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The Interconnected World of Dark Souls

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Dark Souls is a special game, flawed, but masterful in some respects. When I finally got around to playing the game this time last year, I was hooked instantly. It made for an immensely memorable first-time experience, because although Dark Souls’ combat and bosses are weaker in comparison to later games by FromSoftware, its strength lies in its interconnected world, something that Miyazaki is yet to replicate, or at the very least, master in the same way that he did in his breakout game.  Finding the path forward is not always obvious, especially because you have no fast travel to rely on, and 3 directions to travel in once reaching Firelink Shrine. Stronger enemies will discourage players from going through certain areas, but the game does not restrict you from doing so. Between the intertwined areas, there are no loading screens allowing the player character to seamlessly travel through the game world. As the player explores further, shortcuts between areas and back to Firelink ...
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The Best Boss in Elden Ring; Messmer the Impaler

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Messmer is my favourite boss in any of the Soulsborne games. Throughout the first half of Elden Ring’s DLC; Shadow of the Erdtree (SOTE), he is foreshadowed as the big bad standing in-wait for you. But when you reach him, a much more tragic tale is unveiled. A son abandoned for lacking the grace of gold due to the power confined within him. A son who did unspeakable things in the name of his mother's cause. When you enter his chamber, he can’t quite believe that his mother (Marika) has sanctioned you, (a tarnished) as her lord. The line “Mother, wouldst thou truly lordship sanction, in one so bereft of light?” will forever live in my head rent free. I spent several hours trying to defeat Messmer, but as each hour passed by, I slowly improved my dodges and whittled his health bar down further. Messmer is an incredibly challenging boss, but his moves feel fair as it’s evident where you have gone wrong by mistiming a dodge or attacking when you shouldn’t have. Once you’ve got his mo...
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The Boss Design of Elden Ring: How to get the most out of the bosses

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The community of Elden Ring has played the biggest role in keeping it alive since 2022, as passionate continue to produce a vast range of content related to the game. My favourite aspect of replaying Elden Ring has been learning how to engage properly with it’s fantastic bosses. It is my belief that the boss lineup and design in Elden Ring is the best of any Soulsborne title. I am yet to complete Sekiro, but from what I have heard, it is not considered a part of the Soulsborne series as it’s not really a spiritual successor to Dark Souls like Elden Ring is.  I find Elden Ring bosses significantly more enjoyable - but also initially more difficult when compared with their predecessors because of how frenetic they are. Players must often dodge several fast attacks before they can get a single hit in, and the player isn’t even awarded faster weapons, or a dodge roll to compensate for boss’s increased speed and combo length. The weapons in Elden ring have a slower move set compared to ...
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The Atmosphere of Bloodborne

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Bloodborne has a brilliant atmosphere and tone. The Victorian-gothic visuals are distinct from the familiar dark fantasy aesthetics of the Dark Souls trilogy. In Bloodborne, the player character isn’t clad in armour, there are no shields to equip, and rarely a traditional sword to wield. You are a hunter of beasts, with a uniform fit for that purpose and mobility prioritised, a key mechanic of Bloodborne’s combat. Starting weapons consist of a ‘Saw Cleaver’, ‘Hunters Axe’ and ‘Threaded Cane’, all vicious in their use to quell the beast scourge, and instead of a shield in their off hand, the player is handed a gun.  The city of Yharnam is where Bloodborne is set, and the player character travels to the city famous for its blood healing, in search of ‘Paleblood’. Yharnam is a more modern and concurrent city compared to the areas in Dark Souls, with things having only gone wrong in the past century or so. In Dark Souls, Lordran’s tragedies occurred in an age long past before the pla...
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FromSoftware's future: Miyazaki's next project after Elden Ring?

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With the success and mainstream popularity of Elden Ring, it's undeniable that FromSoftware are larger than they ever have been. As of June 2024, the developer’s titular game has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, with its DLC Shadow of the Erdtree selling 5 million copies within 3 days of its release in June. These are numbers for a single game that FromSoftware have never come close to before. The question is, where do they go now after this massive success?  Hidetaka Miyazaki, the visionary director behind Elden Ring and its predecessors Bloodborne and the Dark Souls trilogy, has said that it's likely he will hand over the responsibility of director to others for future projects. Thankfully, the president of the company has said that he will continue to direct his own projects, but has stressed the importance of nurturing young talent, and allowing them to proceed with their own vision on games they direct without him overseeing in a supervisory role. This could indicate...
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