Dark Souls 2 is the most substantial and important game in the FromSoftware action with RPG build elements library.
Without Dark Souls 2, there would be no Dark Souls 3 or Elden Ring. This game was neglected, abducted from its father and left incomplete with only a single mom to try to fill in the pieces and comfort it. If only the publishing company didn't restrict the vision of its directors and allowed them the freedom of a 2016 release, this game could have been without a doubt from all perspectives the greatest Souls game ever.
Because of that, its the greatest tragedy in all of gaming. All of it. Even more tragic than when Nin10do took away Mario's nipples.
Demon's Souls is the origin of FromSoftware's signature take on dark fantasy action with RPG elements. Heavily inspired by Ico and the Legend of Zelda. It set the standard for what a Souls game is. Dark Souls 1, upon that already firm foundation built an excellent experience with great difficulty, aura, swagger, and the like. Tight but meticulous combat, a fascinating story and world with its own identity, yet the build of Dark Souls 1, can be seen as merely a rework of its predecessor. An excellent sequel no doubt! It was fresh and had its own series of challenges and improvements, but overall it was just an improvement.
With that said, what makes Dark Souls 2 special is that its the first Souls game that's inspired by its predecessors not merely a clone with modified elements.
Dark Souls 2 has completely reworked animations, balancing, timing, flow, gameplay. As far as I can recall, there nearly wasn't a single enemy that merely was an updated version of a previous souls enemy, and I mean that by taking the same move set and the same animation and just fixing the frame rate and putting a new model on it.
Dark Souls 2 is the first souls game to balance consumable health with renewable health, the first Souls game to prioritize the world over the boss rooms. Dark Souls was a great game and out of the FromSoftware library has one of the most balanced takes on the genre. Yet, there were handfuls of empty areas with only few items, few enemies, few experiences in Dark Souls, and in Dark Souls 2, the world is full, packed, never an empty zone, never an empty area.
And its really late and I'm forgetting what else I wanted to say. But lastly, Dark Souls 2 is the first souls game with a tomboy GF, and a tradwife that levels you up while kicking her feet and that's actually peak.
According to my research when I asked an AI about boss strategy against the Looking Glass Knight, it told me that Majula is the first boss in Dark Souls 2. At first I thought that was ridiculous, but I thought about it and that Merchant has always been out to get me, I don't know what his problem is. So roboto might be on to something. And I'll just leave you with that thought. Bear, Seek Seek, Lest.
