That’s fair and understandable, and very fitting for Dark Souls 2 at the very least where they basically say “Yeah, you are immortal because you are playing a game, so the only thing that can “kill” you is giving up.”

But at the same time there is clearly someone on the writing team with strong opinions on the search for immortality.

I mean, the Fromsoft’s Soulsbornes are set in decaying ruins because the themes and story kinda demand it. One of the central themes of the game is that immortality is bad and the pursuit of immortality is evil (which is what I thought this article was going to be about from the headline). The games are set in societies that have attempted to become “eternal empires” and as a result are now decaying slowly, not allowing something new to take its place. The player then comes on and usher in the “new age” (or you can choose to attempt to carry on without changing anything). Dark Souls 3 is probably most clear about this, where in the DLC you meet yourself in the shape of Friede. She does the exact same thing you are doing, but on a smaller scale and has chosen to not burn the painting and imprison the painted that would make it anew. What she puts doing is obviously wrong, and it gives you a not-so-subtle hint that kindling the first flame is also the wrong thing to do.

Funnily enough, I think the wording of the patent (as far as I’ve seen it) causes Darkest Dungeon to be in violation of it. You play as a character (the inheritor of the estate), then you summon another character (the party) who go wandering around until they meet an enemy, whereupon the game transitions to a battle screen that the player controls. I think we can all agree that DD is nothing like Pokémon, though, and should never be impacted by Pokémons attempt at monopolizing their genre.

Miquella and Marika are both schemers, and they both care deeply (or so it seems) about their PR. They want to appear as benevolent gods while making sure that the blame for bad stuff falls on someone else. (Marika makes sure Messmer is blamed for the genocide she ordered, Melina is blamed for burning the Erdtree, and I’d argue she also is responsible for the Night of the Black Knives that Ranni is blamed for. Miquella males sure Mohg is blamed for his failure to counteract the scarlet rot, and Melania is blamed for anything that happened during the Shattering.)

Their other halves (Radagon and st. Trina) both seem much nicer and more genuine, but they are locked away and suppressed as far as the more powerful halves are able.

In a meager defense of the cult of the Formless Mother, the finger maidens are literally working for the Greater Will (although they are low ranking), they can’t stick around if you change faith and it seems they are bound to their Tarnished spiritually.

It’s still a murder cult though, so I don’t claim that they are good at all.

Miquella is in many ways exactly like his mother. Unfortunately, his mother is by and large a pretty terrible person.

Guild Wars 2:

Citadel of Flame dungeon
Volcanic fractal
Molten Furnace fractal
Molten Boss fractal
Probably some others I don’t remember.
(Fractals are shorter dungeons.)

Most of these read like ads. Most of the rest read like information found in an advertising profile (the kind of info that ad companies purchase). Only a couple read like actual things people care about.

Honestly, I have no idea myself. I first saw it at GDQ yesterday (or so).

Arctic Eggs kind of cooking going on here.