I have been a FromSoft fan for over a decade. I hated the first Dark Souls game when I finished it (Prepare to Try Edition, which included the DLC, and I vowed never to have anything to do with it again. Even playing it was fraught as I almost-quit several time and rage-quit once. I didn’t play it for a year, and then went back to it when I decided I wanted to try to play the sequel.
I know I could have played the sequel without playing the first game, but that’s not my style. I would have felt weird the entire time, so I went back to start the first game over and trudged my way through. I managed to do it plus the DLC in 150 hours. Yes, it took me that long because I am that shit at the games.
But I fucking did it. And I vowed never to play the game again.
That’s a joke as I’ve played the first game at least a dozen times. I’ve started it more than that, but I usually quit halfway through. I have the plat, and when the remaster came out, I sailed through it. I went from struggling with every area and every boss to one-or-two-shotting all the bosses. I played most of the game offline because on launch day, there was a PC hacker who invaded people’s worlds and killed Andre, the first and very important blacksmith. He (and let’s face it. It was overwhelmingly likely the hacker was a he) had done it to several people, and when I found that out, I immediately quit out of that game and started a new one.
Why? Because Andre is very important, and, yes, there is a way to bring him back, but it was laborious and would take some time.I decided it would be easier to start another game and race my way to where I was, playing off line so I could not be invaded.
That’s when it struck me that I was actually decent at the games because that was my conclusion rather than raging about it. I was irked, yes, and thinking nasty thoughts about the hacker, but I knew I could get back there quickly. I felt bad for anyone he did it to who was playing the game for the first time, but I knew that it would not be an issue for me. And it wasn’t. I got back there in about an hour. The first time, it probably took me ten hours to get there.
I’m bringing this up for two reasons. One, to establish how shit I was at the games and still am, actually. At least on a first playthrough. I take at least twice as long as other people to play a new From game, and not just because I’m very thorough in my exploration–which I am, by the way. In the main game, I finished my first playthrough in 225+ hours. I didn’t miss any caves or catacombs (without looking shit up), and I’ve only seen a few minor new things watching RKG play the game.
The thing is, because of my mobility/spatial recognition issues/reflex slowness, I will never ever be able to be truly great or even good at these games. And as the ceiling gets higher and higher, and my abilities get lower and lower, I know one day, I will be pushed out of being able to play the games.
Here is the second reason I’m rehashing my history with the first Dark Souls. RKG is playing Elden Ring for their Retry series, and this is the first time I’ve been in the Discord for a FromSoft Retry series that releases an episode a week. And is broken into three series over three years. There will be a fourth for the DLC, but that won’t be until next summer if not later.
I know that fandoms can be quite toxic in general. When I first played the OG Dark Souls, I would look for help with a hard boss from time to time. The Forums were so toxic, I would end up feeling icky–even if I got the answers I was looking for.
By contrast, the RKG Discord is really lovely and people are very supportive of each other. Even in the channels related to the content RKG produces. For the most part, the commenters are upbeat, positive, and enthusiastic. It is a hundred times better than any other From community. From what I’ve glean, the RKG Reddit can get nasty, but I don’t look at it.
However, there is one thing that annoys me, and I realize that this is just something that is a part of any fandom–backseat gaming. In Elden Ring, one of the biggest debates is over whether it’s legit to use the spirit summons.
It is. They were specifically added to the game along with making many of the bosses, especially in the later game, harder. Yes, it’s in large part to make the game friendly for noobs as this was the first mainstream FromSoft game. It was expected to sell well (which it did) and to hit a chord that no other From Soft game had (which it did).
Hardcore From fans compalined about it because From wasn’t allowed to refine their craft, apparently. Or at least not in a public-friendly way. Many hardcore From fans pride themselves on beating the games solo, no armor, unupgraded weapons, and with their eyes closed. I’m exaggerating with the last (though I think the game has been beaten that way), but the rest is absolutely for real. It’s called being a onebro (because you don’t level up anything) and even then, there are different levels. If you summon at all, then you’re looked down upon and some people don’t consider it a true onebro run.
Some content creators have argued convincingly that those who choose to not use spirit summons are doing a version of a challenge run, and that should not be the standard by which a run should be judged. People should not be sneered at for using, and I cannot stress this enough, a mechanic that is in the game, but this is evergreen for the FromSoft games.
I don’t read the YouTube comments for almost anything (other than some cat channels), but I will peek at the RKG ones now and again. In general, they are better than the comments elsewhere, but there is always one or two people who I want to say to, “Why the hell are you even watching this channel?”
There are a few in the Discord, too, but they are immediately talked down or ignored (the latter by me, most of the time. I am so over it). I do point out from time to time that there are literally hundreds of FromSoft Let’s Plays on YouTube, many of which optimize/min-max absolutely everything. This is what people usually complain about, and I don’t get it.
One thing I really like about Rory (the guy who is actually playing the game) is that he’s bonkers. And I mean that in the best possible way. He latches onto the weirdest things, and will use them simply because they make him happy.
I have more to say about this, but it’s getting late. More tomorrow.