Game Composer Breaks Down the DARK SOULS 3 MAIN THEME
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2024
- People have been telling me that the Dark Souls 3 Main Theme is something special, and oh man, they were right. Dark Souls music often chooses to be quiet and reserved outside of boss battles, but in Dark Souls 3 they choose to go all out right from the title screen!
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With a new Elden Ring DLC possibly in the horizon, I've been thinking a lot about Elden Ring music. Have you watched my videos on the ELden Ring OST? -> th-cam.com/video/pTss2Ot6atk/w-d-xo.html&pp=gAQBiAQB
Yup, I just watched it now since you recommended it.✅ Great stuff in that one too!😊
If you are looking to make another elden ring video I suggest you take a look at Godfrey, The first elden lord
Oh I've seen your Elden Ring videos, and I've been telling you to break down the theme for Starscourge Radahn... for almost TWO YEARS 😂
I really recommend making a video of Starscourge Radahn's, Astel's, Godfrey's and Radagon's theme before moving to the DLC when it's released.
Can you make one video for "The Final Battle" theme from Elden Ring, please? It has two different phases, and both of them are actually very good. And I'd really like to see your reaction.
The most amazing part is: the whole Choir you pointed to is the one composer herself Yuka Kitamura, it's her voice. This is a one woman job. So Magnificent!
no way, Yuka is truly phenomenal
Remind me of the fact Armored Core composer is also the singer for every vocal track since like AC3 i think, he did also sang in AC6 too
Yuka will be missed. Her work is immortalized in these amazing games atleast.
@@ikoedgod What do you mean? She's not dead, and it's not like she won't ever compose anything for From Software. She only went freelance.
@crimthann I doubt she'll be composing anything for from software soon. She literally just decided to be freelance so we'll see
This theme was originally for the final boss which early on was gonna be pontiff Sulyvahn
Whoa, I didn't know!
That explains a thing or two. Guess the devs liked it too much to just scrap it? If so, I can understand. It's too good to not let see the light of day.
@@DaviVascYep! It’s called the Old King of the Eclipse OST, its very similar but there are noticeable differences
Yeah a very beautiful track
I highly recommend pontiff sulyvahn his theme is definitely good
The main singer is Yuka Kitamura herself. You can hear her in almost every track in DS3 ost. Not only is she a god-like composer, she also has a powerful voice ❤
Yeah, she has a distinctive voice, you can recognize it easily in DS3 and Sekiro soundtracks. Too bad she left FromSoftware.
@@MoonlightKnightoIt's not too bad. She can work with whoever she wants now. She's that big. This doesn't mean we won't see her in Fromsoft games anymore brother
She also plays the violin on the tracks. Insane talent.
@@koo3144 yeah she plays many instruments. She's really talented.
@@cherrycola4476 I really hope so...
The Bells are the Bells of Awakening, it's basically the bells that you need to ring in the first Dark Souls to advance in the story and it's also what awakens the Ashen One (the main character/player) at the beginning of Dark Souls 3
The bell tolls
You hear the bells of awakening during the Abyss Watchers, and are also heard in Spear of the Church (though in this context it’s to summon rather than reviving).
That's why in the credits, the last song played in the Dark Souls series, you can feel how powerful is the last bell toll
Its also very fitting as the main theme, as in the soundtrack is summoning you/the Ashen One into the game.
@@_RZL13_ and the lords go without thrones
I was absolutely mindblown the first time i heard this. I just knew the game would be a masterpiece
hey ben shapiro
banny boi
the game being a master piece is a fact and logic
Lmao for a split second I was like why tf is Ben Shapiro commenting on dark souls ost videos
I love Dark Souls 3's main theme. Comes off a bit like a boss theme but does describe the overall experience that is Dark Souls.
it was originally going to be the music for the final boss before they changed it to soul of cinder. the original plan was for the final boss to be sulyvahns spirit puppeting the corpse of prince lothric and this was gonna be its theme
This the music that the bosses are hearing when fighting you.
@@JaxKangaroosounds honestly insane. Do you have the source?
@@HansWalter-z6c We don't really know that much about what role he was going to play, only that his model was found in the Kiln under the name "BlackOldKing" and his full name was Old King of the Eclipse. His model is theorized to have originally been Lothric, since there are statues with a sword resembling the Profaned Greatsword and wearing an outfit similar to Pontiff's in Lothric Castle.
8:08 the bells are probably in reference to the Bells of Awakening, the two bells the player rings in the first half of Dark Souls. In DS3, the narrator says something like "when the link of fire is threatened, the bell tolls, awakening the old lords of cinder from their graves." The Abyss Watchers and various other bosses are "awakened" by the bells. The player is revived too afterwards, after lore things happen, so the bell tolling is symbolic of the events that put the plot into motion in DS3.
Best part is the solo singer in the begining is the composser herself
Whooooa, seriously? Is that Yuka Kitamura singing?
@@DaviVascThe soprano voice is Kitamura.
@@DaviVasc yes it is her! She sings solos in a lot of her music actually. She's amazing.
DS3 has so many good tracks it's actually unreal
Oh yuka how you will be missed. I seriously hope FromSoftware won’t stop giving us pieces like this from artists like Yuka
with Elden ring and AC6 they showed us that they have some truly spectacular composers apart from Yuka. she will definitely be missed though, I hope they will still hire her in some other projects
They are absolutely commisioning her some pieces. FromSoft had an economic boom with Elden Ring, so I'm pretty sure we will see more of her
If you like this, you should certainly try Slave Knight Gael's ost! It's pretty good, some rank it the best ost in fromsoft games
Another vote for slave night Gael! It's a fantastic score, I'd agree with it being in the top of fromsoft music!
It's not even the best in DS3
Maybe but one of the bests sure@@glorytoukraine5524
@@glorytoukraine5524what would you say is the best? Personally I think its between Gael, Gundyr and the Epilogue.
@glorytoukraine5524 I also want you know what you think is the best!
9:43 I love the onset of the female choir there complementing the male voices, it really makes a great dramatic effect
In DS1 the ringing the a bell was the first "main objective" of the game, and it had a social/online aspect to it cause every time you hear it ring, that is another player in the server that managed to do it.
It is such a good theme, definitely my favourite. It really has that End Times feeling in the dark souls universe and yet so many heroic sounding parts. The choir is so fucking incredible and always send shivers down my spine, and then that singer comes in and makes it go to 11
It's fitting to have the title music be like this to send off a legendary trilogy of games.
Funny that we covered a bunch of themes from DS3 and finally got to it's main theme months later xD
There are so many more DS3 themes to cover too!
Great video as always! Perhaps this is true of much of DS3's music, but while this theme is so dramatic, there's a sense of hollowness to it. I love how that sense makes the game and the music hopelessly beautiful and powerful. Thanks for the video, Davi :)
Thank you for consistently watching my videos for so long, Aya. I really appreciate it!
The Bell is what awoke the Ashen One and the Lords of Cinder.
It is quite literally what set in motion the events that are depicted in DS3
IIRC, THIS was apparently supposed to be the original theme for the Final Boss of DS3 back at an early stage, when you supposedly would have fought another enemy, the "Old King of the Eclipse". FromSoft actually have a strange habit of having title themes that are also the Final Boss themes. It didn't work out here because they decided to create Sould of Cinder instead, and turned the Old King into what is modern DS3's Pontiff Sulyvahn. The pontiff got a new theme of his own, and the Final Boss theme either became the title theme... or maybe they always were the same, who knows? I honestly love the bait-and-switch Plin-Plin-Plon, so I am fine with this, but I absolutely see how it could have made for a great Final Boss too.
Btw, DS3 actually has a surprising amount of semi-finished cut songs that were removedfrom the game, but are still in the files and actually sound kinda good. Crimson Bat in particular really stands out to me.
Anyway, having the title theme be the final boss theme is something that they had done before. Demon Souls' main theme is also the theme of the Final Boss, Old King Allant (technically penultimate boss, but, well...), and Elden Ring of course has Radagon of the Golden Order use the same theme that you get in the Menu. In fact, Elden Ring almost certainly did this to remind people of Demon Souls' main theme, because their themes are actually really similar if you listen to them. Anyway, Dark Souls 1 has no title theme, and Bloodborne and Dark Souls 2 have separate title and final boss themes. I wonder if this is like some sort of tradition they tried to establish.
In the first game, your first "quest" is to ring the Bells of Awakening, given no information other than one is above ground and one is below ground. So the heavy use of bells in the DS3 OST makes sense!
This theme instantly gives me goosebumps even now
The menu theme that lets you know you are going to die a lot.
It is so interesting to watch you analyze music in your videos. You get so involved and excited. It’s like you are a musical genius in determining what these songs are telling us. Thank you for another wonderful music journey.
The insistence of the home chord could also represent how the Dark Souls universe has been desperately holding on to the waning age of fire for too long.
I was so glad to see that you made a reaction to my favorite work by Yuka Kitamura. Also, I can't believe I'm listening Dark Souls 3 music all the time, but I'm only seeing it now that you found the ringtone at the beginning. It's very amazing how they included that sound, since the bell has a lot of meaning and symbolism in these games. Their main meaning is to emphasise the awakening of the Undead and the beginning of his destiny.
I am not a composer nor a musician. I am a simple guy and i call this just "eargasm". I don't know how but Yuka's all tracks makes me feel different. I love darkness in her music. But this soundtrack is completely different. I can't put it in words. As i said before. Eargasm!
The insistance on the fundamental note has, for me, a really cool symbolism.
In DS 1 and 2 the chords change, because we see very much change in the world.
But it's all for show.
In DS3 this blanket comes off, showing the real state of the world, a single note streched to infinity.
Yooo!! So you're now cooking on dark souls again. DUDE I LOVE YOUR VIDEO THANKS MAN. Idk if u already did this ost in live. But if you want to hear a GOD DAMN good ost from dark souls. I recommend Darkeater Midir. His theme symbolise his glory!
I THINK I listened to it in a live stream once but I don't remember it at all. Would be cool to do a video on it.
Do you have plans for another livestream sometime Davi?
It's always amazing to watch someone's first time reaction to listening to this song and on top of that your expertise in music also educates me on what the song's message is through melody. This is one of my favorite Main Themes in video games and I appreciate you took a look at it. I'm hoping you check into more of the Dark Souls III OST, I highly recommend checking it out! I really loved your Soul of Cinder breakdown as well!
That little laugh at 10:24 really shows how much fun Davi has with good music, it's precious. These videos put a smile on my face every time
As someone who has played DSIII many times, I love how much you’re able to accurately pick up on game elements just from the music.
I’ll also echo what others have said and recommend you try the theme for Slave Knight Gael. I’d particularly like to hear how you think it compares to this track, and any implications there.
Everytime I play Dark Souls 3 I religiously listen at least once the main theme in the menu screen. Ironically a theme played outside battle became my favorite theme from the series
Hearing this in the main menu as my first Fromsoft game had me like 'So... this is Dark Souls'. It sets the tone for the game so incredibly well
I've started playing Dark Souls 3 myself recently (amazing so far) and hearing the main theme for the first time instantly reminded me of Sir Alonne's theme from Dark Souls 2.
It's a very unique blend of royalty and sadness that sounds similar to this. I highly recommend checking it out. It's the best theme in Dark Souls 2 in my opinion.
Thanks for reviewing this davi!!!
Eu estou aprendendo sobre composição a um tempo e venho estudando alguma teoria pra ajudar! Uma coisa que acontece nas musicas da from que eu percebi é o quanto eles levam a musica lá em cima e resolvem em seguida eles se mantêm na nota e apresentam a melodia de uma forma em que ela pega mais. Isso eu percebi na musica do Sir alonne também da yuta kitamura
Al fin master! queria que reaccionaras a este OST hace mucho, para mi, el mejor main menu en la historia de los videojuegos!
Very interesting of you pointing the "insistence" on several themes of Dark Souls 3 aside from "Destiny/Fulfillment". Questioning the insistence of the age of fire is one of the main subjects of the game
And yes, the bell has a important role in the game, because these represents the bells of awakening at the start of the game, it rises those who tried and failed the linking of the fire to try again
I always like to imagine what Beethoven or Mozart would think of this kind of music
They would shit their pants
maybe it would be too disburting for them in the time
Your every video is like a present, but dark souls ones are especially a treat!
Thank you so much Eva!
God bless Yuka Kitamura
What's amazing to me is that Dark Souls 3 is being permeated by this sense of finality from every angle. Every aspect of the game has this air of it. The music has it in almost every track, the boss lore and design is filled with it and even when playing the game you can see the world falling apart towards the end. It literally falls apart. Even the endings to the game make it ckear that after this, there will be no more Dark Souls.
Everyone who has ever analyzed Dark Souls 3 comes to the same conclusion - that this is, truly the final game in a tragic trilogy and that there is no way that it could make logical sense to have a Dark Souls 4.
And this, to me, is amazing.
4:16 You made such a funny face davi😂. And if your wondering about the bell, it does indeed have a meaning. The narrator in the opening Cinematic tells you that "the bell tolls" which awakens the Lords of Cinder from their slumber. It really goes to show how well thought out these OSTs are!
gets me every time, what a fantastically rousing tune.
Great breakdown! I wish this video was longer!
Relating to souls games, Lies of P is a souls-like that came out this year that has phenomenal music, especially the song "Feel".
great analysis! would love to see you play dark souls next so all the music makes more sense when you experience them yourself!
i was waiting so long for u to upload this video!!!
This music is special, indeed! Great video!
Thanks man
I think this is one of the best menu themes ever! I would also recommend listening to the DS3 credits theme because its also really good.
there are a few of bells in the series that are EXTREMELY important to the lore in fact, that add a few different meanings to the music
in dark souls 1, the bells of awakening were objectives you needed to ring in order to learn the destiny of the chosen undead, and represented a goal that was always in earshot, a reminder to move forward. as a cool bonus mechanic, if you were playing online, anytime any player rang the bell in their own world it would ring in your game too
in dark souls 3, there is another bell of awakening of sorts, but it's specifically mentioned to call the dead and wake the old lords of cinder from their graves, and eventually after that failed the ashen ones (the player character of DS3 and a few other NPCs). DS3's themes deal in desperation, and whether constantly linking the fire to artificially keep the age of darkness at bay is worth it or not, whether the world is even good enough to be saved anymore. as such the bell calling the player character who's wondering throughout the game if linking the fire is right instead of giving courage and inspiring us like DS1, feels a lot more like it's trying to drag us to the end by any means necessary, even if we don't want it
Love your knowledge & enthusiasm!
I did not notice you released this video. I'm late to the party! Dark Souls 3 was my introduction to Souls games. As soon as I booted it up and heard this, I knew I was in for something special. It might be my favorite game of all time.
From all of FromSoft’s title themes, Dark Souls 3’s is the most memorable for me. One of Yuka Kitamura’s magnum opus, in my opinion.
I always listen to the music first before starting the game.
you should check out "epilogue" the end credit theme. specifically the ringed city version (they changed the end credit song when they released the DLC for the game and made it better)
"When the link of fire is threatened, the bell tolls... unearthing the old lords of cinder from their graves..."
Finally it's here! You don't know how long I've been wanting for you to hear this track!
The bells are to awaken the unkindled when the flame is at risk. Being the first thing you hear in the song fits perfectly with the beginning of the game.
And the similarity with the Twin Princes theme is because it was their refusal to sacrifice themselves that put the flame at risk.
There is still the subtext of the bells referring to the first game, which only those who completed the entire journey will understand.
This sense of completion and finally is practically the central theme of the game, in several moments you see the conclusion of things started in the past (from DS2 mainly in the Ringed City DLC).
awesome. i loved yuka's work in ds3, i get that it's not everyones cup of tea but to me it fit like a glove
So happy you reacted to this, its an absolute masterpiece. Funny thing, this was meant to be a boss theme but was changed to be the main theme. It was meant for Pontiff Sulyvhan and they sound quite similar at the beginning
Edit: The meaning of the bell is telling you that the 4 lord of cinders must link the flame again since its dying. Abyss watchers, twin princes, yhorm, aldrich, and loudleth of courland must link the flame again but they didnt want to. The bell is saying the link is being threatened
Lyrics(latin):
Forsan dia piāvī dī sopha vetō tābī ēditī
Tābī ēditī vetō tābī aderō sānxī vīta diū
Abambulā... abambulā... abambulābit
Vītā pie dium hī vīta piābāmus
Vādī titubem
Hi ōtia... hi ōtia...
Nitor sēsē tōtī nūda annectātis fōrsit vāniorī longae ōrātī fōrsit sancīre nova dium (vītā pia dium adī sōle dēdō dium sānctificā)
Abambulā... abambulā... abambulābam... abambulā...
Translation:
The wise, divine, and mighty God has rejected the coming corruption.
Be strong, divine life, sustenance for the rejection of corruption.
Leave... leave... He will leave...
God, living your godly life, calm life.
Life is wobbling
This leisurely... This leisurely...
Hold on to Itself and subtract the perfect ! Extending the void to come to golden gold, a new divine god will appear ! Relaxing god ! Go to the sun ! Give up sacredness as a god !
Leave... leave... I was leaving... leave...
Your enthusiasm and insight is a pleasure to see as always.
Dude, the menu theme actually made me pause and not open the game, because I wanted to listen to it
If you want another great menu theme, Risk of Rain 2 has a pretty 70's sci fi rock that's actually really powerful
The Rain Formerly Known As Purple
I was thinking about bells in Dark Souls game as well, strongly believe this should take you back to the first game when your first objective is to ring two bells of awakening to become a chosen undead.
So glad you finally listened to this! Thanks for the great video 😊
The bell is a literal object in the game's story. It's what brings your character back to life at the start of the game.
My fav ost from the soulsborne series. Ty for covering it!
This theme is so good i started treating main menu as bosses themselves since it took me some time to get past them. Second best/hardest menu boss was recently Risk of Rain Return's main menu
7:53
This messes me up because I'm pretty sure that's the _exact_ same bell sample as the theme of Payday 2's Alesso Heist
Hey Davi, I am a fan of the channel and wanted to see if there were other franchises that you have done that carry a similar tone to those of the fromsoft games you have covered excludimg your hollowknight videos as I have seen all of those so far. I am interested in seeing more but I wish to start with similar sounds as I Love the soulsborne sound.
It's amazing, evey single time I take a break from Dark Souls 3, I tear up listening to this music whenever I return, Dark Souls left a mark on me that I can still feel, you need to listen to the credits too: Epilogue
I've been listening to this song since before I even got into Dark Souls, I love it so much
Sir alonne from ds2 is a hidden treasure. Kind of set the stage for the soundtrack of ds3.
What is the connection between this music and Sir Alonne?
This has always been my favorite track in the series. It was on of my first exposures to Dark Souls, and it made me feel things music had never made me feel before, It's very easy to tell it was meant to be the final boss theme. It's so powerful and booming, but so melancholic at the same time. It has always created the image of an intense, but short lived flamed in my head, even before I learned anything about the series.
Dark Souls 3 was my first Souls game ever and when that music started blasting on the loading screen I was like "oh damn I'm not even sure I wanna actually continue" because it was so epic :D
In abyss watchers the bell is a reference to the two bells of awakening you have to ring to progress in ds1
The theme of destiny, finality, and the church bells were significant because this is the last game in the series. The DLC had you at the end of the world as one of three people who survived to see the end. It doesn't end well for the other two.
I don't know how often you take requests but, if you're curious and haven't done them already:
-The various 'you will x our name' songs from xenoblade series (They tend to have the same title but different words like 'know/hear/remember' etc)
-In the Final from Bowser's inside story (It's great and sounds like the forces of good/evil are singing the melody)
-The Battle Theme from the 'Side Games' of Xenoblade 1 HD and/or Xenoblade 2: Torna (both of them are incredible)
-Proof of a Hero from Monster hunter (Any Game, but Rise and World versions are both amazing)
-Calimari Incantation (Splatoon series, though my favorite version of the 'heavenly melody' is the one from splatoon 3)
Actually the bell has a great meaning in the game. The game begins with a bell marking the rise of the unkindle one (player's character). A little bit further you find an NPC that says "And judging by the bell... You must be some of that unkindled ash."
The home cord of this theme reminds me of the begining of firelink shrine theme from Dark Souls
The bell you noticed is important in dark souls 3 especially, its the signal that comands the lords and the player character, the unkindled, to rise from their graves
i remember staying in the menus to listen a little bit... never regretted my stay.
Peoples like to theorise, that this song is about the struggle of a dying world in he's final instants, when everything is dying and finally coming to an end. We then see this world meeting he's faith in all he's beauty and complexity like a blooming rose
Dark souls 2 main theme is much better at giving me the true "dark souls" vibe, a hopeless melody with a bit of actual hope put into it, It's so somber, soothing and gives you exactly how lively the world is, which isn't.
The bell represents the Bell Of Awakening, which in the case of DS3 is awakening the Lords Of Cinder and of course, Ashen One’s in an attempt to get someone to link the flame. In previous games, it still represents the cycle
The bell that appears throughout the OST is likely supposed to represent the bell of awakening, which rings to call unkindled undead back to life in an attempt to reuse their bodies to kindle the first flame and prevent it from dying out. The Abyss Watchers and Twin Princes were both revived by the bell of awakening, hence the bell in their themes. TLDR; The bell is not supposed to represent just death, but also resurrection.
The bells have a symbolic meaning in DS3. The plot of The game starts with a Bell tolling Which revives The major bosses your gonna fight in The game as Well as your character.
There's an unused track variant of this called "old king of the eclipse" (which was supposed to be a boss) which is also pretty neat
Man, the memories when i first played this game in 2016. My very first souls game coz they say it is hard and it was really hard. 18 deaths just for the trial boss 😂. Ended at almost 400hrs of gameplay. Best 400hrs of my life
Bells are actually very significant to the events of Dark Souls 3. Our character and those like us are awakened by a bell. The big bosses of the game were also awakened by the bell. We ring a bell to fight the nameless king. The first DLC in the Painted World of DS3 makes a point of showing us how they destroyed their bell in the hopes that the ashen ones(the player character and those like them) would not come.
It's funny how bells awaken our character from the dead and then in Elden Ring they implemented a Spirit Ash system that summons spirits of the dead using their ashes and a bell.
10:25 the laugh of joy
I'm not sure of their lore/story significance in relation to the entire trilogy, or if it has any significance thematically, but when you talked about the bell I started thinking about how often bells are present in the games across the series. The first game has the Bell Gargoyles and you have to ring two bells of awakening. The second game has a covenant called the bell keepers and a boss called the belfry gargoyles (as well as two areas called Belfry Sol and Belfry Luna). An optional boss in the third game is started by ringing a bell aswell. I'm sure I missed something, and it probably doesn't mean anything, but it's just funny how many bells there are in the souls series.
Also, I really enjoyed this video!! Your insight and passion is contagious.
One note I really liked you bringing up was that there was the recurring return to the "home chord" and that there was the bamboozle moment where the return ends up being twisted, then finally returning to the true home chord (10:50). It feels very fitting to the story where SPOILER ALERT========================================================================================================================================================== the choice to end the cycle or continue it shows up. Sadly it is implied that the cycle is dying out slowly despite the attempt to continue it.
You gotta listen to Slave Knight Gael boss theme. As well as Dark Eater Midir
I love the strings, is it 3 of them playing at the same time? Either way its hard not to sway to them and feel melancholy.
Ngl, when I booted up dark souls 3 knowing that I was getting into absolute HELL, this theme gave me some serious chills
Bells are important in the DS series: in ds you start the game and your fist task is to ring two bells in order to open a gate.
In Dark Souls III your character is awakened by a bell and that's how your journey starts.
Your analysis is good to the point I wonder about your own work. Thanks for sharing!
True that this is the best main theme ever. I've seen it stop ppl from playing the game for hours because the first time they start the game up, they don't leave this screen to play