A quick search on google left me with lots of games that were influenced by Souls, but fewer links spoke about the epistemological roots of Souls. Yes, I realize that King's Field was a precursor to Demon's and Dark Souls as FROM worked on this series previously themselves. Also the Berserk manga and anime comics series was influential, but were there other games that combined the action and RPG elements together to the same extent as Souls but were perhaps only restricted by technology? There were a host of RPG's that likely bridged the gap from the early 80's until now as well, starting with a game like Guantlet culminating with more recent titles like Shadow of the Colossus. But what did Miyazaki play as a kid? For whatever reason I forgot that the most beloved games I played in the 80's in the arcade were of Japanese origin...just like Souls games. I only played a couple myself, Rygar, Black TIger, and Ghosts and Goblins come to mind, but I was not soley a gamer and admit not expanding my horizons on the gaming front as a kid, and similar to today with Souls games...locked in to just a select few titles. Can anyone think of any others? Has anyone ever asked FROM staff what they liked to play as kids? I fell off the face of the planet game wise for a good chunk of time (1994-2007) when I (thankfully) only temporarily became an "adult." So stuff like Castlevania and Metroid are foreign to me. Someone please list the aspects from other games in history that made it into Souls today.
Please submit your examples of earlier games (of any year), or other art or media, that you think had an aspect that ended up in Souls. Link media, your own vids etc.
My first submission is the arcade game Rygar, which was released in 1986 by Tecmo. Althoguh it was a 2D left to right scroller/platformer, it did send you vertical. It has bosses and mid-bosses. It is a very punishing game for new players, no instructions are given much (although this was common in those days...looking over a more experienced player's shoulder was the only way to "get gud' in those days without spending a fortune yourself.) One aspect that really stood out for me was that they really tried to get enemies coming at you from both directions, and if you didnt deal with them quickly, you would be "ganked." Greeed was also punished heavily, but just like Souls they give you really good rewards and make you decide if your life is worth losing over it. The weapons system is tight and simple, yet you can do multiple moveset in different situations, with different upgrades. Probably the most important similarity for me and why I got addicted to both games. The second was hidden secrets...there were lots. The music was awesome, sound effects, hit and miss. The brief story was by allusion only, but had a similar cyclic idea..."4.5 billion years have passed....and now a new warriors reign has begun." Sounds very familiar! Fianlly the backdrop, despite being 2D had similar settings to souls, i.e. the forest with a stream level starts out Rygar and Dark Souls 2 alike. The lava level, and setting sun came later. The death "yell" for both games is near identical and although you float off escorted by a demon, a soul was invovled.
I was able to do a brief intro/walkthrough of the game with live commentary here.
Please submit your examples of earlier games (of any year), or other art or media, that you think had an aspect that ended up in Souls. Link media, your own vids etc.
My first submission is the arcade game Rygar, which was released in 1986 by Tecmo. Althoguh it was a 2D left to right scroller/platformer, it did send you vertical. It has bosses and mid-bosses. It is a very punishing game for new players, no instructions are given much (although this was common in those days...looking over a more experienced player's shoulder was the only way to "get gud' in those days without spending a fortune yourself.) One aspect that really stood out for me was that they really tried to get enemies coming at you from both directions, and if you didnt deal with them quickly, you would be "ganked." Greeed was also punished heavily, but just like Souls they give you really good rewards and make you decide if your life is worth losing over it. The weapons system is tight and simple, yet you can do multiple moveset in different situations, with different upgrades. Probably the most important similarity for me and why I got addicted to both games. The second was hidden secrets...there were lots. The music was awesome, sound effects, hit and miss. The brief story was by allusion only, but had a similar cyclic idea..."4.5 billion years have passed....and now a new warriors reign has begun." Sounds very familiar! Fianlly the backdrop, despite being 2D had similar settings to souls, i.e. the forest with a stream level starts out Rygar and Dark Souls 2 alike. The lava level, and setting sun came later. The death "yell" for both games is near identical and although you float off escorted by a demon, a soul was invovled.
I was able to do a brief intro/walkthrough of the game with live commentary here.
