I've restarted and rage quit Dark Souls 3 more times this month than I have ANY OTHER GAME in my entire life. Because of that I've become very well acquainted with the entire tutorial level of the game, to the point that I have it etched into my mind. And the more I played it, the more I realized that this is a tutorial level done right. This is the reason why.
After you picked your character, your class, and all that jazz, you start off in the Cemetery. No hour long cut scenes. no thirty minute "playable" prologue, just you, plopped right into the game. Right off the bat the game pulls no crap; you're here for the ultimate, hard core gaming experience, and by God you'll get it. On the floor you see some markings. You go over to them, read them, and it's the button tutorial. "Press R1 to attack," "Press L1 to block with your shield," "Press R2 for a stronger attack." Simple stuff.
The game then gives you a slow moving enemy. Ignore it, and it will attack you. You have to kill it. You do what the game told you to do and kill that skeleton. You get some "souls." What are they for? Game's all mum about it; you'll have to figure it out later. Now, you COULD go straight ahead and kill another skeleton, or you could go to the right of the one you just killed and find an item that nets you 200 souls. This right here is the game telling you that you CAN veer off the main path of the game for goodies.
After a short walk, you come across a pair of those same skeletons, and they attack at the same time. The game's message is clear: you can and WILL be mobbed in the future. If you happen to clear the duo out, you'll see a second fork in the road; one dry, and one in water waist deep. The game, in an unfathomable show of mercy, tells you two words should you decide to take the watery path:turn back. If you choose not to, you'll come face to face with a powerful mini-boss type creature, that can (and will) kill you in three hits. The message is clear; be prepared if you choose to stray from the path.
You come across the bonfire, and you heal all your Health and Mana. Already the game is telling you what to look for the most. After a simple trek, you come across the very first boss of the game. You're thinking "I've beaten every enemy in the game in two hits tops, how tough can this guy be?" One three hit combo later, and you're dead. And if you're like me this process repeats itself at least six more times.
The message is clear: bosses in this game are quick, big, and hit like a truck. If you want to win, you need a combination of strategy, quick reflexes, and patience. Rushing in and attacking willy nilly might work in a game like Kingdom Hearts, but THIS is Dark Souls: only fools rush in.
Should you beat the boss, congratulations; the game ceases holding your hand. From here on out, you're on your own. Oh, you don't know how to actually combat enemies? Tough luck, you'll have to learn by doing. But those are the lessons that stick by you: the ones learned from falling and getting back up.
Ultimately, this is what makes the Cemetery of Ash such a great tutorial: it teaches you by throwing you right into the action, with minimal instructions and plenty of space to experiment. Even the respawn point is so close to the first boss that you can literally rush there right after dying. And still the game offers plenty of challenges, even in the tutorial: sure the skeletons are slow, but they can hurt badly if you get careless.
The Cemetary of Ash may well be the best tutorial map I've ever played, and THIS is coming from a guy who generally at least tolerates tutorial levels. It's also the ONE tutorial map I don't mind playing over and over; which is a good thing, as I often do!
After you picked your character, your class, and all that jazz, you start off in the Cemetery. No hour long cut scenes. no thirty minute "playable" prologue, just you, plopped right into the game. Right off the bat the game pulls no crap; you're here for the ultimate, hard core gaming experience, and by God you'll get it. On the floor you see some markings. You go over to them, read them, and it's the button tutorial. "Press R1 to attack," "Press L1 to block with your shield," "Press R2 for a stronger attack." Simple stuff.
The game then gives you a slow moving enemy. Ignore it, and it will attack you. You have to kill it. You do what the game told you to do and kill that skeleton. You get some "souls." What are they for? Game's all mum about it; you'll have to figure it out later. Now, you COULD go straight ahead and kill another skeleton, or you could go to the right of the one you just killed and find an item that nets you 200 souls. This right here is the game telling you that you CAN veer off the main path of the game for goodies.
After a short walk, you come across a pair of those same skeletons, and they attack at the same time. The game's message is clear: you can and WILL be mobbed in the future. If you happen to clear the duo out, you'll see a second fork in the road; one dry, and one in water waist deep. The game, in an unfathomable show of mercy, tells you two words should you decide to take the watery path:turn back. If you choose not to, you'll come face to face with a powerful mini-boss type creature, that can (and will) kill you in three hits. The message is clear; be prepared if you choose to stray from the path.
You come across the bonfire, and you heal all your Health and Mana. Already the game is telling you what to look for the most. After a simple trek, you come across the very first boss of the game. You're thinking "I've beaten every enemy in the game in two hits tops, how tough can this guy be?" One three hit combo later, and you're dead. And if you're like me this process repeats itself at least six more times.
The message is clear: bosses in this game are quick, big, and hit like a truck. If you want to win, you need a combination of strategy, quick reflexes, and patience. Rushing in and attacking willy nilly might work in a game like Kingdom Hearts, but THIS is Dark Souls: only fools rush in.
Should you beat the boss, congratulations; the game ceases holding your hand. From here on out, you're on your own. Oh, you don't know how to actually combat enemies? Tough luck, you'll have to learn by doing. But those are the lessons that stick by you: the ones learned from falling and getting back up.
Ultimately, this is what makes the Cemetery of Ash such a great tutorial: it teaches you by throwing you right into the action, with minimal instructions and plenty of space to experiment. Even the respawn point is so close to the first boss that you can literally rush there right after dying. And still the game offers plenty of challenges, even in the tutorial: sure the skeletons are slow, but they can hurt badly if you get careless.
The Cemetary of Ash may well be the best tutorial map I've ever played, and THIS is coming from a guy who generally at least tolerates tutorial levels. It's also the ONE tutorial map I don't mind playing over and over; which is a good thing, as I often do!
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