Dark Souls III has big shoes to fill as From Software’s previous title, Bloodborne, took the reactive combat of previous games and cranked the speed way up—putting all players (even ‘poise’ champions) on the offensive. While Dark Souls III still maintains its more defensive posturing in combat, the game is noticeably faster as a result. Dec 04, 2016 DARK SOULS III. As fires fade and the world falls into ruin, developer FROMSOFTWARE and director Hidetaka Miyazaki continue their critically-acclaimed and genre-defining series with Dark Souls III. Fans and newcomers alike will get lost in the games hallmark rewarding gameplay and immersive graphics. Now only embers remain. Dark Souls 3 sets up even more chaotic arenas throughout and accommodates with attacks that execute much faster than prior Souls games, shifting the focus to improvisational crowd management.

Having spawned a now cluttered genre of its own namesake, the original souls-borne title returns with the latest installment, Dark Souls III. An action-RPG series made famous by its tough-but-fair combat and excessively cryptic lore—the Souls series has continued to make a name for itself as a standard-setter of its own genre.

That said, years have passed since the first game’s release in 2011, and with dozens of copycat games out there like Lords of the Fallen, Nioh, and Jedi: Fallen Order on the market—not to mention related IP’s in Bloodborne or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice also designed by From Software—does Dark Souls III continue to be a trendsetter, or has it finally been beaten at its own game?

Old Genre Roots

Despite the growing popularity of the term souls-borne as a video game genre, Dark Souls III is at its heart an action-RPG. The combat, though newly famous, is heavily inspired by 3D iterations of Zelda—which forces the player to transition tactically between offensive, defensive, and evasive actions. In Dark Souls III, that sequence can be done by attacking with a wide variety of medieval weapons, blocking with a shield, and finally evading with a quick-roll maneuver.

To keep things interesting, these actions are each given some variety: with weapons having light and heavy attacks, shields offering a parry function, and the roll button also offering a quick backstep when no directional input is given. A player also has the option of ranged weapons, such as swords and bows, and magical spell-attacks—but the game tends to feel most at home in melee-combat, where the player is forced to manage a stamina pool that each action draws from.

Post-Bloodborne World

Dark Souls 3 Wallpaper

Additionally, enemies are beautifully animated and feel great to fight, with faster move-sets and fluid animations requiring fast reflexes to telegraph attacks. The game also borrows the larger enemy density of Bloodborne, featuring open areas that will have the player taking on hordes of medium-sized aggressors. This is all made more satisfying with crisp sound design, and seamless reactions from enemy NPCs when they take a hit.

A Love Letter to Past Games

While the game maintains the series’ famed interconnected world and monumental set pieces, the environments might feel to some a bit reused after three games of a similar fantasy aesthetic. For example, the first castle area will feel reminiscent of a similar one from Demon’s Souls, whereas the swamp levels may feel like a third or fourth return to the same poisonous locations.

Similarly, returning enemy types may begin to feel uninspired and mundane. Still, these very issues may be a bonus to those seeking the best game in the series. While Dark Souls III borrows from its predecessors, it does so in a way that offers the best rendition of what came before. These familiar environments and enemies return with textures and animations impossible on previous generations of consoles.

With all that said, if you were to ask which game offered the most complete Dark Souls experience—Dark Souls III would, hands down, the best distillation of what makes the series great.

Dark Souls 3 Walkthrough

Pros:

Impressive visuals and environments
Smooth gameplay and animations
Tough but fair combat
60-hours of gameplay
The rush of beating a tough boss few games can deliver

Cons:

Dark Souls 3 Wiki Fextralife

Port from less powerful system doesn’t look great
Uninspired ranged combat
Melee over magic
Familiar enemies and environments

Overall rating: 10