Chapter 93: Dark Souls Arrangement
Alex carefully considered the decision to develop Dark Souls, or perhaps the third game in the final chapter of the Dark Souls series.
Dark Souls, in its previous incarnation, was an expansive series. From the original to the third installment, the Dark Souls series told players a grand epic story about the Age of Fire. The first and third installments left a particularly deep impression on players.
This was mainly because the second installment was not personally directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, and many players criticized it for its often heavy-handed approach to difficulty. That is why the second installment is not as well-known as the first and third.
As for Alex's decision to develop Dark Souls III, the reason is simple. For the third installment, the concept of the Souls-style game had matured. For example, Demon's Souls, the original Souls game, was considered by many players more difficult than Dark Souls III, while others found it easier.
However, Demon's Souls' difficulty did not lie in boss battles, but in its inhumane design and hostile maps.
Dark Souls, on the other hand, is a standard level-based game, even a memorization one. Many players consider Dark Souls III easier than the original, and this is entirely reasonable. Dark Souls III is, without a doubt, the most beginner-friendly Souls game.
If we were to rank Hidetaka Miyazaki's Souls games, we would temporarily discard Dark Souls II, which he did not personally create, and Demon's Souls, Miyazaki's first attempt at a Souls game, which still had many immature concepts. Dark Souls III is arguably the easiest compared to Dark Souls I, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. (Do not argue, ask Miyazaki Hidetaka your comment, as he himself said so in an interview with Famitsu about the Circle.)
Unlike Dark Souls I, which immediately had players wandering through the center of Firelink Shrine and then venturing into advanced areas, Dark Souls III offers a very thoughtful pace, roughly following a study-exam-graduation-study-exam pattern, a gradual progression. As a result, Dark Souls III is the best-selling Souls-type game to date.
Of course, the difficulty of Dark Souls I is similar to that of Demon's Souls, as it is one of the earlier installments in the Souls series. However, there is a slight difference from Demon's maps.
Due to limited funding at the time, Dark Souls I employed a rather clever approach. Taking inspiration from Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the map design incorporated a Möbius strip pattern. This became a key selling point of the Souls series and has been preserved to this day.
It could be argued that if one were to cite an innovative achievement in Miyazaki's Souls-type games, perhaps one like Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which set the standards for 3D games, the Souls-type series lacks this.
All these features were already established. Rolls, shield parries, backstabs, grabs, parries, map design, and fragmented stories were not original to Souls-type games. However, their greatest strength lies in integrating these existing features to create a unique and distinctive gameplay style.
The term "difficult" is simply a superficial label. Assuming that Souls-type games are inherently difficult is simply a mistake. Precisely for these reasons, player tolerance for alternate worlds is taken into account.
Alex chose Dark Souls III as his next project. Of course, another reason was that, being a level-based game, it is easier to develop than a typical game. Furthermore, as a project to consolidate the reputation of the Nebula gaming platform, virality was an indispensable factor.
Souls-style games, with their unique charm, are clearly a more suitable choice. After all, the live streaming industry in this parallel world is much more developed than in its predecessor. Games like Dark Souls have also achieved great popularity through live streaming platforms.
The phenomenal popularity of Dark Souls III and Sekiro in the Western market is inextricably linked to the development of the live streaming and video industries.
As for the plot, it poses no problem, as Souls-style games focus more on level design than on plot. Of course, fragmented narrative is still a key feature of Souls-style games. Unless you are a talented player, it is practically impossible to fully comprehend the story of a Souls-style game in a single playthrough.
Even after completing the first playthrough, you will only have a general understanding. Much of the plot is not directly revealed during gameplay, but is hidden throughout, requiring players to piece it together.
This is what gives the Souls series its unique charm: every player has a thousand perspectives. Each has a unique understanding of the Dark Souls story. Since much of the story and worldview are fragmented throughout the game, deep investigation is often required to even grasp the general direction of the story.
Consequently, the Dark Souls story has been constantly explored and deepened by players, even giving rise to the concept of "lore-masters" or "plot theorists."
As a story of the end of the Age of Fire, Dark Souls III could easily be presented to players in a flashback format. Simply addressing the game's homages and easter eggs would serve as a prelude to the prequel.
In Nebula Games' office, Alex leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, pondering Dark Souls' next direction.
As for gameplay design concepts, Alex was not in a hurry for now. Even if he finished them now, the project still required some preparation. Meanwhile, the points accumulated in Overcooked since the beginning of the year would be a good opportunity to obtain a large number of bonuses to improve various skills and, potentially, get good items.
As for Three Kingdoms Tactics and Fall Guys, they still did not offer many points. Since these two games were not officially launched until after the Game Expo, they also did not offer many points.
After reflecting on the future of Dark Souls, Alex opened his browser and the Nebula Game Platform backend to monitor the performance of Fall Guys and Three Kingdoms Tactics.
As Nebula Games' first AAA game, Dark Souls is a long-term project. While players expressed great anticipation, he could only express his commitment to the project. Three Kingdoms Tactics and Fall Guys will be the pillars of Nebula Games for the foreseeable future.
And it wasn't just Alex himself. Many game designers in the industry had been closely following Three Kingdoms Tactics and Fall Guys. After all, these two games were incredibly popular during the Game Expo. Many game designers and developers also closely followed the data from their official launches.
A game's success is not simply based on hype; revenue and sales are the key factors that determine it.
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