To celebrate the upcoming release of Dark Souls 3, Namco launches a contest asking fans to submit videos attempting to explain Dark Souls' notoriously confusing storyline.

Since launching on the PS3 and Xbox 360 back in 2011, Namco’s Dark Souls series has built itself quite the reputation: The action RPG franchise known for its dark gothic world, brutally unforgiving difficulty, and rapid fanbase. One thing the series is not known for, however, is an obvious story.

Since its inception, Dark Souls has put gameplay and difficulty front-and-center, relegating story to the backseat, tasking players with piecing the story together from hints and clues. But with Dark Souls 3 nearing release, Namco has asked Dark Souls' most committed fans to do the impossible: Explain the series story. And they’re offering $10,000 to the fan that does it best.

Ever since the game's unveiling at E3 2015, excitement for Dark Souls 3 has been at a near fever pitch, as fans count down the days until the games April 12th release date. But as the third entry in the mega popular Dark Souls franchise is sure to attract curious gamers new to the series, Namco has turned to its diehard fans to explain just what exactly is going on in Dark Souls with a contest called “My Dark Souls Story.”

The contest, which stopped accepting submissions as of midnight February 9th, tasked fans with submitting videos detailing the notoriously confusing story of Dark Souls. Fan response was quick, with thousands of videos pouring in, with entries ranging from mockumentary style explanations to dead serious cinematic tales. Namco offered participants assets to utilize in their videos, but many entries opted for original content to stand out from the money-hungry pack.

While the best video will net its maker(s) a whopping $10,000 dollars, runner-ups will certainly not walk away disappointed. For this act of super-fandom, second and third place will be rewarded with a 55” tall Red Knight statue and a 16” tall Dark Souls 3 Lord of Cinder statue respectively.

As submissions closed last night, Namco has yet to make an announcement on a winner, but promises a verdict will come before the game releases. While many Dark Souls fans are happy to kill time until Dark Souls 3 by playing the quasi-Dark Souls spin-off Bloodborne (which partly influenced some new elements in the combat system in Dark Souls 3), “My Dark Souls Story” shows off the hardcore fans serious commitment to the games.

The recently released opening cinematic of Dark Souls 3 is riling gamers up for a return to the series’ “gothic castles and giant monsters” world, and promises of new classes and abilities is only serving to heighten excitement. But, hopefully, once the winner of “My Dark Souls Story” is announced, the story for the game will make a bit more sense.

Dark Souls 3 releases April 12, 2016 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Dark Souls Official Tumblr