Game Composer Listens to SOUL OF CINDER for the First Time
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- I listened to Soul of Cinder from Dark Souls 3 for the first time! I like that you guys are having fun watching me try to guess the story of games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne just by listening to the music, so I'll try to do more of that. Good thing that Dark Souls music is so well composed that it allows me to do that!
-SUBSCRIBE! I post video game music content every week: / @davivasc
-Video Game Music Reaction Videos: • Game Music Composer Re...
-Video Game Covers to Make You Relax (-_-) zzz... • MILLENNIAL FAIR Cover ...
Game footage credit to SourceSpy91 • Dark Souls 3 - [Part 3...
Dang, that plin plin plon caught me off guard.
Btw, you can watch all my SoulsBorne music videos here: czcams.com/video/L32Jnz2Pbak/video.html
Glad to see you've finally been surprise plin plin plon'd by this amazing track 👌
I think you should totally do Darkeater Midir’s theme from Darksouls 3 The Ringed city. Truly an amazing score.
Could you make a Reaction on: Well of Souls from the The Legend of Spyro series?
I would like to hear you react to fire emblem music 😉😉😉. Rain versions of Apex of the World, tempest of seasons, chasing daybreak, between heaven and earth, blue skies and a battle.
Then music from fates like Thorn in You, Justice RIP, dark fall… so many good songs i think you’d enjoy
If you could try "This is what you are" from Keith Power - Warframe Soundtrack!
The lore for this one is fairly simple. The Soul of Cinder is the incarnation of all the souls that have previously linked the fire, including your own character in DS1. Eventually, however, the Soul of Cinder takes the form of its oldest Soul, the Soul of Gwyn, the original Lord of Cinder.
Ah, this makes sense
@@DaviVasc the saddest truth about it though, is that it means you are actually fighting yourself, because the lords of cinder were not just the ones in the lore, but players as well. If you look at the soul of cinder's fighting moves,he uses the many forms of fighting that players use, and during his second phase, he uses not only Gwyn's power, but there is a powerful combo attack that he uses that resembles the move Manus, the father of the abyss uses, and the only person to have both the soul of Gwyn and Manus, is the player. So in a way, it is you that is the final boss.
@@DaviVasc I believe his original Japanese name even translates to "Incarnation of Lords".
@@xanthiusdrake2775 More like every souls player ever and everyone they've killed, all of the souls that were burned through the ages to keep the first flame going... or what's left of them.
@@night1952 it is still canonical that the soul of cinder is technically the player from the first game, since the supposed "correct canon ending" is the player killing Gwyn and linking the fire. How the other lords got mixed up into it is up for interpretation debates.
Note: The first few seconds of the Soul of Cinder theme sounds exactly the same as the Firelink Shrine theme from Dark Souls 1 but more dramatic. A reference to it if you will.
Oh, I didn't notice that. Cool!
i've got 500 hours in ds3 and i never noticed that, thanks man
And Gael theme has one part of the DS3 menu song
When u hear it u can't unhear it
It turns a feeling of happiness and being safe at home into being frightened and lost
There's also a firelink shrine chord in that strong singular bar of strings in the climax of the first phase, right before the gwyn transition. It's at 8:07
This song is a 'love letter' from Dark Souls to the fans and Gael is the last goodbye.
The legendary plin plin plon starts on 8:27.
I was warned beforehand that this track had the plin plon but it still caught me offguard and surprised me. Powerful stuff.
This is the most accurate way of seeing this. Ty fam
@@DaviVasc You should check out Slave Knight Gael's theme
@@kaidanardono2691 hell yes, that's one of the most incredible pieces of music in the series
@@kaidanardono2691 I agree on this. Gael is afterall the finale to a wondrous journey.
The accuracy on the lore you get just based off of music is just mind blowing. Especial the part where you said "It might be a reincarnation of Gwyn". Just wow.
The reincarnation thing was just me trying to think of something that would not be Gwyn but would be related to Gwyn. Villains reincarnating and coming back are a common trope in games so I went with it.
@@DaviVasc Dude, will you making another reaction to those Sekiro's themes too? They are also pretty beautiful.
when Davi says that he doesn't think it's Gwyn i was like "I mean...you're not wrong bc he isnt gwyn but part not right cause he's not not gwyn"
Couldn't agree more on this. Buddy here is scary accurate.
That just means that the composers were incredibly thoughtful when making the music.
I love the fact that this boss is unparryable, but can parry YOU. Guess people will be asking for Gael's theme now? (2nd part and "transitory lands" version are the best)
Yes! Gael's theme would definitely make for a good video. Maybe we'll see it soon, or not, either way, Soul of cinder is a great theme :))
Never seen or heard of Cinder parrying a player ever.
@@valravnsshadow9422 it does it sometimes in the piromancer mode
@@valravnsshadow9422 i got parried by it once and my jaw was on the floor, completely unexpected
@@valravnsshadow9422 yeah it comes out of nowhere lmao, quite insane
Still king at guessing lore based on soundtrack. Some people have their own interpretation of what the soul of cinder is but it’s obvious that it’s the culmination of every soul that has linked the fire including you in the past games. This sequence is the end of the trilogy and depending on which ending you receive the end of an age of fire and the beginning of the age of man. So the finality chord feels fitting because fire fades and the age of dark or the age of man (whether good or bad) begins.
I cried because of this 😭 it's literally the reason I didn't wanted to fight the soul of cinder. I may have killed him 249 times but still,it hurts me bro 🥲
Whether*
@@arcangelanglero8816 just the thought of killing yourself from dark souls 1 makes it so hard 😂
@@kingdomsoul8968 you have no idea 🤣🤣
King? Why? Did you see all the other contestants? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
you’re not fighting Gwyn.. you’re fighting Gwyn, yourself, and everyone else who has ever played Dark Souls
What if I didn't link the fire?
@@mattiatosi8350 well then I guess you’re just fighting everyone else then haha
@@mattiatosi8350everyone who links the fire then
No, you are fighting the Soul of Cinder 😂
This track holds a special place in my heart because I had a very close online friend many years ago when DS1 came out who absolutely adored the game and declared it his GotY while I was enamored with Portal 2. He sadly passed away from his lifelong heart condition. IIRC he did live to see DS2 but not Bloodborne or DS3.
So suffice it to say when I got to DS3's ending and got to Soul of Cinder, at the halfway point where Gwyn's theme kicks in and removes any doubt of who and what the Soul of Cinder represents, and I can't help but think of my late friend and see him being represented by the Soul of Cinder... yeah, it just makes the whole scene go from normal Fromsoft melancholy to utterly soul-piercing.
im sure your friend was with you as you beat the souls games. He most certainly was proud.
he was one of the souls that kindeld the flame after all
Your instincts about that sense of finality are largely accurate. There's a sort of cycle of fire and darkness in the series, and a lot of problems are happening because heroes keep linking the fire and prolonging the world even though the best solution is probably letting the fire go out and letting an era of darkness happen. There's even an ending where you let the fire go out and it's arguable the "best" ending.
Soul of Cinder specifically is made up of past heroes who have linked the fire. It uses moves and spells from throughout the series that the players can use. One of the heroes is also Gwyn, and the boss transitions into what's basically a rematch of his fight from Dark Souls 1; that's when his theme starts playing.
Gwyn is so incredibly desperate to keep this age of fire going. Even when he's been dead for ages upon ages, his cinders still will to keep the fire linked.
Logically I think the world of Dark Souls has several people lying to the player character, and so our choices are more limited than they actually should be (but artistically so). The true answer is to take all of the Lord souls and use them on ones self, thus allowing the world to have both the light and the dark. The politics in the game never let us come to this conclusion though, because everyone has been manipulated by the serpents. Furthermore, it makes no sense for something like the first flame to dwindle over time, because one must then wonder where it got the fuel it needed in the beginning. It makes no sense that it cannot be sustained, even if that meant returning the Lord soul to the flame. Would it also not make sense for the flame to be an extension of the Lord souls? Perhaps for light to exist the souls ought to have remained.
Also parallels the fact that this was to be the last game in the series, the developers decided that instead of prolonging the series past its lifespan and letting it rot, they let it end at its climax, even though it is likely to be sad/disappointing to fans
I like to think that Gwyn is fighting you in DS1 and Phase 2 because he doesn’t want to prolong the age of fire any longer. He probably knew everything bad that happened was because of him, and his fear. So in Phase 2, Gwyn kind of pushes forward in a sort of “Enough, is enough,” kind of manner. Why else would he be fighting you not only in DS1, but also DS3? He knows why you’re at the Kiln, so why not just let you link it? Food for thought.
@@juice2307 my headcanon is that like in DS2 you have to obtain all lord souls and also all the crowns to be free from the curse yourself and that eventually everyone has to go through this to eventually end up in a world where the curse is lifted completely. Just takes nearly infinite cycles and rekindlings for this to happen.
@@jooplin Actually I'm pretty sure that plotline was to lead to the King's conclusion that staying the curse was no better than succumbing to it. Dark Souls 2 as a whole is meant to represent not the final decline of the era, but the murky times before that but after the world has fallen into ruin.
Dark Souls 3 shows us a world that is beginning to lose its own cohesiveness, where different eras and realities are merging and churning themselves up into ash. Dark Souls 1 shows us a world that has mostly become still and forgotten.
This music is one of the big reason that makes this fight so impactful. When I first played through DS3 without knowing anything about the rest this fight felt kinda out of place and not that fitting for the end but after knowing the full context of the Dark Souls trilogy and of course Gwyn's theme it became something truly special
Man, I see you everywhere. On Ragegamingvideos, on another video that I can't remember at the moment, and now here. Chalk it up to the CZcams algorithm recommending us similar things, I guess.
(Not that I'm complaining-- Yian Garuga is one of my favorite monsters conceptually, even if it is super frustrating to fight in older games)
@@nomad6628 At one point I really was everywhere in terms of MH content, not so much anymore but I guess my profile is so memorable it's easy to notice me here and there. And yeah that just means we share similar interests :D Which is nice
I know people who cried when Gwyn's theme started playing in phase 2 of this fight, the transition is so beautiful and a wonderful surprise for gamers who played the series from the start.
It's one of my favourite themes in Dark Souls.
And I wonder if maybe the weird home chords might also be a hint at the boss having a second phase after you empty his health bar once.
It literally stopped me in my tracks when it happened. I was just frozen in awe and got completely demolished a few seconds later. It's still one of my most memorable experiences in a video game
i legit was listening to it while driving home and started crying, it's so beautiful. after i learn how to play piano, im gonna take a violin class bc nah man i gotta learn how to play this shit lol
I dropped my controller and had tears in my eyes when the second phase happened
I just love how brilliantly structured this theme is. The first part is heroic, because the Lords of Cinder are "heroes"; those who sacrificed themselves to save the world and keep the fire lit, losing everything in the process. But it's when Gwyn's notes kick in that the truth hits you in the face like truck: there is no hero in this. The Lords of Cinder never did anything effective or practical, they simply delayed the inevitable. This world is dying, and the last person left to stop you is the first man who started this cycle.
Credit to Dinorex
All of this happened because ONE old man was too afraid of the dark. Their world was destroyed by the fear of one old guy and a bunch of stupid people who believed, or fundamentally understood what it is that was actually happening, That Gwynn was gonna do something that essentially made him a mortal god, and knew they wanted to get in on the action
This boss fight has two phases : in the first one, this entity, the soul of cinder, replicates all the moves our player character does. The music goes with it : it is the final boss, and shows it, but it is also unspecial, in a way. Whereas in the second, the soul of cinder uses gwyn's powers. Some of which Gwyn could not use in dark souls 1 because he was but a shell of himself. This boss fight is about everyone who linked the flame. First all of our player characters, through this being try to stop us, and then the first lord of cinder tries to stop us one last time, as first and last protector of the flame.
A good theme, but not the most interesting of all from software themes you could review. That said, it is indeed iconic.
A selfish man to stubborn to die but none the less it began with him and it will end with him at last and finally the fire can fade and the world can begin again
The first phase's theme is actually the firelink shrine theme from ds1
The way I interpret the role of the Lord/Soul of Cinder is as a test for a would-be linker of fire. It's there to determine if the one seeking flame is strong enough to do it. If they're too weak to beat the Soul of Cinder, they're obviously too weak to kindle the flame.
@@Bluecho4 whether its intended as a test or as a protection, its serves as both anyway.
@@Bluecho4 It's more or less testing the strength of the next inheritor of the fire, the more struggle they've been through the stronger it makes them. And they're there to make as big as a struggle as possible, just so the flame can burn a little longer.
I would love to see a review of Sister Friede's theme... it is absolutely bone chilling
Ooooh maaan yeah
Gael has joined the chat
I cant believe you just punned friede’s fight
Sounds cool, thank you for the suggestion
@@DaviVasc The Twin Princes would also be an excellent addition! The violin and the choir is awesome
Correct on saying Lord of Cinder isn’t Gwyn. He’s an amalgamation of everyone who’s linked the first flame, hence why the final phase is Gwyn themed
The biggest musical inspiration in my life has to be Yuka Kitamura. I’d give so much for an autograph of her. I truly love her work. Great breakdown by the way. I’m so glad I found your channel. Your videos are really enjoyable. The dark souls 3 soundtrack is breathtaking so I hope in the future you’ll cover even more of it.
Thanks man. I'll definitely do more DS3 videos!
@@DaviVasc im looking forward to it :) I’m very familiar with the soulsborne OST because I hear it all the time and personally I think the greatest ones of them you should listen to (in private or in the form of a video) are:
-Laurence the first vicar (bloodborne, one if not the best OST from the game)
-Living Failures (bloodborne, cosm)
-the twin princes (DS3, the definition of melancholic and tragic but epic fights)
-dark eater midir (DS3, beautiful rythm in a piece that tells story)
-Aldrich devourer of gods (DS3, intense and disturbing reprise of a DS1 OST).
Personally I think DS3 doesn’t have any bad OST at all. Every single one is either simply good or breathtaking. There are a lot of others that are great too but the ones I listed are pretty much the fan favorites you haven’t heard yet.
Honorable mentions: pontiff Sulyvhan, the abyss watchers, dragonslayer armor,
I'm afraid a lot of these has Kitamura's name stamped on it but were actually composed by other members of From Soft's musicians. It's a bit of unfortunate politics.
@@LaJin9292 yea it was very hard to figure out the actual composer for some of them. If I remember right for example Aldrich’s OST wasn’t made by her but still got her name on it sometimes.
You can clearly see each thought passing through his brain as the Gwyn part kicks in:
8:27 He's expecting a great "Bang" to finish this epic song.
8:29 "Wait, what is this?"
8:30 "Is that...No, I have to be sure."
8:36 "It is!"
"like a flame slowly fading away"
THAT'S JUST THE ENTIRE SUBTEXT OF THE GAME GDI HE DID IT AGAIN
This is great, such a huge, cinematic, climactic piece to start and then to change to such a sad and solemn ending. It made me think of time running out, not in a hurried way, but I got the vibe of an old broken clock, slow and out of sync. Like the battle was slowing as the boss was getting weaker. Lots of good stuff, loved the vocals and the violin. Very cool! Thanks Davi!
Beautiful way to put it, I agree, the feeling of time running out in a sense of inevitability. Awesome :)
That is a fantastic articulation of this piece, Abigail.
I really, really, REALLY love this theme. Gwyn already managed to carry extremely strong symbolisms and philosophy about life, acceptance, men weaknesses, fear and mistakes. From my perspective, this song easily represents how, no matter how many things occurred during the ages after Gwyn (represented by the more complex structure of the song, with "new elements, new instruments" added), nothing really changed: the world is still doomed, since men never changed.
Respectfully from one musician to another, I have just a minor correction - quite literally.
The notes for 'plin plin plon' (E > D > A) are actually exactly the same as Gwyn's original theme - rather, it was the _key_ that got shifted (from A Minor to D Minor). That's why the motif has a slightly different take in this song.
Thanks, I was getting really confused as to why such a mistake could even happen, as the difference is so big to me (perfect pitch), but a harmonic explanation makes sense.
Dark Souls 3 has my favorite soundtrack of the trilogy, honestly. Twin Princes, Darkeater Midir, Slave Knight Gael and Deacons of the Deep are all super good boss themes.
I would highly recommend giving Ebrietas' theme from Bloodborne a listen. The composer said she had visions of the end of the universe whilst composing it.
I am surprised that even tho I know this music like the back of my hand I still manage to learn a lot by watching you break it down.
Musicians clearly have a far better understanding of the meaning behind the music. I mean you could even guess a bit of the lore just by listening to the soundtrack which is quite surprising.
I totally agree.
Glad you learned something from this Mohamed, thank you for watching :)
Always getting goosebumps listening to this theme. Glad you analysed this one.
Thank you for watching, man
a bit i noticed and really like. At 13:17 the Gwyn piano melody becomes very high pitched and gradually gets quieter and quieter as it repeats throughout the section, almost fading out entirely before suddenly swelling back to prominence at 14:13. Even as he's fading away, he still can't bring himself to let go. And after it comes back, the discordant low notes become very prevalent, like the melody itself is suffering for refusing to end, much like the world of Dark Souls is suffering and contorting because of the Age of Fire's refusal to end.
Dude, Dragonslayer armory is a really underrated song in this game. If you could give it a try, it would be great
Sounds cool, thank you for the suggestion
I fully support that statement and join the request 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Please Davi, do Gael's or Alonne's themes sometime. They're my favorite souls themes together with Lady Maria's (we can scratch that one off the list). God bless Yuka Kitamura.
Great video as always btw. Glad I found your channel.
Thank you for the suggestions. I'm glad you joined the channel too :)
@@DaviVasc gael's theme is incredible
I really like Alonne’s theme, too. I had a hard time with him, but wasn’t even mad because it meant I could keep listening to the song. X3
I love these analysis, is a whole trip of "Oh shit he's right!", not to forget the moments where he points out an arrangement you've never paid attention to. Great work, keep it up!
The resolution you mention. That’s so fitting. In dark souls there is always a cycle of fire and dark. You always know how it will end. And someone inevitability will try to link the fire and stave off the darkness. But in the end only darkness will remain. It’s destined to be repeated over and over again. The repetition in the music represents this cycle. It’s predictable and inevitable but at its core it creates the feeling of triumph…but also acceptance
The first time I heard that 3 note sequence... absolutely beautiful, a weird empty nostalgia that STILL sends shivers down my spine.
The home chord also leads directly into Gwyns theme breaking in, which adds a lot of gravitas and indeed does lead to finality in the story. I just love the way this song sounds like its building up higher and higher until it breaks, much like the logs in a bonfire once they begin to break down. I just love how wonderfully this song personifies the end of this gruesome age of flame. Its majestic and melancholy, yet struggles to hold itself all together. Once it begins to crack, that's when the ambition of Gywn breaks in and the second phase of combat starts.
You’re so spot on! The first half is definitely playing into the fact that the world of Dark Souls is finally coming to an end, and the final fight against the Soul of Cinder is essentially a fight against everyone who came before. The music is so darkly glorious, dramatic, tragic, heroic, and finalist all in one piece…just like the fight.
Then when Gwyn’s theme comes in, it just turns resigned, restful, and sadly familiar. We go straight back to where it all started, and finish off that original catalyst by defeating what is essentially a reborn spirit of Gwyn. The piano piece paired with the sad violins really encompasses the sadness of what happened. It was all born from the fear of one person…Gwyn. We’re putting it to rest and it’s so mournful. Once the fight is over, we make the defining choice for the world’s fate, but it’s clear that no matter what you choose, the world will end one way or another. Even if you prolong the end, or try to prevent it entirely, it’s over. All must and _will_ come to rest.
It’s so beautiful and tragic. Soul of Cinder perfectly captures all those feelings. You guessed everything so well! I am very impressed and glad you appreciated the detail of this song. :)
It's amazing how much one can tell just by music. As someone who has played all FromSoftware games in the Souls-like genre music, more specifically Boss Music, has some of the most powerful heart-wrenching soundtracks I've ever heard in a game.
Even though I've never played it myself... I freaking love the Souls games, there music are simply breathtaking
Indeed
Never too late to get started. I myself began playing Soulsborne because I loved the music and wanted to experience the whole package. The games are really not as hard as people make them out to be, they're challenging but you can get used to it pretty quickly
@@patrikhigl1032 oh I know, the game is a fun challenge but not an impossible task, and since I'm a Monster Hunter veteran, I know I'll enjoy the playstyle of the weapons and the combat. What holds me back is lack of free time and where to play the game on
As someone who just loves music, especially video game music, it makes me very happy to see someone take time to pay attention and notice interesting bits from a song. Sometimes while your playing you don't hear the theme that well so you head back and actually realize how gorgeous it is
I remember the first time i got to phase 2 i was fighting to the rythm of the soundtrack. Important to note i had come from ds1 and 2. Then plin plin plon happens. I stopped running, stopped everything, just absorbed the symbology and blade of soul of cinder while he skewered me to death. Had to sit for full 5 minutes just... dumbstruck. It was the end of an entire journey. It was awesome. And yet i still have goosebumps every single time i hear that 3 notes.
This song makes me wanna cry, I just love these games so damn much
Glad to know you're Brazilian, dude. Keep up the good work.
1:24 in my opinion the "continueous" "satisfaction" is due to a kinda storytelling of the story from this track, every resolution, every satisfaction, is a sign of a story coming to an end, dark souls fans will understand perfectly what i mean
thank you for making me acknowledge this and many other musical touches that makes us understand how the composers and the musicians wrote dark souls history in that sheet of music.
seeing you have the same face every fan had when ds1 gwyn piano solo came up only listening and analyzing the music was so emotional to me.
and it shows how much technicality and passion went into the writing of it
but you know seeing how much from soft has become famous already at the time of dark souls, it seems kinda odd to me reading "game composer" that never ever played dark souls at least for the arcade side of it, from software wrote a piece of the history of storytelling, and seeing game related artists taking at least some notes from them wouldn't seem unreasonable to me
I love how accurate you get to the games story based on music, you should react to the Twin Princes ost from Dark Souls 3 as well. Its an amazing track
Thank you for the suggestion, my friend
@@DaviVasc thank you for your content! I appreciate your work, have a great day!
Oooooh, time for weekly Davi goodness. This is definitely gonna be a goodest of the good one.
fresh off the oven for ya
The biggest smirk just crept up on my face the minute you reacted to the piano start up
Man whenever the 2nd phase hits I can feel the tears build up every time.
This music and boss fight are incredible! And when the music for Gwen kicks in, its so hard to hold back tears!!!
I am not ashamed to admit that the first hour against the Soul of Cinder I couldn't beat him purely because I found the theme so beautiful and sad. The tears flowed...
What’s so emotional about this theme is that you start off in Dark Souls as a lowly undead with no renown, and the world will treat you as nothing special. But when you enter the Kiln of the first flame to fight the Soul of Cinder, you realize everything has come to this. From nothing, you are about to gain power over an entire age. And the first part of the theme communicates that. But the second part gets somber, bringing you back to the beginning, to Gwyn. And it makes you remember how meaningless the linking of the flame was in Dark Souls I. You go from feeling that you have overcome an age to, once again, feeling like a meaningless undead. The age of fire would end no matter what you did. You are either ending what has already been a prolonged death or giving it its last breath. It is still epic, but somber, to end this journey that you have put so much effort in to overcome. You have no idea what comes next, but that doesn’t matter, you will simply rise up once again when the next age comes, the next stage of life. And you realize that it is not power that you are taking with you, but the understanding that all challenges can be overcome, even if all things must come to an end regardless.
Absolutely love this theme! Had to try my best to not lose the fight from tearing up when the "Plin Plin Plon" hit lol since we are on the top of DS music, I'd love to hear a breakdown of Slave Knight Gael. Really ties the DS series to a great end :) Funfact: Soul of Cinder actually gains Gwyn's moveset for his second phase when the music changed. Loving the reactions a whole lot, keep up the best VGM reaction content out there!
THAT is some kind of new level reaction. Actually sharing musician knowledge to us. as average player we have memory of the OST and what it make us feel for the lore. But you went and explain with EXAMPLES the idea and intent behind the genious mind of the composer. it makes me like it even more :D.
I'm gonna copy-paste a comment from another video because it perfectly explains the music in a way I hadn't thought of before:
I just love how brilliantly structured this theme is.
The first part is heroic, because the Lords of Cinder are "heroes"; those who sacrificed themselves to save the world and keep the fire lit, losing everything in the process.
But it's when Gwyn's notes kick in that the truth hits you in the face like truck: there is no hero in this. The Lords of Cinder never did anything effective or practical, they simply delayed the inevitable.
This world is dying, and the last person left to stop you is the first man who started this cycle.
Okay, my thoughts again: The reason why the chord sequences don't end the way they're supposed to is because in the Dark Souls universe, the world goes through cycles. It went through the age of fire, and it was supposed to go to the age of Dark next. The gods sought to unnaturally prolong the age of Fire, so the world did not get its resolution and thus neither do the chords. You can choose to prolong the Age of Fire, but ash will continue to pile up and soon there won't be anything left to prolong the fire with. That's also why the song gets weaker and less intense as it progresses. You alone can put an end to this, stop the cycle... or you can choose not to. You can deny the chord, the world, its proper resolution as so many before you have chosen to do.
8:23
THE REALIZATION!!!! IN THAT SECOND HE KNEW- HE COULD FEEL AS WE DID. THE POWER SUGING THOUGH THE PLAYER, AND NOW HIM. Now he feels as we did. It’s such a great, powerful peace. I could never describe it- it’s perfect. I don’t know how I would be with out ds3, but I know I wouldn’t have had as much joy though my life. Also as much frustration- pain- isn’t that what dark souls is about though? It’s not about joy, it’s about death, and yet it bring us so much joy. From the friends I turned on to it, from meeting greirat, from beating soul of cinder.
Thank you dark souls 3. For everything-
8:40 - if we recognize it? I'm crying every time over that plin plin plon.
Related to this one, you should definitely listen to the "Epilogue" that plays over the credits for DS3. Probably my favorite piece in the whole game, extremely sad and final. It's an excellent farewell song to represent the passage of the flame and the end of the cycle, and since it's not a boss theme it has some extra freedom of expression.
I love your dissection of the Second Phase "Gwyn" theme and I notice you kept recognizing a particular melody and you said it seems to be another portion of Gwyns theme however I believe the credits song "nameless song" from DS1 fits it more accurately particularly the very first few seconds of "nameless song" and I believe even later in the soul of cinders theme the section from around 1:38 of "nameless song" also begins to play
Saw this on another video, but all the forms in phase 1 are the Chosen Undead who linked the flame before. Imagine if one of the forms had a sword and a shield bearing the mark of the sun. I’d have cried.
Your face during the surprise plin plin plon is brilliant
Dunno if comments still get read on his older stuff, but if anyone knows more about this kind of thing can confirm? The "masters of denying us a build up" point he makes (2:04) about From building up to something then carrying on without progressing the song. Could this also perhaps be a method they use to accommodate the music and still make it sound natural in gameplay? When players will reach different stages of the fight at different paces, causing the song to have to adjust.
I feel like having more 'points' in the song for them to progress to stage 2 gives them far more freedom to adjust the song to progress when the player does.
I just realized; with all the finale chords happening on the first section, combined with each immediately being followed by a new layer to the music, the whole song is a perfect parallel to what dark souls 3 is all about. The song keeps trying to finish, it wants to be over, but it keeps getting revived when a new layer is added, just like how the flame is supposed to burn out but keeps getting kindled by a new warrior who wants to perpetuate it. It's a cycle that wants to end but is forced to continue. Very clever
I love your energy and your musical analysis of different chords going on in the background. Very different from other people. As well as your perception of figuring out the lore through music is soo good
Thank you for saying that :)
Hey man, do the abyss watchers... That's my favourite fight in all souls games because of how much the music and moves come together to tell the story
Thank you for the suggestion!
Honestly, not only you nailed it, but you solidified my feeling that the composers absolutely nailed the scores for this game.
When you were talking about the feeling of finality, and how you thought there was more to it than it just being the final boss of the game. You couldn't be more correct.
This was the end of a trilogy, but in-game lore, the game is entirely built on the concept of cycles. Dark Souls III being the official "end" to those, or THAT cycle.
The fact that the music was able to convey that concept about the game is utterly amazing.
Another great video to one of many great themes. One theme that doesn't get brought up much but would love a reaction to is the Epilogue Theme in Dark Souls 3 played after the last DLC. It's different from the original but gets me every time since it a fitting goodbye theme.
It's funny that you pointed an ending of a cycle, because the final part of the game is about cycles. In some kind of multiverse the battle against the Lord of Cinder is happening again and again, and the boss we fight in DS3 is the hero from DS1 who take the place of Gwyn.
I love when you guess something about the game because it shows how mucho information the music give to us.
The final boss of dark souls 1 possesses the soul of cinder and fights just how he does in the first game. Its Gwyn returned and its beautiful
I feel like when the tempo or whatever it’s call drops then starts up big again symbolizes the fading of the the flame, and whenever it starts up again that aforementioned flame bursts anew, and a new track that suits the next game fills in
I don't know why, but I find myself revisiting your videos often. I am a huge Soulsborne fan and hearing your insightful analysis accompanied by the music makes me enjoy the music far, far more. I get goosebumps when you give an apt thematic description about the piece while the piece is playing as well, it almost feels narrative. Either way, I really enjoy your content and it is truly insightful! It makes me understand music theory in a really damn simple way, and as a result enjoy music more.
Just discovered your channel, liking it a lot so far. It’s great how you interact with the comments and community, too. Keep up the good work!
Just stumble across this vid, really amazing how your able to decipher this. It would be nice if you do laurence the first vicar in bloodborne, trust me you will be blown away.
This boss gives me goosebumps...i’ve always loved the idea that a game’s final boss represents the player in some way...like, after all the challenges you’ve overcome, the game basically says “okay, but how well do you know yourself?” like, challenging the player’s knowledge of their own move set.
The way it’s done with the Soul of Cinder is utterly perfect. Everything about this boss brings so many powerful emotions...
you feel like you’re fighting an old friend throughout the entire fight, even players who don’t know anything about lore will recognise the similarities in his moveset to the weapons they themselves used.
I've seen some people already recommending it, and I just wanna add another vote for "Slave Knight Gael" from Dark Souls 3. Also, "Laurence" from Bloodborne.
Soul of cinder is literal amalgamation who those link the fire including first lord gwyn , bro ur reaction is cool especially the disturbing part at end of first phase keep it up bro
Damn Davi, you have to see the Slave knight Gael theme, it's amazing
Sounds cool, thank you for recommending it
The section with Gwyn’s theme is so tragic sounding.
Like the whole fight is building up to this massive crescendo of violence and spectacle, then you’re just gut punched realizing what you’re actually fighting. It’s this desperate attempt by the flame to stay alive. It’s pulling out all the stops against you, or at the very least, make sure you’re worthy of linking it. Including it’s ace in the hole, the first Lord of Light. Even though I generally never end up linking the fire, this fight brings out a ton of emotion in that choice.
Dark souls gets back to what it does best in this fight. Beating up tired old men to sad music. Poor Gwyn just wants to secure the future he helped mold, and rest. But he never can. Whether he’s a hollowed out husk watching the flame die out before his eyes, or his soul is being channeled into this soul of cinder entity. Poor guy just wants to take a nap.
Darksouls one made me not want to give up and want to fight, darksouls two made me ask why i fight, darksouls three let me answer.
i would absolutely LOVE if you reacted to the Maiden astrea theme from the Demon's souls Remake (specifically the remake version)
Thank you for the suggestion!
I would love if he specifically reacted go the original version...
It's pretty crazy how the entirety of the series can be condensed into 3 notes. Everything you play through in all of the games are the consequences of an old man who was afraid to lose what he had. All told in just 3 notes.
Yupp, that 2nd phase transition in the song still hits home, it legit made me lose first time I got him to 2nd phase back in 2016
Same i was freaking out so much i couldn't concentrate
That denial of resolution is so real. I've never heard someone put it into words before. Something always feels missing from the boss music, this is it.
i reached this boss just the last night, the OST is dope as hell!!
Another fantastic video. It's amazing how well you can interperet the lore and the meaning of the game just from listening to the soundtrack alone.
I would love to see an analysis of the Twin Princes theme. They're one of my favorite boss battles in DS3.
SoC has such a nice theme. it captures the essence of the main theme of DS3 and gives it a fitting ending
It amazes me how much you can get spot on about the story and whatnot purely through music
I think a CZcamsr called Cameron Cornish said it best, although I heavily shortened it to avoid any spoilers
"Three notes... Just three... And everything came flooding back. We journeyed up a familiar path to an open area... In the distance we saw a flame with a single knight standing guard... We fought this knight a valiant fight that ultimately led to us being the victor...... But In a desperate attempt to stop us, the knight rose once more with flames pouring from every part of its body, bringing back the raging soul of a god from a long forgotten age... The three notes played... And... We were broken... We wanted to stop fighting... We no longer wanted to link the flame, kill this knight. We just wanted someone to sit by the fire with us... And for the first time ever, we felt someone who understood our pain really could join us by the bonfire.... Ultimately though, the final strike was made and this ancient soul fell for the last time... The husk of a god finally put to an uneasy rest; lost in the annals of history. We went to the bonfire...
Thank you, From Software for letting this series end as gently as the first flame did. We will never forget this immense gift you've given us." The full comment can be found here czcams.com/video/HW9XCFHfa5k/video.html
I love how when he heard the plin plin plon his face lit up.
One of your choice options is to let the flame dies and permit the dark age to start just like the first game. And even if you choose to relink the flame, it comes back small and weak, like its already fading away and thats the final tone of the game: it doesn't matter how many times we rekindle our fire, the end is inevitable and we're getting close to it, very close. And we can only watch as the fire slowly fades, just like the music in our headphones and the screan light as the credits roll.
Man I love this game ❤
My first reaction when i got to phase 2 and noticed his moveset and music just being gwyn fucked me up so hard.
God I adore this game.
Btw, if you ever feel like doing a dark souls 2 track i suggest either aldia or sinh’s theme.
Your comment about the cycle coming to an end was absolutely spot on. The entire series to this point has been a cycle of light and dark, dark souls 3 finally provides a 3rd option. And the bittersweet finale, well that's how us as players felt, knowing that DS3 was the final game in the series
How to get the biggest chills in gaming history.
Step 1. Play dark souls.
Step 2. Wait ten years
Step 3. Play Dark souls 3.
Step 4. Plin plin plon
Even if you didn’t play the first DS this song makes you feel bittersweet just for the melancholic melody alone but somehow when you find out about the previous games you got the nostalgia feeling anyways… so powerful music indeed.
Man i love your videos, you're awesome
Please do a Laurance OST (bloodborne) reaction, i just finished bloodborne and im gettin crazy
Laurence* 😅
I have been attracted about analyze & music theory in your video! Will you do the Dark souls 3 theme video? As a game's main scene music, i believe it's really tragic and classic.
What you're doing with the soundtrack is the same sort of thing I do with the architecture and decoration found in video game locations. There's a lot you can figure out about a location from the environmental storytelling of what influences they chose, what stories they tell with the wreckage, and going beyond just "there's a skeleton here with a sword through it, looks like it died in a battle." Lost Izalith is especially great for this sort of thing with its Khmer influences. Love these videos! I don't know if you've listened to Aldrich's theme, but I'm guessing it would be a trip.
You should try sir alone from dark souls 2 it’s epic but somber when you realize that it plays to the rhythm of a dual of two warriors fighting to the death or the burnt ivory king both are great
Awesome video :) more dark souls please!
Of course :)
I still start to shake slightly, when listening to this masterpiece. Even after 5 years of playing Dark Souls 3.
This fight is the culmination of a cycle and a trilogy. A battle that shows respect and love for its players and community.
Dark Souls died with its soul intact.
The plin, plin, plon gave me shivers down my spine!
WE DOING DARK SOULS SONGS!? hell yea 😭 you wound me over the fact that it's soul of cinder theme (I cried when I figured out what that all meant,toughest fight cause I didn't wanted him to die) buuut I would recommend Slave knight Gael. You won't regret it bro! Stay awesome and thank you for this!
I love your ability to get stories from music. The reverse is exactly how I write my own music