ive decided i prefer the fanon explanation for the hated elevator and other weird area transitions that itās dream logic/you losing your memories and blurring the boundaries between places. Who cares if thatās intended or not, itās how it ends up feeling
i like the trek from heideās tower to no manās wharf that takes you well below sea level. and then the trip from the wharf that unceremoniously deposits you thirty feet away from the ship on a dock right after the load screen ends
it rules when Bloodborne leans into this with the carriage ride to cainhurst
I feel like Bloodborne has more precedent for this kinda non-linear world connection given that it is literally a dream.
The same defense for DS2 always felt like bending over backwards to cover up what is clearly troubled development leading to priorities being elsewhere. Why canāt that part of DS2 just be crap? It is quite experimental and interesting in other areas.
the swamp elevator to iron volcano hell transition is classic. itās up there with the streets of rage 2 pitchers mound elevator to underground wrestle hell
Not saying itās not crap, just saying that to me itās crap in a way that creates an interesting effect and coincidentally fits the intended themes of the game, so i end up liking it. To be fair, for every magical-feeling unusual transition thereās also one thatās like, a few hallways, an elevator, and a door that opens real slowly that you canāt duck under
yeah I mean idk at its worst it sucks in a very charming way
Itās because DkS2 is actually more dreamlike than Bloodborne. I sometimes recall an area from DkS2 and cannot quite pin down where and when I saw it, and briefly wonder whether I somehow imagined it from ur-Dark-Souls elements myself.
I think I probably approached DS2 with the connective mindset of DS1 and never warmed up to the dream-world idea. I can see the appeal but could never find the āevidenceā or indication of it personally but perhaps Iām approaching it with other esoteric values in mind. Iāve not seen a series that so drastically reveals what a given player values about games. Ask anyone to rank them and you get completely different opinions every time.
On launch (of DS2) I remember how these games were absolutely torn to shreds by a locust swarm of opinions and youtubers trying to unpick and nitpick every single thing. Itās part of whatās led to a fatigue with the series for me. DS2 feels like a victim of comparative analysis that leads to strange connections and qualifiers when it really stands quite well as its own thing. As a direct sequel to DS1 itās a bit weird but I definitely enjoyed it. At the time of release it felt like some people legitimately wanted to take From to court.
Let us not mention Lightinggate
i forget the lore exactly but wasnāt there some insinuation that Drangleic was formed as a kind of composite of different lands and time periods, all drawn in by the same vortex? i know the idea of convoluted time in these games was mostly introduced as a way to explain the online features, although iāve also seen it invoked by the collectorās edition guide in regards to world lore:
If this knight truly is from the ancient land of Heide, is it possible that time distortion explains his presence? (source)
(also! it turns out the Heide Knights still show up in three different locations in both versions of the game)
Dark Souls 3 of course becomes very direct about the concept of lands converging physically; whether or not thatās an excuse for geographical nonsensicality in either game is up to you. in 2 however it very much feels to me like youāre travelling between (betwixt?) isolated bubbles, each suspended in their own detached sense of time. listening to the ghost of Chancellor Wellager flit in and out of the present and question whether heās dreaming was one of the more quieting moments of the game and reinforces the feeling of lostness you have upon reaching the castle. and the presence of literal time travel with the Giant Memories of course taps into those same ideas.
itās almost as if the game delights in any time the skybox is not visible to potentially confuse you about where you are, and not just in the transitions - Maughlinās shop in Majula is very confusingly built into a cliff only slightly taller than its constructed rooftop, making the space inside larger than it appears on the outside. and Majula itself is situated as to give you this grand view including several game landmarks, yet the only ways out are through tight, enclosed tunnels that seem as if they were punctured into it. after the tangible, persistent geography of the first game, Dark Souls 2 seems determined to constantly challenge how much you actually can know about your surroundings
The specific ways in which Dark Souls 2ās environments feel cheap and rushed ā the flat lighting, the sparsely-propped interiors that read like art galleries, the forests and plains with so little vegetation theyāre deserts, the creeping fog line ā more than anything it calls back to the Kingās Field games and an era when Fromās reach exceeded its grasp.
I fell in love with Demonās Souls on hearing the PSX-era THONK as the cursor paged through chunky masonry encasing menu items. Dark Souls 2 similarly refuses the present in its stagey, hollow levels. Itās not a full success but it forms the gameās identity, and it suits the world of characters and locations washed ashore in a clumped, rotting mess.
Dark Souls 2 ultimately is poopyballs and thatās essentially why people hate it and love it thanks for listening Iām glad we could all be here for this
Wasnāt really anything more compelling than Darks 2 to play during its moment, I donāt resent the experience. I liked learning about ReShade bollocks
Hmm all this DS2 talk reminds me of that āE3 Prototype Darknessā mod that someone is/was working on, and would be a perfect way to revisit Dranglaic in all its incongruous geography
Anyone know if itās been finished yet?
OH MY GOD
low soul lvl noob seeking hack griefing ganker
Please lie down on the couch Mr. Miyazaki.
I think Iāve seen youtube channels that Miyazaki would like
yo sounds like i should fire up my building crushess account again on flickr and message this dude