Are the Dark Souls Games Connected?
No, there is no singular contiguous narrative running through the Souls series1. But Dark Souls 1, 2 and 3 do share a complex fictional universe with intersecting lore and mythology. Let‘s analyze the substantive links as both a hardcore fan and critic.
A Primer on Souls Storytelling
Before assessing connections, it‘s important to highlight FromSoftware‘s unique, subtle approach to storytelling. Rather than direct plots, these games immerse players in a fragmented world to piece together abstract themes of cyclical decay and the desire to preserve legacy2. The story emerges through flavor text, environments and character interactions as we uncover the past to inform our own cryptic quest.
The Hub World of Lordran and Drangleic
Lordran serves as the iconic central land in Dark Souls 1 while Dark Souls 2 is set within the kingdom of Drangleic3. Besides recurring mechanics like Bonfires and Estus Flasks, these hub worlds share little explicit continuity. However, a common mythology underpins both settings involving the cyclical "Age of Fire" kept alive by linking the First Flame.
Interestingly, Drangleic is rumored to have been built upon Lordran‘s ruins far into the future4. A minority of players speculate that Dark Souls 2 is a literal sequel depicting events thousands of years after the first game. But controller creator Hidetaka Miyazaki has denied this theory5, keeping the precise timeline deliberately ambiguous.
Lothric and the Undead Settlement
In contrast, Dark Souls 3 sees players return to Lordran, now known as Lothric in an age even further beyond6. The game overtly references characters and locations from the first entry alongside new mythos around the linking of the fire7. While not a direct plot continuation, Dark Souls 3 recycles the land‘s iconic geography as the kingdom fades from its former glory.
Interwoven Mythology and Themes
| Aspect | Parallels |
|---|---|
| Storytelling | Environmental and flavor text |
| World State | Post-peak civilizations in entropy |
| Linking Flame | Central mechanic to preserve order |
| The Curse | Undead plague tied to the Darksign |
| Souls Collection | Used to strengthen protagonists |
Here I‘ve summarized high-level story elements carried between all three games, from narrative techniques to character progression8. While actual events differ, the underlying mythology persists as humans continually discover then lose advanced societies. Our cyclical struggle against hollowing forms the backbone through each era.
Wrap Up: United in Spirit, Isolated in Plot
So in summary, FromSoftware‘s approach gives us self-contained quests against the same bleak universe. The Souls series stands apart for prioritizing environmental storytelling and implicit lore over concrete timelines9. As fans, we ponder how each entry reflects the wider fiction without definitively linking journeys meant to mirror our own struggle with entropy.
1 Footnote source 1
2 Footnote source 2
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