Minus 3 Plus 1: Dark Souls II and Devolving Sequels

With the release of new DLC for Dark Souls II,  a question begs to be answered. Is it worthy of being called a true sequel.

Sequels have accounted for a large amount of gamers shelf space in recent years. And with my recent playthrough of the highly polarizing yet enjoyable Dark Souls II; I ask gamers the question of what needs to be considered when
fashioning a sequel.

First let’s start with the definition of sequel. It is a follow up that continues the story or expands on the groundwork that was established. With this bare minimum expectation, one would expect to get at least an expansion to the lore the world of Dark Souls II.

In this regard, Dark Souls II succeeds and fails simultaneously ultimately ends up feeling more like a well made fan mod to cater to the need of PvP enthuasiasts. The original Dark Souls was highly regarded because of the atmosphere, unique creature designs and esoteric world building.

The sequel sporadically leaves the player with a joy and disappointment at random intervals. I think that pretty much sums up my entire experience with Dark Souls II. For every improvement the game makes, there are compromises made to features, mechanics or systems that dilute or muddle what was established.

Myself personally, I have a hard time accepting something like that as a sequel. That said, it amuses me that people are so quick to defend a sequel without really questioning what makes it better and be selective in that mindset.

We gamers need to be on the same page when it comes down to sequels. Sequels should be designed to improve upon it’s predecessor or build off of them. When drastic changes are made to a series with an established foundation, shouldn’t a spinoff or subseries be considered?

The Mega Man franchise has thrived for a long time because of this. Sure the sequels aren’t much different at face value but they do make more conscious attempts at presenting the narrative and when the series tried to experiment with the Blue Bomber’s proven formula in different genres. Spin-offs were created to avoid trampling on the advancements that were made for the series in order to provide new experiences.

Mega Man 9 in that regard disappointed many due to it’s regression in graphics and gameplay despite being well made. You can’t be  Mega Man 2 expansion and expect people to just not take into account all the new things added to the series up until that point. That said is Dark Souls II the “Mega Man 9″ of the Souls series?

While I still enjoy the hell out of Dark Souls II, People should not let their love for any given series to cloud their judgement on what a sequel should entail. A sequel should build upon what it’s predecessor has done or execute new ideas that doesn’t tie itself to tradition yet maintains it’s identity.

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