But when it comes to this one specific type of character, the traits remain static between games. There are also a variety of characters, both male and female, throughout the Souls game who either follow fantasy archetypes - or subvert them. The player’s own gender never changes the narrative or interactions with any of the other characters. It’s not that FromSoftware relegates all prominent female characters to supporting roles. They save the world by helping the player vanquish the next enemy or boss. In the Dark Souls games, these women are always saving the world, but never actively. I’m trying to decode why FromSoftware insists on repeatedly re-creating essentially the same character over and over again. I’m not looking to deem whether FromSoftware’s representations of women are good or bad. The relationship this fosters, along with the feel-good construction of these women, creates a scenario in which one can’t help but form dependent connections on the female presence.
They are the only source of strength in a game which requires the player to be as strong as he can be.
These characters are typically fan favorites and the game actually requires you, as the player, to become dependent on these characters. In each of these games, a female guide of sorts politely supports the hero in his journey to vanquish the ultimate villain. The Doll in Bloodborne matches the type, and the Fire Keeper in Dark Souls III does too. In Demon’s Souls, it is the Maiden in Black in Dark Souls II, we meet the Emerald Herald.