Kapitel 93: C93: Arrangements

I carefully considered Dark Souls for this project, mainly focusing on the third part of the series, which marked the finale.

In my previous life, Dark Souls was a vast and intricate series. From its conception to its final installment, closing in the final narrative of revitalizing the flame, it unfolded an epic account of The Age of Fire.

Among all the installments, the first and third games stood out the most, primarily because the second game wasn't led by Hidetaka Miyazaki. While he did act as a supervisor, he chose to step back and allow another team to explore their own vision for the series, giving them creative freedom. The second installment focused heavily on ramping up difficulty by overwhelming players with enemies, which made it less popular compared to the other two.

I decided to develop Dark Souls 3. The logic was simple: by the third installment, the Souls series had reached a point of maturity. Its narrative depth was complete.

For instance, in Demon's Souls, the original game in the series, many players found it either tougher or easier than Dark Souls 3, depending on their perspective. But the challenge in that game didn't necessarily come from the boss battles. It was more about punitive map designs and intentionally hostile mechanics.

In contrast, Dark Souls is a more structured, level-driven game. In fact, the third installment is easier compared to the first. The third game is undeniably the most beginner-friendly entry in the series.

If I were to rank the Souls games created by Miyazaki, excluding Dark Souls 2 and Demon's Souls, which, while groundbreaking, was still a bit rough with pointy edges, Dark Souls 3 would be considered the easiest compared to Dark Souls 1, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. And this isn't just my opinion—Miyazaki himself mentioned in an interview with Famitsu that he set the difficulty bar intentionally lower for Dark Souls 3.

Unlike Dark Souls 1, where players could easily wander into high-level areas early on, Dark Souls 3 offers a more thoughtful progression, following a learning, testing, and mastery cycle that is paced naturally.

This is why it was also the highest-selling game in the series.

Of course, Dark Souls 1 is still more challenging than Demon's Souls because, as an earlier title, Demon's Souls was limited by the resources available at the time and took a more experimental approach to design—mostly referring to the map structure design used in Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

The model of the Mobius ring was adopted. This approach later became a defining feature of the Souls series and has been retained ever since.

It can be said that Hidetaka Miyazaki's Souls games achieved some breakthrough innovations, very similar to how Zelda: Ocarina of Time set the specifications for 3D games. Souls games were born with their own distinct identity from the start.

Elements like rolling, using shields, backstabbing, grappling hooks, blocking, and even the fragmented map design were not original creations of Dark Souls. However, its achievement lies in how these elements combined to create a game with a completely unique style.

The idea that Souls games are hard is a superficial impression. If you believe that difficulty is the key focus, you're looking from the wrong perspective.

It was precisely for these reasons, along with considering the gaming abilities of players in parallel worlds, that I chose Dark Souls III as the next project to develop. Another reason is that, from a development standpoint, a level-driven game like this is simpler than many others.

As a project that will make the Neon game, I had to consider its impact on our reputation. Souls-based games, with their distinctive charm, were the perfect fit. The live-streaming industry in this parallel world is far more advanced than in my previous life, and a game like Dark Souls thrives in that environment, gaining immense popularity through live streams.

In my previous life, games like Dark Souls III and Sekiro were incredibly popular in my country, largely due to the growth of the live-stream and video industries. The plot of a Souls game isn't much of a concern, as the level design takes priority over the narrative. That said, fragmented storytelling remains a hallmark of Souls-based games.

Unless you're exceptionally talented, it's almost impossible to grasp the full story of a Souls game in just one play through. After completing the game once, you'll only have a rough understanding. Many plot details are hidden throughout the game and require players to piece them together.

This results in the unique narrative of the Souls series—each player develops their own interpretation of the story. With so much world-building and plot scattered throughout the game, it often requires deep exploration to uncover the full picture.

Later on, the story of Dark Souls was constantly explored and studied by players. Leading to the development of a concept known as the spiritualist trope.

As Dark Souls III wraps up the story of the Age of Fire, I can present this to players through flashbacks. Some tributes in the game, along with Easter egg-style elements, will serve as foreshadowing for future prequels.

I leaned back in my chair in the Neon Games office, eyes closed, contemplating the next direction for Dark Souls. As for the design concept drafts for the gameplay, I'm not in a rush. Even though I'm fully invested in the project, development will still take some time to prepare.

In the meantime, the points I accumulated from Overcooked a few months ago can be used to improve my skills across the board. I'll also see if I can snag some useful items.

Three Kingdoms and JellyMan, however, haven't earned many points yet, as both games were officially launched only after the gameplay exhibition ended. There hasn't been much time for them to accumulate significant data.

After sorting out my thoughts on the future of Dark Souls, I opened the browser and the Neon game platform's backend to check on the performance of JellyMan and Three Kingdoms.

As Neon Games' first AAA title, Dark Souls is a long-term project. While players have shown great enthusiasm, all I can do for now is assure them that I'm working on it.

For the time being, Three Kingdoms and JellyMan will be the mainstays of Neon Games.

It's not just me. Many other game designers in the industry are watching these two games closely. During the gameplay exhibition, they made quite an impression, and now developers and publishers alike are keeping a close eye on their post-launch performance.

A game's success isn't determined solely by its popularity; it's the revenue and sales that truly define whether a game succeeds or fails.

Spiritualist troupe-Well, I never knew it existed.

The "spiritualist trope" in Dark Souls refers to a concept or theme that emerged through player interpretations and analysis of the series' story and world. It's not an official term from the game's creators but rather something that players and theorists in the community coined as they explored the deeper meanings and metaphysical aspects of the game.