About a month ago I got my first regular old clear of Dark Souls. This represents a half-decade, plus or minus, journey for me. I first played DS on Xbox 360 back in the mid-teens, and I put it down, after much teeth-gnashing, before even reaching Blighttown.
After selling the 360 I picked the game back up on Switch in 2020. This time I pushed much further into the game, but hit a wall at Ornstein & Smough. I put the game back down for almost a year.
Then, a couple months ago, I was filled with D E T E R M I N A T I O N and returned to Anor Londo for the final showdown. It felt so amazing when I got that fight down. The rest of the game was downhill from there. Not easy (except for Bed of Chaos, that was easy), but never feeling so thoroughly defeated as I did in Anor Londo.
It feels like an achievement because clearing the game turned me into a Dark Souls Fan. Since beating it I've dug deep into the lore, started a new save file with a different build, and started playing Dark Souls II. I have Sekiro waiting and I plan to play whatever other Souls I'm able to experience. It feels good!
After selling the 360 I picked the game back up on Switch in 2020. This time I pushed much further into the game, but hit a wall at Ornstein & Smough. I put the game back down for almost a year.
Then, a couple months ago, I was filled with D E T E R M I N A T I O N and returned to Anor Londo for the final showdown. It felt so amazing when I got that fight down. The rest of the game was downhill from there. Not easy (except for Bed of Chaos, that was easy), but never feeling so thoroughly defeated as I did in Anor Londo.
It feels like an achievement because clearing the game turned me into a Dark Souls Fan. Since beating it I've dug deep into the lore, started a new save file with a different build, and started playing Dark Souls II. I have Sekiro waiting and I plan to play whatever other Souls I'm able to experience. It feels good!