Death is my teacher in Dark Souls II. Every time I get killed in this game, I get better at it. I have video proof of this.
What I don't have, I'm sorry to say, is video of my first three deaths in development studio From Software's devilish new game. I do have the next 20! You'll have to take it on faith that I died three times, quite swiftly, after starting Dark Souls II. I even got an achievement for my first failure.
For deaths 4-23, I've got video.
I don't mean to scare you, but I believe this video is educational. You'll see me, a neophyte to the Souls series who has only played a few hours of the previous games, learning by failing.
With each death—well, with most of them—I learn a little more about the game and how to survive in it.
Enjoy my journey with me, good people of the Internet. Prepare to laugh, cry, and wonder how I didn't see that armored guy coming. Prepare to watch a man gain some skills, boost his bravery and then get swatted down by a merciless game.
By the end, I was having a lot of fun.
First, the deaths in my first hour playing the game:
Next, my deaths in hour two, which should also be known as The Hour During Which I Realized I'd Missed The Area Of The Game Where You Are Taught How To Play:
My deaths in hour three, in which I learned how not to fight a crowd and how to begin to plan my enemy's demise:
My deaths in hour four, in which I finally got myself a better sword:
Phew! I'm ready for more.
Also, a special shout-out to Kotaku video editor Chris Person, who spent 80 hours of his life playing this game last week, who reviewed it for us and who is the only instruction manual Dark Souls II needs. If you're ever stumped in the game, just text him.
To contact the author of this post, write to stephentotilo@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter @stephentotilo.