It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than a decade sinceDark Soulswas originally released. Since then, both theDark Soulsfranchise and FromSoftware as a whole have redefined the way video games are made. Newly released games are compared toDark Soulsso often it’s even become a meme to call something “theDark Soulsof” its kind. It makes sense, though, given how influential and memorable the mechanics of FromSoftware games are. Players can recall in great detail the boss fights they labored to overcome, and out of all those bosses, Gwyn remains the most iconic.
FromSoftware games are filled to the brim with bosses, too. Defeating most of the game’s bosses is necessary to progress the story, but even thelore ofDark Souls’optional bossesis fleshed out. There are fire drakes, giant armored soldiers, frenzied beasts, and more, but Gwyn still stands out from the crowd. This is because Gwyn’s battle does something completely different from the others.
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The First Flame’s Lore and Gwyn’s Role
InDark Souls, the world was initially nothing but darkness and fog. This changed when the First Flame appeared, and, with it, four beings who claimed the Souls of Lords within the First Flame. Three of these lords -Gravelord Nito, the Witch of Izalith, and Gwyn - worked together to destroy the Everlasting Dragons that ruled the world, thus ushering in the Age of Fire. As the First Flame began to fade, however, Gwyn linked his soul with it and preserved the Age of Fire.
This is the point at which players enter the story inDark Souls. After finding the other Lord Souls and making their way to the Kiln of the First Flame, the Chosen Undead encounters a hollowed Gwyn standing by the fire with which he has linked his soul.Gwyn Lord of Cinderfears the inevitable Age of Dark, and rather than allowing the First Flame to take its natural course and fade, he’s sacrificed himself to prolong it. His sacrifice, however, is a slow, gradual draining of his strength and sanity. Like many other aspects ofDark Souls, there’s a sorrowful air to this battle. The inevitability of the Age of Dark and Gwyn’s deterioration makes this fight almost mournful, though.
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The Tone of Gwyn’s Boss Battle
Every aspect of the boss battle conveys melancholy. Upon traversing the fog wall, there’s no dialogue from Gwyn, no cutscene even. The music, which has been endearingly referred to by fans as “plin plin plon”, is perhaps the saddest song on the soundtrack. Whereas other songs have booming orchestras and opera singers, Gwyn’s theme is played on a single piano. The Chosen Undead and Gwyn then fight it out in front of a dim bonfire, and, for many, it’s considered one ofDark Souls' easier boss fights. All of this conveys Gwyn’s downfall and his desperate attempt to cling to the First Flame.
Dark Soulsis full of surprising and memorable moments. Many of these moments are, admittedly, whenever the game fools players into a booby trap, but each boss in the game is iconic in its own way. Gwyn remains the most unique, though. Many other developers might try to make Gwyn’s fight as loud and as epic as possible.FromSoftwaremade it a soft-spoken, understated 1v1, and it speaks to video games as an art form that so much emotion can be conveyed with so little dialogue in an action RPG fantasy game.
Dark Soulsis available now for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
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