One of the new enemies From Software introduces in its new Ashes of Ariendel expansion for Dark Souls 3 could best be described as a ninja version of Freddy Kruger. A leaping horror of spindly limbs and metal claws, the resemblance could be coincidence, but I reckon it's not entirely accidental. Freddy invaded dreams, while From's Corvian Knights invade a painted world you're sucked into. These fake Freddys are no less fearsome than Wes Craven's creation. With their berserk souls madly scrambling towards you in a mad flurry of flips and razor-pronged pirouettes, they elicit a lot of character. From Software already built a breathtaking menagerie of monsters across its last few Souls titles (along with spiritual successor Bloodborne), but these ravenous rangers exemplify the developer's penchant for frightening foes.
That's one of the keys to From Software's Souls series: the enemies have personalities, evoking emotions stronger and more sophisticated than pure malice. Rather than the one-dimensional cannon fodder of countless other games, Dark Souls' creatures elicit feelings ranging from despair, pity, admiration, terror, and even ethereal wonder. Indeed, Ashes of Ariendel's final boss, in both its introduction cinematics and movement, stands out as one of the most tragic figures in the Souls series. There's a real sense of suffering at the heart of From's perpetually damned ecosystem that offers a delicate blend of fantasy escapism with solemn tones that resonates far greater than any other magical fantasy realm in gaming.
From's art direction is so evocative that it doesn't have to make any sort of literal sense. Supposedly it does, as the likes of VaatiVidya are making a living as a virtual archeologist of this series' lore, but concrete comprehension isn't a pre-requisite to getting lost in these melancholy worlds. Admittedly, I'm not sure what exactly Ashes of Ariandel's plot is (nor can I grasp the story of its parent game, for that matter), but the emphasis is on how it makes you feel rather than how much you can comprehend its oblique lore.
0 comments:
Post a Comment