among many humans, which could contribute to the absence of the dwarves from the war?
In Dark Souls: Age of First Flame, we see an introduction to human nature: "If the soul is the source of all life, what is this human nature that only humans possess?". This also suggests that humanity is the Dark Soul.
So, what exactly is the power of the Dark Soul? It is safe to assume that the Dark Soul and the Abyss are inextricably linked. The descriptions of the Dark Arts in the game reveal that they are mixed with intense human emotions.
Anger, sadness, love, jealousy, greed: it is these powerful emotions that intensify the energy, once pure, of the soul. This could be the true power of the Dark Soul: intense emotion, or perhaps desire.
The introduction of the soul of Manus also offers a perspective. Manus was once a man of steel, but now his soul is stained with humanity, a sticky mass of humanity. It can be speculated that the power granted to humanity by the Dark Soul comes from humanity's deepest desires. It is for this reason that the fragments of the Dark Soul are called humanity.
Both the gods and the dwarves feared that the Dark Soul would get out of control and create the Abyss. So they used the First Flame to create a Flame Seal, extending its power throughout the world and extending the Flame Seal to every human being. This cycle, like a curse, forever haunts those who harbor the Dark Soul.
But one day, the First Flame will die, so each king sought a solution. Gwyn, the King of the Gods, leading by example, was the first to transmit the Flame, sacrificing himself to maintain the Age of Fire and the Flame Seal, precisely to curb the devastation of the Dark Soul. A sorceress tried to create the First Flame, but was devoured by Chaos, becoming the source of demonic power.
But just as the ancient overthrow of a corrupt dynasty established a new one, over time, the dragon hunters became dragons. Countless years later, the protoss used the undead to transmit the Flame, not to curb the devastation of the Dark Soul and the appearance of the Abyss, but simply to safeguard the eternal survival of the protoss.
Of course, after the appearance of these ideas by some players, new skeptics emerged, who always found evidence to support them. The theorists scrutinized the game forums, analyzing every word and punctuation mark to prove that their theories and endings were correct.
Common players, on the other hand, simply watched for fun, wondering what the true story was.
A thousand undead, a thousand stories about the world of Dark Souls. Each player has their own interpretation of the plot.
In addition, unlike the main story, the characters presented in the prequel are the ones who immerse players in the game and deeply move them. The first to help the player is the Sun Knight, Solaire. Just like the player, Solaire seeks the mission of the undead. He praises and venerates the sun, wishing to shine like it.
However, unlike the player, if the conditions are not met in one of the bad endings, Solaire goes crazy and kills him, revealing his equipment. This is ordinary and lacks divine power, and the sun that represents it is just a painting. He relies solely on his tenacious will to move forward.
However, if the conditions are met, a shortcut to the ruined city of Izalith is unlocked in advance, and all the sun worms are previously eliminated, saving Solaire. Although Solaire seems disheartened and discouraged, he finally regains his spirits and joins the player to complete the mission of the undead and, finally, challenge Gwyn.
A gesture of praise to the sun is, without a doubt, the most dazzling presence in Lordran.
In addition, there is Artorias, who fought alone against the Abyss, signing a pact with the monsters of the Abyss to save Oolacile and the entire world from being devoured by it, obtaining the ability to walk freely in it.
Gilgamesh, who killed the Fire Keeper, and the disheartened brother, who, inspired by the protagonist, achieved fame, but became a zombie in the ruins of Anor Londo.
The gentle white spider, Quelaag, the Onion Brother, Gwyndolin...
It can be said that each NPC and boss has a deeply moving story. This is just my personal opinion and I apologize for the inconvenience.
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