This following is a copy of a blog post taken from my portfolio site which you can view also there if you'd like.
An Introduction Regarding The Introductory Tutorial In Dark Soul 3
The reason I brought you here is because I'd like to examine the introductory tutorial found in From Software's recently released Dark Souls 3. As a level designer, I'm always appreciative of a great tutorial, especially one that's informative and fun to play. Extra bonus points are awarded if it's cleverly woven into a game's main entry point or narrative structure.
The tutorial in Dark Souls 3 does all of this, and the real elegant thing about it is if you're already familiar with the series, you can skip a lot of the tutorial content since the explicitly instructional parts of the tutorial (learning inputs and their corresponding actions and so on) are confined to narrative devices in the world that the player can choose whether or not they want to interact with. The same has been true of a lot of tutorials in the Dark Souls series, but this one is streamlined to teach the player only the necessary fundamentals. The tutorial is also expertly paced by virtue of moving the player's checkpoint through the environment as they progress through increasingly challenging encounters, thus minimizing frustration if the player eventually fails since the player isn't far away from where they died. This all culminates at a "final exam" of sorts that requires the player to prove their fluency in the core fundamentals they've just been taught. If they player fails the exam, they are forced to study the fundamentals again -- working their way through various challenges in the environment -- before they can attempt the exam again.
Upon starting the game, players awake from a slumber of indeterminate length that was rather questionably spent inside a sarcophagus that's curiously still above ground. Did they die? It doesn't matter, they probably will die soon enough and be well aware of the circumstances this time around. A name is soon put to their surroundings: the Cemetery of Ash.
Exemplifying Mastery As An Experienced Dark Souls Player
For players who have previous experience with the game's earlier entries, they will (probably) blaze past the series of fodder enemies before lighting their first Bonfire and then continue onward to attempt their first boss fight -- all within the first 30 minutes of play. Once players defeat this first boss, a locked door opens and they're free to set out on the rest of what will surely be a challenging journey.
Earning Basic Fluency As A Player New To Dark Souls
For new players, however, unlocking this first door might take a lot longer. However, I will argue that the designers are smart to hold them in this starting area until they've displayed a mastery of a range of fundamentals they'll need to succeed against the first boss and beyond.
If the new player is so inclined, they can interact with a multitude of Messages emblazoned on the ground and learn the game's controls as they go. These will be used in novel ways later on, but for now the designers of the Dark Souls 3 utilize this device to communicate directly with the player, instructing them and prompting them with situations to use their newly-acquired knowledge. I won't cover the content or instruction of every Message found in the Cemetery of Ash, but I will highlight some specifics. Rest assured that they will inform the player of all the tools and mechanics they will need to succeed here.
Onto specific instances of where the player might learn from a Message, let's examine one of the early examples, where the player sees a static enemy off in the distance enrobed in a black hood. Positioned a safe distance away from this enemy, a Message placed on the ground instructs the player on the use of the game's lock-on targeting system. Locking onto this enemy as the player engages makes this encounter much easier to manage. (Earlier Messages inform them how to attack and freely manipulate the player camera.)
This encounter is purposefully made to be (comparatively) easy in relation to what's ahead. This lone enemy doesn't have much of an effective attack range since they're armed with a short, broken sword that doesn't do much damage. The enemy is slow and typically only takes one hit from the player to defeat. Still, if left unchecked, the enemy can unleash a flurry of successive blows, causing a significant net damage. If the player dies here, they will respawn a short distance from this initial encounter. (The amount of time it takes for the player to recover from failure, in order to attempt a challenge again, is a valuable design consideration that I'll expand upon later in this post.)
The next crucial lesson the player will learn, after this initial encounter, is to be observant of their environment. A keen eye and ear will often provide players with an early warning, revealing or hinting at hidden dangers. Nearby, peculiar white flame perched atop the rim of a crumbling font invites the player over to inspect it. What players might not realize is that one of two corpses nearby will reanimate as the player draws near. (If the player listens before closing in on the 2 idle corpses slumped at the base of the font, they might hear the sound of laboured breathing -- that's the sound of a single enemy here who's playing dead but not actually dead yet.) If the player manages to overcome the eventual ambush, they're rewarded with the item trapped within the white flame. This item is of a specific importance that the player shall discover if they experiment -- or simply read the item description in the Inventory menu.
After this unexpected encounter, the player is presented with three branching paths. In the distance, a central path that leads through a chokepoint between two looming earthen walls. Closer to the player, to the immediate left and right, the player will be offered (completely optional) opportunities to attempt various mechanics such as the Parry-and-Riposte and Backstab manoeuvres, respectively.
As a side note: for extra keen players who explore beyond these side paths, there are two additional optional fights in this area that are a big step up in terms of challenge. Players who examine a Message placed before a path leading through a waist-deep puddle will have fair warning, however! (I won't spoil the surprise of what lay beyond this watery slog.)
The aforementioned side paths will eventually dovetail back to the central opening, which serves as the exit to this small area. As players draw near, they'll be met by a new, crossbow-wielding foe.
This enemy is another easy fight, provided the player stays mobile (or raises their shield, if they have one) and listens for the audible cue of the crossbow bolt being fired -- this is a vital feedback cue for the player that will warn them if the enemy is off-screen at the time the attack is initiated. This enemy requires a bolt to be loaded before they can attack, so once the enemy initiates a generously lengthy reload animation, they're left completely defenseless -- this is a perfect window of opportunity for the player to close in and attack.
After the player leaves through the exit, they're treated to a fantastic vista reveal (which I'll not spoil), before rounding a corner that leads to a Bonfire perched atop a hill. The Bonfire emits an audible crackle -- a welcome audio cue players will quickly yearn to hear as they explore uncharted areas. Its warm reds and oranges contrast against the surrounding earth tones, imploring the player to draw near.
Interacting with the Bonfire lights it, creates a restore point that the player will return to upon dying, which will come in handy for what's yet to come. The player can also Rest at any lit Bonfire in order to fully replenish their health gauge and refill their stock of Estus Flasks -- but this comes at the cost of respawning all enemies in the world. Resting at a Bonfire also sets this as the place the player will respawn at if they die. This is an important milestone in bookmarking physical progress through the game's world that the player will become acquainted with in a few minutes as they run a good chance of being overwhelmed by the next series of challenges.
If they've not seen it in the distance yet, players might notice what remains of ruined rampart, perched dangerously close to a cliff's edge: a stone archway flanked by torches. This will probably become the player's next navigational focal point. Even if the player doesn't decide to go directly to the archway, they'll eventually be funnelled to it as they descend the hill.
There are several challenges between the Bonfire and the stone archway. I'll not spoil most of them, but I'll say that the difficulty is increased as encounters now involve engagements with several enemies at once. These enemies have increased offensive capabilities depending on what they're holding, they do more damage, and also absorb more damage before dying. The player will also be reminded not to trust any corpse unless they first put it there! If the player dies along the way, that's OK. They will respawn at the Bonfire atop the hill, fully healed and ready to begin the descent again. Eventually, players will arrive at the archway and discover it's guarded by another crossbow enemy, a similar design pattern employed at the chokepoint before they reached the Bonfire.
Once the player has made it to the bottom of the hill and through the stone archway, they've achieved another milestone, a milestone I'd like to dub "basic fluency in conversational Dark Souls." This basic fluency involves a working understanding of camera control, player movement, and combat systems. In the opening paragraph, I mentioned a "final exam" -- the player is about to make their first attempt in mere moments.
Through the stone archway, the player will take in several things of note arranged in a clearing to their front. First, there's a massive armoured figure kneeling motionless in the centre of a reflecting pond. (Is it a statue? A monument? Another enemy playing dead?) The reflecting pond's perimeter is composed of a mixture of crumbling walls, clusters of gravestones, and a tangled mess of exposed roots. A considerable section of the pond's circumference also drops directly off a cliff's edge.
The player also might notice smatterings of blood pooled on the mirror surface of the pond. These Bloodstains serve as a warning to players that there's some kind of immediate danger here. If the player navigates to and interacts with one, they'll see a transparent red phantom materialize above the Bloodstain-- this replays the last moments of another player's life before they met their end. If they're not wary already, the players should be treading with caution here.
Past the enigmatic fixture in the centre of the pond, there are two torches on either side of a doorway containing a set of closed doors that are also curiously large in scale. As the player carefully navigates past the figure (maybe keeping an ear attuned to listen for any audio cues to suggest danger), giving it a wide berth, the player will discover the doors are locked.
