Current Events > Are the Dark Souls games actually...fun?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've never played these games and this is the main reason. Everyone talks about how hard they are. How challenging, how unforgiving, how fair, etc. They talk about the depressing beauty of it all and so on.

But is it fun to play? I honestly don't care about difficulty. I get very little sense of accomplishment having beaten a difficult game. I just loathe the amount of time it took me to do it generally, unless the game was very fun.

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There are many frustrating elements of the games but the core gameplay is fun, yeah

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I think they have amazing gameplay. The challenge is part of the fun, because it's fair and rewards you for getting good at the game. I actually find games with no challenge boring because the combat is pointless if you don't need to try to win.

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"Fun" isn't the emotion I connect with the games. "Satisfying" is more appropriate. If I want fun I'll play Super Zelda Mario or whatever those games are called.
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I thought so.

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People have fun in overcoming obstacles, probably what I love about the series.

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Is "fun" the only possible emotion games can have?

No other media seems to have this issue.
Like, no one would say "but it isn't fun" as a negative about Schindlers List for example

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I always love the hell out of them when they come out and play through them a few playthroughs immediately after beating them. But whenever I try to replay them again down the road I never get far into it and can't figure out why I'm not enjoying them.
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Their difficulty is honestly overstated. There's just a lack of handholding and they expect you to play by their rules from the get go, as well as expect you to have a heightened awareness of the environment and enemy patterns more than most games, but rarely will you come across situations that are unfair.

As above poster stated, it kind of does come across more as satisfying than fun due to the perceived difficulty and the amount of times you'll be potentially dying. But I find them fun nonetheless. The fashion options are usually tops among non-MMO type RPGs and the builds and weapon options can be quite varied.

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No

There are hard games done right (think super meat boy) and there are hard games done wrongly

Imo, dark souls (1, I haven't played the others) is in the latter category
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ROBANN_88 posted...

Is "fun" the only possible emotion games can have?

No other media seems to have this issue.
Like, no one would say "but it isn't fun" as a negative about Schindlers List for example

If I was having a get together and someone suggested putting on a fun movie I wouldn't argue they should watch Schindlers List because "It's not fun but it's profound"

I'm looking for a fun time

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I once made out during Schindler's List.
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All in all I'd say yea, but not in a typical sense. Like the gameplay is ok, but I honestly don't think its as good as people make it out to be. It accomplishes what it sets out to do, but its just not all that engaging to me.

What I find fun about the series is exploring the world. The enemies and atmosphere are simply unmatched. I always love seeing what horrifying boss I'm going to be fighting next or what the next creepy area will look like. That, and taking down an enemy who fills the screen is what I find fun about it

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most people i met who played the game gave up after a few minutes.

i havent completed any of the games yet but i managed to advance quite a bit on the 1st.

it all boils down to the "git gud" motto: the more you play, the better you get at it. and the more i played it, the more fun i had as well.

I've played very little of the Dark Souls series but I played and finish Demons Souls and it was fucking EPIC

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If you think dying over and over is fun. I do. Great games.

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Yes, the game isnt even that hard. The fun is seeing all the diverse areas and enemies. Finding out how to kill bosses. Discovering lore.

The game gets easier the better gear and weapons you get. Plus if all else fails. Block and Roll

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Tbh I didnt find Dark Souls 1 and 2 to be very fun. Demons Souls, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls 3 are another story, all really amazing games. I guess I just wasnt in the right mood when I played DaS1 and 2.

Oh absolutely dude.

Right from the jump the fun I had in them was figuring out the combat and slowly progressing and feeling myself begin to understand the mechanics. Getting better at the game is such a rewarding feeling. It continues through the entire course of the game as the combat becomes familiar, balancing your attacks and stamina. And developing your character. How you build them and equip them through the game. The game is ripe for experimentation.

Then as you get your legs under you, you get bold and want to explore these absolutely phenomenal levels. Even if no other game matched the MASTER FUCKING CLASS (I can't emphasize this enough( level design of Dark Souls 1. Each one of them is so carefully crafted with secrets and rewards abound. There is nothing like the discovery of a new area, piece of loot, or what have you in the Souls series.

Then you have all the different layers of multiplayer, coop or invasions available. For me suddenly being invaded or just taking down a boss cooperatively adds so much to the experience.

The difficulty is really the icing on the cake though. Because it's so goddamn rewarding to just begin to figure it out and feel yourself get better at the game. It strikes an amazing balance of giving you a challenge while not feeling ridiculous unfair. It makes you so much more invested than any other game because of the balance they've struck. If the game tickles that nerve for you, theres an addiction of getting through a difficult section, seeing what's around that corner or knowing you can beat that boss.

Yeah, don't be fooled into thinking they're just punishing for punishment sake. They're amazingly well designed games that grab people in such amazing ways. There's a reason it's inspired so many clones, it's almost it's own genre at this point.


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ROBANN_88 posted...

Is "fun" the only possible emotion games can have?

No other media seems to have this issue.
Like, no one would say "but it isn't fun" as a negative about Schindlers List for example

this, I do think the Dark Souls games are fun but there is a whole lot more to the series than whether it is amusing or not. personally i find the sense of accomplishment in dark souls fun, but if you're comparing it to like Call of Duty or something then it's a very different experience

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I thought it was really bland and not fun. I love hard games, but the gameplay was just not for me. It honestly felt like a chore for the few hours I played it. I just felt like I should be playing something else.

not saying its a bad game, just not my genre

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I believe they're fun. They're not as hard as they're made out to be once you figure out how to approach its gameplay. You can't breeze through. Most enemies only have 2 or 3 moves, and bosses don't have much more, so it doesn't take long to memorize the movesets.

And most of the harder aspects aren't cheap or unfair either. And its pretty liberal with its checkpoints and losses from dying as well. You WILL die often, but you just sort of...get used to it, I suppose.

They're structured like Metroidvanias, so you might like if you enjoy those.

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Its hard because youre going in blind and you have no idea what youre getting into. Once you master one game the difficulty for the rest of the series are gone. Youll realize everything has a really easy weakness. Plus, every game has something that makes you insanely broken an hour in

its just memorizing movesets

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I don't consider Dark Souls "fun" from moment to moment

But the rush you get the first time you beat Capra Demon, or survive Blight Town, or kill a thunder drake... That's what the game's about

Overcoming adversity gives a much deeper gratification than typical "fun" games like Zelda or Mario

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Yeah, taking down a big boss that has killed you time and time again gives quite a rush. I also personally love exploring the environments as well.

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They are fun. Until the stress eats away at me and Im too panicked to play anymore. But until that point, definitely fun.

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darkprince45 posted...

Its hard because youre going in blind and you have no idea what youre getting into. Once you master one game the difficulty for the rest of the series are gone. Youll realize everything has a really easy weakness. Plus, every game has something that makes you insanely broken an hour in

its just memorizing movesets

Yeah, the first one you play is generally going to be the most difficult one. I played Demon's Souls when it first came out, and had a bit of a rough time with parts of it. I played Bloodborne for the first time last month, and barely had any issues because I knew what to expect at this point.

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Core gameplay is the most fun and addicting Ive played so yeah

the games arent hard for the sake of being hard. Theyre only seen as hard because they remove the hand holding that you get in modern games. Which to me was a worthy risk and made the game stand out. I would relate its difficulty to NES, SNES era of gaming when they didnt give a shit if you thought the game was too hard or not.

So if youre the type of gamer that cant learn or adapt and just like to stroll through with a game that will adjust for you, its not for you. But if you like a decent challenge and figuring out how to beat a certain boss, then the game will be rewarding

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this is the same reason i haven't played any of them, TC
i don't engage recreational activities to get frustrated and if i'm getting frustrated i'm not having fun
i have enough real world accomplishments in play that i don't need to get fulfillment from a game, i just want to enjoy my time

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gna647 posted...

the games arent hard for the sake of being hard. Theyre only seen as hard because they remove the hand holding that you get in modern games. Which to me was a worthy risk and made the game stand out. I would relate its difficulty to NES, SNES era of gaming when they didnt give a shit if you thought the game was too hard or not.

cmon, the games are definitely hard, it's not just that there isnt any hand holding

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Yes, its very rewarding to beat areas and bosses to progrwss the game.

Sense of exploration...variety in enemies. Satisfaction of defeating a challenging boss. I love it all.

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You havent lived until you gain the trust of the host and his team as a dark spirit with a kneel gesture and seed of a giant tree offering. Help them through a tough area. And then turn around and knock them all off a cliff out of nowhere.

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DeadBankerDream posted...

"Fun" isn't the emotion I connect with the games. "Satisfying" is more appropriate. If I want fun I'll play Super Zelda Mario or whatever those games are called.

Funny enough, Mario Maker and Mario rom havks are loaded with levels that evoke the same emotions. They are not fun, they are grindy hell holes littered with pixel perfect jumps, and after spending hours trying to beat a 30 second level, you dont get a sense of fun, you get a sense of satisfaction.

I just find it odd you disparage a game like Mario when, in all honesty, the high end Kaizo stuff is significantly harder then anything Dark Souls offers.

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Exploring the world is a lot of fun and the challenge adds to that fun because you'll find yourself in situations where you don't get to explore further until you figure out how the hell to kill a boss or whatever so when you do figure it out you get to explore more and it's that much more rewarding

Like others have said; exploring the areas, seeing what they have to offer, and finding what baddies lie around the corner and then defeating said baddies is fun. Also the save points add a sense of thrill as you have to decide if you want to keep going to find a new one or go back to previous one which adds to the fun.

i bounced pretty hard off of demon souls, picked up dark souls and loved it. sometimes its just place and time that matters. i kinda thought dark souls was like a 3d castlevania...

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Dark Souls is fun as hell

Yes

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Hmm, I might give it a go then.

That 18 pricetag (on sale!) is putting me off though. Yeah I know it's a remaster but christ it's still a 2011 game.

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pinky0926 posted...

Hmm, I might give it a go then.

That 18 pricetag (on sale!) is putting me off though. Yeah I know it's a remaster but christ it's still a 2011 game.

The Remaster really is a huge upgrade though. There's a lot of quality of life changes and it runs buttery smooth.

As a long time fan of the series, I was genuinely impressed by the upgrade.

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I think Souls games are an emotional rollercoaster to an extent. And most games try to do that through story (which falls short on me 99% of the time) and not gameplay. But you're never steady feeling one waybtoo long while playing a Souls game. It's usually jerking you around. Which keeps people like me invested.

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I would start with DS3. Its the most modern, best looking, least janky DS and you can get the complete edition for $20, maybe less.

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pinky0926 posted...

I've never played these games and this is the main reason. Everyone talks about how hard they are. How challenging, how unforgiving, how fair, etc. They talk about the depressing beauty of it all and so on.

Same.

Seems like Dark Souls is the "super nuclear hot wings" of the video game world, where people more like suffer through them to feel like "ha I'm a badass" when they get through without crying, lol.

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You guys sound like you only listen to what tryhards say.

My boy takes jabs at my for liking to die a lot in games but Sekiro is also his GOTY. From Software isn't the one trick pony you guys like to imagine up. Granted, their is a beginning rough patch. Not like Souls games clicked for me immediately either. Glad I kept trying and didn't just get all in my feelings about it tho.

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They're amazing games but fun isnt the word I'd use to describe them