HomeNews
This mod turns Dark Souls into a roguelikePrepare to die, but only five times
Prepare to die, but only five times
It’s easy to overemphasise the importance of difficulty toDark Souls, but I’d still argue it’s integral. From Software’s gruelling RPGs do loads else that’s cool, but part of the appeal is bound up with the same satisfaction you get from climbing a mountain. You want that tension, and the blessed relief of finally beating a boss after chucking yourself betwixt its jaws for the 38th time. That’s why I have mixed feelings about this mod forDark Souls: Remasteredthat turns the first game into a roguelike with randomised weapons, enemies and levels, and only gives you five lives to reach the end.
I haven’t played it myself yet, to be clear. This is all just conceptual fear. Personally I wouldn’t go near Roguelike Souls: The Binding Of Lordran until I can comfortably beat most of the bosses in the original Dark Souls without breaking a sweat, and the idea of ever getting to that point is ridiculous.
People have been making ‘Randomiser’ modsfor years, this one’s a bit more involved. Here’s how Grimrukh describes his horrible gauntlet:
“If you die five times, your progress in that run will be lost and you will be sent back to Firelink Shrine to start anew. Allies you rescue (from fixed locations) will permanently reside at Firelink to provide gameplay-modifying bonuses, and certain game progression events will unlock more loot options, but nothing else will persist between journeys through Lordran.”
On top of that, re-installing the mod will spawn in “a fresh set of procedurally-generated weapons, armor, and spells”. Enemy animations speeds are randomised, too, which sounds like a nightmare for my muscle memory (if it hasn’t atrophied to the point where that’s irrelevant anyway). Grimrukh says you can reinstall the mod if you wind up with an enemy that’s particularly brutal, or just disable the speed changes altogether.
Regardless, I am simply too intimidated. If you’re one of those people who can beat the final boss blindfolded with your hands tied your back while playing with aGuitar Herocontroller (OK maybejust the last one), then maybe this is for you.
You can download ithere.
