Dark Souls is now playable on Xbox One

Bonfire compatibility

Dark Souls — the first, not the third — is the latest game to be added to Microsoft’s ever-expanding list of backward compatible titles for the Xbox One. This is no surprise, as we’ve known for a month that this was the plan. But, the day is here for those who want to play the game that kicked off Souls-mania (Demon’s being relatively overlooked) on a newer console.

The main reason for the From Software classic being added to the program is the same reason that many games are being added: They’re tools used to drive pre-order campaigns. Namco offers a free copy of Dark Souls for Dark Souls III pre-orders. It’s the same with Quantum Break and Alan Wake, or Doom and the older Dooms, or Fallout 4 and Fallout 3.

Ignoring the fact that pre-ordering never has been and still isn’t a great idea, this particular practice serves a purpose. It allows newcomers to the franchise to feel as if they have an opportunity to catch up before diving into the next hot video game. In that sense, it’s less about driving pre-orders, and more about convincing someone to take the plunge in the first place. Pre-orders are just the necessary means by which that happens.

All that aside, Dark Souls is playable on Xbox One now. (Tekken Tag Tournament 2, too, although less newsworthy.) Go relive what possibly made you bash your head against this series in the first place. I’m still stuck at some spiderlady after Blight Town. I doubt that some new hardware and the Elite controller will make me care enough to try dealing with her again.

@MajorNelson [Twitter]