In Dark Souls and others, armor is the ultimate video game fashion symbol

polygon.com:

Fantasy has remained a preoccupation in the video game sphere since its inception. And while there are many different signifiers of the aesthetic, it is the suit of armor that has become the most pervasive. But fantasy, or rather, the reinterpretation of the medieval aesthetic, has taken numerous shapes and forms, especially within games. Its influence extends outward to inspire creators across the globe in places like Japan, Korea, and even its place of inception — Europe. Due to its long-lasting existence, the genre has become something mutable. And as a result, video games consistently betray an obsession with suits of armor.

Video Game Fashion Week is Polygon’s attempt at covering the fun, silly, and highly important world of character style.

The Dark Souls series has taken several notes from pieces of armor that exist within our very world. Most notably, the Helm of the Wise in Dark Souls bears striking similarities to the infamous “horned helmet” given to King Henry VIII by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. In a design document for the game, director Hidetaka Miyazaki and member of the design staff Hiroshi Nakamura discussed their inspirations for some of the more notable armor sets in Lordran. This included the design of the armor set associated with the Warrior starting class. In the document, Miyazaki reveals that this particular set was inspired by the cult-classic series of light novels and anime Record of Lodoss War, which, ironically, came about through the creation of Sword World — a Japanese tabletop role-playing game that was inspired by the systems and general aesthetic of Dungeons & Dragons.

But these “low-fantasy” design elements aren’t exclusive to Dark Souls. This aesthetic has predated the grueling