With Dark Souls III, FromSoftware has brought this epic and beloved series to a fitting close. In many respects it plays homage to the original whilst also taking inspiration from the more recent Bloodborne. However, it’s this familiarity and often over-reliance on what fans loved about previous titles that may leave some wanting more whilst newcomers might often find themselves in too deep.
As with previous titles the premise of Dark Souls III is very simple: find and kill the main bosses in the game. There is a story but it is not told in a traditional manner, but using item descriptions, NPC dialogue and the world itself. Players are left to figure it out for themselves or look up YouTube lore videos. Needless to say it’s a dark, cryptic and mesmerising tale, albeit one that treads on very familiar ground rather than forging its own identity. It is perhaps here that the game is at its weakest. Be it returning NPCs, armour sets, weapons, enemies or locations. Rather than a new adventure, Dark Souls III often feels like a homecoming as it reshuffles and recycles familiar content.
The gameplay formula, however, remains as addicting and gratifying as ever. It’s true that the game is hard, at least in comparison to other AAA titles. But it needs to be stressed that the game is never unfair. Death is an important part of the experience as players learn to overcome the increasingly difficult challenges. Those familiar with the series will feel instantly at home as they level up, find new gear and progress though the game’s meaty selection of content. There is a lot of variety to be had with character development from slow, heavily armoured melee users to quick and nimble spell casters. The game is classic Souls: players are plunged into interconnected areas riddled with secrets where they will face traps, enemies and the all-important boss encounters. The latter are one of the games high points featuring some very interesting and intense fights, even if some feel a little uninspired. There also aren’t any real stand-out moments such as Ornstein and Smough from the original.
Arguably one of the game’s greatest triumphs is the continuation of its always online world. Players 
can leave messages for one another, view each other’s deaths, invade another’s world or engage in jolly co-operation! There are a number of covenants that players can join to suit their play style, from the fan favourite golden glow of the Sunlight Covenant who aim to help other players to the sinister red of Rosarias fingers covenant who aim to hunt down and kill you. It is here in the online segments of the game that some of the greatest moments happen. From the smiles and fist pumps brought on by successfully defeating bosses with other players or the controller flinging moments and groans of pain as another player defeats you in combat. Again, however, the game does very little to shake this up from what’s been seen before. Furthermore the co-op makes a majority of the bosses and sections extremely easy and in some cases almost trivial. It highlights that the game’s design was not truly intended for multiple players.
In conclusion Dark Souls III is an incredible game. It offers one of the most gratifying, immersive and entertaining experiences to be had in gaming right now and can happily sit alongside its predecessors. For better or worse its refusal to truly shake up the series formula means that old fans may be left somewhat dissatisfied. For new fans there is another perfect opportunity to get involved in a truly exceptional franchise.
(Reviewed on PS4)