14 Years Later, Dark Souls' Design Hasn't Aged Well

Dark Souls is a masterpiece, exceptionally influential, and often considered among the best video games ever made , yet as it turns 14 years old, it's a game that would likely not be well-received if it were to come out today. Originally released in Japan on September 22, 2011, Dark Souls is largely responsible for birthing the soulslike RPG sub-genre, despite most of its conventions being laid down in 2009's Demon Souls , and many elements appearing in FromSoftware's even earlier King's Field series.

Dark Souls became the watershed release for soulslikes because it was a phenomenon. It quickly gained a reputation for being exceedingly difficult, for being a game where you would die many times, but one that could be mastered, provided you were willing to learn. It was unapolog