Recent reviews by Aint Got Legs

"There was Fire and with fire came disparity. Heat and cold, life and death, and of course, light and dark. Then from the dark, They came, and found the Souls of Lords within the flame. Nito, the First of the Dead, The Witch of Izalith and her Daughters of Chaos, Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, and his faithful knights. And the Furtive Pygmy, so easily forgotten. With the strength of Lords, they challenged the Dragons. Gwyn's mighty bolts peeled apart their stone scales. The Witches weaved great firestorms. Nito unleashed a miasma of death and disease. And Seath the Scaleless betrayed his own, and the Dragons were no more. Thus, began the Age of Fire. But soon the flames will fade and only Dark will remain. Even now there are only embers, and man sees not light, but only endless nights. And amongst the living are seen, carriers of the accursed Darksign."

"Only, in the ancient legends it is stated, that one day an Undead shall be chosen to leave the Undead Asylum in pilgrimage.
To the land of the ancient Lords,
Lordran."


You are inflicted with the Darksign, which turns you into an undead. Out of fear, the undead are locked away into an asylum at the end of the world, where they are kept until they lose their minds, and go Hollow. However, you, like some others before, get taken to Lordran, the land of Gods, in order to rekindle Lord Gwyn's flame and save the world from eternal darkness.

You are now entering a world where time is a circle, where legends bleed into reality, and duty is like a chain that binds the soul. This is a realm of Lordran, a forsaken land of gods and men.

The story of the Four Knights of Gwyn begins with a knight, Ornstein, the Dragon Slayer, a name etched into the annals of a forgotten age. Ornstein was no ordinary knight. He was a spearhead of Lord Gwyn's war against the Dragons. His weapon, sharp enough to pierce a stone in scales, and his armor gilded like the mane of a lion, marked him as a predator among men and slayer of beasts. He was a captain of the Four Knights of Gwyn, warriors chosen to carve a new order from the ruins of the ancient world. But, glory is a fleeting mirage. The Dragons fell, the first flame waned, and the golden age of the gods had dimmed into twilight. No Chosen Undead came to claim the Lordvessel.

Duty became a prison, and loyalty a curse. In the world of Lordran, where myths are as tangible as the steel of a cross spear, truth is a shadow, that shifts with the light.

When the gods abandoned the city, Ornstein stood with Executioner Smough, guarding the cathedral and its secrets. Their mission? To test the worth of those who dared to walk the path of the Chosen Undead. Centuries passed, and the cathedral grew silent. Time, like a relentless tide, eroded Ornstein's resolve. He abandoned his post, leaving behind the Leo Ring, a symbol of his knighthood, and sought the Nameless King, a forgotten deity shrouded in storms and shadows. Though, nobody dared to speak his name.

This is a tale of valor, sacrifice and a darkness that devours even the brightest of lights. In this corner of existence, beneath the fading embers of a dying flame resides a knight who's legend outlived his flesh. Sir Artorias, once a paragon of chivalry, now a tragic monument to the upon crumbling foundations. Artorias the Abysswalker. A loyal servant to Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight, and a trusted member of the Four Knights, a fraternity of warriors tasked with protecting a kingdom built on fire and deceit. Artorias was a beacon of hope. When the Darkness swept into the world, it was Artorias who answered the call.

He descended into the Abyss, a churning sea of malevolence born from humanity's untamed soul. But even legends have their limits. The Abyss was no ordinary foe. It was a force that consumed all it touched. Artorias fought valiantly, but his strength faltered. Corrupted and broken, Artorias the Abysswalker became a shadow of the hero he once was. A puppet to the Darkness he sought to destroy. And yet, even in defeat, there was a spark of dignity. Overwhelmed by the Abyss, Artorias used the last of his strength, but not to save himself. With his final act, Artorias shielded his companion Sif from the Abyss, ensuring that the wolf would live to honor his memory. He casted a shield around her, and let himself fall. By the time you encounter him, he's no longer the noble knight he once was. Corrupted, armor corroded, and consumed by rage, he attacks without thought or memory. You are no longer fighting a hero. You're witnessing what happens when you lose against the Abyss.

Artorias's name henceforth passed into legend. The Knight who gave his life to disperse the Abyss, to rescue the Princess of Oolacile.

This is a lie, of course.

The legend of Artorias is a lie. He did not vanquish the Father of The Abyss. He did not eliminate the Darkwraiths of New Londo Ruins. The Abyss is unstoppable. But his legend can only live on with his death. Only his fellow knights knew the truth, but they would take his soul and his secret to the grave. And while Artorias's soul was corrupted by the worst of humanity, it was the best of humanity that redeemed it. And the hero of Oolacile would disappear without a trace, almost as if he didn't belong. For in reality, he didn't.

For centuries, Sif would stand vigil over the knight's tomb, a silent guardian of a legend tarnished by truth. And eons later, deep withing an enchanted wood, behind two locked doors, and a troop of forests protectors, an ancient cat named Alvina speaks the truth. Alvina is keen to downplay the legend of Artorias because heroes and bandits have begun seeking out his grave. They would desecrate his legacy for the secret of the Abyss Walking. And they may do harm to Sif, who in fact, Alvina helped you rescue back when the world was still young.

Imagine what Sif is feeling when you cross paths again years later. Your duty bounds to seek the Abyss, and Sif is duty bound to stop you. One of you will have to die, because Sif cannot give you the covenant of Artorias willingly. Maybe in death, she can find her friend Artorias, again.


He was perhaps a lingering question. Do legends die? Or do they simply wait for their time to rise again?


He did not fight for glory.
He fought with fury, like a beast bound by duty.
Artorias knew he could not save Oolacile,
but he swore to hold back the Abyss even if it swallowed him whole.
He never meant to return.
He walked in, with a sword in one hand, and faith in the other.
It was not a knight who fell.
It was the last light before the darkness.


Dark Souls.