Dark Souls : II Trailer

Dark Souls : II Trailer

From Software's Hidetaka Miyazaki was the director of both Demon's Souls and Dark Souls and his influence is everywhere in those games. He's an exceptionally sharp and unusual character, utterly uncompromising in his vision and fastidious about realising it. He takes an extremely active role in everything from art design to player feedback, from the intricacies of the game's mechanics to the overarching themes of death and hopelessness that permeate every tiny element of it. And he's not directing Dark Souls 2. Instead we've got Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura, both of whom are a mystery. Shibuya's MobyGames profile shows games from Resident Evil Outbreak to Monster Hunter, but I don't know how long he's been at From. 

This really concerns me. When we interviewed Miyazaki in 2011, he gave the impression that he wouldn't do another Souls game unless he knew it was breaking new ground once again. Miyazaki is apparently staying on as an advisor, but if he's no longer in charge of Dark Souls, does that mean he can't think of where to take it next? Frankly, if Miyazaki can't take Dark Souls in brave new directions, I'm a bit sceptical that anyone can. A Dark Souls rehash would definitely not be the worst thing in the world, but it also wouldn't be in the spirit of the series.

Accessibility and approachability :

This is the big one. Edge magazine were the first people to see Dark Souls 2 and their issue about it doesn't come out until December 20th, but they've released a few preview paragraphs that are making my stomach tighten a bit:

"An eternal battle rages at the heart of Dark Souls II. On one side stands the stern force of challenge, the very soul of the Souls series. It has inspired thousands of fans to hack their way through two of the most demanding and rewarding games of an era, fans who expect at least the same test on the next go around. On the other side is the bright promise of accessibility. And why not? Why shouldn’t FromSoftware and Namco Bandai open Souls up to a wider audience when it could otherwise be in danger of becoming stuck in a cult cul-de-sac? [...] “I personally am the sort of person who likes to be more direct than subtle,” [Shibuya] tells us. “[Dark Souls II] will be more straightforward and more understandable.” We sympathise if that sort of statement concerns you, but at the same time, we can surely agree that we would all like to see Dark Souls attain as great a presence as The Elder Scrolls."

Straighforward and understandable are two adjectives that do not exactly roll off the tongue when talking about Demon's or Dark Souls. I am absolutely not a fan of treating gaming as a horrible self-congratulatory incestuous hardcore niche rather than a huge and wildly varied entertainment medium, and I'm not about to go all hipsterish about Souls and claim that it can only possibly be any good if it's not popular, but it would break my heart totally to see it sacrifice what it is in order to become something that Namco/From/whoever imagines will appeal to more people. Absolutely no to this. I really, really hope this doesn't happen.

The trailer music :

This is probably amazingly paranoid and nitpicky, but that trailer music just isn't giving me the Souls feeling. I mean, the beginning's fine, but then the voiceover starts and it's an... American guy? Or maybe Australian? Nothing against Americans or Australians, obviously, but Demon's and Dark used more olde-worlde British and European voice work, which really became a part of the games' personalities. I'm just... not sure what this is. The accent has thrown me.

THAT'S NOT WHAT'S REALLY BOTHERING ME, THOUGH! Hear that, starting innocuously about halfway through? That's electric guitar. Nonononono. Power chords over a title screen is not Souls AT ALL. Try bleak nothingness punctuated very occasionally by eerie discomfiting choral noise or screams of pain.

Those power chords. They chill my soul. Nggggg. Still, it's only the trailer. It's only the trailer. *bites nails* .