PraiseTheShift

None of you would possibly imagine the many times that I actively tried to enjoy Dark Souls before actually achieving such goal. That's correct: it's not only that I mention games all the time, but I analyze, listen, and learn about them more than I'd want to admit. They're always on my mind, as they shapped an irreplacable aspect of my reality and way of decoding it; they play a huge role while confronting my daily mundanities, as they're my favourite soundtrack and best mental companions. They taught me a bunch of things about success, solitude, history, companionship, music, nodding a lot while being a terrible cop, loss, courage, or how to cope with (and, eventually, defeat) depression. "This story again, eh?" Now, let's be realistic: how can a game famous for its depressing setting and brutal difficulty help people with mental illness? That's indeed a great question.

Independently of the answer(s) (in this case, they are as many as they are varied), what's necessary to highlight here is that the real struggle of the gameplay itself acknowledges the struggles many people are experiencing in life while also encouraging perseverance. I would not dare saying Dark Souls is a celebration of life since the setting and themes make it feel it is not; Lordran, as well as its many variations and twists throughout the franchise, is a place of callous indifference as far as its inhabitants are concerned. However, what keeps people engaged with it and the overall Soulsborne atmosphere is that the threat of meaninglessness comes hand-in-hand with the opportunity for transcendence.

There's no doubt: without the stigma of failure, both players and individuals-still-liberated-from-Dark-Souls'-influence are free to adapt and test new methods rather than remain trapped in the same mindset - which is clearly not my case now that I'm bringing you PraiseTheShift, a humble tool allowing you to switch between dark and light mode under Solaire's blessing and grossly incandescent approval.