The Dark Souls trilogy by Hidetaka Miyazaki is one of the most brutal yet amazing experiences for any player who boots it up. The director managed to stitch together the storyline and the world-building together so perfectly that it remains inimitable even after more than a decade has passed.
The game is one of the founding stones of the whole Soulsborne genre, which pioneered many mechanics gamers would later see being perfected in titles like Sekiro and Elden Ring. The game also showcases a framework for perfectly weaving together a world with its own mythology and themes.
Hidetaka Miyazaki explains what formed the basis for Dark Souls
There are a few key locations out there in Dark Souls 1; however, none of them outshine as much as the city of Anor Londo. It is the place that the remaining deities and gods of Lordran call their home.
Talking about the vision for Anor Lando and other key cities present in the game, Hidetaka Miyazaki has revealed the following in an interview with Design Works, as translated and noted on this Tumblr post.
I put three major guidelines in place: Gods and knights centered around Anor Londo, demonic chaos and flames centered around Lost Izalith, and the theme of death centered around Gravelord Nito. To these themes we added the special concept of ancient dragons that predate all life, and this formed the basis for Dark Souls
The director explains how he had different visions for the different key areas present in the game. For example, the city of Lost Izalith was ‘demonic chaos and flames,’ a theme that the director made sure was integrated well as the development process went on. He also reveals how the concept of ancient dragons that predate everything was added later, laying the foundation for the trilogy.
The legacy of Dark Souls and how it’s never going to fade away
Against the wishes of every fan, Hidetaka Miyazaki’s return through Dark Souls 3 brought an end to the most iconic franchise ever made by FromSoftware, leaving a 4th installment out of the question forever. However, the trilogy continues to exist in other games by the studio since then, thanks to the important learnings the director had while developing it.
We get to see various mechanics first developed for Dark Souls make an appearance in Sekiro and Elden Ring. What’s even better is how the studio is now paying a proper tribute by bringing back some of the most iconic DS bosses in the upcoming Elden Ring Nightreign.
Scheduled to be released on 30th May this year, Nightreign will feature signature bosses such as The Nameless King or the Centipede Demon, all making a return to a new version of the Lands Between.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
