Manga Redemption begins a unique, engaging story
Back to June 2024Yen Press announced that they will release a manga based on Dark Souls The series is called Dark Souls: Redemption. I admit I was a little nervous when I heard about it, since it was written by Julien Blondel, an author unrelated to the game. However, I was happy to see how similar this new story actually was to the concepts in the game.
Editor’s Note: There will be some minor spoilers for the first episode of Dark Souls: Redemption manga below.
The first moments of Dark Souls: Redemption is a familiar haunting. A grave. A body on a slab. The horror of waking up alone, with no memories or sense of self, in a crypt. Venturing out to find absolutely nothing but desolation. If you don’t know this is related to the introduction to a manga, it sounds like the beginning of someone’s personal story. Dark Souls play again. But here we are. Ira’s journey starts out pretty similar to our own, which I think helps the story because we can see ourselves in it.
It also helps that it comes with some ominous hints at Dark Souls: Redemption‘s lore. Instead of us starting right away with Ira, we see Lord Gaalor and his knights becoming concerned when they see the sign of the fire indicating that “The Scourge” has awakened and returned to the land. Seeing how he and his group of Grey Cinders immediately head towards Ira to confront her, it is clear to the uninitiated reader that she is somehow involved or the cause of it. The fact that it is also in the name of the dragons makes it all the more intriguing, urging you to move forward to taste the truth.
From there, the pacing was absolutely perfect. Like Dark Souls The game, the manga gives us none of that. We’re immediately thrust into danger and mystery. From the seemingly friendly ghost dog Ira and her old ally Eudo who was once bound to Gaalor, but has sworn to protect her, to the new threats she faces from Grey Cinders, a dragon, and her knowledge of the unknown, it’s absolutely gripping. Part of that is because the Shonen art captures the atmosphere perfectly, both with majestic warriors like Eudo and more unholy threats like the first golem that threatens Ira and Ar’vrark.
I mean the fact is Dark Souls: Redemption Keeping us in the dark, gradually revealing more, also helps the manga. By the end of the story, we learn that Ira is a person of importance. She did something that many would consider unforgivable. However, someone closest to her doesn’t see it that way and is so devoted to her that they swore an oath that would physically hurt them to keep the secret. Where the first episode ends leads to Ira being seen as a very formidable fighter, even as her amnesia affects her, and sets up the story to tell a story similar to those in FromSoftware’s works.
It feels like this Dark Souls: Redemption can have all the elements to help ensure manga feels Right when compared to FromSoftware games. The opening moments simulate the moments our avatars experience in Dark Souls. We begin to see a story filled with concepts of betrayal, corruption, greed, and of course, cruelty. There are formidable opponents, as well as the potential for some grey moral decisions and plot beats. I’m excited to see what the next few episodes bring and how elements like the Darksign and the Hollowing come into play throughout the story, as well as see the rest of Ira’s story.
The first episode of Dark Souls: Redemption Manga is now available through Yen Pressand there is no word yet on when the second part will be released.
