Aldrich, Devourer of Gods

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Aldrich, Devourer of Gods
'Dark Souls' character
First game Dark Souls III (2016)
Created by Hidetaka Miyazaki

Aldrich, Devourer of Gods (also known as Aldrich, Saint of the Deep) is a fictional character and boss in the action role-playing game Dark Souls III . A former human and cleric, he became a sentient monster of sludge due to his cannibalistic tendencies. He is also a Lord of Cinder in the game's lore, a being who rekindled the First Flame. Aldrich received critical acclaim for the difficulty and visuals of his boss fight, as well as his depiction in the game's lore and links to Dark Souls .

Boss (video gaming) significant and especially strong enemy in video games

In video gaming, a boss is a significant computer-controlled enemy. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Boss battles are generally seen at a climax of a particular section of the game, usually at the end of a level or stage, or guarding a specific objective, and the boss enemy is generally far stronger than the opponents the player has faced up to that point. For example, in a combat game all regular enemies might use pistols while the boss uses a machine gun. A boss enemy is quite often larger in size than other enemies and the player character. At times, bosses are very hard, even impossible to defeat without being adequately prepared and/or knowing the correct fighting approach. Bosses take strategy and special knowledge to defeat, such as how to attack weak points or avoiding specific attacks. A final boss is often the main antagonist of a game's story.

<i>Dark Souls III</i> 2016 video game

Dark Souls III is an action role-playing video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. An entry in the Souls series, Dark Souls III was released in Japan in March 2016 and worldwide in April 2016.

Clergy leaders within certain religions

Clergy are some of the main and important formal leaders within certain religions. The roles and functions of clergy vary in different religious traditions but these usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the terms used for individual clergy are clergyman, clergywoman and churchman. Less common terms are churchwoman, clergyperson and cleric.

Contents

Characteristics

Aldrich is only seen in his monstrous form during the game, although he appears in the comic Dark Souls #1 in human form. [1] Once a cleric, he is stated to have become "infamous" due to the pleasure he took from consuming human flesh. [2] Compared to some of his followers, Aldrich retained his mind while devolving into a snake-like being of black sludge covered in the skeletal remains of his victims prior to being locked in a stone "coffin" within the Cathedral of the Deep. He was later forced to become a sacrifice when the First Flame began to fade. He was resurrected upon the rise of the Unkindled, refusing to surrender his new power as a Lord of Cinder to rekindle the First Flame and fled to Anor Londo. [2] Prior to being confronted by the player, Aldrich had partially devoured Anor Londo's deity Dark Sun Gwyndolin, assimilating the deity's memories and torso to defend himself with both Gwyndolin's powers and a recreation of the scythe of Priscilla, a character from the first Dark Souls .

Anor Londo City of the gods from Dark Souls

Anor Londo is a fictional city in the Dark Souls series of action role-playing games. Appearing in both Dark Souls and Dark Souls III, it is the seat of the power of the gods, deities of the Dark Souls world who used the power of the First Flame to destroy the Everlasting Dragons that once controlled it. By the time of Dark Souls, however, it has become an abandoned lost city, as Lord Gwyn had long since sacrificed himself to rekindle the fading First Flame. Anor Londo has been cited by critics for its design as well as the level's high difficulty, including a section guarded by two powerful archers, and the level's final boss duo, Ornstein and Smough.

Aldrich is also the focus of an in-game covenant, the Aldrich Faithful, which encourages attacking other players who attempt to make their way to fight him. [3]

Development

Aldrich's character and that of the Cathedral of the Deep are based on Lovecraftian themes, with his name being similar to "eldritch" knowledge. [2] The cathedral's ambiance and enemies exhibit oceanic sounds and designs that depict Aldrich's worship of a "dark, abyssal realm" known as the Deep. [2]

Lovecraftian horror is a subgenre of horror fiction that emphasizes the cosmic horror of the unknown more than gore or other elements of shock. It is named after American author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937), who is largely credited as the first author to pioneer the genre.

Aldrich's purple clothing was stated to be "the color of authority" and evidence that he held a high rank. [4]

Reception

Rock, Paper, Shotgun's Edwin Evans-Thirlwell called Aldrich the best video game boss of 2016, saying that he is "the focus of the game's shift into the realm of the macabre". [5] Calling him an example of the gluttony that marks the key antagonists of Dark Souls, he states that Aldrich's cannibalism is also the most "pointed" exploration of the parallel between the harmfulness of unnatural longevity and making sequels. [5] He also says that the fight may seem anti-climactic compared to Ornstein and Smough, who are fought in the same arena, and that this is on purpose due to the fact that Aldrich is a pitiful figure who lost his own identity trying to consume others. [5]

<i>Rock, Paper, Shotgun</i> video game website and blog

Rock, Paper, Shotgun (RPS) is a UK-based blog operated by Rock, Paper, Shotgun Ltd and authored by Alec Meer, Graham Smith, Brendan Caldwell, Alice Bell, Alice O'Connor, Katherine Castle, Matt Cox, John Walker, and formerly also Kieron Gillen, Jim Rossignol, Adam Smith, Philippa Warr and Quintin Smith. It was launched on 13 July 2007. Launched as an independent website for reporting on video games, primarily for personal computers, the site was acquired and brought into the Gamer Network, a network of sites led by Eurogamer, in May 2017; with this acquisition, Gillen and Rossignol will move on to other ventures, but all other staff will remain.

Ornstein and Smough

Ornstein and Smough are a duo of boss characters from the action role-playing game Dark Souls. Independently known as Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough, they are fought together, and often regarded as the hardest boss in the game. Consisting of one of the Four Knights of Gwyn who formerly hunted dragons, and an executioner of superhuman size, they were assigned to protect the Lordvessel from intruders and function as the final boss of the Anor Londo level. The boss battle has received a great deal of notoriety for its difficulty and the unusual ways players have beaten it.

James Davenport of PC Gamer called Aldrich "one of the most obvious, influential and nuanced" villains in the Dark Souls series, suggesting that he was planning to subvert the fire-linking process by embracing the "darker plane" of the Deep. [2] He also praised the fact that Dark Souls III "spends entire zones" characterizing Aldrich rather than making him a mere boss. [2]

Aldrich was voted the 5th hardest boss in Dark Souls III by the IGN community, citing his powerful magical attacks. [6] He was also named as one of the best bosses in the game by GamesRadar+, calling his attacks "impressive" and requiring constant motion for the player to stay alive. [7]

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References

  1. ↑ "The first Dark Souls comic plays it too safe". pcgamer. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "How Dark Souls 3 builds up its most villainous slime lord". pcgamer. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  3. ↑ "How Dark Souls 3's Aldrich Faithful covenant turns good people into trolling monsters". pcgamer. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  4. ↑ "Dark Souls III and the color purple - Kill Screen". Kill Screen. 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  5. 1 2 3 "Why Dark Souls 3's Aldrich is 2016's best boss". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  6. ↑ "Dark Souls 3's Hardest Bosses". IGN. 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  7. ↑ "Prepare to die - these are the 15 greatest Dark Souls bosses". gamesradar. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
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