The World Design of Dark Souls | Boss Keys

The world of Dark Souls is a sprawling, branching, interconnected maze-like masterpiece. In this special, mid-season, spin-off episode of Boss Keys, I break down the world of Lordran and discuss the advantages and challenges of making non-linear worlds.

=== Sources and Resources ===

Dark Souls Design Works Translation | Giant Bomb

Dark Souls Map Viewer | Kayinworks

=== Chapters ===

00:00 - Intro
01:29 - The five acts
03:35 - Breaking the order
06:11 - Interconnectivity
07:52 - The experience of exploring
09:46 - Giving players direction
12:32 - Fast travel
14:38 - Balancing baddies
15:59 - Local level design
18:57 - Conclusion
20:50 - Patreon credits

=== Games Shown ===

Dark Souls (From Software, 2011)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Retro Studios, 2004)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo, 2011)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo, 2017)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo, 1991)
Metroid (Nintendo, 1986)
The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo, 1986)
Resident Evil (Capcom, 2002)
Dark Souls III (From Software, 2016)
Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games, 2017)
Hollow Knight (Team Cherry, 2017)
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (Naughty Dog, 2017)
Dark Souls II (From Software, 2014)
Bloodborne (From Software, 2015)
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (FromSoftware, 2019)

=== Credits ===

Music used in this episode

Firelink Shrine (Dark Souls)
What True Self - Feels Bogus, Let’s Watch Jason X (Chris Zabriskie)
Out of the Skies, Under the Earth (Chris Zabriskie)
Is That You or Are You You (Chris Zabriskie)
What True Self - Feels Bogus, Let’s Watch Jason X (Chris Zabriskie)
Is That You or Are You You (Chris Zabriskie)
I Don’t See the Branches, I See the Leaves (Chris Zabriskie)
What True Self - Feels Bogus, Let’s Watch Jason X (Chris Zabriskie)
Souls of Fire (Dark Souls)

=== Subtitles ===

[michaelvisosky]

"Dark Souls forgoes traditional map systems in favor of a different system, where, if you go the wrong way, you get murdered by 100 skeletons."

[arbiter-]

You mention the feeling of being "homesick" in DS1 when you venture far from Firelink Shrine... Honestly I couldn't think of a better way to describe it. My first time playing the game I felt so much dread being so far away without having opened any shortcuts back to familiar territory. I don't think I've ever felt anything like that while playing a game before, and haven't since. What an amazing game.

[reredrumuoy]

Its amazing that a game of this scale has no loading screens, impressive for a game from 2011.

[joster]

one of my favorite sections of dark souls 3 is the cathedral of the deep, the whole place has just one bonfire, but it has so many shortcuts and connected paths that really one bonfire is all you need, and that really reminded me of dark souls 1.

[mikarri]

"Amazing chest ahead. Try using two hands."

[Crowbar]

One thing that makes the world of Dark Souls so believable is that so much is hidden, that you won't find everything. The sense that you haven't done everything there is to do. Because at that moment you reach the boundaries of a game and realize it's just a game.

[_maza_]

God what I would give to be able to forget everything I know and just play this game blind again. No playthrough will ever be as fun as the first.

[SpacedogD]

"At this point of the game you unlocked something very special"

*Proceeds to show Gwynevere's amazing chest ahead*

[SuperButterBuns]

I am a sucker for DS1 talks 10/10 good stuff Mark!

[Toasty_]

That elevator back to Firelink Shrine is one of my more memorable gaming moments. I remember being completely blown away when I realised how small and intricately designed the game world actually was. But more than that, Firelink in DS1 really does feel like home.

[ryodavis]

One of my favorite things about Dark Souls is that it teaches you to belong in its world. It starts off "hard" because you don't yet know the rules. And when Lordran kills you, it's saying "You're not one of mine. Not *yet*. Let me teach you." And through repeated efforts, it teaches you to understand itself. I'd argue that most of the things that feel challenging on a first playthrough are a cakewalk in successive runs. Lordran isn't trying to mess with you... it's trying to show you the environment you're looking to blend into, similarly to the clown fish/anemone interaction.

Once it's taught you how to be a part of it, Lordran is a very welcoming world, and the magic of the first half makes it an absolute joy to explore.

[NakeyJakey]

Fantastic video. The map of DS1 has always been the thing that stuck with me the most. It’s the reason I never completely finished DS2 or 3. I just never felt as invested or inspired.

[SimplyMavAgain]

This has always been MY standout feature in Dark Souls. Not the difficulty, the skill you gain, the accomplishment, the great background story that can easily pass you by or the personal stories.
This, the level design. It's the reason why if I could ever experience a game for the first time again, it would be Dark Souls.
It's what inspired me to take the stray ways when walking through forests. Finding out where this path goes just to see that I know the place is an amazing feeling. One I first felt in Dark Souls and one I now seek over and over again in real life.

[geoffnaylor]

I strongly disagree with your criticism of the Lordvessel adding late-game warping (while still believing that the lack of fast travel is essential to this game's design).
When you get the Lordvessel, you are the furthest you have ever been from home, and you just faced the hardest challenge of the game yet. You're weary, weak and beaten dreading the long journey home after this gruelling challenge. At your lowest point, Gywenevere speaks to you like an angel from the heavens blessing you with the power to warp! It's one of the most sublime and cathartic moments in any game.

[sunnyboi]

What I loved about dark souls was when me and my brother would play. Whenever we watched each other and saw something happen (like being thrown into the painting) to the other, we would always ask "How did you do that?" and the answer would always be "I don't know"

[SJNaka]

Omg I forgot about the return to the asylum. I remember rolling off the elevator and just trying to jump off of every surface to get on the roof nearby. When I landed on that pillar I totally thought I had found something I wasn't supposed to, until I found items and the nest up top. I curled into a ball and nothing was happening, so I pulled out my phone and started to look it up when suddenly the crow came and picked me up. One of my absolute favorite moments in the game happened here, and I haven't ever heard anyone say they had this same moment: when you beat the asylum demon in the beginning, a dev note outside the door says "Good Job! Walk straight ahead". Okay so I forgot that this note was there and now I'm all fucking proud of myself for finding this secret, I kill the hollows, read the note, "Good job! Walk straight ahead". Oh man am I so proud of myself in this moment, even the devs are telling me good job, I walk straight ahead and fall through the floor and instantly get smashed by the secret boss. Oh man I laughed so hard, the devs fucking got me!

[metalhead]

Or you go to the catacombs as your first stop not realizing there are other paths, and spend an hour smaking your head against the skeletons outside.

[entheo]

My favorite memory in this game is due to the lack of fast travel. I went into the catacombs early and inadvertently got lost in the Tomb of Giants. That suffocating feeling of being stuck and afraid I might have to start the game over was the definition of immersion. It didn’t feel like my character was lost down there, it felt like I was lost down there. Had I been able to warp out I would have never had the chance to feel that same connection to the game.

[staudinga]

Man, kicking down that ladder leading from the bridge back down to the bonfire in Undead Burg was one of my favourite gaming moments. The elevator back to Firelink Shrine then completely sold me on the world design of Dark Souls. Every new discovered connecting pathway was a thrill to find and as you said, thinking and executing optimal routes was a game in itself.

[megamihestia]

After dying a million times and having to run through all of those paths, you will remember it. You will remember it so hard you start to suspect maybe you child is gonna inherit that memmory thorugh your DNA.