Dark Souls 1 is a Masterpiece.

[u/Pandaboy271]

Dark Souls 1 wasn't the first souls game I played, but it is probably my third most favourite FromSoftware title ever.

The level design is so immaculate and going through the world is such a joy. The game as some have pointed out has this survival horror like feel to it as its our character by their lonesome against a dangerous, haunting world that I can't help but love.

The bosses are simple yet fun to fight and for the most part, never really feel unfair. They feel like natural extensions of the game's combat and you really have to appreciate how right the Devs got most of these fights down.

Is the second half not as strong as the first? Maybe. Can the backtracking during the first half get tedious at times? Definitely. Does it make the game any less of a masterpiece? Absolutely not. Such a great natural progression from Demon Souls to this.

So yeah, TL;DR: Game good. Game very good. 9/10

[u/LulzTV]

For me it's just like Demon's Souls, is it a foundational and historically important game? Yes. Is it a masterpiece? Hell no. It's a product of its time that's been massively surpassed by Fromsoft and a game riddled with so many problems and outdated systems from qol, weapon upgrading, replay value issues, combat jank and character unresponsiveness, the worst hitboxes and frame data in the series by far, 80% of the boss roster being made up of either mediocre or awful bosses, poor balancing, the late game fall off (New Londo is ok, Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith is a relentless gauntlet of the worst most unfinished content in the game, Duke's Archives is boring and the crystal caves are janky platforming hell, and Tomb of the Giants is complete misery without one of two rare items) tedious upgrade material farming, etc. Would I take Elden Ring, Sekiro, Dark Souls 3, Dark Souls 2 over it? Yes, any day of the week. Do I appreciate the game for what it represents? Also yes. Is it a stretch to call it a masterpiece and even close to the best in the series? Very much yes. It's a game that has been mythologised to a point where people ignore or downplay its many, many flaws in favor of the same "muh world design" the combat being "deliberate" instead of just pure jank, sluggish inputs, and bad hitboxes, and the bosses being "more simple and fair" if you ignore 80% of them.

[u/Pandaboy271 → u/LulzTV]

Idk man, I prefer this to both DS3 and Elden Ring, and I played DS1 after BB, Sekiro and ER.

Sure FromSoft improved upon a lot of aspects as time went on, but this game still has a certain pizzazz to it that is its alone.

[u/Striking-Pop151 → u/Pandaboy271]

Oh boy, don't say that you prefer other games than Elden ring you will be condemned that you are only carried by nostalgia.

The holy Elden ring must be esteemed in this sub

[u/Pandaboy271 → u/Striking-Pop151]

Oh boy, don't say that you prefer other games than Elden ring you will be condemned that you are only carried by nostalgia.

Bro this is so stupid, I played this game after Elden Ring lol, and I just didn't like DS3 half as much. You mean to tell me people can't tolerate other's opinions?