Awesome video!! my memories of trying Demon's Souls at TGS08 was that yes, it was clunky and difficult to be like a demo in a show to attract players, but there was really something special about it. Left the show think it was interesting, but nothing extremely relevant, but later when i had the final copy on my hands it was very very cool to see that it was way better than i was tried, still a bit slow, but intriguing. Later, it became not only something special for me and to recommend to friends, but also considered a defining change in the genre when DS1 released. Again, very cool video!!
Crazy. This random Japanese guy in his 30's just decides one day that he wants to make videogames, and he changes the entire industry. Very well-made video, good job.
Basically if it wasn't for ICO inspiring him to leave his job and get into the industry none of what we have today would exist and the industry would be vastly different. It's crazy to think about due to the fact the Souls games are some of the most influential games ever made
The fact that I get emotional at the genuinely heartfelt statements made by Miyazaki and the DeS team just goes to show that they are gamers, they understand what makes gaming special, and that they truly believed in what they were making. I am so, so glad that FromSoft exists, that they have made such wonderful games, and that they continue to do so. For adults in the world who struggle to cope with the weight and stress of the daily grind, these games are a literal God send. God bless you, FromSoft, and thank you!
He made fromsoft and everyone working for him inspired and believe in what they were working towards. It's pretty awesome almost brought a tear to my eye.
When dark souls came out and i first played it, it was as if I had vague memory of a fantasy dream I've dreamed years ago. It has special feeling about it
When i was a kid i wanted a game exactly like the souls game. A game where fighting an enemy was a serious endeavor and not just smashing buttons. I wanted a stratigic sword play. A game where the world is taken seriously and that is not considered just as background. I didn't know that, a 30 year old guy on the other side of the world, was feeling the exact same way.
The way this absolut Gigachad of a man willed Demon's Souls into existence is nothing short than inspiring. I am so thankfull I didn't quit Dark Souls at the capra demon back then. I truly believe Miyazaki is one of the, if not the greatest game designer of all time. Thanks to this living legend for changing my life.
For some reason, the montage of exhilaration and triumph genuinely moved me to tears. I have felt that very thing SO many times and it's one of the reasons these games are so special to so many people. Beating Sword Saint Isshin was the most satisfying thing i've ever done in a video game and i bet most people who play these games have quite a few stories like that. Miyazaki achieved exactly what he wanted to: anyone who's played and beaten a souls game resonates with that triumph and joy. it's unlike anything else in ANY form of media. in the Noah Caldwell Gervais video on Dark Souls, he discusses this hawkeye gough quote and how it's representative of the series and its game design as a whole: "Exhilaration, pride, hatred, rage... The dragons teased out our dearest emotions. Thou will understand, one day... At thy twilight, old thoughts return, in great waves of nostalgia." These games exist to tease out our dearest emotions, to give us pride and hatred and joy and rage, and to flood us with great waves of nostalgia. They're truly something special.
Watched many From Soft docs and read countless Miyazaki interviews. It wasn’t until these videos that I fully understood the cultural context at the time. From Soft success shouldn’t exist and I’m fascinated as to how it has happened. Well done DondonRV
@@YEY0806 just emulate it on pc, you can play at 1080p 60fps easily since it's been very well optimized and runs better than the original console performance.
I remember shuhei yoshida said this game is bad yet atlus buy it to publish in western market and demon souls become best game they ever experienced After that shuhei yoshida feels bad to miyazaki, gave him blank check and japan studio to do whatever he want and beloved bloodborne is born
Certified game lover here, played Demon's Souls in 2010 and to this day it remains my favourite game. This video was awesome, look forward to many more.
I think Miyazaki's story is a very strong point of evidence in favor of auteur theory. His creative vision turned a failed project into one of the most influential games of the 21st century. Of course, he is not solely responsible for the Souls' series success: these games are the product of hundreds of talented peoples' work. However, Miyazaki's strong creative vision allowed his team to work at their full potential. Under the uninspired, derivative, corporate goal of making an "Elder Scrolls clone", that exact same team was more or less at a loss.
The regret in Shuhei Yoshida's words, for letting the golden goose get away. "We dropped the ball from a publisher's perspective. We failed to grasp the value of the product we were making."
In my mind he’s easily one of the all time greatest game developers. Dark Souls 1, Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro, Elden Ring were all masterpieces and all developed by him. Sekiro and Elden Ring both won GOTY and he basically created and pioneered a sub genre.
I imported this game back in the day from UK (I am from Germany - we didn't have a release yet). I can't remember how/why I stumbled upon that game, but I felt that this game is something special. Oh boy, was I right. Such a beautiful game. Great to hear the story behind it, thanks! :)
Excellent video! Miyazaki's journey is compelling and you have a palpable affection for his work. What's more, your narration is on point: lean, well paced, and engaging. Subscribed.
@@dondonrv Absolutely, keep it going, and you'll be one of the greats in no time. I'd love to see this kinda research for more titles one day. Cheers my dude.
What a great video! We've known for a while that the Souls series spawned from how Miyazaki took over the failed project of early DeS. However I've always been very curious to know how many of the staples of the Souls formula were due to Miyazaki versus how much was already established before he took over the project. The fact that he was the one to change the game to a 3rd person perspective is insane as it's such a core element of how the souls gameplay formula works. I've never heard anybody mention this fact before. I'm shocked nobody else has thoroughly covered this topic before. Super interesting and informative. Subscribed!
Most of the ingredients of the Souls Game formula are already present in Demon's Souls. I was surprised as well after I collected all the info. Thanks for the support! Cheers!
Honestly I feel like this genre is a one of a kind! When I played the game back in 2009 I thought it was so cool that the game had hard gameplay that also had multiplayer co-op in such a unique way. Just randomly having people show up and help. I always help out and do coop now in these games with randoms, just playing and helping each other out.
I'd like to believe that aside from being intellect, possessing lots of imagination, and diligence, his smooth career transition to be a game developer could also be attributed to his fulfilling his filial piety by working on Oracle first, so he can pay his younger sister's college tuition until she graduates, and then pursuing his dream to be a game developer afterwards. That's a great life lesson.
The Souls games, specifically FromSouls games, is the perfect example of the term "Started from the bottom now we're here!". They started from not succeeding (at least financially and popularity wise), to become one of the most influential games of all time. Hell, they even created a sub-genre of ARPGs we now call as Souls-like. This kinda reminds me of Doom. Back then, for almost a decade I believe, the what we now call as "FPS" games were called as "Doom Clones". It's funny because the Souls games and the Doom series are two of my favorite game series of all time.
This is one of the most tedious and frustrating games ever developed. Even so, I love it. I love its themes, I love its story, and I love its tone. This game was well worth the development
This channel is a goldmine find for me, your videos are made with excellent quality and they’re thoroughly well-researched. I’m glad I stumbled upon you through the algorithm!!
Second time I've seen this video. Absolutely mind-boggling how you don't have more views and subs. So concise and detailed in a way gaming channels seldom present themselves. Love learning about the industry and how it affects its games, and vice versa.
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this series. Although I have a pretty good understanding of FromSoft’s development history, these videos provided a much more detailed and comprehensive timeline which I have learned a lot from. Very well made and earned my sub. Keep up the good work.
Demon's Souls is the comfiest Souls game. I can always go back to it when I can't decide what game to play next. Helps that the game isn't too difficult by today's standards. I sort of miss that 😂
Great video. Played Elden Ring as my first Fromsoft game. Fell in love with it and decided to go back and play all of the souls games. Just finished Demon’s Souls! Excited to move on to Dark Souls next! These games bring back the feeling I used to get when playing video games as a kid.
I remember playing it on ps3 when it was fringe game. It felt like it was THAT game that I really wanted and was waiting and I couldn't have described it before playing demons souls. The fantasy world was like something I had a dreams or memories of. The combat was very different and simple unlike other games with combos and effects. The boss fights came back again. As I was missing them in other games. I sensed back then that the game had great future, and the more people tired the more popular and better feedback it got saying it was actually amazing game. But I could never imagine it's gonna become this juggernaut with elden ring. It just shows how one man can change the industry. I love the sorry where Miyazaki was quiet to the marketing team about the game being difficult lol.
Very informative. This and the previous were presented super well. Really looking forward to the next episode, and I'm going to start scouring through the backlog now.
I cannot fathom the enormous vision Myiazaki had for DeS. It was like his mind was flooded with ideas to be poured into a masterpiece. How the array of fresh new concepts came into fruition so succesfully wouldn't be achieved by anyone short of a genius. I know later soulsborne titles are more fleshed out, but DeS remains my favorite to this day (maybe because it was my introduction to the series, but mainly because of its genius game design and mechanics). As a final word I'd like to praise the quality and thorough research of your content, it has been a delight to binge watch them this afternoon. Keep up the good work. You deserve more subs and I'm sure in the future they will come.
I still have my precious Demon's Souls Black Phantom Edition sitting on the shelf. I remember playing this at my friends place since I didn't have a PS3 at the time and was completely glued to the controller for hours, had no idea what this game was prior.. Few days later.. I bought the console just to play this game!
This is such an incredibly inspiring story, especially the culmination of development and initial failure. Yoshida's statement particularly highlight the gravity of this situation. And yet despite it all, by luck or random chance Miyazaki vision was left intact and look at what it has created. What a tragedy to think what could have happened had the vision been altered and to think of all those devs who have had their vision altered due to marketing teams. If there's a takeaway, I think it would be, stay true to your vision, you don't want to think what it could have been.
Awesome!! My only criticism is that I'm not a fan of the moving background. Everything else is great! Good narration, very detailed, lots of quotes, careful attention to the timeline of events... I feel like I'm learning a lot and can't wait for your future videos! Thanks for making good content. I subscribed!
Demon's Souls blew my mind. People don't realize how revolutionary this game and now genre felt back then. This game was so special that people - like me - importet it from Japan or China, based on rumors and praise on the internet. Until now I devour every Soulslike- the good and the bad (hello Lords of the Fallen 😅)
I remember picking up demons souls on day1, my friends were wondering why had grabbed that particular game out of the many that were there, it was simply because it was the only copy of the game and i was, and still am drawn to niche Japanese developed games. I guess it was from growing up in the ps1/ps2 era and just finding hidden gems in the wild. A week later I realised how special this game was. And I needed to get myself the black phantom edition, i rang about 20 stores before finally managing to get one, immediately went and bought. Its still one of my prized possessions. Love the souls-like. My favourite being Sekiro and Ni-oh. Truly a next generation gametype.
40:53 This is a profound statement that really shows the difference between what Miyazaki and Fromsoft prioritize vs. what most AAA big budget studios have historically done: focusing on the intrinsic facets of gaming that people enjoy, rather than following market data and big-money trends, is what creates memorable games that age well. For most of the 2000s, Konami tried to the the latter and fell on their face every time, whereas their "outcast" teams and developers (who either worked in opposition to, or under less supervision by, Konami execs) created their most enduring franchises, like Silent Hill. Capcom and Keiji Inafune's notorious push to "Westernize" their games also failed for similar reasons: they chose to pursue an image and a fad rather than focus on making games that sold because they were _original and fun,_ which drove away the developers who were truly behind the company's massive success. I'll also never understand why console companies and publishers always felt the need to create "clones" of their competitor's games. Not only do they generally fail to make a mark on the industry, it sometimes ruins the reputation of otherwise good games that end up stigmatized as unoriginal cash-grabs. Miyazaki's decision to create a truly original IP instead of an Oblivion clone is another reason why you should let the developers call the shots on their own games, not executives and middle-managers. And on a side note, while I'll never be a massive fan of Activision, I gotta give them props for allowing From to pursue their own vision with Sekiro. It goes to show just how much clout Fromsoft has in the industry now, when even a multi-billion dollar publisher like Activision can respect their work enough not to stick their fingers where they don't belong.
Thank you for the very insightful message! At this stage, the most significant asset of FromSoftware is their reputation. And with Miyazaki at the helm, I have faith in their current and future games. Cheers!
I’ll never forget Demon’s Souls. I was in Malaysia a few months after its release and I went to my regular game store to see what’s new. The cashier who knew my tastes at the time recommended it saying if I like Monster hunter, i should try this. After a couple of hours playing I was like wth was this guy talking about, and even put it aside for a few days. But something kept calling me back to the game. Despite dying on the rafters from the dragon swooping in and breathing fire something kept calling me back. And the first time I beat the Tower knight I “got it”. And have been a Souls fan ever since. Definitely the best game director since Kohima hands down
Thank you very much for this, I’ve been looking for a video like this to help develop a greater appreciation for the first Souls game. I am working on a martial arts/comedy animation project based on this game so I have been scouring the internet to learn all I can about this work of art from others who know more than I do.
I love this video. There are parts of the later videos (Sekiro, etc) where so many promo videos etc are included in their entirety and I don't love that. I get the desire to capture them for posterity but this is maybe the only one I watched without skipping anything.
Thank god my man got that camera perspective changed. I probably wouldn’t be playing any of Fromsofts games if they were first person. There are few situation where I’d prefer first person. Like RE Village was pretty good because the first person perspective helped the horror aspect of that game. It felt very claustrophobic not being able to see behind you which made the game more tense. But that’s the first and last first person game I’ve played in many years.
Man I discovered your videos today, and i can’t express how much i did like them, not only for the arguments and the voiceover, but as a designer i really enjoyed your visuals and how you put the typos well together!! Good job man keep it up, it’ll be a pleasure to follow you 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Excellent video! Thank you a lot!!! It's informative and helpful for people who want to have a better understanding about these masterpieces!!! I love Demon's Souls, the first Souls and my first Souls as well, I have the platinum trophy on PS3 because I love the game and I keep replaying it from time to time. I hope that in the future I can play the remake. Hugs from Chile to everyone here
Thanks for sharing and thanks for the kind feedback! :) My first Souls was Dark Souls and I disliked it because I could not get pass through the tutorial boss..until things clicked later when Bloodborne got released! :)
Great chanell, subscribed. I'm new to berserk, recently having watched the anime now I wish to read the manga. As a souls games veteran I've immediately picked up so many things tied to the soulsborne series. I'm in awe of Your work, Miyazaki sensei, but I had no idea that the orignal work was THAT good. R.I.P. Kentaro Miura, thank You for Berserk.
Omg, here I thought this was well established video series, but its only 10 days old Q_Q. I'm really looking forward to the Darks Souls video, you did a brilliant job with this one.
The fact that Konami had to incorporate special difficulty for the west in metal gear, because japanese players had been seen as generally more casual audience, creates sense for Demon Souls poor sales in Japan
this is when an artist is allowed to complete his vision .. for example that story about the car shows the insipred sensitive mind of a real artist in making fanatsies it alaways results in games that have a soul
I wanted to congratulate you for such a talented and extensive research. Your soothing narrating voice, accompanied by dark souls character design music, and all the visual representation with all the data, makes it the best biography of Miyazaki to this date on UA-cam. It was precisely what I was looking for when I searched the other day this topic, and this is almost ideal level. You’re definitely on track to success with this formula. Keep up the good work!
How I love the stories of making videogames and movies! It's so inspiring. Motivating me to continue working harder to achieve my dreams.... wish, one day we will get Demon's Souls remake on PC
This videos are an incredible piece of work, I can't imagine the effort it took you to put together all this information and display it in such an interesting way. I already enjoyed this games a lot, and I thought I understood the creative approach, but after watching this videos I truly understand the value of the decisions they made for each game, and where they come from. Thank you so much for your work, can't wait for the next one about Dark Souls.
His story and games are a great inspiration for us that find ourselves in similar life paths as Miyazaki's. Or with one foot in the industry, but still not having found the right environment. Sometimes it's neccessary to be bold, but it is very difficult making that kind of choice with all the pressures one may experience from their surroundings and situation in life. But knowing others have done it also translates to life, and one can draw a very thick parallel between the experience of searching for happiness and defeating the obstacles in both the games and life itself. It always felt like a point of the games was to instill a feeling of hope; that it's possible to defeat these obstacles with thought and persistence. And I think it really does matter that games provide something to be gleaned from the experience and taken with us through life. Besides an interesting experience.
Funny how everyone is always bashing Sony for the Demon Souls and Bloodborne exclusives, but if they would never have contacted Fromsoftware nobody would ever have any souls game and perhaps Elden Ring would never have existed.
i want to applaud the 200 IQ background music choice. you can pretty much sit here and talk about literally anything with souls of fire in the background and 99% will just sit and listen
@@dondonrv great video man. even though dark souls, bloodborne and ultimately sekiro perfected the formula in a lot of ways, demons souls remains my personal favorite and it's hazy, dreamlike, feverish atmosphere will probably never be topped
Although I am having a very hard time with Demon's Souls (curse you Flamelurker xD) I still feel highly attached to it. As someone who cannot bow to defeat and with the liking of figuring things out I already count this franchise to one of my favourites (have not played the other games yet). I think one major thing that helps me keep going is the atmosphere of these games in general. Having played Shadow of the Colossos I really see what Miyazaki tried to do here and I really much appreciate that. Thank you for this thoughtful and highly elaborated documentary. Can't wait to see the upcoming ones.
I came looking for copper and I found gold Your channel is exceptional You're doing a great job I hope to see even more from this channel So..glad I came across this. Cheers 🍻
I was in Japan when Demon's Soul's came out, well, I bought a PS3 (I still own the same one!) I kept hearing about the game from my American friends, I finally bought it when it was on sale in Camera Yodobashi in Nagasaki. It was like equivalent to $10 USD. When I first put it on, I was like "wtf is this weird ass game!?" 12 hours later, yeah. I played and beat every Souls game since then, most I've platinumed/100%'d. Now currently working on Lies of P, though not a FS game, but still in the same realm.
first game i have the fulfillment of achieving the platinum throphy.. the grind to get final sharp stone was a chore.. the atmosphere of the game was rare during that time.
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed the video, please consider subscribing.
The video on Miyazaki doesn’t have a link it’s just a static image, just fyi great last video.
i enjoyed this alot. really looking forward to more videos like the upcoming DS1 one
This is the best video about my favourite game out there. Sincerly, thank you
Este vídeo está excelente! Muchas gracias por tu esfuerzo para poder hacerlo, me suscribo!
Awesome video!! my memories of trying Demon's Souls at TGS08 was that yes, it was clunky and difficult to be like a demo in a show to attract players, but there was really something special about it. Left the show think it was interesting, but nothing extremely relevant, but later when i had the final copy on my hands it was very very cool to see that it was way better than i was tried, still a bit slow, but intriguing. Later, it became not only something special for me and to recommend to friends, but also considered a defining change in the genre when DS1 released. Again, very cool video!!
Crazy. This random Japanese guy in his 30's just decides one day that he wants to make videogames, and he changes the entire industry. Very well-made video, good job.
His journey is one of a kind, especially in a Japanese setting. Thanks for the feedback!
Ikr..
It's like an origin story for a middle-aged OP anime character
There goes my hero
Basically if it wasn't for ICO inspiring him to leave his job and get into the industry none of what we have today would exist and the industry would be vastly different. It's crazy to think about due to the fact the Souls games are some of the most influential games ever made
Anything is possible :)
That story could be made into a movie. It was so close to an epic failure but instead became one of the biggest game franchises ever. Incredible.
Agreed! :) And the creator has a very interesting journey as well! (Becoming a game director and then a company president after a few games! )
“If the opportunity arises, I think we could make something truly special”
Finer words have rarely been said.
Lol..yeah! :)
Now that we can look back at this statement from the future, it's just so satisfying to know that they got to make it a reality.
The fact that I get emotional at the genuinely heartfelt statements made by Miyazaki and the DeS team just goes to show that they are gamers, they understand what makes gaming special, and that they truly believed in what they were making. I am so, so glad that FromSoft exists, that they have made such wonderful games, and that they continue to do so. For adults in the world who struggle to cope with the weight and stress of the daily grind, these games are a literal God send. God bless you, FromSoft, and thank you!
I'm so glad that FromSoft made Miyazaki the company president, so he is not under the whim of anyone! :)
He made fromsoft and everyone working for him inspired and believe in what they were working towards. It's pretty awesome almost brought a tear to my eye.
When dark souls came out and i first played it, it was as if I had vague memory of a fantasy dream I've dreamed years ago. It has special feeling about it
Miyazaki speaks like a true artist, man. Love that man.
He is one of a kind! :)
When i was a kid i wanted a game exactly like the souls game.
A game where fighting an enemy was a serious endeavor and not just smashing buttons. I wanted a stratigic sword play.
A game where the world is taken seriously and that is not considered just as background.
I didn't know that, a 30 year old guy on the other side of the world, was feeling the exact same way.
Hahah...thanks for sharing! Have a good weekend! :)
The way this absolut Gigachad of a man willed Demon's Souls into existence is nothing short than inspiring. I am so thankfull I didn't quit Dark Souls at the capra demon back then. I truly believe Miyazaki is one of the, if not the greatest game designer of all time. Thanks to this living legend for changing my life.
For some reason, the montage of exhilaration and triumph genuinely moved me to tears. I have felt that very thing SO many times and it's one of the reasons these games are so special to so many people. Beating Sword Saint Isshin was the most satisfying thing i've ever done in a video game and i bet most people who play these games have quite a few stories like that. Miyazaki achieved exactly what he wanted to: anyone who's played and beaten a souls game resonates with that triumph and joy. it's unlike anything else in ANY form of media. in the Noah Caldwell Gervais video on Dark Souls, he discusses this hawkeye gough quote and how it's representative of the series and its game design as a whole: "Exhilaration, pride, hatred, rage... The dragons teased out our dearest emotions. Thou will understand, one day... At thy twilight, old thoughts return, in great waves of nostalgia." These games exist to tease out our dearest emotions, to give us pride and hatred and joy and rage, and to flood us with great waves of nostalgia. They're truly something special.
Thanks for sharing such insightful message! Much appreciated! :)
Watched many From Soft docs and read countless Miyazaki interviews. It wasn’t until these videos that I fully understood the cultural context at the time. From Soft success shouldn’t exist and I’m fascinated as to how it has happened. Well done DondonRV
Thanks for the very kind feedback!
The Souls series evokes a very special kind of feverish nostalgia that is so therapeutic.
First time playing demon souls back on PS3. It was like remembering a dream of the fantasy you dreamed years ago
@@laius6047 What a beautiful way of phrasing it; better yet, it's so true.
@@laius6047I feel sad I gave away my ps3 years ago
@@YEY0806 just emulate it on pc, you can play at 1080p 60fps easily since it's been very well optimized and runs better than the original console performance.
I remember shuhei yoshida said this game is bad yet atlus buy it to publish in western market and demon souls become best game they ever experienced
After that shuhei yoshida feels bad to miyazaki, gave him blank check and japan studio to do whatever he want and beloved bloodborne is born
Thanks for sharing! And with Bloodborne, we got one of the best OSTs in any game :) That orchestra budget helped!
Certified game lover here, played Demon's Souls in 2010 and to this day it remains my favourite game. This video was awesome, look forward to many more.
Thank you! Cheers! :)
I think Miyazaki's story is a very strong point of evidence in favor of auteur theory. His creative vision turned a failed project into one of the most influential games of the 21st century. Of course, he is not solely responsible for the Souls' series success: these games are the product of hundreds of talented peoples' work. However, Miyazaki's strong creative vision allowed his team to work at their full potential. Under the uninspired, derivative, corporate goal of making an "Elder Scrolls clone", that exact same team was more or less at a loss.
Agreed! And fortunately he became the president, otherwise we have Dark Souls VIII by now.. and no Elden Ring and Sekiro.
it's a testament to how nice the Demon's Souls menu music is that I never got tired of it
Yes... it's extremely atmospheric...
His story is so inspiring. Makes me see my favorite game series in a new light.
We all do! :)
Miyazaki is truly an artist who created multiple masterpieces
The regret in Shuhei Yoshida's words, for letting the golden goose get away. "We dropped the ball from a publisher's perspective. We failed to grasp the value of the product we were making."
Miyazaki's journey to become one of the best game developers in the world is incredibly inspiring.
Agree! Thanks for sharing!
In my mind he’s easily one of the all time greatest game developers. Dark Souls 1, Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro, Elden Ring were all masterpieces and all developed by him. Sekiro and Elden Ring both won GOTY and he basically created and pioneered a sub genre.
*The best
I imported this game back in the day from UK (I am from Germany - we didn't have a release yet). I can't remember how/why I stumbled upon that game, but I felt that this game is something special. Oh boy, was I right. Such a beautiful game.
Great to hear the story behind it, thanks! :)
My pleasure! Thanks! :)
Excellent video! Miyazaki's journey is compelling and you have a palpable affection for his work. What's more, your narration is on point: lean, well paced, and engaging. Subscribed.
Much appreciated! Thanks for the feedback! :)
Your videos are incredible! What an amount of research and care that you put into them, you definitively deserve more views and subscribers.
Thanks for the kind feedback! I appreciate it!
@@dondonrv Absolutely, keep it going, and you'll be one of the greats in no time. I'd love to see this kinda research for more titles one day. Cheers my dude.
What a great video! We've known for a while that the Souls series spawned from how Miyazaki took over the failed project of early DeS. However I've always been very curious to know how many of the staples of the Souls formula were due to Miyazaki versus how much was already established before he took over the project. The fact that he was the one to change the game to a 3rd person perspective is insane as it's such a core element of how the souls gameplay formula works. I've never heard anybody mention this fact before.
I'm shocked nobody else has thoroughly covered this topic before. Super interesting and informative. Subscribed!
Most of the ingredients of the Souls Game formula are already present in Demon's Souls. I was surprised as well after I collected all the info. Thanks for the support! Cheers!
Honestly I feel like this genre is a one of a kind! When I played the game back in 2009 I thought it was so cool that the game had hard gameplay that also had multiplayer co-op in such a unique way. Just randomly having people show up and help. I always help out and do coop now in these games with randoms, just playing and helping each other out.
Thanks for sharing!
I'd like to believe that aside from being intellect, possessing lots of imagination, and diligence, his smooth career transition to be a game developer could also be attributed to his fulfilling his filial piety by working on Oracle first, so he can pay his younger sister's college tuition until she graduates, and then pursuing his dream to be a game developer afterwards. That's a great life lesson.
Agree, it speaks a lot to his character. Thanks for sharing!
These are the best documentaries I've ever seen about Miyazaki. This is absolutely delightful
Miyazaki is a genius. Thank God he had the courage to do something different
Agreed! Cheers! :)
The Souls games, specifically FromSouls games, is the perfect example of the term "Started from the bottom now we're here!". They started from not succeeding (at least financially and popularity wise), to become one of the most influential games of all time. Hell, they even created a sub-genre of ARPGs we now call as Souls-like. This kinda reminds me of Doom. Back then, for almost a decade I believe, the what we now call as "FPS" games were called as "Doom Clones". It's funny because the Souls games and the Doom series are two of my favorite game series of all time.
Thank you for sharing such an insightful and informative message!
I want more. I need more. Can’t wait for the Making of Dark Souls and more. Hopefully it comes soon.
Lol.. thank you! It will come! :)
This is one of the most tedious and frustrating games ever developed. Even so, I love it. I love its themes, I love its story, and I love its tone. This game was well worth the development
This channel is a goldmine find for me, your videos are made with excellent quality and they’re thoroughly well-researched. I’m glad I stumbled upon you through the algorithm!!
Thank you for the very kind feedback! It inspires me!
True underdog tale, the game that changed the video game landscape forever.
Keep the videos coming man. I can listen about From Soft all day.
Thanks for the feedback! Cheers! :)
Second time I've seen this video. Absolutely mind-boggling how you don't have more views and subs. So concise and detailed in a way gaming channels seldom present themselves. Love learning about the industry and how it affects its games, and vice versa.
Thanks for the kind feedback! Much appreciated! :)
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this series. Although I have a pretty good understanding of FromSoft’s development history, these videos provided a much more detailed and comprehensive timeline which I have learned a lot from. Very well made and earned my sub. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for the feedback! I highly appreciate it!
These are amazing videos. The entire series. Hope more people will watch these
Demon's Souls is the comfiest Souls game. I can always go back to it when I can't decide what game to play next. Helps that the game isn't too difficult by today's standards. I sort of miss that 😂
Great video. Played Elden Ring as my first Fromsoft game. Fell in love with it and decided to go back and play all of the souls games. Just finished Demon’s Souls! Excited to move on to Dark Souls next! These games bring back the feeling I used to get when playing video games as a kid.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I remember playing it on ps3 when it was fringe game. It felt like it was THAT game that I really wanted and was waiting and I couldn't have described it before playing demons souls. The fantasy world was like something I had a dreams or memories of. The combat was very different and simple unlike other games with combos and effects. The boss fights came back again. As I was missing them in other games. I sensed back then that the game had great future, and the more people tired the more popular and better feedback it got saying it was actually amazing game. But I could never imagine it's gonna become this juggernaut with elden ring. It just shows how one man can change the industry. I love the sorry where Miyazaki was quiet to the marketing team about the game being difficult lol.
Thanks for sharing! It's nice to hear it from the OGs, the Souls games clicked with me only with Bloodborne, after failing to like Dark Souls :)
Very informative. This and the previous were presented super well. Really looking forward to the next episode, and I'm going to start scouring through the backlog now.
Thank you! Your message inspires me! Cheers!
I cannot fathom the enormous vision Myiazaki had for DeS. It was like his mind was flooded with ideas to be poured into a masterpiece. How the array of fresh new concepts came into fruition so succesfully wouldn't be achieved by anyone short of a genius. I know later soulsborne titles are more fleshed out, but DeS remains my favorite to this day (maybe because it was my introduction to the series, but mainly because of its genius game design and mechanics).
As a final word I'd like to praise the quality and thorough research of your content, it has been a delight to binge watch them this afternoon. Keep up the good work. You deserve more subs and I'm sure in the future they will come.
Thanks for the kind feedback! Much appreciated! :) Comments like yours are truly motivating!
I still have my precious Demon's Souls Black Phantom Edition sitting on the shelf. I remember playing this at my friends place since I didn't have a PS3 at the time and was completely glued to the controller for hours, had no idea what this game was prior.. Few days later.. I bought the console just to play this game!
Same! I bought a PS3 for Demon's Souls :) And then later PS4 for Bloodborne!
This is such an incredibly inspiring story, especially the culmination of development and initial failure. Yoshida's statement particularly highlight the gravity of this situation. And yet despite it all, by luck or random chance Miyazaki vision was left intact and look at what it has created. What a tragedy to think what could have happened had the vision been altered and to think of all those devs who have had their vision altered due to marketing teams. If there's a takeaway, I think it would be, stay true to your vision, you don't want to think what it could have been.
Thanks for sharing! (Ueda shared the same perspective regarding Ico - stay true to your vision)
I will forever be glad for this game's existence. And of course, Miyazaki himself.
Same... most of us are...
I cried when I 1st beat Orphan of Kos, the beauty and difficulty of that fight is just perfect. Ornstein and Smough are a close second.
yeah. while Bethesda continues to stagnate with the same buggy mechanics, From Software is increasingly improving their games.
Sadly, there isn't much anyone that share the same mindset of Hidetaka Miyazaki.
Things are improving though... let's hope.
Awesome!! My only criticism is that I'm not a fan of the moving background. Everything else is great! Good narration, very detailed, lots of quotes, careful attention to the timeline of events... I feel like I'm learning a lot and can't wait for your future videos! Thanks for making good content. I subscribed!
Thanks for the feedback! Cheers!
I second this. It was difficult to watch.
Demon's Souls blew my mind.
People don't realize how revolutionary this game and now genre felt back then.
This game was so special that people - like me - importet it from Japan or China, based on rumors and praise on the internet.
Until now I devour every Soulslike- the good and the bad (hello Lords of the Fallen 😅)
Haha.. same! I am always on the lookout for new Souls-like games, though I get disappointed often upon playing them.
Lords of the fallen is decent though and Hexworks are very passionate and devoted to improving the game
I always get weirdly nostalgic and moved whilst listening to new game franchise making of stories, it's absurd how much work goes into these projects.
I remember picking up demons souls on day1, my friends were wondering why had grabbed that particular game out of the many that were there, it was simply because it was the only copy of the game and i was, and still am drawn to niche Japanese developed games. I guess it was from growing up in the ps1/ps2 era and just finding hidden gems in the wild.
A week later I realised how special this game was. And I needed to get myself the black phantom edition, i rang about 20 stores before finally managing to get one, immediately went and bought. Its still one of my prized possessions. Love the souls-like. My favourite being Sekiro and Ni-oh. Truly a next generation gametype.
Thanks for sharing! Very interesting! :)
I started with Dark Souls and disliked it a lot, until it it clicked for me with Bloodborne.
40:53 This is a profound statement that really shows the difference between what Miyazaki and Fromsoft prioritize vs. what most AAA big budget studios have historically done: focusing on the intrinsic facets of gaming that people enjoy, rather than following market data and big-money trends, is what creates memorable games that age well. For most of the 2000s, Konami tried to the the latter and fell on their face every time, whereas their "outcast" teams and developers (who either worked in opposition to, or under less supervision by, Konami execs) created their most enduring franchises, like Silent Hill. Capcom and Keiji Inafune's notorious push to "Westernize" their games also failed for similar reasons: they chose to pursue an image and a fad rather than focus on making games that sold because they were _original and fun,_ which drove away the developers who were truly behind the company's massive success.
I'll also never understand why console companies and publishers always felt the need to create "clones" of their competitor's games. Not only do they generally fail to make a mark on the industry, it sometimes ruins the reputation of otherwise good games that end up stigmatized as unoriginal cash-grabs. Miyazaki's decision to create a truly original IP instead of an Oblivion clone is another reason why you should let the developers call the shots on their own games, not executives and middle-managers.
And on a side note, while I'll never be a massive fan of Activision, I gotta give them props for allowing From to pursue their own vision with Sekiro. It goes to show just how much clout Fromsoft has in the industry now, when even a multi-billion dollar publisher like Activision can respect their work enough not to stick their fingers where they don't belong.
Thank you for the very insightful message! At this stage, the most significant asset of FromSoftware is their reputation. And with Miyazaki at the helm, I have faith in their current and future games. Cheers!
Fantastic review of one of the best games ever of its time. 👍
I’ll never forget Demon’s Souls. I was in Malaysia a few months after its release and I went to my regular game store to see what’s new. The cashier who knew my tastes at the time recommended it saying if I like Monster hunter, i should try this. After a couple of hours playing I was like wth was this guy talking about, and even put it aside for a few days. But something kept calling me back to the game. Despite dying on the rafters from the dragon swooping in and breathing fire something kept calling me back. And the first time I beat the Tower knight I “got it”. And have been a Souls fan ever since. Definitely the best game director since Kohima hands down
yeah he literally says he enjoys watching our deaths. what a chad
Thank you very much for this, I’ve been looking for a video like this to help develop a greater appreciation for the first Souls game. I am working on a martial arts/comedy animation project based on this game so I have been scouring the internet to learn all I can about this work of art from others who know more than I do.
Glad it was helpful! And good luck in your project! Cheers! :)
@@dondonrv cheers. and thank you for the encouragement!
I love this video. There are parts of the later videos (Sekiro, etc) where so many promo videos etc are included in their entirety and I don't love that. I get the desire to capture them for posterity but this is maybe the only one I watched without skipping anything.
Thank god my man got that camera perspective changed. I probably wouldn’t be playing any of Fromsofts games if they were first person. There are few situation where I’d prefer first person. Like RE Village was pretty good because the first person perspective helped the horror aspect of that game. It felt very claustrophobic not being able to see behind you which made the game more tense. But that’s the first and last first person game I’ve played in many years.
Lol..yeah! Thanks for sharing! :)
These have been an absolute treat so far, very nice work
Thank you for the kind words!
I found your channel about 2 hours ago and I'm already stoked for your next video
Thank you! :)
Always searched for an expansive documentary on the beginning of souls game, so glad you made one. Hope therell be a sekiro one some day
Thanks for the feedback! Yes, there will be one for Sekiro :)
Man I discovered your videos today, and i can’t express how much i did like them, not only for the arguments and the voiceover, but as a designer i really enjoyed your visuals and how you put the typos well together!! Good job man keep it up, it’ll be a pleasure to follow you 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Thank you for the very kind feedback! It inspires me!
Excellent video! Thank you a lot!!! It's informative and helpful for people who want to have a better understanding about these masterpieces!!! I love Demon's Souls, the first Souls and my first Souls as well, I have the platinum trophy on PS3 because I love the game and I keep replaying it from time to time. I hope that in the future I can play the remake. Hugs from Chile to everyone here
Thanks for sharing and thanks for the kind feedback! :) My first Souls was Dark Souls and I disliked it because I could not get pass through the tutorial boss..until things clicked later when Bloodborne got released! :)
Great chanell, subscribed. I'm new to berserk, recently having watched the anime now I wish to read the manga. As a souls games veteran I've immediately picked up so many things tied to the soulsborne series. I'm in awe of Your work, Miyazaki sensei, but I had no idea that the orignal work was THAT good. R.I.P. Kentaro Miura, thank You for Berserk.
Thanks for the feedback! I'm sure you will love the manga, the anime covered only a small part of the series. Cheers! :)
I’ve lived in Japan for 15 years and this video is teaching me stuff even I never knew
These videos/series are such bangers and fully comprehensive. Thank you for these and the education!
Omg, here I thought this was well established video series, but its only 10 days old Q_Q. I'm really looking forward to the Darks Souls video, you did a brilliant job with this one.
Thanks for the kind feedback! It inspires me!
The fact that Konami had to incorporate special difficulty for the west in metal gear, because japanese players had been seen as generally more casual audience, creates sense for Demon Souls poor sales in Japan
this is when an artist is allowed to complete his vision .. for example that story about the car shows the insipred sensitive mind of a real artist in making fanatsies it alaways results in games that have a soul
Agreed! And now that he is the company president, he has a say on what projects to initiate! :)
as an indie dev working on a soulslike, this video is extremely helpful to me. Thank you very much for doing such a nice job.
Thanks for the kind feedback! Cheers!
It seems like the last name Miyazaki is just blessed.
I cant describe how thankful i am, i was despretlllyyy searching for these "miyazaki's" to learn and get inspired.
Thank you
thank you
Thank you❤
You're very welcome! Cheers!
I wanted to congratulate you for such a talented and extensive research. Your soothing narrating voice, accompanied by dark souls character design music, and all the visual representation with all the data, makes it the best biography of Miyazaki to this date on UA-cam. It was precisely what I was looking for when I searched the other day this topic, and this is almost ideal level. You’re definitely on track to success with this formula. Keep up the good work!
This message is truly inspiring for me! Thanks a lot! :)
I'm absolutely loving this series keep em' coming!
Thanks for the kind feedback!
Thank God I discovered you! Looking forward to seeing your upcoming Documentaries 😊
Thank you! Cheers!
I subscribed. Deeply excited for the next one. Dark Souls really was special like he promised. You’ll rise on UA-cam easily. Keep it up.
Thanks for the kind feedback! It inspires me!
How I love the stories of making videogames and movies! It's so inspiring. Motivating me to continue working harder to achieve my dreams.... wish, one day we will get Demon's Souls remake on PC
Thanks for the feedback! And, I wish we get Bloodborne too! :)
@@dondonrvnot gonna lie, I almost lost all hope about Bloodborne😔
This videos are an incredible piece of work, I can't imagine the effort it took you to put together all this information and display it in such an interesting way.
I already enjoyed this games a lot, and I thought I understood the creative approach, but after watching this videos I truly understand the value of the decisions they made for each game, and where they come from.
Thank you so much for your work, can't wait for the next one about Dark Souls.
Thanks for the kind words! Your feedback inspires me. Cheers!
@@dondonrvplease continue with these videos! You do an amazing job! Can’t wait for the making of dark souls
Definitely! Thank you! :)
His story and games are a great inspiration for us that find ourselves in similar life paths as Miyazaki's. Or with one foot in the industry, but still not having found the right environment. Sometimes it's neccessary to be bold, but it is very difficult making that kind of choice with all the pressures one may experience from their surroundings and situation in life. But knowing others have done it also translates to life, and one can draw a very thick parallel between the experience of searching for happiness and defeating the obstacles in both the games and life itself. It always felt like a point of the games was to instill a feeling of hope; that it's possible to defeat these obstacles with thought and persistence. And I think it really does matter that games provide something to be gleaned from the experience and taken with us through life. Besides an interesting experience.
Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful message! Highly appreciated!
Funny how everyone is always bashing Sony for the Demon Souls and Bloodborne exclusives, but if they would never have contacted Fromsoftware nobody would ever have any souls game and perhaps Elden Ring would never have existed.
This is a fantastic video, I can't wait to see your video on the making of dark souls
Thanks for the kind feedback! Cheers!
i want to applaud the 200 IQ background music choice. you can pretty much sit here and talk about literally anything with souls of fire in the background and 99% will just sit and listen
Lol... :p
@@dondonrv great video man. even though dark souls, bloodborne and ultimately sekiro perfected the formula in a lot of ways, demons souls remains my personal favorite and it's hazy, dreamlike, feverish atmosphere will probably never be topped
Thanks for the feedback!
Excellent videos, can't wait for the next ones
Thank you! Cheers!
Just found your channel and can´t stop watching. Awesome content, amazing work!
Thanks for the kind feedback! Much appreciated! :)
Shuhei Yoshida introducing the trailer for Demon's Souls remake back in 2020 is one of the greatest moments in video game history
Indeed ! :) He said, "something very near and dear to me..." ) Thanks for sharing!
Although I am having a very hard time with Demon's Souls (curse you Flamelurker xD) I still feel highly attached to it. As someone who cannot bow to defeat and with the liking of figuring things out I already count this franchise to one of my favourites (have not played the other games yet). I think one major thing that helps me keep going is the atmosphere of these games in general. Having played Shadow of the Colossos I really see what Miyazaki tried to do here and I really much appreciate that. Thank you for this thoughtful and highly elaborated documentary. Can't wait to see the upcoming ones.
Thanks for the kind feedback! Much appreciated! :) Demon's Souls was the herald to all the great things Miyazaki would create.
Incredible videos, loved watching this one, can’t wait for the next!
Thanks a lot! Cheers!
Great video! Thanks for putting this together!
My pleasure! Thank you! :)
Wow, this video is good, very good indeed! Great work, man.
Thanks for the feedback! Cheers!
eagerly waiting for the making of dark souls video
Thanks! :)
Great video!! Looking forward to sequels focusing on Dark Soul’s etc.
Thanks for the feedback! Cheers!
Wonderfully crafted and insightful. Thank you.
Thanks for the very kind feedback!
Demons Souls is a awesome game & one of my favorites! To bad that the 6th arch stone was cut from the game!
Yeah! I guess they ran out of time to do it.
Excellent video!
Thank you! Cheers!
great video! i’ve seen some of your videos and i didn’t realize you only had 3k subs. you deserve so much more. keep up the good work man 👍
Thank you so much!
I came looking for copper and I found gold
Your channel is exceptional
You're doing a great job I hope to see even more from this channel
So..glad I came across this. Cheers 🍻
Lol..thank you! :) Have a good weekend!
I was in Japan when Demon's Soul's came out, well, I bought a PS3 (I still own the same one!) I kept hearing about the game from my American friends, I finally bought it when it was on sale in Camera Yodobashi in Nagasaki. It was like equivalent to $10 USD. When I first put it on, I was like "wtf is this weird ass game!?" 12 hours later, yeah. I played and beat every Souls game since then, most I've platinumed/100%'d. Now currently working on Lies of P, though not a FS game, but still in the same realm.
first game i have the fulfillment of achieving the platinum throphy.. the grind to get final sharp stone was a chore.. the atmosphere of the game was rare during that time.
39:26 the experience of every player in their first souls game, proceeded by the best gaming hours they've ever had