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Dark Souls has become known for its difficulty. Among games it is famous for its challenge that is tough but fair since players must learn to adapt to its rhythms, slowly unlocking the patterns and movements that will take them on the jounrney to git gud. But this is not enough for some. No, some have to take the challenge to a new level, devising ways to increase the difficulty.
Some choose unique controllers, placing trust in their ability to time their attacks, dodges, and blocks while using a single button for example. But one intrepid (and perhaps sweaty) player has chosen the path to git gud beating Dark Souls on the Nintendo Switch while simultaneously working out on a tread climber.
Giving fuel to all those who say we gamers should get off our backsides and off the couch, the player posted their achievement on the Dark Souls subreddit. They say it took them three months to beat the game while playing on a tread climber. They report logging more than 400 miles and losing 15 pounds in weight.
But more than that, the player, known as ChipNdale123, beat Dark Souls while on max speed and elevation on their tread climber. "If you want the abs of a hollow and have access to a tread climber and a switch def challenge yourself to play it doing this", they said, in reponse to a commentor. "Using the two external controllers while pumping with your arms forces you to actually engage your abs with proper form".
Chip clarified that the tread climber used maxes out at a speed of 4.0 and an elevation of 5.0, and that they only slowed down for bonfires and menu scrolling. "It's hell at first but you train yourself to take the pain and keep going just like your undead avatar lol", they commented.
Others questioned the practical side of this challenge, with one asking how the player managed to keep their Switch from falling off the equipment (ChipNdale123 also confirmed he completed his challenge in a public gym).
"It's a big tread climber (Star Trac model) and doesn't shake much at all", they said. "With a translucent body case the switch is fine and doesn't move much. The real issue is getting used to holding the controllers well [sic] you're pumping your arms". ChipNdale123 said they even accidentally threw the right Switch controller at times since they thought it was a real sword when engaged in an intense fight in the game.
So next time, if you're feeling restless while playing a game, perhaps take it with you to the gym and start climbing and pumping. Aftter all, increasing your gaming fitness and physical strength at the same time is one way of ensuring you don't hollow out.