Castle Crashers had indeed gained quite a bit of popularity—but that was mostly because, before the end of March, there were virtually no other major releases. The game had conveniently filled that gap.
However, since its content and overall playtime weren't particularly long, the initial buzz naturally faded after about a week.
That was fully within Ichin's expectations.
Once the game went on sale a few times later, sales would climb again anyway. He'd never expected Castle Crashers to sell millions—it was designed to be a smaller hit.
Time passed quickly, and with just one week left before Dark Souls' release, various game media outlets began posting early reviews.
They were light on details, offering only vague impressions—but even so, players managed to glean plenty of useful information from them.
For example: the game wasn't open-world, but rather built around a hub-style "box garden" map structure. Despite not being seamless, the regions were vast and multi-layered.
Enemy variety was rich, and the number of large-scale bosses was impressive—but it was the human-sized bosses that players couldn't afford to underestimate. Some elite NPCs, friendly at first but later turning into powerful enemies, were particularly notorious.
As for combat, players had access to an abundance of weapon arts, spells, and miracles. The higher-level ones were beautifully designed but demanded strong attributes to wield effectively.
Regarding the story and worldbuilding, the reviews remained deliberately vague—media outlets noted they were still studying the lore and would discuss it more deeply in their final verdicts.
Even with the limited information, players could tell the reviewers were impressed. The only common complaint was the same as always—the difficulty.
> "This game is brutal—I keep dying!"
Which, of course, delighted players.
> "Hahaha! Good! No difficulty options, right? That's how it should be!"
> "Exactly! Games nowadays all have easy or story modes—boring as hell."
> "One more week! I can't wait any longer!"
---
At last, on the eve of release, the official media scores dropped:
- IGN: 9.5 / 10
> "A dark and grand world, overflowing with equipment and magic that encourage experimentation. Multiple endings, each leaving a distinct emotional mark.
> Minor downside: the early and mid-game difficulty can be intense. Every new area demands cautious exploration."
- GameSpot: 10 / 10
> "An astonishingly rich world. The death-and-revival system makes every lost soul retrieval a heart-pounding experience.
> Boss encounters are overwhelming in scale and challenge—but conquering them brings an incomparable sense of triumph."
Across the board, big and small media alike awarded Dark Souls 9+ scores, accompanied by long, thoughtful analyses.
While none spoiled the story, they praised its fragmented narrative structure and the epic sense of discovery that emerged when piecing together the lore.
Fragmented storytelling had always been a hallmark of "Souls-like" titles.
During development, Ichin hadn't abandoned that approach—but he'd chosen to make the plot more approachable.
Certain NPCs had expanded dialogue, giving players a better grasp of the fading world after the First Flame and hints of the trials to come through their stories of the Lords and bosses.
Overall, Ichin had been far more considerate toward players this time, adding more weapons, spells, and miracles to support diverse builds—rather than forcing them into a single playstyle like he'd done himself back when he cleared Dark Souls III with just a straight sword.
---
Once all reviews went live, the community exploded with excitement.
Sure, modern gaming journalism had a reputation for "interesting" takes—but these same outlets had reviewed Persona and Titanfall fairly, without drama. So players generally trusted their judgment this time.
As a result, Dark Souls' preorders surged again, surpassing two million copies across all platforms just a day before launch.
The Nintendo Switch version, initially not a major focus, suddenly got attention after media highlighted its stable 30 FPS performance and surprisingly consistent visuals.
After all, portability was the Switch's biggest strength.
Even though the Steam Deck had emerged as competition, its short battery life still limited extended AAA play. The Switch, by comparison, could last noticeably longer.
Looking at the pre-order numbers on his monitor, Ichin stretched lazily, a satisfied grin on his face. He was already looking forward to watching streamers react on launch night.
"Tonight," he thought, "a lot of streamers are going to break down on camera."
The seasoned action gamers might manage, but those jumping on the hype train for views?
He chuckled to himself.
"Let's see how many can't even beat the very first boss—Gundyr, the Abyss Watcher."
Rubbing his chin, Ichin turned toward Utaha, who was busy typing away at her script in the office.
"Utaha, I'm planning to stream tomorrow night—just to watch those streamers' first impressions of Dark Souls. Want to join me?"
Utaha looked up and smiled. "Sure, sounds fun. It'll be a nice way to unwind for a bit."
She had already started drafting her script, and in just a few days she'd be meeting with the director and producers to discuss story structure.
Utaha was the kind of creator whose inspiration came in bursts—once she caught an idea, she wrote fast. And since this drama was right in her comfort zone—romance—it came together effortlessly.
She had already completed all the main character outlines and begun writing the detailed story.
For a 12-episode TV drama, it was much simpler than writing a novel.
Romance scripts didn't need heavy worldbuilding—what mattered most were the relationships between the leads and a series of emotional developments to move the plot forward.
Whether it was a sweet love story, a triangle romance, or a tragic one, Utaha could handle any with ease.
It was now March, and according to her schedule, she planned to finish the script within two months, then spend another month refining it with the production team.
By July, filming would begin.
For the next three months, both Ichin and Utaha were going to be very, very busy.
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