Board Thread:Dark Souls/@comment-25106727-20140626034651/@comment-98.117.74.223-20140627222613

I would say it's hard to call this game "linear" even if you are referring to the beginning of the game, when at any time you can access multiple places...on a first playthrough without a guide it is extremely easy to get turned around and end up somewhere you have no business trying to get through yet. For example, at the very beginning for me at firelink i didn't even notice the stairs leading up to the undead burg and proceeded to get my ass handed to me in the cemetary and new londo ruins time and time again.

another example, even though it is really not needed to proceed in the game, can anyone honestly tell me they figured out all the necessary steps to get to the painted world on their own??? or even just figured out how to get back to the undead asylum without any outside help? I'm sure a handful of people did, but really that is pretty tough to figure out on your own and I find it hard to believe the average gamer could.

As much as I tried to beat the game first go through on my own, there were a few points where I ended up completely lost and needed a youtube video to get me back on track. Maybe I'm just an idiot...

As far as story goes though, the story in dark souls is rich but you have to find it on your own through item descriptions and the limited NPCs you come across. exhaust all conversation lines and read all item descriptions. I like that its not the typical way they tell stories in games where you run into someone for the first time and they tell you their life story and everything that is happeneing in the world and randomly asks for your help in a specific capacity. In comparisson I felt like the Demons Souls story was confusing and almost non existant but I didn't put in nearly as much time there as I did in Dark Souls.

Colddeadbutt, I really hope you stick with it. Especially considereing the amount of time you've put in already. It's such a great game and a rare gem with a feel that just is not matched by anything else. It can definitely be frustrating...if your having trouble with a boss, leave it alone for awhile, farm some souls and upgrade or try changing out equipment (also, most bosses can be beat by circling around and trying to remain on the side or back of them and just hitting them once or twice every so often when the opportunity presents itself)...if you are stuck and have absolutely no idea where to go, I'm sure youtube or someone on this site can point you to your next suggested objective without spoiling anything. If you really decide at this point to walk away from dark souls, well i'm sorry I wasted your time with this post =)