I grew up playing Nintendo games and still play them. Suffice to say I did not think this type of game would appeal to me. How wrong I was! Dark Souls is exceptional in many ways, but I feel its appeal is widely misunderstood. The game is difficult, sure, but if a game's status is defined by its difficulty, then why are easier game franchises like Kirby still appreciated? No, Dark Souls is a masterpiece because of how unpredictable, yet focused its world is. New ideas and enemy encounters are introduced in every level. At times, they border on being frustrating. And yet, I couldn't stop playing.

The cherry on top of these expertly-designed challenges is the absolutely sublime level design. Levels provide shortcuts after overcoming a challenge that link back to your current bonfire (checkpoint). These shortcuts are smartly placed to give players a moment of respite after overcoming seemingly impossible odds.

This setup alone makes for a pretty good game, but there are even more things to marvel at in Dark Souls. For those who have yet to play it, I will not spoil these secrets. And if you need any advice going in, it would be to have two things: patience and humility. The former because the game is challenging and the latter because the game's challenges are fair, with very few exceptions. I once thought the game was unreasonable, but I persevered and was rewarded for it. If you stick with it, you will never forget your experience. There is a reason why so many games have tried imitating it with very little success.