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Auctopus · Mar 12, 2015

I felt this was thread-worthy as the topic of DS2's design comes up frequently on GAF.

Here's his page: http://peterbarnard1984.tumblr.com/post/113163062955/dark-souls-2-design-works-translation

Firstly, I’d like to ask director Tanimura to give an overview of the Dark Souls 2 design process. This was your first role as director and you had some difficult shoes to fill in those of Mr Miyazaki, who was really the cornerstone of both the previous entry Dark Souls and its spiritual prequel Demon’s Souls. On top of that it was the first direct sequel in the series. Was it as difficult as it sounds?

Tanimura: Yes, this game actually went through quite a troubled development process. Due to a number of factors we were actually forced to re-think the entire game midway into development. We really had to go back to the drawing board and think once more about what a Dark Souls game should be. It was at that point that I took on my current role, overseeing the entirety of the game including the art direction. To ensure we created the game both we and the fans wanted it was completely necessary, but it did of course create a problem. We had to decide what to do with the designs and maps that had been created up to that point. Ideally we’d start again from scratch but of course we were under time constraints so instead we had to figure out how to repurpose the designs in our newly reimagined game. This meant everything from deciding new roles for characters to finding ways to slot locations into the world map. This unusual development cycle faced us with an entirely different set of problems and looking back on the project as a whole it was at times, arduous. Although I’m confident that none of this will be felt by the players and I’m completely satisfied with the final product. So while I don’t think we need to dwell on it too much, in the interest of giving a full count of the development process it’s something we can’t avoid touching on.

In terms of sheer volume this entry is much bigger than the first game yet you were able to release on time which I’m sure wasn’t easy. In the midst of this difficult development cycle what kind of direction did you give to the artists on the game?

Tanimura: Well there were really two patterns and the process differed for each one. There were the partially completed designs which needed to be modified to fit into the reworked game and the new designs created after the revision. In this case my preferred method is to start with a base idea or concept and then develop it from there although this project had many more of the former than the latter. It is worth noting however that this doesn’t apply to the dlc as it was created completely from scratch and we didn’t begin work on it until we had completed the entirety of the main game. In both situations I took care not to be too controlling, even when I myself had a personal preference. I like to take time to talk with the designers and artists and evolve the idea that way. In my experience this method tends to provide better results in the end, in fact it’s used in a lot of From Software’s games so I saw no reason not to use it with Dark Souls 2 as well.

However rearranging the partially completed designs was extremely difficult. For example the character Lucatiel of Mirrah. Her name during development was Don Quixote and the Bell Keeper dwarf her Sancho Panza. They were originally designed as a slightly untrustworthy female knight and her bumbling, middle aged squire much like their namesakes. But while I’m a fan of the source material inserting these two overtly comical characters into such a dark foreboding world just wouldn’t fit at all. So eventually we changed their roles to that of the cursed knight and the Bell Keeper. I simply asked the designers if they could modify them a little for their new roles.

When changing the role of a character you also have to make changes to their appearance…

Tanimura: There are some designs that don’t but yes, many require some degree of modification. There were also those designs that we just couldn’t salvage and had to do away with all together. It really depends on the circumstances.

When I interviewed Mr Miyazaki about the first Dark Souls he mentioned a number of changes that occurred during development, for example the character Pricilla originally being designed as heroine but ending up as the boss of The Painted World and the original design for the Fire Link Shrine being partially filled with water. But you’re saying that this game had even more?

Satake: This isn’t unique to Dark Souls. From Software’s titles often go thorough such amendments, although i’d call it more of a reconfiguration than an outright change. If some aspect isn’t coming together we’ll take it apart and think about how we can make it work. This can really give the artists a chance to flex their creative muscle. To put it another way it’s like were conducting a jazz session, but one to try and produce a superior experience. If an artist comes to us with an idea then we might suggest some something else before throwing it back. At times the studio almost feels like a live music session.

People not used to this way of working may think it wasteful but every single change is made to benefit the final product in some way, so in my opinion this back and forth really is essential. The one downside is that these changes can affect other areas of the project meaning that in some cases larger changes are necessary. I think it must have been very hard for the director to maintain this working method on a project of this size and scale. Imagine how difficult it would be to simultaneously conduct 4 or 5 orchestras!

Tanimura: Yes, this wasn’t the easiest project but everyone was extremely forthcoming with help. In fact when approached with changes I’d often ask them to take it even further, so I’m sorry for all the extra work I created. Personally I was able to approach and overcome a great deal of challenging problems and found the whole project to be a valuable learning experience.

As the first direct sequel in the series there were a number of items and some equipment from the first game that also appeared in this one. Did you have to modify them at all to bring them in line with the rest of the game’s visuals?

Tanimura: The increase in graphic fidelity allowed us to achieve a number of things that weren’t possible before and I wanted the artists to embrace that. For example the character use on the cover, the faraam knight, since he was featured in much of the early promotional material I had the artists think about about every little detail, right down to the way the skirt and other fabric would move.

Satake: During the early stages of development I spoke at length with one of the 3d artists about things such as realistic cloth that we hadn’t been able to create before and the new possibilities and realms of expression that this new technology afforded us.

Could I ask Mr Tanimura to explain his style of instruction in a little more detail?

Tanimura: When I first give instruction I give the outline concept and the general direction I want it taken. Depending on the situation I may take a fairly direct approach, clearly explaining the place, function and role I want it to fill, at least it’s my intention to be clear and direct. However I have been known to give intentionally ambiguous explanations, even when I myself have a clear image of what I want. I want to see how the artist will improve upon the original concept.

That’s not just in the art. I use this technique in a number of places throughout the development. For example animation. If I say ‘This character is a woman’ The animation will naturally start to look a certain way. The design is instantly confined within set boundaries and the final result will suffer because of it. To put it bluntly, it can become stereotypical. We are no longer thinking about enhancing the experience of the player, but rather simply following instructions and fulfilling the design brief. I want to utilise my staff’s creativity, in fact You could say that I want them to go through some hardship and deliberation before producing their design. Even though this method can take time it’s more likely to produce better, more unexpected results.

Satake: Like the Jazz session I talked about earlier, We actually had a situation like this before. In the original game the butchers in the depths carrying the giant meat cleavers and wearing torn sacks over their faces. When making them Mr Miyazaki never told us that they were women. On hearing that even we were surprised so I’m sure the players were similarly shocked. Rather than the artists producing those surprising twists it is in fact more down to the directors instruction.

Now I’d like to have the artists for this project introduce themselves so we can go into more detail of specific areas. If you could explain what you worked on and perhaps give us your impression of the game.

Satake: I mostly worked on enemy and equipment designs and I was also involved in map concepts and creation. The Castle Drangleic from my initial concept is a little different from the final one that appeared in the game but I talked with the director about the architecture and design and made some suggestions.

So really from the very early stages then?

Satake: Yes, right from the time we started forming the initial image we wanted to build the game around. I also worked a little on the characters.

There are a lot of characters in this game aren’t there.

Satake: Several of the characters were actually shaped primarily by suggestions from the artists like the previously mentioned Lucantiel. She began as one type of character and by the end of development had transformed into something else entirely. I couldn’t possibly have imagined that’s how she would end up.

Tomari: On the previous game map and character artists weren’t separated but on this project i was in charge of the maps. I was involved right from the very earliest concept stage. A lot changed as the project progressed and there were things that appeared differently in the final game but looking though the pages of this book you’ll see a number of these concept pieces. I was involved in all of them.

Tonaki: I was involved from the enemy concept design stage and I also worked on the DLC after the main project was finished. As well as that I also worked on several of the bosses and some equipment. This was the first time I’d been involved for the entire duration of a project so it’s quite a special game for me. I was also responsible for supervising the miniature weapons in the collectors edition, that was an interesting departure from CG.

Ou: I wasn’t involved in the project until the latter half. It was my job to aid my Tonaki and the other leads.

Stake: you worked on both maps and characters didn’t you.

Ou: Yes, maps characters and icons I worked on them all. I was delighted to be able to work in so many different areas and I learned a huge amount. I played the previous game before entering the company and was blown away by the attention to detail in the designs.

Out of my designs I’d probably say I’m happiest with the Black Witch set. The Dark Souls series doesn’t have all that many female characters so I think it’s an important addition and it was also a lot of fun to work on.

Next a veteran from the previous game, Mr Katayama.

Katayama: Yes, it’s just Mr Satake and I that worked on the previous game isn’t it. I only joined from the latter half of the first Dark Souls but here I was involved right from the early concept stages. Once we entered the main stage of development I worked with Mr Satake and Mr Tonaki, mainly on the characters.

Satake: You worked a little on map design didn’t you?

Katayama: Yes, But only during the very early stages. Of my designs the one I’m most attached to is probably the green cloaked Faraam Knight which was used in the first trailer, that and the Mirror Knight. As well as that I worked on a number of bosses and a lot of the normal enemies such as the salamanders. Dividing my time between cg and real models.

This game is much larger than the prequel, did you encounter any difficulties because of this?

Satake: Yes, while working on the previous game I remember thinking a larger game would be completely unthinkable, but this project eclipsed it in both size and scale. I told myself multiple times during development that it was impossible, the fact that we completed the game at all is entirely down to the hard work put in by the artists and designers, I have the upmost respect for them.

By increasing the number of characters you also increase the amount of weapons and equipment. That must have been a lot of work.

Satake: With this project we actually relied quite heavily on out of house artists, although that did mean we spent a lot of time checking their designs. We also had the in house artists supervise creation of the 3d models rather than just working on 2d images. We made and remade things countless times during this project, but there were some designs like Mr Katayama’s mirror knight that made it unchanged into the final game. I remember the company director actually phoned up to tell us how much he liked it.

The mirror knight was also the boss of the first playable build wasn’t he?

Satake: Well he has a strong image doesn’t he. Most people who saw it seemed to praise the subtle wing design embossed on the back of the armour, but personally I always loved the way the helmet looked. You can never tell what part will resonate with people.

Mr Tanimura, what was your overall design theme with dark souls 2?

Tanimura: Since it is a sequel i was always conscious of the original games legacy and kept that stylistic core, but of course I couldn’t just leave it the same. It’s a cliche thing to say about a sequel but it can easily become like a copy where you imitate rather than move the series forward in any meaningful way, so we had to inject our own special colour into the project to set it apart. At that time the keyword i used was ‘deep curse’. I’m not simply talking about the curse of the undead which afflicts the world of Drangleic, but more about the grim fate of the undead. Those chosen to perform this seemingly impossible task. I wondered if we could draw that out, have the player bear some of that burden as they embark upon their journey. If that is the case then I’ve been successful.

There are some tragic stories such as those of Lucantiel or Blacksmith Lenigrast and his daughter Chloanne, then there are characters like Cale the Cartographer and Maughlin the Armourer which were at times quite humorous, but I almost felt bad for laughing, it’s very black humour isn’t it.

Tanimura: You laugh, or more accurately you can’t help laughing because the characters are so straight, that’s something we actually aimed for when developing them.

Tonaki: As we move to the end of the game the characters all begin to lose their memory, they remember their ultimate goal but they can’t remember why they’re working towards it. It’s quite sad.

Satake: It’s like many of the Japanese festivals. The tradition is passed down and we remember what has to be done but the original meaning behind those actions can get lost along the way.

Tanimura: Dark Souls’ Solaire of Astoria was a huge fan favourite wasn’t he. I liked the complexity of the character. On the face of it he’s a typical npc that might appear in any game, supportive and jovial to a fault, but underneath it all he’s deeply troubled. It’s only when you start to consider what type of person he really is that you discover he’s actually in an extremely dire situation. I really think that that’s tremendously clever and one of the things that draws people to the character.

Since a lot of time has passed since the prequel, how did you try to reflect this in the game?

Tanimura: Well I never actually asked the designers to think about the change in time period. It’s true that a lot of time had passed since the prequel. But as I see it old civilisations have fallen, new ones has risen up and new kings have come to power before being overthrown themselves. If there is some kind of discovery or innovation to break the status quo then this isn’t the case but in this world one never came. History simply continued to repeat itself for several hundred years. This being that case it’s natural that there hasn’t been a huge advancement in technology or any vast change is culture or customs.

Satake: The world of Lordran was one of dusk and twilight, the gods had already left it behind. The fire had weakened and the realm waited, either for a king to bring a new golden age, or a slow slide into oblivion. In the world of Dark Souls 2 there are barely any traces of the old gods left, but we took care when creating it to leave suggestions of their presence behind to hint at the worlds arcane past. People who played the previous game should be able to recognise them, or those who take there time to absorb every detail. I remember Mr Tanimura telling me many times to keep it to the merest hint.

Tantrum: I often said things like that didn’t I. Posing drawn out questions that were too complex and hard to answer. [Laughs]

That's everything so far. Essential reading for Souls fans.

PART 2 Lower down

aeolist · Mar 12, 2015

this should be interesting.

i haven't played the DLC but have heard that it's really good, hopefully that means if the same team goes on to make another game from scratch they won't have the same issues with development and can improve on DS2 a fair bit.

Auctopus · Mar 12, 2015

I think the most interesting notes so far are how the DLC didn't encounter the same re-work difficulties as the main game and has been received much better by DS fans.

Additionally, how candid Tanimura is about the difficulties of directing and how much he learned. Hopefully, he'll be asked to continue in to DS3 with those lessons in mind.

E92 M3 · Mar 12, 2015

I loved the first book a lot and can't wait to purchase this one.

Sayad · Mar 12, 2015

We had to decide what to do with the designs and maps that had been created up to that point. Ideally we’d start again from scratch but of course we were under time constraints so instead we had to figure out how to repurpose the designs in our newly reimagined game. This meant everything from deciding new roles for characters to finding ways to slot locations into the world map.

Still reading through it but wow! This explains a lot about the underwhelming world design!

Auctopus · Mar 12, 2015

Sayad said:
Still reading through it but wow! This explains a lot about the underwhelming world design!

There are so many moments like that. One of the most eye-opening for me was due to the scale of the game, they had to rely heavily on out-of-house artists. One of my main complains of the sequel was how inconsistent the art direction was. Though FROM checked the designs back at HQ, I can imagine it was still difficult to find coherence.

Neoweee · Mar 12, 2015

Great interview. Looking forward to more.

Seyavesh · Mar 12, 2015

this explains so much

damn i would have loved a don quixote lucatiel instead of the lame nothing we got

DoubleTake · Mar 12, 2015

Great thread will look through soon

Alo81 · Mar 12, 2015

Wow I'm really surprised this thread isn't more active. This is terribly interesting.

This stood out to me as a possible explanation for how the world got to be so spoke'y, or however you would call it.

We had to decide what to do with the designs and maps that had been created up to that point. Ideally we’d start again from scratch but of course we were under time constraints so instead we had to figure out how to repurpose the designs in our newly reimagined game. This meant everything from deciding new roles for characters to finding ways to slot locations into the world map.

It seems like because of the development troubles, the world design had to get jumbled at sometime and it became less congruous.

This part was too:

I really like how Tanimura continually talks about giving vague instructions that let the designers add their own creative flair. I feel like leadership like that allows stuff like the awesome Rat Covenant leader, or the Key to the Embedded for the Embedded on the cage.

Sword that opens the Embedded's door.
Shaped like a weapon, but is in fact a key.

Plunge the key into the Embedded
to bring a rhapsodic end to his fate.

The once-human Embedded, realizing that he
could never resist the temptation of the flesh,
bound himself eternally with chains. Since then,
he has awaited the day that somebody will
find this key, and bury it within his bosom.

There are a lot of things I felt Dark Souls did better, but Dark Souls II had a lot of really unexpected stuff like the above that I loved.

I generally don't know the designers of stuff, but reading this

Katayama: Yes, But only during the very early stages. Of my designs the one I’m most attached to is probably the green cloaked Faraam Knight which was used in the first trailer, that and the Mirror Knight.

Showed me Katayama is a person I should really respect. I love both of those designs. Also, I never noticed there were wings on the Mirror Knights back!

Most people who saw it seemed to praise the subtle wing design embossed on the back of the armour, but personally I always loved the way the helmet looked. You can never tell what part will resonate with people.

This is really great, I look forward to seeing more as its translated.

Red Liquorice · Mar 12, 2015

Interesting stuff.

I'd love to know more details about the earlier form of the game and what was scrapped/re-jiggled and why.

That they removed characters and retooled others is interesting and brings to mind that artwork of the cutesy girl that was one of the first things we saw of the game that never made it (at least in that form, maybe she became Rosebeth?) As the interview says, DS1 also had a lot of rejigging of characters (Priscilla, Andre, Shiva), so I don't think this speaks anything about DS2 in particular.

Kwansu Dudes · Mar 12, 2015

Great read so far.

Auctopus · Mar 12, 2015

Alo81 said:
Showed me Katayama is a person I should really respect. I love both of those designs. Also, I never noticed there were wings on the Mirror Knights back!

It's also worth noting that he's described as the 'veteran' on the team as he had worked on previous Souls games.

Lack of experience and a tricky development cycle sounds like what made this game fall behind DS1. This has actually made me want to pick up SOTFS at some point and see the game in a whole new light. I hope they keep the team for DS3 and allow them to put the lessons they learned to use.

Drencrom · Mar 12, 2015

Great and honest interview, he's upfront that the development process was troubled and that they hired artists outside the studio etc.This definitely explains why the world felt less consistent and 'interesting' like the former Souls games, the new director compromised their usual approach and design somewhat to get the game finished without starting from scratch. Hopefully he and the team learned from this.

Alo81 · Mar 13, 2015

Red Liquorice said:
Interesting stuff.

I'd love to know more details about the earlier form of the game and what was scrapped/re-jiggled and why.

That they removed characters and retooled others is interesting and brings to mind that artwork of the cutesy girl that was one of the first things we saw of the game that never made it (at least in that form, maybe she became Rosebeth?) As the interview says, DS1 also had a lot of rejigging of characters (Priscilla, Andre, Shiva), so I don't think this speaks anything about DS2 in particular.

Are you referring to child shanalotte?

Auctopus said:
It's also worth noting that he's described as the 'veteran' on the team as he had worked on previous Souls games.

Lack of experience and a tricky development cycle sounds like what made this game fall behind DS1. This has actually made me want to pick up SOTFS at some point and see the game in a whole new light. I hope they keep the team for DS3 and allow them to put the lessons they learned to use.

Yeah, I still think DS2 was a stellar game, and I'd be really excited to see the same team grow into DS3. I imagine they learned a lot from DS2. Gosh knowing theres so much more of the interview to still read has me so excited. I just wanna soak all of this up. I hope the DS2 design works get translated to english to go alongside my DS1 book.

Parsnip · Mar 13, 2015

This is pretty interesting stuff.

popyea · Mar 13, 2015

However rearranging the partially completed designs was extremely difficult. For example the character Lucatiel of Mirrah. Her name during development was Don Quixote and the Bell Keeper dwarf her Sancho Panza. They were originally designed as a slightly untrustworthy female knight and her bumbling, middle aged squire much like their namesakes. But while Im a fan of the source material inserting these two overtly comical characters into such a dark foreboding world just wouldnt fit at all. So eventually we changed their roles to that of the cursed knight and the Bell Keeper. I simply asked the designers if they could modify them a little for their new roles.

The original concept honestly sounds amazing. I think to say that quirky characters don't belong in a Souls game is an oversight. Contrast is a good thing; it enhances both elements. It seems like the retooling of locations might have been the toughest thing for them though. Maybe their initial plan didn't include a connected world, and the final product is just their attempt to create one with what they had.

ilium · Mar 13, 2015

Fascinating read!
Looking forward to DS3.

AmyS · Mar 13, 2015

No mention of the "changes" to Dark Souls 2's lighting system for the released versions.

DaciaJC · Mar 13, 2015

I'm quite excited to see how Tanimura and co. apply the lessons learned from DS2 to Dark Souls III.

sssstententen · Mar 13, 2015

AmyS said:
No mention of the "changes" to Dark Souls 2's lighting system for the released versions.

You could take it as the "huge change in direction" they were forced to take was possibly scraping the entire old build/engine of the game and porting it to a new one/starting a new build, and they just reused the art/assets/ported them over.

At least it was the first thing I thought of when I read that. People like to say that its inexcusable for that version to not be on the PS4/XBO/PC, I personally think it was scrapped, and that they'd essentially have to remake the whole rest of the game again back on that old engine/build.

On topic: Fantastic stuff. I hope we get a english DS2 design works. And I think the DS2 team has shown with the fantastic work on the DLC that they deserve a shot for DS3.

Personally, I think going forward after Bloodborne it should be:
Miyazaki team: Demons 2/New IP/new Kings Field
Dark Souls 2 Team: Dark Souls 3, with input from Miyazaki/DS1 vets.

Alo81 · Mar 13, 2015

popyea said:
The original concept honestly sounds amazing. I think to say that quirky characters don't belong in a Souls game is an oversight..

I get you but I mean...Dude. Dark Souls II absolutely has a cast of quicky characters. It wasn't really an oversight.

"You you give us smooth..." "Yes you! Give us silky!" "Yah yah, so nice. So smooth." "Yeah yeah! Silky Smooth!"

Ah hah hah! The Princess made me! To guard the Bell of Alken!
In Alken! The bell! Of the princess! In Venn! The bell! Of the prince, yes!
Tear 'em to shreds, tear 'em to bits! Gather around, and ring the bell swift!
We've been ringing this bell forever, we have! Ah hah hah hah!

One of the covenant leaders is an old decrepit rat. Another is Titchy Gren

I want to hear what you really think.
You want more than just a little blood.
You want to be drenched in blood, mired in its foul stench. Am I right? Am I?
Oh, just say that I'm right! Nah hah hah

Who looks like this

And an eccentric sorceror who always greets by yelling

"FEEBLE CURSED ONE!"

A woman who is half dragon, another who is always wearing a mask to hide the hideous curse on their face, two NPCs that are after each others lives and you cross their paths learning about their story all along, Naavlan, Manscorpion Tark, Shaloquir, the Milfanitos, The Embedded, the Head of Vengarl, Ghost Butler, etc etc.

Dark Souls II has some WEIRD, diverse, and super interesting characters. That's definitely one aspect where it has a big leg up on Dark Souls 1. I love the varieties of people you meet along the way.

sersteven said:
You could take it as the "huge change in direction" they were forced to take was possibly scraping the entire old build/engine of the game and porting it to a new one/starting a new build, and they just reused the art/assets/ported them over.

The lighting was still in the network test, which wasn't THAT long before release. It was also in the TGS trailer. I imagine that the huge change in direction didn't come that late in the game

Iva Demilcol · Mar 14, 2015

Another missed opportunity: thread title should be "Don Quixote was going to be an NPC in Dark Souls II"

Alo81 · Mar 14, 2015

Iva Demilcol said:
Another missed opportunity: thread title should be "Don Quixote was going to be an NPC in Dark Souls II"

The way everyone keeps bringing up Don Quixiote makes me think this is something I should have read but I've never heard of it...

Is it weird that it makes me think of the dudes from The Princess Bride? I adored that movie.

CHC · Mar 14, 2015

This stuff is awesome, nice info. Really interesting insights, but it doesn't really bum me out. I loved DSII for what it was.

Hope this thread doesn't turn into a nightmare or something about the lighting or B team. They made a great game.

popyea · Mar 14, 2015

Alo81 said:
I get you but I mean...Dude. Dark Souls II absolutely has a cast of quicky characters. It wasn't really an oversight.

I mean it's an oversight to use it as reason to exclude a character from the game. Though I don't agree that it does it better than the first. I think the only ones I liked were Pate and Rat King.

Parsnip · Mar 15, 2015

Tanimura: Yes, this game actually went through quite a troubled development process. Due to a number of factors we were actually forced to re-think the entire game midway into development. We really had to go back to the drawing board and think once more about what a Dark Souls game should be. It was at that point that I took on my current role, overseeing the entirety of the game including the art direction.

What was Tanimura's role before the great refactoring?

Parsnip · Mar 16, 2015

Double post, but the second part is up.

http://peterbarnard1984.tumblr.com/post/113787568485/dark-souls-2-design-works-translation-part-2

GrayChild · Mar 16, 2015

Excellent read. Made me appreciate DS2 even more. Literally lost it at the "D-Suke Village" part.

Red Liquorice · Mar 16, 2015

Alo81 said:
Are you referring to child shanalotte?

No this one:

I don't know if it was just a scrapped character or an early design of an existing one. I kind of think she could be Rosebeth and I think this design suits the voice actress better since I think Rosebeth has one of the worst voice/design combos in the game.

Alo81 · Mar 16, 2015

I really wish they went into more detail on the areas. Everything just seemed like a small overview. The environments are like Dark Souls bread and butter, deserves more than a few sentence talking points.

Satake: For the players who had been eagerly awaiting this new entry we wanted to place them in an exciting new world and immediately let them know that the adventure had begun anew, but I feel like our original design was overdoing it a bit. You were plunged into a pitch black world, as if you had instantly been flung into the original game’s Tomb of the Giants, all but the most hardened player will start to loose hope being faced with that right off the bat. Then after advancing a short distance you’d be faced with this great dragon.

Their original idea for the opening of the game makes it seem like a fantastic opening, if you're going to make the torch a central mechanic of your game. I imagine the lighting getting scrapped is somewhat related to that opening getting scrapped.

Red Liquorice said:
No this one:

I don't know if it was just a scrapped character or an early design of an existing one. I kind of think she could be Rosebeth and I think this design suits the voice actress better since I think Rosebeth has one of the worst voice/design combos in the game.

Woah, never seen that. Thanks for posting it.

Auctopus · Mar 28, 2015

Part 2 is here! - This thread didn't get much attention originally but if you are a fan of the Souls series, whether you loved or were underwhelmed by DS2. READ THIS INTERVIEW.

Once again, the frankness of this interview continues to amaze me. I was in the camp of being disappointed by DS2 for several reasons and this interview has really made me empathise with the developers and understand the choices they made and why. Some ideas that were left out of this game could've easily let it surpass its predecessor. I'd really like them to show off what they could do with another game.

Next I’d like to talk about the various locations in the game in a bit more detail. How about starting at the beginning, in Things Betwixt.

Tomari: While the concept art doesn’t appear in this book, in the initial design you were going start in the depths of a dark cave and immediately be faced with a gigantic dragon, but you had yet to procure any weapons and were powerless against it. The player would then be tasked with working out how to overcome this seemingly impossible situation. But, during the re-design the dragon disappeared leaving only the empty cave behind. When thinking how we could re-purpose the area we struck upon the idea of making it a tutorial map.

Tonaki: There are small enemies hidden in the grass which you can attack, but you do so little damage that you can’t hope to defeat them. On top of that, attacking one will attract all the surrounding enemies granting you with a spectacular first death. It was our way of saying welcome back to people who played the first Dark Souls.

Satake: For the players who had been eagerly awaiting this new entry we wanted to place them in an exciting new world and immediately let them know that the adventure had begun anew, but I feel like our original design was overdoing it a bit. You were plunged into a pitch black world, as if you had instantly been flung into the original game’s Tomb of the Giants, all but the most hardened player will start to loose hope being faced with that right off the bat. Then after advancing a short distance you’d be faced with this great dragon.

Of course we wanted the experience to get off to a strong start so we added these elements, but there are also those players who didn’t play the first game, and also in terms of tempo it just didn’t work. When we took another look at the area during the re-design some elements were changed, but we still wanted the player to have that feeling that they were embarking on something amazing, plunging headlong into the dark unknown. In the opening grass-filled area you hear that faint rustling and think ‘here we go again’. It’s a complex feeling, a mixture of excitement of the journey ahead and dread of the hardships to come.

There’s a blue light in the distance. I was immediately drawn towards it, it’s a little glimpse of hope.

Satake: I’m actually very fond of that detail. It makes you wonder what could be stretching out on the other side. We worked very hard to craft a world that lives up to those expectations.

Tanimura: In the design it’s written that very few people actually make it out of that cave alive. The undead you encounter past the house are those who became forever lost in the space betwixt.

The house itself features some wonderful detail, it really feels ‘lived in’.

Tomari: That was done on purpose to immediately distinguish it from the previous game. It feels very different. If you think about it the simple fact there there is a house with people living in it is something that didn’t exist in the first Dark Souls. We wanted to make a warm little space in this otherwise dark and gloomy world.

Tanimura: As a player you feel anxious about being cast into this eerie place, but you see a house in the distance with warm light spilling out over the threshold, and it alleviates that somewhat. Of course we couldn’t have the old women inside be too welcoming or it would have been strange, this is Dark Souls after all. In the end we thought that fact that they offer you any kind of help at all is enough.

Satake: I don’t want to be told that I’m going to die over and over again, it’s a service I could have done without. [laughs]

Tanimura: In the end it was cut but originally the opening movie was about twice the length and the laughter was also far more prominent. We decided it was a little much so we chopped it in half.

Next, after leaving Things Betwixt we arrive at the hub, Majula. That’s a setting sun isn’t it?

Tomari: Majula was actually the very first design I worked on. While it was to function as a hub I wanted to make it feel desolate so initially I gave it a cloudy, overcast sky. That very first design was also near the sea and had the dilapidated buildings which the final design retains. The reason I removed the clouds was probably because you’d just emerged from a dark cave, but rather than a bright midday sun, a setting sun seemed more appropriate.

Satake: It’s a dying world is it not, there is still a calming light, but it’s not a world with bright cerulean skies. You visit the place many times throughout the game so while it does feel lonely at first, it’s a location which has the potential to develop into a new hub area. The director would often come to me and say things like ‘what shall we do about the hub area’ I think he lost a lot of sleep over it.

Tanimura: Well it is the most important area, and the most difficult to get right [Laughs]

Satake: Yes, it’s the starting point for all of your adventures but it’s also somewhere you spend a great deal of time. There is a heroine like character in the Emerald Herald and other NPCs also gather as the game progresses so it serves a huge number of functions and we had to figure out how to represent those in the environment. I think the map designers had a tough job incorporating all of those components.

Tomari: I actually think the artists had a harder time with Majula, I recall the area used to be much larger and stretch down nearly to the ocean.

Satake: In the concept stages it was divided into an upper and lower section and much like the fire link shrine in the last game there were routes that connected to both the top and bottom of the map. There was even a rope similar to the ones found in The Dragon Aerie and the lower section of Brightstone Cove Tseldora, that’s how wide it was.

Tanimura: It was just too big and no longer fulfilled its function as a hub area so we had to make it smaller. Above all else the hub area must be convenient. The large hole in the centre of town also used to be in a different location, but we thought it was really something that should be close at hand. It was one of the maps that changed a lot over the course of development.

Moving onto the Forest of Fallen Giants.

Tomari: Much like the Undead Burg in the last game the Forest of Fallen Giants was an area primarily designed by the 3d artists. It was another map that was created extremely early on in development and it has a number of typical dark souls short cuts. It’s really a map where the map designers were able to fit in everything they wanted to.

Concentrating purely on the aesthetics, you have the withered sleeping giants scattered throughout the area and evidence of the ancient conflict is all around you

Tomari: In the original design the giants were actually much larger. They would tower over the castle walls and attack the player as you progressed through the area. Gradually you would draw closer to the sea where you would find the defenses constructed to stop the their advance.

Satake: The concept that it was a series of defenses made to fight against the giants never changed so most of the area actually survived the redesign untouched. I think it’s fun to look at the place and imagine what kind of battles were fought there. Of course you get a glimpse of the scale of them within the dreams as they hurl those colossal fireballs about.

When you reach Heide’s Tower of Flame the atmosphere changes once more. This time it’s a bright, open and extremely beautiful setting.

Tanimura: Originally it was nothing more than a path to the next area but that just wasn’t interesting. We started with the concept of the sunken city forming the road and the map just expanded from there [laughs]. We designed a boss encounter, added the Cathedral of Blue and before we knew it, it had become it’s own complete area.

I think the Forest of Fallen Giants was a relatively orthodox opening area so after that we wanted to introduce a curve ball, to have an area where you were primarily fighting huge enemies. After this your journey starts to take you inland so we decided to keep the visuals of this coastal region calm and beautiful.

Do the Heide Knights you encounter throughout the game have any relation to this location?

Tanimura: Yes, of course. They are the Knights of a lost kingdom, they have nowhere to return to and lack the presence of mind to do anything but wander the world.

Is it a coincidence that they bear a striking resemblance to Solaire from the first Dark Souls?

Tanimura: Yes, there is no direct connection between the two.

Satake: I hadn’t thought about it myself but I did hear people calling them silver Solaria.

Let’s move on to No-man’s Wharf.

Satake: We began designing the area with two keywords, ‘harbour’ and ‘underground’. The designers requested an image to work from so we worked with an out-of-house artist to produce the original concept. Using that as a base we started to discuss the kind of features we could add to the area. Of course we worked hard to introduce a level of individuality into each of the games areas, but for me this map is an especially memorable one. I love calling the ship and then fighting upon the decks. When the staff saw the it they were really excited about working on it. I remember them saying ‘I want to make it move’.

Tonaki: Originally when I had the boat designed the sail was going to catch fire, then you would fight a boss on the burning deck. It would have been a great set piece so I’m a little upset that we weren’t able to pull it off.

From No Man’s Wharf to that moonlit hell that is the Lost Bastille.

Tomari: This was a map that went through many changes, the original working name was the ruined castle but as it was revised and altered the entire castle became a prison and the inhabitants, inmates.

Tonaki: This is the point in the game where the number of enemies really starts to increase.

And we have the return of our favorite gargoyles. That’s something fans of the last game will enjoy, even the music is the same.

Tanimura: Of course. We decided it was the only way to do it!

After beating the gargoyles and lighting the bonfire you descend down into an area full of dogs. It bears quite a resemblance to the narrow room you fought the kapra demon in in the first game doesn’t it. Was that intentional?

Tanimura: I’ll leave that to your imagination.

Huntsman’s Copse was the map used in the network test, was it one of the first maps completed?

Tanimura: Yes, it was the very first map to be finished, once we decided to use it in the network test we prioritized it above all the others.

It’s a dark area but you can glimpse the sun shining through the trees.

Tanimura: Yes, it’s the early morning sun. I remember making all kinds of requests while working on the area like, ‘There must be depth to the area to give you the feeling that you’ve traveled some distance’, and ‘we must make sure that you don’t entirely lose your sense of direction, but have an idea of the place you entered’. I also wanted it to feel like it was connected to areas in multiple directions.

There is the route over the rope bridge to the Undead Purgatory and the path along the cliff to the caves.

Tanimura: In the Undead Purgatory we only really have the chariot boss don’t we.

That location is full of detail, both the outside and the interior. I find it an interesting area because the entire map is part of the boss battle.

Tonaki: Once you spring the trap and the chariot crashes you realize that the boss is in fact, the horse. On seeing that for the first time I was very surprised.

Tanimura: At one point we did have the executioner come down and fight after the horse had been killed, but the fight was too easy and the battle lacked any kind of impact, so I decided to kill him off. When I first showed this within the company everyone was surprised saying, ‘but he looked so imposing in the intro movie’.

After the Huntsman’s Copse we enter the poisonous regions Harvest Valley and the Earthen Peak.

Stake: Originally the entire map was like a basin completely filled with poisonous fog. In the first design you would redirect the flow of water to start the windmills and that would clear the fog away. Of course that changed in the final game but I think ultimately it became a visually interesting location.

Is the fact that it’s poisoned fog and not water an idea left over from the original concept? The presence of the poison itself hints at a long history of industrial activity and the fact that the windmills are moving is evidence that there’s somebody there.

Stake: The inclusion of windmills was something that was suggested quite early on in development. From there we simply had to build a map that would incorporate them. We developed quite a number of ideas and images and found that rather than a sturdy, well built structure an old run-down mill was far more appealing so that’s what made it into the final design. Although I recall in the original concept the mill was next to a lake and used its power to turn the wheel.

About the poison extending through the area into Earthen Peak, it’s lurid green colour really sticks in my mind. I think it really enhances the effect somehow.

Satake: I talked with the 3d artists and together we decided on that colour. I believe the poison in the King’s Field series was green so we matched it with that.

Tanimura: In the last game poison was represented with purple, but here we used that to represent the darkness attribute so it would have overlapped.

On top of that it’s as Mr Satake says, From’s games have a history of using that colour to represent poison.

If the poison had been purple then it would have been an extremely purple world. [laughs] Next we move onto The Iron Keep, although many people found the fact that these locations were linked to be something of a mystery.

Tanimura: The idea is that the lake of magma is actually on the upper strata, like a caldera lake on a plateau. However, looking down from the top it was far too wide, that and the fact that there isn’t an adequate transition between locations meant we didn’t really communicate the idea as well as we could have.

Satake: The image for The Iron Fort came from a piece of concept art created for a separate project, a dam which harnessed the power of magma. In the end it wasn’t used in that project, but with every new game I’d show it to the producer and director and see if there was some way we could fit it in. Of course conventional wisdom would place magma underground but when you start to consider this lake and realize that there must be a reason for it being there, then the world becomes a little more interesting. I tried to implement ideas like this throughout the game, to give the player something curious and unexpected.

Next to Brightstone Cove Tseldora, a city built into the cliff walls. Looking down you can see crystals shimmering below.

Tomari: Originally those weren’t crystals, instead the entire map was covered in spider’s nests. The town was always build into the walls of a deep ravine but in that design you’d have to use the spider webs to cross to the other side.

Next we go down the hole to the Grave of Saints, The Gutter and the Black Gulch. Locations very similar to The Gutter have appeared in all the souls games haven’t they, those filthy, grimy places with uncertain footing [laughs].

Satake: Yes, it started in Demon’s Souls with the Valley of defilement, then Blight Town and now The gutter. Although during development it went by a different name, everyone called it D-suke village because my name is Satake Daisuke and D-suke is my nickname. [Laughs]

Tanimura: In the end you were the one who named it The Gutter weren’t you?

Satake: One day I just said ‘Would you guys stop calling it D-suke village!’ We had a few different ideas and The Gutter seemed to fit the best, but I thought you were the one who suggested the name?

Tantrum: I just gave you a list of names and said asked you to pick one, that’s when the name was decided.

The stone effigies in the Black Gulch left a pretty lasting impression, they were also used in the first dlc…

Tomari: I was the one who designed them. It actually a huge surprise for me, I had no idea they would be used so widely throughout the game.

Stake: There’s something distinctly Japanese about them, they’re reminiscent of jizo statues or dousojin. (statues placed along the roadside to protect travellers)

Tamara: The keyword I based the design around was kokeshi. (A limbless doll carved from wood)

At last we reach Drangleic castle, it’s an important location as it’s integral to the story.

Satake: Mr Katayama produced the first concept, A vast castle hidden amongst the mountains. It’s a place built by the king to hide away in rather than one built for war so capturing that feeling of isolation was important.

I started working on it when the time came to decide how the actual map would fit together. The first plan I received from the designers was rather flat and uninspiring so I introduced some verticality and made it into more of a castle-like location, connecting rooms vertically as well as horizontally. I tried to give the map and the path you take through it a certain rhythm as I fit everything together. Then I handed it over to the 3d artists for a final brush-up. Thinking back it was an area that saw a lot of reworking.

The original concept for the area never changed then?

Stake: No that never changed, it was always a remote castle nestled amongst the mountains. Anor Londo was a relic of a golden age, now forgotten and abandoned, but with Drangleic Castle it was important that it felt even more isolated and remote.

Even in the concept art there is rain falling isn’t there. To my knowledge, this is the first location with rain in the series.

Satake: I don’t recall the exact path we took to get there but rain is wonderful for making something look forlorn and as I said before, we really wanted the place feel desolate so this was just one more trick to do that.

Tanimura: As well as that there’s the Mirror Knight and the lightning. I was sure that battle would look beautiful if it was fought in the rain.

With the rain you can tell there are many holes in the castle, it’s raining inside too!

Satake: That was requested very early on, the designers mentioned how they wanted to make an inner courtyard and have holes where the rain would pour in. As I see it, the castle wasn’t build for war so it’s not going to be as sturdy as one that was. Instead it was built as a place of residence so we tried to remove anything that didn’t fit with that idea. Also we wanted to allow players to scale the castle and reach the higher areas so we introduced quite a number of spiral staircases, however we realized that people quickly become bored running in a circle 3 or 4 times so we took them out again.

Tanimura: It’s very difficult to make a spiral staircase interesting, it’s fine to introduce some flavour but relying too heavily on them for the main route is unwise.

Satake: There were places we had to use them but we avoided them where we could. In another project we were using similar spiral staircases so we thought it would be okay but we received a lot of feedback that players found them boring so we decided to remove them. Instead the designers and I used other techniques like having staircases open out into rooms and then continuing upwards from there. This is an example of the rhythm I was talking about earlier.

After climbing the castle we are plunged into the depths of the Shrine of Amana. It’s beautiful, almost dreamlike.

Tomari: The final area is almost identical to the very first concept, however if you look at the concept image you’ll notice that there are fireflies in the trees above and these were removed. It was designed as a quiet and beautiful place, but one where disturbing the silence caused the enemies to emerge and attack you.

Tonaki: I love the atmosphere of this area, the way the song floats out over the silence.

The solitary house in the middle of nowhere, it has a certain rustic charm, but at the same time it’s subtle and quite beautiful.

Tomari: On many of the maps we introduced objects to make them more visually interesting, but here we were careful to keep it to an absolute minimum. It was important to keep it quiet and serene.

Although playing through that area you realize it’s actually hellish! That contrast was one of the highlights of the game for me. Moving on we reach the Undead Crypt.

Tomari: I worked on some of the objects, but in terms of the layout, it’s a typical dark souls map so the 3d artists took the lead on the design.

After that is Aldia’s Keep. I remember this area was featured in the first trailers, was this also finished relatively early?

Tomari: Yes it was, similar to the Shrine of Amana the initial concept made it relatively unchanged into the final game. The name during development was the Dragon Research Facility, the idea being that they had captured dragons and other living things and were experimenting on them. Similar to the Duke’s library in the first game it offers a glimpse into the worlds past, this once illustrious place now abandoned but left relatively undisturbed.

Satake: Looking at it next to the other locations it’s clear that it was a place filled with learned people, at least that’s what we aimed for. If that comes across when you’re playing through it then we were successful.

How about the Dragon Aerie and the Dragon Shrine?

Tomari: In the original design Castle Drangleic linked to the Dragon Aerie and beyond that, the Dragon Temple so these two areas were always connected. In terms of the location I worked hard to try and make the player feel like they were extremely high up, that’s something that the first Dark Souls didn’t have so I reworked the map countless times trying to capture it. Because of that it’s actually one of the more memorable maps for me personally.

Finished for now.

Auctopus · Mar 28, 2015

I'm still updating the thread and the OP but if you wanna just read part 2, here it is: http://peterbarnard1984.tumblr.com/post/113787568485/dark-souls-2-design-works-translation-part-2

Credit and props to Peter Barnard. Part 1 in the OP.

Parsnip · Mar 29, 2015

Auctopus said:
I'm still updating the thread and the OP but if you wanna just read part 2, here it is: http://peterbarnard1984.tumblr.com/post/113787568485/dark-souls-2-design-works-translation-part-2

Credit and props to Peter Barnard. Part 1 in the OP.

Parsnip said:
Double post, but the second part is up.

http://peterbarnard1984.tumblr.com/post/113787568485/dark-souls-2-design-works-translation-part-2

That was almost two weeks ago.

But (almost) no one reads my posts.

cj_iwakura · Mar 29, 2015

Wow, fantastic interviews. For as disjointed as DS2 was, some of the designs were the most iconic yet.

The Dragon's Aerie is just breathtaking.

I liked the NPC variety, but same as the locations; they're kind of disjointed. A few have great stories, but most are just kind of there.

Big_Al · Mar 29, 2015

Amazing stuff, thanks for the links and of course to the good man who translated it

I like Dark Souls 2 and think it's a great game but I have a new appreciation for it after reading those translations. I never played the DLC so maybe I should pick up the re-release next week.

Teeth · Mar 29, 2015

Big_Al said:
Amazing stuff, thanks for the links and of course to the good man who translated it

I like Dark Souls 2 and think it's a great game but I have a new appreciation for it after reading those translations. I never played the DLC so maybe I should pick up the re-release next week.

The level design in the DLC, especially the second chunk, is absolutely stellar. Like, DS1 levels of good.

Thanks for the update OP. Extremely interesting. Put me in the camp that recognizes the flaws of DS2's structure but loves it anyway.

Iva Demilcol · Mar 29, 2015

I read the interview when it was posted the first time. It made me appreciate the game even more.

I still think that the game is fantastic. Yes, Dark Souls 1 made a great impression on me and DS2 is not on the same level but somehow I ended up playing it more than DS and Demon's.

I think that the DLC has some of the best areas I've played in the whole series, and to think that the same team is working on Dark Souls 3 makes eager to see what they are going to do with the series.

MikeE21286 · Mar 29, 2015

I mean from a level design standpoint Bloodborne feels immensely different from Dark Souls 2 (which was my first Souls game)

LegalEagleMike · Mar 29, 2015

I'm sure dark souls 3 will be better than 2, but will it be better than 1?

Alo81 · Mar 30, 2015

Part 3 is up!

A whole lot of talk about bosses this edition! I'm gonna read it now

Parsnip said:
That was almost two weeks ago.
But (almost) no one reads my posts.

Don't worry baby I read your posts ;p

Nephtes · Mar 30, 2015

This thread is incredible! I wish I would have found it when it was first posted! The insight into the design choices in DS is eye opening... Makes me want to play Scholar of the First Sin that much more.

Alo81 · Mar 30, 2015

What about the lost sinner?

Tonaki: Whats up with that bug in her introduction movie

Satake: When you think about it that is quite an interesting little detail isnt it. This character was designed in the latter half of the project, we decided we had enough hulking, armoured characters and wanted to make a character that didnt rely on their equipment to appear imposing. While she wields a great sword her hands are bound which lends an interesting distinctiveness to the way she moves. The map was also very interesting to work on.

Interesting that even the developers thought they had plenty big armoured enemies.

Also, what bug are they referring to?

I also worked on Scorpioness Najka. As you can see, chaos witch Queelag from the previous game formed the base of her design. Originally we planned for two scorpions, male and female, to attack the player together. In that design the female was larger, but the male was more nimble and would skirt around her. If that had made it into the game Im not sure how you would have fought them [laugh]. It would have been a difficult boss thats for sure. I remember the decision to go with the Scorpion design actually came from the directors.

Oh god I can't imagine that fight with Tark against you as well. That would be really cool to see.

Dukes dear Freja is a spider isnt it, albeit one with two heads.

Tonaki: Yes, it has a head on the front and the back. Originally we planned for the boss to split into two, youd begin fighting a single enemy, and then after doing enough damage it would separate. There was another design where there was a weak point on its back and attacking that would cause it to split. I also recall there was a design with eggs on its back, attacking them caused them to hatch and baby spiders would come out. That really gave a frenetic pace and sense of tension to the fight.

All of those would have been really interesting for that boss. I know there are already splitting bosses, but that idea seems to work a lot better for Freja. I'm really into the idea of "Attack the weak point to do extra damage, but also have the penalty of causing the boss to split and become tougher" That sounds like a great balance of determining how to best fight her, and that initial surprise of "What the fuck she's splitting?!" would have been exhillarating.

Next the throne watcher. We have the throne defender and the throne watcher, Id like to talk a little bit about the differences in the designs.

Tonaki: I was in charge of the throne watcher, and Mr Ou the throne defender. There is also Velstadt the Royal Aegis who, in the original design was the third member of the group who protected the King. Although the course, in the end Velstadt became his sole protector.

This totally sounds like it would have been Dark Souls II's Ornstein and Smough. Both fights were already really challenging on their own, I'm not sure how mashing them together would have been... I'd love to try it.

Next the last boss, how about Nashandra.

Tonaki: Originally, she wasnt going to be the final boss. She was always the monstrous, true form of the cursed Queen, so the character didnt change, just her role within the game. Her original role was closer to that of Nito from the first game, although he was simply the inspiration, the characters themselves arent directly linked.

She was sort of an undewhelming final boss, so I can see how she didn't always hold that role. Also I remember a lot of people saying I believe how Nito's spirit was taking over the Queen right? (or maybe it was Manus) I guess this is confirmation that isn't the case.

I really like their squat, almost spherical silhouette. The NPC merchant Gavlan is a Gyrm and his short, round frame definitely made him more appealing as a character.

Tonaki: I like those huge thick suits of scale mail they wear; there is really a sense of weight to the design.

Satake: Although its not ordinary scale mail, it actually made of stone.

Tonaki: they dont protect their backs, their simple minds only think about the enemy in front of them.

I love this justification and I had never noticed it.

Red Liquorice · Mar 30, 2015

Thanks.

It's funny that they mention that bosses in Souls should have a distinguishing feature because that was one of the criticisms a lot of players had about some of the bosses in DS2 that they were severely lacking in that department.

A lot of the earlier concepts for bosses sound way more interesting than what we ended up with, I'm guessing a lot of the changes had to do with the logistics of doing something more ambitious and purely time restraints.

Alo81 said:
Also, what bug are they referring to?

In her intro cutscene a bug crawls inside the eye of the mask, and it looks a lot like the Bed of Chaos bug from DS1, which corresponds to the boss soul you get from her, so I believe that is in an intentional nod to DS1 lore.

Alo81 · Mar 30, 2015

Red Liquorice said:
Thanks.

It's funny that they mention that bosses in Souls should have a distinguishing feature because that was one of the criticisms a lot of players had about some of the bosses in DS2 that they were severely lacking in that department.

A lot of the earlier concepts for bosses sound way more interesting than what we ended up with, I'm guessing a lot of the changes had to do with the logistics of doing something more ambitious and purely time restraints.

In her intro cutscene a bug crawls inside the eye of the mask, and it looks a lot like the Bed of Chaos bug from DS1, which corresponds to the boss soul you get from her, so I believe that is in an intentional nod to DS1 lore.

OH! Bug! I thought they meant like, glitch. Like a bug in the code.

RavenH2 · Mar 30, 2015

Does anyone know if the book will be translated and released, like the first Design Works?

Great interview, it's always great to have such an insight of what worked, what didn't when designing the game

cj_iwakura · Mar 30, 2015

Nashandra was the first plot-twist final boss, so I enjoyed that.

Also, I'm sad the masks went away. Iconic design.

Parsnip · Mar 31, 2015

Alo81 said:
She was sort of an undewhelming final boss, so I can see how she didn't always hold that role. Also I remember a lot of people saying I believe how Nito's spirit was taking over the Queen right? (or maybe it was Manus) I guess this is confirmation that isn't the case.

I forget how it's worded in the game exactly, but she's like a fragment of Manus, or Abyss, or something like that.

Lime · Mar 31, 2015

Does this mean we will get a western release of the design works?

Banjo Tango · Mar 31, 2015

Thanks for posting this!

Lime said:
Does this mean we will get a western release of the design works?

Seriously! Has there been any word?

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