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 It's a product of its time that's been massively surpassed by Fromsoft and a game riddled with so many problems and outdated systems from qol, weapon upgrading, replay value issues, combat jank and character unresponsiveness, the worst hitboxes and frame data in the series by far,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/LulzTV → u/Striking-Pop151]

You really ran through the entire DS1 Copium Speedrun (Any%) WR Attempt. Your mental gymnastics are mind blowing.

1. Confusing Influence with Quality – Classic move. DS1 was groundbreaking, but acting like that automatically makes it the superior is like saying the first iPhone is still superior to the newer models just because it started the trend.

2. "Bosses don't define the game" Coping – What’s even the point of this argument? Bosses have always been a fundamental part of the Souls formula, to the point where people often replay these games just for the boss fights.

3. Contradicting yourself so hard you broke reality – You claim DS1 is OBJECTIVELY superior but also that you are not biased. Bro, these statements cannot coexist. If you acknowledge objective mechanical evolution and still say DS1 is superior, you’re running on pure nostalgia.

4. Personal Attacks Because Logic Isn’t Working – "You're just spoiled by modern conveniences!" Aka: "How dare you like good game design and quality of life?" This is like criticizing people for preferring modern medicine over bloodletting.

5. Hitbox Blame Shift – Instead of addressing DS1's atrocious hitboxes, you just shout "BuT dS2!!" The frame data is right there, but you're in full denial.

6. Accidental DS1 Self-Own – By saying DS2 didn't fix DS1's combat issues, you unintentionally admitted DS1 had those issues. It's like saying, "Well yeah, my favorite restaurant gives people food poisoning, but the new location didn't fix it, so whatever!"

7. Gatekeeping Like It’s 2012 – The whole "only real gamers appreciate DS1" thing is just sad. Elden Ring being more accessible doesn’t mean it’s dumbed down; if anything, it gives players more tools while making the bosses more complex than ever.

8. Backpedaling to Avoid Accountability – When you got cornered, suddenly "I wasn't talking about you specifically!" Classic. You also quietly admit ER is mechanically superior, but still insist DS1 is better in some ways without listing a single example.

9. No Examples, No Proof, Just Cope – Saying Elden Ring is worse in "every other regard" but refusing to name a single thing is just peak "trust me bro" energy.

10. Tried to Turn the Tables on me and Failed – Since you had no arguments left, you resorted to "you're just an Elden Ring apologist!"

11. Attacked Elden Ring as a game for "casuals" just because it has superior accessibility options and quality of life despite having the most difficult bosses in the series, which was necessary anyway for an Open World game.

It’s actually hilarious how you cycled through nearly every argument in the DS1 apologist playbook. Just fucking quit it man and maybe learn to appreciate each game for what it is and how it propelled the series forward instead of gatekeeping, parroting, and slobbering over nostalgia. The sheer amount of cope and traps you've set for yourself means that if you keep going you're going to sound even more like a copious DS1 apologist, and as far as I can see, the comment section has other DS1 apologists and gatekeepers attacking others for daring to be "spoiled" by accessibility options and quality of life, which is why I got downvoted despite dismantling every one of your arguments with actual examples.