I have two set of favorite things. From games and Taiji weapons. I have ranked the former and likened the latter to different romantic relationships. I have not done the opposite, so I decided, why the hell not? Or at least take a stab at comparing the former to the latter.
To recap, here is the list of the From games in order of my favorite to least favorite. Of the ones I’ve played, of course. I have not played Demon’s Souls. Yet.
- Dark Souls III
- Elden Ring
- Dark Souls
- Dark Souls II (Scholar of the First Sin)
- Bloodborne
- Sekiro
As I have said ad nauseam, this is not a list of the best From games; it’s a list of my favorites. Which means no one is allowed to argue with me about it! That doesn’t stop people, of course, but that’s neither here nor there. In addition, I would put Dark Souls II (Scholar of the First Sin) ahead of Dark Souls as to which games I’d prefer to play, but Dark Souls is the better game in general.
Now. It’s a bit harder in ranking the Taiji weapons. Also, it’s not just Taiji weapons. The Karambit Form is its own thing and the DeerHorn Knives are from Bagua. I don’t know that form, but I can walk the circle with the DeerHorn Knives. The Sword Form will forever hold a special place in my heart. But….if I were to be totally honest, the Double Saber Form is my favorite. It is just amazing. Followed by the DeerHorn Knives. Which is not Taiji! Then the Sword Form, Fan Form, Dancing Hua-Li Sword Form, Staff/Spear (no form, just drills), Saber Form, and Cane Form. I would put the Karambit Form around the Fan Form, but it’s squishy. If we’re only taking the Taiji weapons forms, then it’s Sword Form, Dancing Hua-Li Sword Form, Saber Form, Double Saber Form, Cane Form, and Fan Form. I think for the process of this purpose, I’m going to swap in the staff/spear for the dancing sword form just because. So we have sword, cane, saber, double saber, fan, and staff/spear. Honestly, I don’t think I can compare the weapons to FromSoft games. I will say that when I mentioned in the RKG Discord all the weapon forms I practiced, one of my buddies said, “Are you an actual Sekiro boss?” Which was hilarious, but not far from wrong! I have a bunvch of tricks in my bag, and I am not afraid to use them.
Actually, that’s not true. I never want to have to use anything I’ve learened in martial arts to defend myself. I do not want to get into a fight, even though that was my initial reason for learning Taiji–in order to defend myself, I mean. I have swagger and used to walk around with a hard attitude. It was a front, and it was enough to keep 90% of people from bothering me. The problem was that I didn’t have anything to back that up. I was a paper tiger, really, and I needed more substance.
I researched several different kinds of martial arts, and I finally decided on Taiji. I knew it would take time to become proficient at it, but I didn’t think I’d need it for self-defense any time soon.
I was right on all accounts. I haven’t needed to physically defined myself AND it’s been good for my health–mental, physical, and emotional. I became more confident in myself, was able to get better at boundaries, and crowds don’t bother me as much (at least not for the old reasons). I will forever credit Taiji for the reasons I’m still alive, too.
If I had to give up Taiji or FromSoft games, well it would be the latter, of course, but it would make me very sad. They both spark joy. I was playing Elden Ring last night for the first time in a while, and it’s just such an amazing game.
The DLC has been announced, so there’s wild speculation as to what it’s going to be about. I don’t know, though I hope it has to do with the shattering, but what I DO know is that it’ll be three times as hard as the main game. That’s how From do with their DLC, and especially in this case, they might want to placate their long-time fans with an extra extra EXTRA hard DLC. That’s their M.O. in general. Their DLCs are b-r-u-t-a-l. Given that some hardcore fans have been grumbling about how easy the game is (unless you truly go solo, without your spirit summon, which makes it too hard according to them because the game is fucking calibrated to be played with the spirit summons. Side note in the parenthetical: FromSoft is allowed to iterate and improve on their formula. All those fanbois who are whining about how From made it to easy for the casual gamers can kiss my ENTIRE yellow ass), so I can see FromSoft throwing them a sop.
From always caters to the hardcore fans in their DLCs. I cried playing The Ringed City DLC of DS III. The Bloodborne DLC is spoken about in hushed tones because of how difficult it is. Sekiro didn’t have proper DLC, which is good because I would have had to play it, and I would have cried the whole way through.
I am so stoked about it. I’m equally stoked about Armored Core VI. Well, not quite equally, but close! Slightly more anticipation for the Elden Ring DLC, but still enthusiastic about Armored Core VI.
I don’t know why, but I see FromSoft games as complementary to my martial arts practice. Taiji, yes, but broadening out to include Bagua. I think it’s because FromSoft games are fucking hard. They takke a lot of intensity and focus. I can play them for hours and get lost in them, but then I feel depleted after a long, hard boss fight. That’s why I’ve learned to pace it over days, like an hour a day, because otherwise ten hours later, I’m completely shattered.
Taiji, on the other hand, is all about relaxation and being chill. It’s not about being fast or hard or doing it perfectly. It’s about rooting and centering yourself, and just chilling the fuck out.
I start my day with an hour of Taiji (now interspersed with Bagua), and it’s a great way to start any day. It’s interesting how some days, I just do the same routine. Other days, I push myself. Right now, I’m in the pushing myself phase. I am teaching myself the left side of the Cane Form and of the Solo (Long) Form. I’m hitting my favorite part of the latter–the kick section, which is at the end of the second section. Apparently, this is the hardest for most people. I love it, though. Then again, I like hard things. That’s why I play From games!
It’s not really. It’s more that I need to be engrossed in what I’m doing. I actually don’t like the relentless grueling nature of the From games. They push at my ceiling and bypass it completely in some cases (*cough* Sekiro *cough*), and it takes me twice as long as most people to finish the games. But the sense of accomplishment after killing a particularly boss is beyond compare.