Dark Souls is often treated as a grim fantasy built around tragedy and punishing difficulty. But its bonewheel skeletons and other unexpected encounters can also make it feel like a slapstick comedy, argues the writer of the original article.
The bonewheel is a skeleton attached to a wheel, and its sudden appearances can startle players into comic disasters. The article points to this kind of physical gag as a strength of FromSoftware’s games, including Elden Ring: enemy placement, environmental hazards and the way characters move can combine to send players into absurd situations.
Many of these moments end in death, which can be frustrating. But the article suggests that a ridiculous death is harder to resent, especially when it results from a player’s own mistake. A badly timed dodge-roll, for example, can send a character off a cliff and cost the player their collected souls.
That comedy stands out against Dark Souls’ bleak story, where characters often meet grim ends and their goals come at a heavy price. The contrast makes a fall or a bonewheel ambush feel even more ridiculous. The writer celebrates the games’ assortment of skeletons, giant mosquitoes, mushroom people and other strange enemies, with a particular fondness for the bonewheels.
Sources: Kotaku.