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I wake to find myself abandoned in a dingy cell with nothing but a rotting corpse to keep me company. I, myself, am undead (or hollow, as the residents of Lordran prefer to call it.) The moans of my fellow captives echo down the corridor, mixing with the thunderous footfalls of an unseen monstrosity lurking somewhere nearby.

A bit of assistance from a Good Samaritan allows me to exit my cell and enter the world of Dark Souls with little more than a broken sword at my disposal. I feel weak, ill prepared, directionless and alone.

It's not uncommon for a game to begin this way but, unlike those other titles, Dark Souls seldom lets the noose loosen. There are brief moments of triumphant joy but, all too soon, you'll be smacked back down to the bottom of the food chain, your fleeting sense of power washed away by yet another landscape filled with creatures way bigger and far badder than you've ever been.

Following is a die-ary of some of my favorite moments in which Dark Souls attempts to grind the player into dust.

Welcome to the dark side

I exited my cell about 15 minutes ago and already I've dispatched half a dozen undead soldiers with my feeble weapon. I've added a small shield to my arsenal--little more than a few planks of wood held together by rope--and a pyromancer's glove that lets me shoot a ball of flame that would have trouble lighting the candles of a teenager's birthday cake.

All too soon I come face to face with the hulking giant I heard stalking the halls earlier. This jailer is the size of an elephant walking on its hind legs and packs a punch that depletes half of my life bar with a single blow. Still coming to grips with Dark Souls' controls, the juggernaut makes short work of me and the message "You died" smears across the screen for the first of many, many times. Less than half an hour into the game and I've already fought, and been pulverized by, my first boss.

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Enter at your own risk

Unlike Demons' Souls, Dark Souls takes place in an open world with little to no direction as to where you are actually supposed to be going. After making my exit from the starting dungeon, I find myself at a crossroads of sorts, giving access to a couple of the game's main areas.

I make my decision and head out, confident I have chosen the correct path as I move forward, tiny shield at the ready. I'm instantly ambushed by a pack of reanimated skeletons, murdering me in far less time than it took me to decide to head down this trail in the first place.

It looks nice, but does it fit?

After defeating my first Black Knight, his body crumbles to the ground and glows with a light that lets me know he's dropped some juicy loot to pillage. What luck! It's an amazing sword that does about six times the damage of my current mace. I try the shiny new equipment out only to discover that, alas, my stats are far too low to actually use it.

For the first half of Dark Souls, most of the good armor and weapons you discover will be out of your league. My heart sprang into the air a number of times--Finally, something to help me best that nasty Capra Demon!--only to come crashing back down to Earth once I realized I needed to plug five more levels into strength, three more into stamina and another six into dexterity before said item would be of any use to me.

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Good grief

Speaking of that Capra Demon, he's a nasty piece of work who practically fills the arena I'm expected to fight him in. Maybe if I head down this deserted alley, I'll discover a helpful item.

Nearing the top of a crumbling flight of stairs, I notice a red message glowing in the ether. Another traveler has left me a message warning to "be wary of right." You bet I will, friend-o. And thanks for the assistance.

Shield at the ready, I round the corner to be greeted by a hideous undead monster lurking behind a fence. I swing with all my might, pleased with myself for catching the beast off guard. The creature quickly retreats until it is out of my reach, cursing me in a stream of obscenities. "That's odd," I think. "The monsters usually don't speak."

It turns out this particular "monster" was actually an undead merchant, and she just so happens to sell items that will set my weapon on fire or electrify it; a perfect boost for taking out that Capra Demon. Thanks to some anonymous player with a knack for being a real bastard, however, the merchant now refuses to do business with me...Lovely.

The straight and narrow

At about 20 hours into Dark Souls, I finally started to feel like something of a badass. Never mind that this was due to running through an earlier area of the game where the baddies are no longer a match for me. I've finally achieved a little confidence, and so I'm going to run with it. Quite literally.

Bonfires serve as a sort of checkpoint system in the world of Dark Souls. If you die, you respawn at your last bonfire and must return to the site of your death (through a respawned army of enemies, no less) if you hope to reclaim any lost souls.

My last bonfire is on the opposite side of the castle I've just run through and my next is less than fifty yards ahead. Rounding a corner, I head down a steep incline with footing that's barely wide enough to traverse. I've walked this path (and some that are even more treacherous) a dozen times before but, this time, I let myself stray ever so slightly to the left. I gasp, watching my pyromancer plummet to his death, done in by my own arrogance rather than the world's bloodthirsty inhabitants.

In Dark Souls, even the ground you walk on is an enemy. Forgetting that will kill you faster than any demon.

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Ghostly invaders

While remaining hollow has its advantages, I've been told that using a bonfire to become human once more is also beneficial. I offer humanity to the flames and trade my dry, scarred form for one of living flesh. As the transformation unfolds, I wonder what sorts of wonderful things being human will help me discover. Will some enemies be easier to defeat? Will previously locked doors now swing open? I take a deep breath, feeling the air rush into my lungs for the first time in years. To be alive again!

I rise from the bonfire and turn, planning to head into the nearby forest. I take a step and am greeted by the message, "N00bKillerXxX has invaded your world." What's this? A new companion?

Before I've made it a dozen yards from the bonfire, I'm set upon by a phantom. His form glows black and red, but it's plain to see that he dons a magnificent suit of armor and an ax as big as my body.

I raise my shield as he swings, a meaty "thwack" signaling my death as I respawn at the bonfire behind me, hollow once more and humanity completely wasted.

For whom the bell tolls

Upon entering the lands of Lordran, I was told that two bells must be rang before the way forward would be revealed. I stand in a church now, great sword propped over my shoulder and trusty shield at the ready. I've battled my way through a castle overflowing with the undead, all the while hearing a bell ring its mournful song in the distance. In front of me is a wall of fog and, beyond it, I know I will find that first bell.

But before I can reach the bell, I know I will first be confronted by a monster that will make the previous hordes seem like sparring partners. In all likelihood I will find myself defeated, reawakening at the bonfire located beyond the castle walls.

But I also know that defeat is only temporary so long as I have the will to keep moving forward, inch by inch, until I learn this new enemy's weakness and exploit it to my advantage.

I only hesitate a moment, eager to meet my fate and content in the fact that I too will eventually reach the top of this church's tower and ring the bell. And when at last that moment comes, I know my victory will echo from this world and into the worlds of others, telling everyone the story of my hard-earned triumph.

Infinite Ammo is a weekly column by Ryan Winslett about video games, the industry that make them and the people who play them. He can be stalked via his blog at staticechoes.com and followed on twitter @RyanWinslett.