About 2011 and i hear people talking about that very difficult but amazing game called Dark Souls. Didnt pay attention to it, forward in around 2016 , Dark Souls III is out and everyone that plays it says its awesome but still very difficult. I watch some videos on Youtube , game looks too hard , i pass ... Big mistake. 2024 and after years of playing platformers feel the itch for something different, something difficult, something to get me out of my comfort zone, something to challenge me. The name of that hard game called Dark Souls comes to mind. Lets check it out. Its on the Steam Store as a remastered and also on discount by some chance. Luck? Or fate? Rereading the reviews , difficult - rage quitting - complicated - clunky - ... - amazing - awesome - rewarding ... Something clicked on me and somehow i added it to cart, i feel this game is for me now and im ready for it... Game starts, dead , trying again - dead , trying again - dead, what if i run past the boss? it works , going around , jumping over it , killing it , first Dark Souls boss down , cant believe it , keep progressing , another boss , down , keep progressing - dragon - dead , try again , avoiding it and it works. Game is hard but i feel great for every progress i make, makes me feel proud, havent felt like that from a game for years, i keep progressing and persisting over and over again and after many battles and adventures i beat the game... Best choise ever made... No guides, no summons, no walkthroughs, no Solaire, nothing , just a lot of trials and errors and unlimited patience. It started as a challenge and ended up being an adventure full of heart, one of the best ones i had in a game for a lot of time... Amazing story , wonderful scenerys and breathtaking battles. How did i allow so many years to pass without trying this game...? I heard people saying its challenging and still loving it , as i wrote somewhere else too , now i understand these people , now i am one of them. Do i recommend this game? Fullheartedly yes... Did i find it hard? Yes, but i would choose to play it all over again ...Do i write reviews this long for every game i beat? No, but if a game deserves that , it's this one...Is this a review? No, you cant review a journey , it's beyond that, it is an experience, one of epic battles , deep lore and enchanting characters... Am i going to continue with all the rest of the Soulborne games? Who wouldnt ...

The Journey Concludes ...

Straight after the second game , Dark Souls III is installed and quickly start making my way through the first area... Game feels much smoother, sounds much better and my god the visuals are breathtaking, i feel its like seeing for the first time, like now i am properly seeing and what i did before was just preparing myself for this visual masterpiece... Not long ahead Gundyr and the first Boss fight starts ... and it feels amazing , feels like home... The excitement for what is to come fills my heart and makes me eager to progress, impatient to see and experience as much as possible as soon as possible. Lothric Walls, Undead Settlement, Road of Sacrifices , my screenshot library filling faster that the enemies falling from my blade. Exploring every corner, reading every item description, enjoying the view, talking to every NPC , enjoying myself and savoring as much as possible because of the forthcoming unavoidable end of the franchise that limbs closer with every inch of progress i make... And then memories also start kicking in from every single familiar thing ... Solaire, Andre, Siegmeyer, Black Knights, Anor Londo, Silver Knights, Gwyndolin, Artorias, Sif, no chest ahead, Earthen Peak, Dragonslayer ... Memories bringing me back to the previous games, my struggles but also most importantly all their amazing moments too. I will miss these games, i will miss the excitement for the unknown adventures lying ahead... Keep progressing and i see slowly the game preparing me for its end, arcs finishing, plots wrapping up and not long before, i find myself at Archdragon Peak ringing an ominous bell... Cutscene and then one of the most epic, if not the most epic, intro of every Boss, Nameless King, the firstborn himself riding on a dragon... The fight might have been difficult , but i dont want to finish it, i can feel that the end is near... Doing my duty and overcoming him, predicting that the final boss is next, i decide i should start the DLCs ... Snowy struggles and constant test of my skills keeps reminding me that the game still has more to offer and some more left in it to challenge me with... Friede and her father's arc shows me the power love holds, no matter the circumstances... Midir reminds me of Kalameet and the git gud philosophy for one last time... Gael, now freed after our encounter, shows me what i have to do, bring a closure to the game and its story, finish what he started...And there i stand , in front of that breathtaking Dark Sign, with the experience of the whole franchise behind me, pushing me forward for one last time, against all those that came before me, against Gwyn and against my own past selves... The fight, as befitting to its importance amazing, the soundtrack behind it giving everything it got and making me understand how high the stakes are and ultimately prepare myself for my time without Dark Souls in it anymore... And then its just me and the Dark Sign, alone in a world of ash thinking back on everything i achieved, wanting to forget everything so i can relieve them and above all feeling proud... what some might find it silly, me finding it a life lesson... When i started the trilogy i was in need of some strength and courage irl... and i feel that these games helped me towards that , so not only i thank them for their gameplay and plot, but for also the lessons that they reminded me, courage - persistance - patience and so many more... I cant recommend this trilogy as much as it deserves and still cant thank myself enough i chose to experience this journey...

Thank you to FromSoftware, to Mr Miyazaki, to Bandai Namco and all the people that helped alongside this journey, the comments, the messages - even the bloodstains... I really hope Bloodborne and Demon Souls come to PC one day, if they do i will be there ... Solaire , i finally found my sun ...

Dont give up skeletons, dont dare go hollow, but keep pushing forward, one more area, one more opponent, one more bonfire ... Because such is our fate ...

Praised be the Sun