Dark Souls is back, and believe me, you are not prepared to die. After a not-so-glorious entry with Dark Souls 2, fans like myself were eager to face death head on and get their teeth stomped in proper. While Bloodborne did provide PS4 owners the From Software itch so many desired last year, nothing could beat the classic Souls. And with Hidetaka Miyazaki back at the helm as Game Director, many felt that Dark Souls 3 would truly bring out the ultimate Souls experience we had all been craving. So after playing through several hours, getting my face smashed into an unrecognizable form, and nearly throwing my controller twice, is it truly the best From Software has to offer? The answer; hell fucking yes.
Like the previous entries to the series, Dark Souls 3’s major selling point is the high difficulty. With Dark Souls 2 seen as a much easier entry in the Souls series, I will admit I was a little afraid that three wouldn’t be able to match the raw, unrelenting force that was Dark Souls 1. Thankfully, my worries were quickly cast aside, as the starting area proved to be a small challenge to quickly test my bearings and re-introduce to me the combat that was soon to come. Unlike the previous two iterations, the graveyard that was laid out before me didn’t treat me kindly and offer me an easy introduction. Where most enemies in the previous two remained idle until attacked in the beginning, three makes sure you understand that it isn’t screwing around, placing enemies behind corners, ranged attackers behind enemy lines, and even an optional large crystal lizard to test your mettle. All this leading up to the first boss, which as most fans of the series will know, tends to be cakewalk, teaching you timing and dodging as it telegraphs all of its attacks in a slow manner. Like the peons that littered the graveyard however, the first boss provides a powerful challenge, even to veterans.
Enter Iudex Gundyr, possessing high damage, speed, and a far reach, he does not mess around. On top of that, the game showcases what is to come, as when Gundyr takes enough damage, he transforms into a monstrous beast, with even greater damage and farther reach. This 2nd phase is something that is carried throughout every boss battle in the game, truly showing that you won’t truly know a boss in and out, until you beat him down to around half health. This sets a precedent for all future encounters, to be wary of the hidden cards up each bosses’ sleeve, and how you will often need to change your strategy mid-fight in order to truly succeed.
Of course, just like previous Dark Souls games, the difficulty isn’t just based around caution, but around experimentation, and trial and error. With each common enemy, with every boss, you learn and grow as a player. Learning how to parry, dodge, attack, and block all feels old, yet somehow new again. With time you take this knowledge to each encounter, assessing the situation with careful precision before engaging. Every enemy possesses a unique fighting style, yet they are always preparing you for your future fights. The trial and error, it may seem unfair at times, but that is what the series has bared at the forefront; a learning process. It doesn’t give you tips, it doesn’t just give you the win you so crave, it makes you learn, and if you choose not to learn from your mistakes, you’ll never succeed. I feel though that’s where the fun in the series truly lies; because the fights are so difficult, because they don’t all give you that easy target or weak spots, you have to experiment and figure it out on your own. By doing so, when you best your opponents, you truly have the greatest satisfaction of knowing that the game didn’t just give you that win, you earned it. The entire series is like a test of will and knowledge, and those who cannot utilize both will be forever lost in the gorgeous yet haunting abyss.
Speaking of the abyss, Dark Souls has never looked more beautiful than it has in here. While it, unfortunately, does not make use of a larger palette of colors or various and unique level design, it does accomplish what it set out to do with pristine perfection. In the previous two iterations, Dark Souls strutted its large variety with cities, lush forests, and mountainsides brimming with bright colors and life. On the flip side Dark Souls 3 changes the tone with a more melancholy and faded setting. While I personally enjoyed the color palette of the other entries in the series, I cannot deny the environmental design matches the story perfectly.
With the fire fading, the world as we know it is sinking into darkness, ashes and bodies line the streets, and dark looming castles rise to the skies all over the land, almost as decrepit monuments pointing to what was. Just taking a small slow walk through the scenery provided speaks volumes of the world building Dark Souls is known for, as the series chooses to tell a story more through pictures, rather than words. While the central narrative is always known, it is the fabric through which the world is woven that truly tells the grandest of stories. Without even reading the story of the armor and weapons obtained, just looking at them and their names can speak volumes.
Of course, what is a grand setting without a grand score and sound design. While it is not surprise that Dark Souls 3 has an amazing soundtrack as proven by the previous games, the sound design of weapons, enemies, and the world itself is as dazzling as it is horrifying. From the silence in the graveyard, to the sound of fires burning in a kingdom, to the bowels of the darkest dungeon where prisoners terrified screams echo amongst the walls, I never felt more immersed in the series. Dark Souls 3 really adds more of a horror theme to the series with its sound design, as chills ran down my spine when I heard the laugh of enemies as they approached me quickly from behind, or the roar of a dragon flying overhead.
Of course, all this talk of difficulty and grandiose stories is only a small part in Dark Souls 3, as the combat has seen the biggest revamp in the series. Doing away with the limited number of spells on a scroll one can utilize, the series brings back a mana like bar from Demon’s Souls, known as Focus Points (FP). This means using sorceries, pyromancies, hexes, and miracles all drain your FP instead. Of course, to ensure the bar isn’t rendered useless for those who choose to only use their physical weapons, Dark Souls 3 has also introduced the new Weapon Arts system. Nearly every weapon has a unique weapon art; when used, it consumes FP in return for a devastating attack, a special buff, or a powerful defensive maneuver. Even magical weapons such as stalves, pyromancy flames, and chimes have their own Weapon Arts. All of this FP can also be replenished with the new Ashen Estus Flask, which just like the original flask, is refilled at a bonfire. While this new system provided an exciting addition to the combat system, I did find that ultimately, only half the weapons I experimented with really provided any decent Weapon Art in a PvE situation. In terms of PvP though, Weapon Arts proved to be more useful, but this went ultimately unused for most of my playthroughs.
While I would love to see this game as pure perfection, I must say that there is another problem I found this game suffers along with the others in the series; lack of direction. While many fans of the series continue to argue that this lack of direction is what allows Dark Souls players to flourish and blossom and work together as a community, it can ultimately hamper the experience at times. When there doesn’t seem to be a clear answer laid out before you, or even a small subtle hint, players tend to turn to guides, videos, and wikis to assist them in their times of need. Thankfully, three has provided much clearer and more concise explanations to things such as weapons, stats, and how a player can somewhat expect what’s to come from fighting a certain enemy. Even then though, I found a few small select areas to be overkill in terms of difficulty, whether it be from the lack of information, or the limited routes one can take.
Overall, Dark Souls 3 is the greatest entry into the Souls series. While I do miss the lush various environments of 1 and 2, the faded kingdoms of 3 match the tone and setting perfectly. The haunting soundtrack accompanying my journey helped to further immerse me in this dying world, as I fought tooth and nail through several enemies. As far as the difficulty goes, it feels much harder than Dark Souls 2, but still cannot match Dark Souls 1. Despite this, it will provide more than enough for veterans and newcomers alike. While the environment and level design is top notch as always, there are a few small areas that to me felt not only unfair, but poorly designed in terms of how unnecessarily frustrating they were. This accompanied with the lack of direction in a few small sections of the game can make it a bit too frustrating, keeping this game from reaching the highest of tiers.
Gameplay - The revamped combat system feels faster, smarter, and better than ever. The overall difficulty is great, though a small lack in direction in some small sections, coupled with a few badly designed choke points make difficulty spikes frustrating, and less rewarding.
Sound - The horrifying sound of an enemy’s blood curdling scream against the backdrop of a haunting score both unsettled and comforted me.
Graphics - The monotone art-style really captures the dying feel the game set out to accomplish, although it sometimes makes me miss the large color palettes from previous entries in the series.
Story - Minimal as always in terms of a central narrative, yet still beautifully told through massive and impressive world building.
Overall - Just short of being perfect, Dark Souls 3 is the greatest entry in the Dark Souls series. While a couple of small details do hamper the experience at times, the glory of besting your opponents remains on top, pushing you further and further into this dark pit of despair.
