One True Ending

Im not sure how popular this Idea would be, but I want the game to have a one true ending. Now what I mean by that is that they would keep with the two obvious endings that souls games traditionally have, light and dark, good and bad, etc. But then there should be a way to get a third ending that is really hard and secret, but will be much more satisfying than the other two.

First of all, neither of the two endings of Dark Souls are good. Linking the fire only postpones the inevitable age of man, and the age of man, well, you've seen what happened to Oolacile.

The only ending that is canon is the one in the prologue. One day, the flames will fade, and only dark will remain. The only "good" era, the peaceful time of the dragons, is over. Not coming back. Dark Souls has no happy ending.

I like the idea that there could be more than two endings. But I disagree with the "secret but satisfying" ending. I despise the word "satisfying" in there. It doesn't fit into the Souls games.

The Souls games really nailed one game design theme I really like. The journey should be more important than the destination. Having a "satisfying" ending breaks that.

I'd rather just one ending

Dark Souls style of storytelling is minimalism (an art usually not used in the video game medium, but in books and poems). The point is to leave the interpretation up to the player. Players actually have to choose what they are going to believe, as well as who they are going to side with. However, having a "true ending" destroys that entire principle. Once people discover the "good ending", then there is no longer any room for speculation or interpretation of the story, because such an ending basically just gives you the "correct" answers.

A single "true ending" would make Dark Souls less unique and, thus, less interesting. I say no.

Aevun wrote:First of all, neither of the two endings of Dark Souls are good. Linking the fire only postpones the inevitable age of man, and the age of man, well, you've seen what happened to Oolacile.

Not necessarily. Undead burn indefinitely.

I like the idea that there could be more than two endings. But I disagree with the "secret but satisfying" ending. I despise the word "satisfying" in there. It doesn't fit into the Souls games.

The Souls games really nailed one game design theme I really like. The journey should be more important than the destination. Having a "satisfying" ending breaks that.

This.

Aevun wrote:First of all, neither of the two endings of Dark Souls are good. Linking the fire only postpones the inevitable age of man, and the age of man, well, you've seen what happened to Oolacile.

The only ending that is canon is the one in the prologue. One day, the flames will fade, and only dark will remain. The only "good" era, the peaceful time of the dragons, is over. Not coming back. Dark Souls has no happy ending.

I like the idea that there could be more than two endings. But I disagree with the "secret but satisfying" ending. I despise the word "satisfying" in there. It doesn't fit into the Souls games.

The Souls games really nailed one game design theme I really like. The journey should be more important than the destination. Having a "satisfying" ending breaks that.

When I was saying good and bad, I was refering to demons souls. When I said light and dark, I was refering to dark souls

Flankydizzle wrote:I'd rather just one ending

*involentary spazam*

YOU MAD BRO

Every game is better with multiple endings. It stops things being so monotomus and linier and prodictable. I personally preferr the endings where each one is very different but nether one is the correct one as such. This is how it is in dark souls. I would never allow a super secret "correct ending". But what about having multiple bad endings and then 2 more seceret but better endings. Too complex of course but it would be interesting.
Its like a choice between saving your loved ones becoming rich and being restored to a very healthy condition or being horribly mutilated as your loved ones are forced to watch. That would be a no brainer and therefore dull. but a choice between saving your loved ones yet possibly dooming the rest of the world to the mercy of a vicous tyrant or killing said tyrant and your loved ones together would be a much harder choice and therefore infinatly more interesting.
Well that looks a mess when typed but hopefully you get what i am trying to say.

Aevun wrote:The only ending that is canon is the one in the prologue.

for the sake of my sanity i will pretend i never read that

Aevun wrote:The Souls games really nailed one game design theme I really like. The journey should be more important than the destination. Having a "satisfying" ending breaks that.

This redeems you and i think we can all use this quote as a moral lesson in life.

My opinion of the endings of the souls games is that they are almost less about functionalities (may not have spelled that right) of the lore and more about the role playing element of your own personal characters devolopment through the game itself, as Aevun said the souls games are more about the journey than the destination. Having a "secret" ending that depends on what you may or may not have done during your playthrough is just not the type of ending I would expect of Fromsoft to put into a souls game, and one I would hope is never implemeted into one.

And by "satisfying" what do you truly mean by that phrase?

samster628 wrote:

Flankydizzle wrote:I'd rather just one ending

*involentary spazam*

YOU MAD BRO

Every game is better with multiple endings. It stops things being so monotomus and linier and prodictable. I personally preferr the endings where each one is very different but nether one is the correct one as such. This is how it is in dark souls. I would never allow a super secret "correct ending". But what about having multiple bad endings and then 2 more seceret but better endings. Too complex of course but it would be interesting.
Its like a choice between saving your loved ones becoming rich and being restored to a very healthy condition or being horribly mutilated as your loved ones are forced to watch. That would be a no brainer and therefore dull. but a choice between saving your loved ones yet possibly dooming the rest of the world to the mercy of a vicous tyrant or killing said tyrant and your loved ones together would be a much harder choice and therefore infinatly more interesting.
Well that looks a mess when typed but hopefully you get what i am trying to say.

Aevun wrote:The only ending that is canon is the one in the prologue.

for the sake of my sanity i will pretend i never read that

Aevun wrote:The Souls games really nailed one game design theme I really like. The journey should be more important than the destination. Having a "satisfying" ending breaks that.

This redeems you and i think we can all use this quote as a moral lesson in life.

What I meant with the prologue ending is the statement "one day, the flames will fade, and only dark will remain". Unless the "undead burn forever" theory is true, which I'm not convinced it is.

Even if they don't burn forever, a thousand years is a long time. There's nothinh saying it can't be chained; for that reason, I agree that the endings are more about RPing than lore. After all, if they let you play the villain, you shouldn't be forced to "save the world."

So, I'm fine with having more than two endings. No less though.

Aevun wrote:
What I meant with the prologue ending is the statement "one day, the flames will fade, and only dark will remain". Unless the "undead burn forever" theory is true, which I'm not convinced it is.

In the grand scheme of things everything is finite except possibly time itself.
I am mainly reffering to the fact that the prologue is showing what has already happened not what will happen. In addition the undead don't have to burn forever to avoid the flames dying out. Another power source could be found. Just some thoughts...

If DkS2 is a sequel, the only thing that will change is the time setting, which is irrelevant in Lordran, so there will be no difference if the flame faded at the end of DkS, or 100 years later.