Prepare to Die: Reconceptualising Death, and the Role of Narrative Engagement in the Dark Souls Series (2011–2018)

Abstract

Dark Souls heralded a shift from the dichotomy of survival horror, and instead, thrust the player into a world where narrative was everywhere (if only you dared to look). This chapter explores the reimagination of Gothic narrative and narrative engagement in the cryptic and fragmented nested narratives of the iconic FromSoftware, Inc. series. In doing so, this chapter highlights the emergence of a hybrid ludo-narrative form within the Gothic genre, and examines the ways in which the series presents said narratives to the player as it shifts the onus of narrative engagement from the storyteller to the one now living the experience. The chapter explores video-ludic interpretations of death, play, and experientiality through the lens of video game studies, and posits the value of the series as a defining moment in the Japanese action role-playing game genre.

Citation

Theodorou, A. (2020), "Prepare to Die: Reconceptualising Death, and the Role of Narrative Engagement in the Dark Souls Series (2011–2018)", Coward-Gibbs, M. (Ed.) Death, Culture & Leisure: Playing Dead (Emerald Studies in Death and Culture), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 83-94. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83909-037-020201013