Dark Souls: A Four Game Saga?

Dark Souls tells us a story of a world dying because of one man’s wish to live. Dark Souls II tells us of a curse, but also of a war that brewed between man and Giant. Dark Souls III tells us the story of a royal family divided by belief, one Pontiff’s malicious reign over the land, and the end of the world as we know it? Did it just become a thing to add a subplot to every game, or was Dark Souls III meant to actually be two separate games?

Pontiff Sulyvahn: The Big Bad of Dark Souls III?

One of the biggest problems people have with the narrative of Dark Souls III is the consistency of its main antagonist. Aldrich? The Soul of Cinder? The Lothric bloodline?  Nah. It’s the Pontiff. The boss-fight that either made many a people proud of their progress, or made many a people throw their controller in rage.

Anor Londo: The Darkest Place in Dark Souls III

The Player is keenly aware something is not right when entering Irithyll of the Boreal Valley. While other areas have had watchdogs and gatekeepers barring entry prior (Vordt and the minor Outrider Knight, Iudex Gundyr, Wolnir), this was the only one with an actual barrier. The Small Doll and conquering/ running away from the Sulyvahn Beast are necessary to enter Irithyll. Someone doesn’t wantyou coming in and discovering whatever it is they have. And soon we learn why. This isn’t just Irithyll of the Boreal Valley. It’s Anor Londo, the City of Gods. And it’s been overrun with malice.

Untended Graves: The Dark Souls of Dark Souls

There are few things scarier than the unknown. Of wandering into the unknown and finding yourself completely lost in the moment, wrapped in fear and questions about where you are and what exactly is going on. Dark Souls has managed to grasp this idea and hold it tight throughout the series; be it the mystical unknown of Anor Londo, wandering through a strange history in the Forest of Fallen Giants, or finding your way through the rotting husk of an Undead Settlement. Dark Souls III is the cap of that for the “Souls” trilogy with one area, if not just a single moment, that defines this feeling of the unknown: the Untended Graves.

Dark Souls II: The Lowest Beginning?

Dark Souls begins with the Player, the Chosen Undead, left to rot in a dungeon, unawares of their call to greatness yet to come. They’re rescued and escape a demon to make it to the peaceful Firelink Shrine, aided only by whatever starting gear they’re dropped and some broken weapons, a longbow, and a dagger. The Undead Asylum is a powerful starting point for the series, foreshadowing the lunacy that the Player will experience as they dive into the rabbit-hole. Oddly enough, though, I feel that Dark Souls II provides the lowest beginning for the players.

Consumed King Oceiros: The Main Villain That Could've Been?

Before getting into the meat of Lothric Castle in Dark Souls III, the Player is given an opportunity to head into the castle’s garden area, now a poisonous wasteland for Puss of Mans and powerful Lothric guards standing at attention in defense of…something. It’s unclear what, at first, until you see the precariously placed guard standing dead center in front of a descent of stairs. He’s not guarding something, he’s guarding the man of the area: the Consumed King of the garden. Given how we’ve been looking for Prince Lothric, it’s only fitting that this should be King Lothric, the Prince’s father, and the one whose soul we’re searching for. As it would turn out, Oceiros is instead a completely optional boss leading to another optional area. Lothric is indeed the one we’re hunting, but, why is Oceiros here? And why isn’t he the main villain?