The Dark Souls trilogy is one of the most significant video game series in recent memory. From Software’s trilogy of action, RPGs spawned a slew of sequels, all of which were lumped together under the now-ubiquitous umbrella phrase “Souls-like.”
Despite its success and significance, Dark Souls hasn’t spawned many official spin-offs or cross-media marketing campaigns. That’s why the abrupt revelation of an original Dark Souls book in 2022 is a shock.
Yen Press Publishing, best known for licensing manga from Japan for sale in the United States, announced a collaboration with Kadokawa Games, the parent company of FromSoftware, on Thursday afternoon.
Beginning October 25, Yen Press will release Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication in print and digital formats. Kadokawa will also publish the novel in Japanese, making it available to readers all around the globe.
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Fans of the Star Wars comics and books will be especially excited by the author of Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication. Michael A. Stackpole, the New York Times bestselling author of I, Jedi and Rogue Squadron, is writing Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication.
Stackpole has created unique tales based on video games such as World of Warcraft and Gears of War, in addition to eight Star Wars books. He’s also contributed to titles like Wasteland and Wasteland 2 and Shadowrun Returns.
Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication is a unique narrative set in the Dark Souls world, as previously stated. It’s not a Dark Souls novelization or one of its sequels.
The plot revolves around a man called Ferranos, a resurrected zombie sorcerer with no memory of his previous existence. He is about to go on an “epic quest directed by destiny.”
The little opening paragraph offers a notion of what Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication is about and teases the nature of its Dark Souls connection.
Ferranos dispatches an undead robber with a flash of light, maybe a Soul Arrow, and sets off on his trip with just a knife plucked from the body. Ferranos’ trip will likely lead to him wielding ever more powerful sorceries and equipment.
To suggest that a Dark Souls book has been produced more than ten years after the initial game’s release is unusual is an understatement. It’s never too late, especially for such a big and lucrative brand, but it’s not what anybody anticipated.
Nonetheless, for Dark Souls fans eager to return to Lordran for a new adventure, this may be the finest (and maybe final) chance. On October 25, Dark Souls: Masque of Vindication will be published.
