I mean DS1 and 3 give you a dress that has high poison resistance, right before you get to the part full of poison and monsters.
I can't figure out how to do spoilers, so just take this as a big spoiler warning for my comment.
I'm really not sure how there could be any connection. Like, the end of Dark Souls 3's DLC has us walking around a world made entirely of ash. Presumably the archtrees which make up the foundation of the world have literally burned to nothing. We see a state of nothingness even beyond the grey crags shown to us in the opening cinematic of Dark Souls 1, and that was before disparity existed in the setting. We've outdone the nothingness of a stagnant grey world. With that in mind, how can there possibly be any future for the setting, or for any character in it? It was truly the end, and I'm more than okay with that.
The ending of DS3, when the flame fades, you see smaller flames and more darkness in the distance.
Ash in DS is more symbolic of its relationship with the flame than literal ash. The mountains of Ash are from every being within the painting and endless other ashen ones like yourself being slain by Gael for their souls.
I personally think he basically just simplified it by calling it a sequel instead of like "spiritual continuation of the Dark Souls series and style", plus from what he describes it he has not been actively consulting in the game for several years so I somewhat doubt he would know like all the subtle hints that might be used to signify ER as a direct sequel to DS.
Dark Souls -> Bloodborne -> Sekiro.
Each game is about the superstructure created by flame/blood/memories reaching the point where it can no longer sustain its base. Eventually the flame must be smothered by its own ash/the dream must end/I didn't actually finish Sekiro.
At the end of each game you've created the conditions for a new world to be forged by the new relationship to power.
Imo Bloodbornes not linked to Dark Souls. There's 3-4 societies ravaged by the beast blood (Yharnam, ths Pthumerian depths, Loran, and arguably Cainhurst Castle though it's more concurrent to Yharnam than the kther two) and each continues to exist and affect the others afterwards.
It’s a spiritual successor which is I’m sure what he meant.
Personally I hope I finally am able to cop a Ps5 by then if not I’ll still buy it for my Xbox One S I guess. I just wish This drought would end
