It wasn't just Ben, Zack, and Hannah—every player who bought Dark Souls right at launch was completely bewildered.
Some even wondered if they were playing the game wrong.
Because it felt way too cruel.
Dark Souls players basically went through four emotional stages.
First came the excitement before starting, full of joy and eager to pass on the so-called "flame of hope" and become the fire keeper.
Then came the crystal lizard and Iudex Gundyr, who beat them so badly they didn't know what was going on.
But after stubbornly pushing through and finally defeating Gundyr, players regained their confidence and looked forward to the journey ahead.
Then they reached the High Wall of Lothric and started questioning their life choices.
Because once there, they fully understood the game's tone: except for the crystal lizards—nicknamed "Porsches" by players—anything that could move and was an enemy could kill them.
Sure, you could kill small enemies in three or four hits, maybe five.
But they could kill you just as easily.
In the game, you felt like you were made of glass—shatter on contact.
And if you wore a full set of armor? That just meant you were glass wrapped in a plastic bag.
Basically, any monster could end you.
Even the weakest-looking hollows.
Face two or three of them at once without skill, and you'd still die in the street.
In the game, players can also fully experience the level design that's packed with bad intentions.
Just after taking down a group of enemies and happily moving forward, you turn the corner and a hollow with a short sword comes charging at you.
When you see there's only one enemy ahead and think it's no big deal, there are actually a few more hiding in the shadows, waiting to ambush you.
And what really crosses the line for many players is that the very first treasure chest you see in Lothric High Wall turns out to be a mimic.
Almost every player who encounters this thing for the first time ends up losing their life.
And there are plenty more traps like that in the game—fire-breathing dragons on bridges, Lothric knights in corridors, pus of man on rooftops, and spear knights waiting inside rooms.
Eventually, you reach a courtyard full of corpses, where a big, axe-wielding Winged Knight shows you what cruelty really means.
The second wave of players had it a little better thanks to the game's message and bloodstain system.
Players can leave messages in certain spots to warn others.
And when a player dies, a bloodstain appears on the ground where they fell, serving as a warning for those who come after.
So when later players reached the mimic room and saw the floor covered in bloodstains, they usually got suspicious.
But for the first-time pioneers, there was no such luck.
Everything they faced was unknown.
Of course, the "veterans" would also leave messages.
The only problem is, some are true and some are fake.
For example, in the mimic room, a player who got tricked before might leave a warning saying "Beware of chest," making later players more cautious.
But others would be more mischievous and leave something vague like "Great treasure ahead."
Even though messages can be rated up or down, sometimes it doesn't really help much.
For impatient players who don't think too much, they just end up following in the footsteps of those before them.
On the flip side, the message system is one of the main reasons many players keep going in Dark Souls.
Because from these messages, they realize they're not the only ones suffering in this world.
It's just human nature—if you suffer alone, it feels much heavier and lonelier.
But if you know there are others going through the same pain, maybe even worse than you,
It somehow becomes easier to endure.
Of course, just because it eases your mind doesn't mean you can skip the suffering.
In this game, if you think you can beat an enemy, you might not be able to.
And if you think you can't beat one, you definitely can't.
One of the most soul-crushing parts of the game is that once you finally kill an enemy, it will respawn if you rest or travel at a bonfire.
And then there are your souls—your money and experience in the game.
In other ARPGs, these are valuable treasures. In Dark Souls, they can feel like a burden.
If you're carrying a large number of souls but not enough to level up,
It becomes a heavy load on your mind.
Because if you die, you drop all of them, and if you die again before picking them up, they're gone forever.
After suffering both physically and mentally in Lothric, many players head back to Firelink Shrine to admire the Fire Keeper's figure and imagine the beautiful face behind her mask.
Hearing her gentle voice lines in the game instantly brings back their will to link the fire.
The only annoying thing is that right outside Firelink Shrine, there's the katana guy "Master."
And inside the shrine, sitting on the stairs, there's Hawkwood, always spreading negativity.
Some players, already frustrated after repeated beatings, snap when they see Hawkwood talking gloom again and cut him down on the spot.
If they're not going to link the fire, fine—but why spread so much negativity every day?
You might not be able to take down the katana master outside, but you can at least deal with this guy!
After three hits, he turns hostile, and players soon realize they really can't deal with him.
Rolling, drinking Estus, parrying—this "Discouraged Bro" has mastered it all.
Seeing the dumbfounded players, Discouraged Bro grins wickedly: "I hear you call me Discouraged Bro, huh? Today I'll show you that the name has another meaning!"
And once he's hostile, players don't even get a chance to make amends—show up at Firelink Shrine and he'll hunt you down on sight.
What? You say it's a misunderstanding?
Once, I'll say it's a slip of the hand. Twice, maybe you were just messing around. But three swings in a row and you still call it a misunderstanding?
Come on! Let's dance in the street together!
Also, if you hit the blacksmith or the old lady who sells items, they won't turn hostile and will respawn later.
But the blacksmith will straight-up refuse to serve you, and if you kill the old lady once, she'll still sell you stuff—but at… well, a "special" price.
You can technically atone later in the sewers of another map using souls.
But right now, players have no clue about that.
And even if they did, it wouldn't help much—never mind whether they can even get there, the number of souls needed to atone is a pain they can't bear.
Many players end up deleting their save out of despair.
If it happens early in the game, it's definitely a feature that scares players away.
But for players who have already beaten Iudex Gundyr and reached Firelink Shrine, a certain trait has already quietly awakened.
They might feel despair, but at the same time, there's this strange thrill.
After all, being able to attack NPCs and trigger follow-up consequences—this kind of feature is pretty rare in other games.
Of course, besides the players who have awakened to that trait, there are plenty of others who came ready to kindle the First Flame, only to get schooled and rage-quit, venting their anger on forums and communities.
"Damn, damn, Lucas is straight-up taking revenge on the world! Dark Souls' difficulty is just malicious!"
"+1, players who don't like suffering should never buy this, I'm mentally broken!"
"I thought it was going to be a hack-and-slash game, and I guess it is—except the monsters are the ones hacking me!"
"It's an old joke, but I still have to say it—'Warrior of Love,' hahahahaha…"
Many players who quit after being crushed warn those who haven't bought it yet.
But some players argue back.
Their reasoning is simple—they want more people to jump in and experience the same pain they did, just like with Outlast back in the day.
Of course, not all of them are just trolling or trying to mess with others.
Some players who have unlocked a certain "special" trait are genuinely drawn in by Dark Souls' art design, its mysterious world-building, and its tense, thrilling boss fights.
"To be fair, the Nebula Games platform tags for Dark Souls clearly say it's high difficulty. Compared to most ARPGs, it's just a little more hardcore, but there's no need to exaggerate it so much, right?"
"Yeah, when did Lucas ever say it was a hack-and-slash game? Didn't he say it's all about how players approach it?"
"+1, it's an action game. Those who get it, get it. Those who don't, well, nothing we can do."
"I strongly recommend everyone try it out. The Fire Keeper in Firelink Shrine is so beautiful—I hereby declare she's my wife!"
"Bro above, your wife is awesome!"
Still, for now, the players who complain and criticize make up the bigger crowd.
(End of The Chapter)
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