Review - Dark Souls 3

The highly punishing, boss-smashing game of man vs. towering monsters is back once again. The first thing you'll notice is the game has been sped up. Movement is a lot quicker, both for the player and the enemy. I feel this has detracted a bit from the charm of this series. Moving, striking, these are an art in this series that feels like it combines chess and battle into a hybrid. However, it's equally fair to say that the feel is not bad, just different.

Most other elements of the game have remained the same. The weapons and magic system are the same as ever, with one small tweak. Weapons and shields have special abilities which can be activated for focus points (mana). These differ based on each item. The powerup of your character (like getting out of hollow mode back in the first game), or loss there of at death, center around fire and embers this time around, but that system is basically the same as well. Use an item, get the power. Die and lose it.

The weapon strengthening system has been changed, now different weapons require different types of titanite to level up, rather than all weapons using the same ones. Some can only go to +5, while others can go to +10.

Of course you'll still find the ability to acquire different endings, find and recruit (or do whatever you want with) various npc characters, and you can even count on some familiar faces to make some appearances. There's loot galore to be collected, and if you want everything it will take more than one pass. And of course there's the usual new game plus system too.

On the down side, I feel the game is easier than previous titles. Many of the bosses use similar attack strategies, which is basically just to relentlessly smash at you in one way or another. For some this may be a plus rather than a minus however, as it makes the fights more action packed. All I can say on that front is that I never really got stuck anywhere like in previous titles.

I can't say much for the PVP system. I leveled pretty fast, so I didn't do a whole lot of it. When I was ready to start getting covenant items I could rarely find any matches, except with the the Warriors of Sunlight. From what I did experience though it was pretty standard, if not a little murky with what the various types are and what they actually do. Without going into too much depth, there are basically a couple defense covenants, the helping covenant of Warriors of Sunlight, and then some antagonistic ones to attack others.

Overall, if you have enjoyed this series, you should be pleased with this installment. If you aren't a fan, you're missing out. This title is definitely worth playing. Unless you can't handle the punishment...

Score - 8.5/10