Dark Souls 2 wasn’t – in my opinion – a very good game. It was little more than a poor clone of its forebear, highlighting certain elements that made Dark Souls so damned damned good, but made in a way that seemed like its creators didn’t really understand those elements. PlayStation 4 exclusive Bloodborne made up for all of that, but there’s a lot of expectation for the Souls series itself with its third iteration.
The big defining thing here is that Hidetaka Miyazaki is back at the helm, so Dark Souls 3 should be an exceptional game. It was released in Japan last month, but will be coming to the rest of the world next week Tuesday. Western reviews, however, are dropping now. Here’s what critics think of the game.
PlayStation Lifestyle – 8.5/10
Dark Souls III is another punishingly hard game in an era of hand-holding that masochists will appreciate. While enemy AI is laughably dumb, those same enemies can take you down in no time flat. This is a game that forces you to learn its intricacies and quirks, and use them all to your advantage. Sporting a wonderful environment full of color, suffering, death, and a small amount of hope, fans can expect to sink several dozen, if not hundreds, of hours into the game, if they haven’t already. From Software knows how to make challenging games that reward those who invest the time needed to properly engage enemies, and Dark Souls III continues in that tradition.
PC Gamer – 94/100
Sprawling level design, thrilling combat, and masterful indirect storytelling make Dark Souls 3 the best Dark Souls yet, and sets a new standard for action RPGs as a whole.
The Jimquisition – 8/10 (PS4) 9/10 (PC)
Any player who’s been through this mill is prepared to die, but once more, that fantastic beacon of hope urging players to press forward and overcome each obstacle is shining as bright as ever. Because that’s what Dark Souls is all about – perishing, persevering, and prevailing.
No game series comes close to doing what Dark Souls does, and Dark Souls III has done it again.
Gameinformer – 9.3/10
An excellent entry in the fantasy series featuring unique environments, bosses, and a massive wealth of secrets and surprises
Destructoid – 8.5/10
If Dark Souls III truly is the last game for now, it makes perfect sense, since it’s just as much of a love letter to fans as it is a culmination of the series. I may not have like this iteration as much as the rest, but it’s still streets ahead of most current action games and deserves a warm spot on your shelf by the bonfire.
Polygon – 7/10
Your personal expectations for the series will play a key part in your enjoyment of Dark Souls 3. If you play these games for the intense, controller-clenching combat and the excitement of invading other players’ worlds, then there’s a lot here to keep you busy and happy. But in so many important ways — its world design, its pacing, the technology powering it — Dark Souls 3 falls short of the mark. Do you play for the joy and stress of exploring dangerous, intricately crafted places full of hidden elements and endless side paths? Then I suspect you’ll join me in being a little let down with the direction this sequel has gone in.
Last Updated: April 4, 2016
Umar
April 4, 2016 at 09:22
Your opinion is 100% correct. Dark Souls 2 is actually a pretty kak game. That said, Slayerzaki is baaaaack!
GooseZA
April 4, 2016 at 10:16
I dunno, I enjoyed it. The world / level design wasn’t nearly as good as 1 but I still had a good time with it. Can’t wait for 3.
1 more week!!!
Umar
April 4, 2016 at 10:25
Wasn’t just the level design. Bosses were bland and generic and at times blatant copy-paste. Uninteresting NPCs. Dead hub etc..It just felt very uninspired.
Hammersteyn
April 4, 2016 at 11:18
It did, almost like they took unfinished DLC from Dark Souls and built a game around that
Blogvader
April 4, 2016 at 12:51
I felt like they did some pretty stupid and cheap things to make the game more difficult, and ended up making it less interesting. (Like spamming the stupid poison statues after the gutter, just stupid.)
Zubayr Bhyat
April 4, 2016 at 14:43
You forget it had DkS1 to live up to. Areas like the giant memories were pretty fun, and a nice way to give players lore. In SoTFS, dragon shrine became a tournament area where the dragon warriors punished you for running away. Pursuer also became a regular occurrence, instead of oa once-off.
Overall it was good. Didn’t give me the chills like DkS1 and Bloodborne did, though.
Umar
April 5, 2016 at 08:07
I’m not saying there was no good moments, there were, but overall, the game was extremely underwhelming and uninspired. Gameplay was fun, but everything felt so copy and paste with no originality. It was forcefully trying to be hard instead of the difficulty coming straight from the game design like D/De Souls.
Zubayr Bhyat
April 5, 2016 at 08:55
Heh, Bloodborne and Dark Souls all messed up with difficulty stemming from game design. Camera angles were a major issues with some bosses. Ebrietas was one fight I hated for that.
Zubayr Bhyat
April 4, 2016 at 14:40
Kak? No. Not as stellar as DkS1? Yes 🙂 I’m playing through without shield and it’s pretty fun. Bloodborne had way better combat mechanics though.
RinceThis
April 4, 2016 at 09:48
Does this come with extra DLC story? hue hue hue
Loftus
April 4, 2016 at 09:49
hahahaha Story DLC. hahahaha 🙂
Hammersteyn
April 4, 2016 at 09:50
No, but it has Soul…….. in the name
Hammersteyn
April 4, 2016 at 09:49
SOLD!
…..when the complete edition goes on sale. I’m tired of buying games day one and missing out on all the DLC which pushes the total price way past R1000.
Loftus
April 4, 2016 at 09:50
The Hammer of the Steyn has spoken the truth! just wait 4 months and get the complete edition
Hammersteyn
April 4, 2016 at 09:53
Might be longer but it’s worth the wait. Got Batman, Mad Max and Until Dawn on backlog and all of them went for about a third the original asking price.
Loftus
April 4, 2016 at 09:56
2nd hand or brand new ? (of het dit van ‘n trok “afgeval”?) 🙂
Hammersteyn
April 4, 2016 at 09:58
On sale from the PS store
Admiral Chief in New York
April 4, 2016 at 10:01
How very PC of you
Hammersteyn
April 4, 2016 at 10:04
I learn what I can
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
April 4, 2016 at 10:17
I picked up a special edition for MKX last weekend for 329, add the MKXL DLC from the playstore and you get a total of R680, close to R100 cheaper than the retail version of MK XL, and its an SE nogal…
D4RKL1NG
April 4, 2016 at 09:49
PRAISE THE SUN |–|/
Hammersteyn
April 4, 2016 at 09:58
XD
GooseZA
April 4, 2016 at 10:16
[T]/
Original Heretic
April 4, 2016 at 10:09
People at work are looking at me strangely due to the huge grin on my face right now. DARK SOUL 3!!!!! Wooooop!
GooseZA
April 4, 2016 at 10:15
[T]/
TheFran
April 4, 2016 at 11:00
What’s the verdict on PC (Mouse + Keyboard) gameplay? Crappy port from console like DS2?
Hammersteyn
April 4, 2016 at 11:16
Cant imagine this being played with a mouse and keyboard or any of the Souls series