I love this reactive sort of design, and it takes me back to Dark And Darker Gold shooting hatchets out of the air in Resident Evil 4 or being unable to climb slippery rock faces when it's raining in Breath of the Wild. It's a simulationist sensibility that I haven't seen in many recent Western RPGs, with the exception of Larian's commitment to slapstick antics in the Divinity series.
Walker continues to plug away at Mortal Crux, with the game seeming to dominate most of his spare time. I asked if Elden Ring had changed how the developer might approach a Soulslike, but development eats up so much of his attention he still hasn't checked out FromSoft's monster blockbuster and our 2022 Game of the Year. Mortal Crux does not yet have a set release date, but you can wishlist the game on Steam.
Maligned by fans initially, FromSoft's sequel has become one of the main blueprints for the soulslike genre.
It would be hard to overstate Dark Souls' influence at this point, spawning not only its own subgenre but altering the sensibilities of a broad array of games outside of the soulslike mould.
If you ask me, the results have been mixed—partly, I think, because it's difficult to define the game's formula and the source of its success. Then there are the sequels, which have caused endless debates about which is the greatest of the Dark Souls trilogy. One thing usually gets agreed upon though: it isn't Dark Souls 2.
The original game is lauded for a lot of different things, but one element that elevates it above its peers is its much talked about world design. From the Undead Burg to Sen's Fortress and the depths of The Tomb of Giants, Dark Souls has a landscape that folds back on itself, connecting each space in surprising ways that nonetheless enrich the understanding of its story.
The vertical nature of it, one area stacked upon another, remains uniquely captivating. It's the only game I know of whose world can be so evocatively encapsulated by cheap Dark And Darker Gold a single, striking map. It truly makes you feel like there's hundreds of feet of rock above you when you're trapped deep below the earth.
Walker continues to plug away at Mortal Crux, with the game seeming to dominate most of his spare time. I asked if Elden Ring had changed how the developer might approach a Soulslike, but development eats up so much of his attention he still hasn't checked out FromSoft's monster blockbuster and our 2022 Game of the Year. Mortal Crux does not yet have a set release date, but you can wishlist the game on Steam.
Maligned by fans initially, FromSoft's sequel has become one of the main blueprints for the soulslike genre.
It would be hard to overstate Dark Souls' influence at this point, spawning not only its own subgenre but altering the sensibilities of a broad array of games outside of the soulslike mould.
If you ask me, the results have been mixed—partly, I think, because it's difficult to define the game's formula and the source of its success. Then there are the sequels, which have caused endless debates about which is the greatest of the Dark Souls trilogy. One thing usually gets agreed upon though: it isn't Dark Souls 2.
The original game is lauded for a lot of different things, but one element that elevates it above its peers is its much talked about world design. From the Undead Burg to Sen's Fortress and the depths of The Tomb of Giants, Dark Souls has a landscape that folds back on itself, connecting each space in surprising ways that nonetheless enrich the understanding of its story.
The vertical nature of it, one area stacked upon another, remains uniquely captivating. It's the only game I know of whose world can be so evocatively encapsulated by cheap Dark And Darker Gold a single, striking map. It truly makes you feel like there's hundreds of feet of rock above you when you're trapped deep below the earth.
Comments (0)