You think you know, but you don't.

You've heard the reviews: "Dark Souls is the hardest game to exist. Dark Souls is so soul crushingly difficult I can't play normal games anymore. Dark Souls separates the casual gamers from the elite."

Ridiculous. Dark Souls is a game for everyone. You will play Dark Souls. You will like Dark Souls. You will "Git Gud". But Dark Souls isn't a litmus test. It's not a bar that separates the wheat from the chaff. It is a transformational experience for the benefit of all of those who enjoy video games. Dark Souls believes in you. It challenges you because it knows you can do better. And you will. Everyone is capable of success in this game. All you need is a willingness to keep trying- a willingness to lose all that you have. Once you realize that everything that you have to lose in this game is all obtainable again; once you realize that there is no penalty to trying your best and failing- that is when Dark Souls truly challenges you to transcend the current limits of your play and evolve into something more. Many RPGs have a sense of progression. There is a satisfaction, a catharsis to growing stronger as your character gains attributes and statistics and you have the opportunity to fight some enemy that provided challenge much earlier in your playthough, and now dispatching them is mere child's play- but this catharsis transcends merely gaining numbers on a character sheet in Dark Souls. In Dark Souls, it's not just your character that levels up: you do. And as you get better, as you grapple the controls and the inventory system; as you familiarize yourself with the weapon animations and the combat mechanics, you can feel yourself eclipsing the terrors the game faces you with. You begin to feel safe, to feel certain in yourself. There is no danger the game can throw at you and leave you running scared- you have won, by virtue of your persistence. You know the map now. You know where the enemies spawn. You know precisely where to obtain the weapon you love and the resources you need to level it into grandiose proportions. You can roll, parry, and back stab your way out of any combat encounter. You have achieved mastery. This is what makes Dark Souls brilliant. The appreciation you acquire on subsequent playthroughs. Dark Souls affords you the power to play the game however you may like if you will only try. Try and you will prevail. Try and you will be rewarded with the purest sense of accomplishment to grace modern gaming. Link the fire, Chosen Undead. Lordran awaits you.