200: Dark Souls II (with Ryan Batie - Lightning Strikes Thrice)

Want more Dark Souls 2 podcasts? Support my work on Patreon- https://patreon.com/realdavejackson Discord, Socials and more- https://linktr.ee/talesfromthebacklog Every beloved series has its black sheep- Mario has Sunshine, Zelda has the DS games, and Dark Souls has Dark Souls 2. But to me, the things that make Dark Souls 2 divisive are the things that make it interesting. Not every new decision is a home run, but they're all ripe for discussion. And hey, good thing we have this podcast! And it's episode 200! Guest info: Ryan Batie (they/them) Check out the Pitch Drop Network https://pitchdrop.net/ Get bonus Pitch Drop shows via their Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/pitchdrop TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Title Card 0:15 Introductions 7:18 Our Histories with Dark Souls 11:19 Opening Thoughts about Dark Souls 2 18:51 Story and Themes Setup- Memory, Hollowing, World Design 30:26 More Theme Setup 35:51 Vibes, Atmosphere and Music 43:37 Examining Gameplay Changes 1:22:18 DLCs, Multiplayer and Comedy 1:31:42 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations 1:34:25 Lightning Strikes Thrice Podcast & Pitch Drop Network 1:39:33 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous 1:41:18 Spoiler Section- Trouble Areas 1:52:00 Spoiler Section- Vendrick's Story and Connections to Dark Souls 2:11:59 Spoiler Section- Aldia and The First Sin 2:21:56 Lucatiel and the Giants Music used in the episode is credited to Motoi Sakuraba, unless otherwise noted. Tracks used: Main Menu, Majula, Ruins Sentinel (Yuka Kitamura), Milfanito, Fire Keepers, Fume Knight, Remains Social Media: BlueSky- https://bsky.app/profile/tftblpod.bsky.social Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/ Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures