GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY THERE'S SPOILERS FOR ALL OF DARK SOULS 2 ABANDON NOW
I know many have drawn parallels between Zelda and Dark Souls, and note how DS harkens back to the very early Zelda games that were more open and lacked explicit direction.
However, I feel that Dark Souls II takes a lot of inspiration from modern Zelda games, specifically OoT and beyond. For one, the way the characters direct your path in DSII is very similar to Zelda. While Skyward Sword basically said GO HERE GO HERE SPECIFICALLY, OoT gave you a broader overview of your goal. In DSII, character explain in detail specific points of interest and tips on how to get there. There are also a myriad of different characters explaining what paths you should take in DSII. It reminded me of the constant pop ups by Shiek, Kaepora, Impa etc.
And speaking of that, the Emerald Herald popping up at important segments of the game really reminded me of the aforementioned characters from Zelda that also suddenly appeared at important moments. You never really had a character like that in DS1, although NPCs did often reappear.
Another parallel is the types of NPCs you encounter. In DS1, the NPCs were basically human or undead (with the occasional snake or spider lady). In DS2, you have a diverse cast of races including humans, undead, ghosts, dwarves, imp things (red phantom covenant leader and belltower guys), cats, rats, decapitated heads, scorpion people, bird people, and more. The diversity reminded me of the large cast of different characters and races you'd find in a Zelda title.
And speaking of the NPCs, some of them had a quirky sense of humor you'd find in Zelda. Dressing up that naked NPC really feels like one of those off-beat sidequests you'd see in Zelda. I feel like a few of them would fit right in at Hyrule Town Market.
DSII also introduces more puzzle mechanics, as simple as they may be. Specifically the Pharros Lockstones. These have many different purposes, but function in a way to change the layout of the level. Some basically work as bombs on cracked walls, allowing you into a secret room. Others, like the one on No Man's Wharf, completely changes the level and how you interact with it. It strongly reminds me of how you get to the midpoint of a Zelda dungeon and the layout or how you traverse it completely changes.
The biggest thing that stuck out to me was the Chariot boss. Is this thing not straight out of Zelda? The majority of the battle is a puzzle, where you have to dodge attacks and fend of minions. When you finish the puzzle part, phase two begins where you focus on attacking the boss. So many Zelda battles follow this format, while so many Dark Souls battles do not. It really stands out among all the other fights where you just start wailing/dodging from second one.
And I can't be the only one who saw parallels between Drangleic Castle and Ganon's Tower from OoT. Yeah, there are a lot of "castles as final levels" in video games, but when I first came upon DC in the dark with the rain and the words flashing on the screen, I instantly had Ganon's Tower vibes. Perhaps this was intentional? There are also the parallels of having to revisit DC to fight the final boss and going to Hyrule Castle early in the game, only to return again to fight the final boss there. And of course, seeing both Nashandra and Ganon in their normal forms early on, only to fight their true form.
"But Forkball, you stupid idiot, a lot of these elements from DSII were also in DSI." I think that's true to an extent, but I really felt like From pulled a lot of inspiration from Zelda this time around, specifically OoT. Does anyone feel the same way? Do you think future Dark Souls titles will be more akin to Zelda?
I know many have drawn parallels between Zelda and Dark Souls, and note how DS harkens back to the very early Zelda games that were more open and lacked explicit direction.
However, I feel that Dark Souls II takes a lot of inspiration from modern Zelda games, specifically OoT and beyond. For one, the way the characters direct your path in DSII is very similar to Zelda. While Skyward Sword basically said GO HERE GO HERE SPECIFICALLY, OoT gave you a broader overview of your goal. In DSII, character explain in detail specific points of interest and tips on how to get there. There are also a myriad of different characters explaining what paths you should take in DSII. It reminded me of the constant pop ups by Shiek, Kaepora, Impa etc.
And speaking of that, the Emerald Herald popping up at important segments of the game really reminded me of the aforementioned characters from Zelda that also suddenly appeared at important moments. You never really had a character like that in DS1, although NPCs did often reappear.
Another parallel is the types of NPCs you encounter. In DS1, the NPCs were basically human or undead (with the occasional snake or spider lady). In DS2, you have a diverse cast of races including humans, undead, ghosts, dwarves, imp things (red phantom covenant leader and belltower guys), cats, rats, decapitated heads, scorpion people, bird people, and more. The diversity reminded me of the large cast of different characters and races you'd find in a Zelda title.
And speaking of the NPCs, some of them had a quirky sense of humor you'd find in Zelda. Dressing up that naked NPC really feels like one of those off-beat sidequests you'd see in Zelda. I feel like a few of them would fit right in at Hyrule Town Market.
DSII also introduces more puzzle mechanics, as simple as they may be. Specifically the Pharros Lockstones. These have many different purposes, but function in a way to change the layout of the level. Some basically work as bombs on cracked walls, allowing you into a secret room. Others, like the one on No Man's Wharf, completely changes the level and how you interact with it. It strongly reminds me of how you get to the midpoint of a Zelda dungeon and the layout or how you traverse it completely changes.
The biggest thing that stuck out to me was the Chariot boss. Is this thing not straight out of Zelda? The majority of the battle is a puzzle, where you have to dodge attacks and fend of minions. When you finish the puzzle part, phase two begins where you focus on attacking the boss. So many Zelda battles follow this format, while so many Dark Souls battles do not. It really stands out among all the other fights where you just start wailing/dodging from second one.
And I can't be the only one who saw parallels between Drangleic Castle and Ganon's Tower from OoT. Yeah, there are a lot of "castles as final levels" in video games, but when I first came upon DC in the dark with the rain and the words flashing on the screen, I instantly had Ganon's Tower vibes. Perhaps this was intentional? There are also the parallels of having to revisit DC to fight the final boss and going to Hyrule Castle early in the game, only to return again to fight the final boss there. And of course, seeing both Nashandra and Ganon in their normal forms early on, only to fight their true form.
"But Forkball, you stupid idiot, a lot of these elements from DSII were also in DSI." I think that's true to an extent, but I really felt like From pulled a lot of inspiration from Zelda this time around, specifically OoT. Does anyone feel the same way? Do you think future Dark Souls titles will be more akin to Zelda?
