This DLC does something truly unique: one entire area of the game is recreated... into the past! I was seriously baffled when I saw this, it was amazing and extremely captivating to me.

The DLC also has three great bosses and they're FAST. Having such fast paced combat into this game was a nice unanticipated change and made for some tough challenge.

I didn't like some parts (the Sanctuary Guardian and how to access the DLC) but the good parts overshadow those.

Si hay una cosa que me ha gustado de este DLC, es que sabe llegar en el momento perfecto. Es como un pequeño rayo de luz en la absoluta oscuridad que es la segunda mitad de Dark souls. Tras varias localizaciones soporíferas y bosses poco inspirados, "Artorias of the abyss" te recuerda porque te enamoraste de Dark Souls en un principio. Vuelve a mostrar esa “chispa” en su diseño de niveles pese a no ser tan excelente como los momentos iniciales de este. Es imposible pedirle tanto de todas formas.

Por otro lado, "Artorias of the abyss" ha conseguido transmitirme una sensación de la que había oído hablar, pero que yo no había sido capaz de experimentar en Dark Souls. La famosa sensación de superación que invade tu cuerpo tras intentar demasiadas veces una pelea contra un jefe y derrotarlo finalmente. No se si es que la zweihander está rota ,o ya tengo demasiados rpgs a mi espalda, pero ningún boss me había costado más de 3 intentos a lo sumo. Sin embargo aquí es diferente. Se nota que tenían más libertad sabiendo que es un contenido totalmente opcional. Y clavan esa sensación con bosses como Manus, Kalameet o Artorias.

En definitiva, "Artorias of the abyss" consigue encapsular la esencia de Dark Souls en un punto en el que poco a poco el título estaba perdiendo su carácter. La recupera con algunas de las mejores batallas contra jefes de todo el título. Es un DLC brillante.

Good, good. What is bravery without a dash of recklessness!

Artorias of the Abyss is a stripped down, almost microcosm of Dark Souls 1. Short-cuts and interconnected areas are all here, but in a more streamlined context. Verticality is used for visual storytelling on top of player progression. The bosses all feel like proper versions of what late-game DS1 bosses should’ve been. I don’t like saying “it’s X but better in every way!” because that phrase feels like a copout, but a lot of my problems with DS1 were addressed in ways I didn’t expect.

The player starts in the sanctuary and is immediately greeted by an aggressive manticore rocking more attacks than any enemy in the base game. It’s the weakest boss in the DLC, but it teaches players to be more quick-witted and reactive than in the base game. “Reactive” is the best way to describe the bosses in the DLC. In Dark Souls 1, every boss was beaten by strafing around them and running away when they do their “get off me” AOE attack. The DLC bosses, including the manticore, require much more diligent gameplay. The player often must create their own openings because simple passivity won’t cut it. These small changes create battles that feel like dances, a free-flowing series of attacks and counterattacks until an opponent is on the floor. Exuding a high that is comparable to a powerful drug.

Kalameet represents the absolute pinnacle of not just the DLC, but the entire game. Artorias and Manus are fantastic, but as I got better the fights gave off a “mechanical” feeling I couldn’t shake. Their attacks were too simple to dodge. When Artorias thrusts his sword forward, I dodge to the left. When Manus does a hand smash, I dodge to the right. There’s very little decision making in terms of how I dodge the attack. At a certain point it becomes a simple reaction, like I’m playing the game on autopilot.

Kalameet doesn’t have this problem. Many of their attacks can’t be rolled through, adding some quick decision making into how the player is going to dodge. There’s a distinct satisfaction in deciding how to physically dodge a move, rather than rolling through; it also adds to the sheer mobility of the fight. If Artorias and Manus felt like dances, fighting Kalameet feels like a waltz between opponents. The arena turning into a ballroom as each attack pushes a dancer into another position. The feeling I got when I finally felled the dragon was comparable to that of the Bell Gargoyles. A feeling of pride as I persevered and conquered a seemingly impossible task. It’s the best feeling a video game boss can give.

The DLC is brought down by numerous nitpicks. The areas, while great, don’t have the same atmosphere or emotional connection as a lot of the DS1 content. There could’ve been 1 or 2 more enemies present during the descent into the abyss. However, my biggest problem is that there isn’t more of it. It’s backhanded, but true!

expectations on this were high, and yeah, i get it, but it's definitely not perfect. the areas are generally well designed, though i think royal wood is kinda dumb to navigate. the bosses are where this dlc really shines anyway. 3/4 of them are basically the best bosses in the game. artorias is electrifyingly good, manus is fun as long as you have the pendent, and kalameet is the only dragon fight in the dark souls trilogy I don't absolutely despise! he's actually really fun to fight! fuck you midir! the one boss that's a miss, though... lord. I hate sanctuary guardian so fucking much. actual dogshit boss. anyways old hunters clears lol, but this was kickass.