Since releasing Demon’s Souls on the PlayStation 3 in 2009, FromSoftware has been a video game developer one has been able to rely on for action RPG’s which offer an almost sadistic amount of challenge, but also a consistent level of satisfaction after managing to overcome what might first seem an insurmountable challenge. Following their equally strong releases of Dark Souls and Dark Souls II, it should come as no surprise that another game would be in the works.
After collaborating with Sony Computer Entertainment in 2015 to release Bloodborne, the development team have once again worked with Bandai Namco Entertainment to release the third instalment in their long-running Dark Souls series – Dark Souls III (or Dark Souls 3 as I have seen it referred several times). Bringing the same level of challenging gameplay alongside a few new features of its own, this new game is just as good as its predecessors. Grab your shield, ready your sword, and prepare for a new adventure!
Out-of-Combat Elements
Like previous games, Dark Souls III puts a lot more of its attention towards delivering gameplay challenges compared to presenting a plot. That being said, for those who desire it, there is a satisfying narrative which is presented throughout the game. You take control of the “Unkindled Ash”, whose main quest is to travel the dark and dangerous medieval kingdom of Lothric in order to revive the five Lords of Cinder. The story unfolds through a handful of cutscenes and through a variety of characters you may or may not meet throughout the game depending on your circumstances. While there isn’t anything particularly special about the storyline compared against other games, it is something decent enough to follow along with while playing.
Dark Souls III might not be the most visually pleasing game on the market, however in terms of the eerie, dark and ominous vibe the development team were evidently going for – their approach to design worked. While some of the areas do appear a little overused from previous titles, each area is expansive, filled with hidden areas which may or may not lead to a characters demise, and are greatly varied with new landmarks and challenges so you are not simply walking down nondescript corridors. Like other Souls games, there are also plenty of moments where you can just stop and admire the vistas which lie ahead of you… hopefully not before your character is bludgeoned by an enemy sneaking up behind them. Dark Souls are known for some frightening boss designs, and Dark Souls III is no exception either. Even the first boss players are pitted against has a decent shock value, presenting something both unusual and creative.
This is not the sort of game you should go into expecting to be followed by a musical score. Instead, most of the time it will just be you, your thoughts, and the grunts/houls/screeches of the enemies around you. That being said, the instrumental pieces which are played during boss battles and the Firelink Shrine (hub area) suited the tone of each area well, and often greatly added to the intensity of each fight.
The Brutal Adventure Which Lies Ahead
The first thing which should be noted about Dark Souls III is that at its core, it is more or less the same as its predecessors. Your goal is once again to fight your way through a variety of increasingly challenging areas and taking down deadly enemies and hazardous bosses in order to progress to the eventual finale. Players can use a range of weaponry including swords, shields, ranged items and magic to take down enemies – and from experience players seem to have their own different preferences. Personally I find sticking with the traditional Sword + Shield suited my style well throughout the game, however it is just as reasonable to go through the game with a greater focus on magic than swordsplay. Unlike Bloodborne however where shields were almost useless, Dark Souls III tends to require players to be equipped with a shield at all times – outside of elite players and possibly a few specialised builds. It felt weird going back to a shield, especially considering I spent all of last year playing with just a cane that could transform into a whip.
For the most part, combat is fun. There is a continual air of suspense and paranoia while playing, as there could very well be an unbeatable mob ahead or a foe ready to lynch you as you turn a corner. From there, it is a matter of regulating stamina while you defend, slash, dodge and parry your way to victory. Almost every area in the world of Lothric offered something different, whether it be new foes to battle, new environmental hazards or even new characters to meet and ponder the actions of. This means that a narrow-minded plan of attack for the entire game won’t necessarily work… so prepare to be very adaptable.
Boss battles on the other hand usually come down to strategy, and even when you think that running in and taking the enemy down quickly might work, a second form will appear which requires a lot more strategy to handle with a lot less time to think. My only advice is to not give up after a couple of failures, learn from your experiences and try again. Otherwise, spend some time levelling up – as a small boost in attack power of magic resistance can go a long way.
The character creation system in Dark Souls III remains similar to all past Dark Souls games, granting players access to a good level of customisation over their characters and a choice of ten distinct character classes. Each class offers a different distribution of the nine core stats available to players (Strength, Vigor, Dexterity, Attunement, Intelligence, Endurance, Faith, Vitality and Luck) in addition to different starting weapon/armour loadouts. While these individual perks might dissipate as your adventure progresses, they are varied enough so that each allows you to dive into a slightly different playstyle from the start. Before you can even begin levelling up and making the character your own, a fairly challenging and unavoidable boss battle five minutes in will determine if you can make it as a sorcerer/cleric, or if you should stick with a more combat-oriented class such as a knight or warrior.
Further levelling up of your character will once again require the use of souls, captured from defeating enemies and items occasionally littered around the game world. Of course, dying before using them in the hub will send your soul count back to zero unless you can return to the death scene and reclaim them (without dying again). There have been times when I have lost tens of thousands of souls due to a silly or unforeseen move, so this is an added layer of challenge and frustration to the mix. There are a lot of potential builds lying around for people to uncover, although in my opinion the fun is anticipating what’s ahead and levelling up to your personal battle style. Not all will be equal, but I assume that many go into this game for the challenge, and aren’t just looking for the quickest way to power their way through. If you are looking to speed through Dark Souls III and wouldn’t mind potentially winning $10,000 from Bandai Namco, an official speedrun contest is being held by the publishers. This is all on top of the ability to enhance and even imbue special properties into your weapon of choice using items occasionally looted from battle – providing even further customisation for your character.
For those looking to go down the route of being a magic-user, Dark Souls III is a little more friendly than in Dark Souls II. Magic is no longer limited to a number of uses, but are instead limited as per the amount of FP your character has. This is essentially like an MP bar you would find in a traditional RPG, which goes down everytime you cast a spell. While you might still be in trouble if you run out of FP, the returning Estus Flask system is there to help. Players start out with three Estus Flasks at the beginning of the game,with that number increasing incrementally during play. The number of flasks you have can then be divided into standard and ashen types at will, which replenish HP and FP respectively. These refill everytime you arrive at a bonfire, meaning that it isn’t costlier to restore FP than it is to restore HP.
Dark Souls III isn’t a flawless experience however, and does suffer from recurring issues. Namely there are times where the camera isn’t responsive enough, or struggles to handle tighter locations of the map. Locking onto enemies also was a source of frustration at times, either not locking on to a foe of your choice or locking onto something completely different. Where battles against even weaker enemies can be win-lose within seconds… both of these can result in some very annoying moments.
In Dark Souls III – You Are Not Always Alone
I remember playing Demon’s Souls for the first time, and being amazed at how what is essentially a single-player game could be enriched by a few online features. Things like floor scrawls, blood stains, occasional glimpses into another players game and the ability to invade another’s game as friend or foe all return, and are just as welcome now as they were years ago.
These systems are also enhanced by the covenant system, which will grant you access to certain online functions depending on which one you join. For example, joining the”Way of Blue” will allow you to receive the aid of player members of “Blade of the Darkmoon” or “Blue Sentinel” should you be invaded. On the other hand, members of the “Rosaria’s Fingers” are tasked with invading the world’s of others in order to defeat hosts for their tongues. These can then be traded in to change your stats or appearance. These groups don’t lock you out of the basic online systems, but do provide new opportunities should you decide to go online rather than stay offline.
Final Words on Dark Souls III
FromSoftware and Bandai Namco Entertainment have once again showed how great they are at delivering games which really make me both fear and yearn a new release.
Dark Souls III is another fantastic instalment in the Souls series, which works with many of its strengths whilst also adding a few new features to make things a little more streamlined and unlock new opportunities for players. It is a sadistic game where your character will die many, many times – yet does leave you with a strong sense of accomplishment every time you defeat a perilous boss or manage to pass a particular hazard. While I do find myself with a little more fondness for Bloodborne in retrospect, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco Entertainment have once again showed how great they are at delivering games which really make me both fear and yearn a new release.
Acknowledgements
Bandai Namco Entertainment Australia for providing a PlayStation 4 review copy of Dark Souls III. As always, there might be slight differences between platforms which were not covered in this review.
Final Score
Storyline / Character Development: C
Design: B
Music / Voice Acting: B
Gameplay: A
Replayability: A-
Personal Opinion: A
Final Score: A-
This review is currently being transitioned over to the new review system.
