Dark Souls III

As a fan of action adventure games, it has been many years since I was satisfied with a game of that genre. Since playing DS3, I have been itching to find every souls-like game and own it. The game brought some so much joy, and anger, that it opened up that part of me that used to be so thrilled for a challenge, that it made me remember what challenging video games used to be like. The game's music, graphics, and movement, are nothing less than perfection, and for anyone playing these kinds of games for the first time, this is the go to.

After the masterpiece that is Dark Souls and the mess that is Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3 concludes the trilogy by mixing aspects from it's predecessors together under modern physics and a lot of brand new ideas as well, and it makes for an absolutely fantastic game.

The combat is the most refined in the trilogy, and same goes for most of the bosses. Almost all of the bosses are great and the stand outs are absolutely fantastic, the best in the series. Also the atmosphere and storytelling is on par with the previous titles, the story being probably the best in the trilogy due to the buildup from being the end of the trilogy.

The only thing that bugs me and still takes Dark Souls 1 over this game for me is the level design. It is great in this game, the areas are vast and mazelike, and the world itself is huge, but the way everything connects into one cohesive and living world in Dark Souls 1 is not there.

Loved my time with this game, I still think the first game is the best though.

This was my second Soulsborne game. After playing the Demon's Souls Remake on Playstation 5, I decided to give this a try. I've got to say, I enjoyed Dark Souls 3 even more.

I said the same about Demon's Souls but, as a newcomer to the genre, these games are unforgiving, frustrating and sometimes infuriating. But so, so rewarding.

The bosses are interesting and really well done. After beating one I felt an incredible sense of achievement. But even minor progression such as finding a bonfire, opening a gate or making a lift operational to create a shortcut feels so satisfying.

Character progression is great, with many customisation and build options.

The level design is genius. The way the levels interlink is remarkable. As you progress, you'll walk out of buildings to open vistas of where you've previously been or where you are about to go. And these rare, comforting moments are a nice touch.

Hidetaka Miyazaki has created something infatuating with these Souls games. I literally didn't play anything else during my 50 hours with the game. And I cannot wait to play the others.

Maybe Bloodborne next.

I knew From Software before it was cool but admittedly never liked their low-budget games until Demon's Souls turned them around. This 5th entry in the larger series feels like the advertised conclusion, and more variations will (and should) come but this is a good place to end the DS narrative. The story is easier to figure out that in DS II and most of it is a semi-sequel to the 1st entry. Reference to my beloved Berserk manga (one of the inspirations for the franchise) are also at an all-time high and the overall experience is best described as a "greatest hits" of what came before. The upgraded presentation comes from Bloodborne, the world is best compared the DS 1 and the combat is a refined version of DS II. The infamous difficulty is hard to judge, as I became too accustomed by now, but it should fit in the middle, with Demon's Souls as the hardest and Bloodborne as the easiest entry. The always fun multiplayer works as it should and the ability to summon up to 3 helpers (1 additional enemy will then also get a chance to invade) will ease the sometimes merciless bosses. Half of these were the only "real" challenge to me and I settled on the Havel armor and the Fume Ultra Greatsword. Tank for life! I further recommend to show the highly atmospheric game to someone else, as my mother uncharacteristically watched the 2nd half of my run with great fun Newcomer should lastly start with DS1 or the faster Bloodborne and graduate to DS3. This "final" dish needs to be savored after all and I could use a polished Armored Core reboot.

Everything about this game is great, the lore, the characters, the gameplay, the difficulty. It was a great and a memorable experience. Sadly it's the finale