It’s not every day that one of the most influential games of all time crosses the decade anniversary mark, but today is one of those rare occasions. The firstDark Soulsgame was released 10 years ago today, and fans are taking to the internet to celebrate its birthday. Tributes have ranged from memory-sharing to fan art, with just about everything in between marking the event.
WhileDemon’s Soulsgets credit for laying the groundwork that would go on to make FromSoftware such a notable studio,Dark Soulsmarks an entirely new era for its games and reputation.Dark Soulswas – and is – brutally difficult, full of challenges that defined the retro-era challenges of games likeContra.Dark Soulswas so difficult, in fact, that even today the question of whether or not games in the franchise should offer an “easy” mode is hotly debated.
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Not only wasDark Soulsa mechanical wonder, though, it also featured a radically different form of video game storytelling in an era where games were increasingly focused on blockbuster narratives.Dark Soulsdelegated a lot of its narrative to flavor textand environmental storytelling, a bold decision but one that has become a defining trait of the series.
It would be a crime to say thatDark Souls’influence ended there, though. The game has spawned its own genre full of triple-a knock-offs and indie darlings. Some of those indie darlings, namelyHollow Knight, are even starting to inspire their own similar games, continuing a chain of evolution that the Souls games are an essential part of. The cycle seems likely to continue too, as the genre gets even more firmly rooted in the games industry.
For all its fame though, there’s no currently announced newDark Soulsgame for fans to look forward to, at least not in name. FromSoftware’s next game,Elden Ring, is open world and looks like it will expand on the foundation that theDark Soulsgames have put down. FromSoftware’s subfranchises, which often wear theirDark Soulsinfluences on their sleeve, have managed to find dedicated audiences, andElden Ringwill likely repeat that story.
While theDark Soulsgames aren’t for everyone, their influence continues to shape how difficult games are handled. With 10 years being such a massive milestone, it’s easy to forget how far the games have come, and how they’ve impacted players’ lives in the time since.
Dark Soulsis available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
