Dark Souls III is probably my favourite game of all time, and if you like the sound of an action RPG that will test your willpower and immerse you in a unique and foreboding world full of things trying to kill you, I suggest you buy the game right now. A longer review is below.

So, this was my first Dark Souls game, and as of writing this review I've since played and 100%ed Dark Souls Remastered, which I'll cover in another review. While Dark Souls 1 is probably the most universally acclaimed, 3 is still quite solidly my favourite in the franchise (I have yet to play 2), although I think that has something to do with most soulsborne fans liking the first game they completed the most.

(I've spoiler tagged all area names as I don't want to potentially spoil the surprise for people going in blind)

Dark Souls has an atmosphere like no other (I know, very original phrasing). I played through the entirety of 3 knowing only tiny fragments of the overarching plot of the series, and I was still completely and utterly immersed. Every area (except for Road of Sacrifices, ♥♥♥♥ Road of Sacrifices) is unique to the point that you really get an impression of the state of Lothric, the area you're playing in. Some of the standout areas would have to be Irithyll of the Boreal Valley, which rivals Ash Lake from Dark Souls 1 as one of the most beautiful areas in the series, of course the return to Anor Londo, capital of Lordran from the first game, and Cathedral of the Deep, which feels a tad like a less infuriating Sen's Fortress.

The bosses stand out, even for a franchise known for its bosses. Having just recently finished DS1 I can pretty confidently say that DS3 seriously outshines 1 in terms of the consistency of its bosses, from the main game to both of the DLCs. The fights feel fluid, bone-crushingly difficult (I found this far more difficult than 1, although to be fair it was my first souls game), and beautifully designed. The music, too, is incredible, and relistening to it perfectly captures the intensity of the fights (if you want a recommendation, I'd have to say that the Twin Princes soundtrack is my favourite of the entire franchise thus far.

These bosses, and the general gameplay, are thoroughly improved by the extremely streamlined combat when compared to 1. You can now charge heavy attacks allowing for some beefy punishes when bosses are in a lull between attacks, and every weapon now has an "Art", a special move ranging from a lunge forward to a ridiculous leap into the air followed by a smash back down with a greatsword. These add a lot of variety to regular gameplay, and encourage you to try out different weapons/different weapon types. Almost every weapon can theoretically be used in PvE, and it's really only once you get into PvP and invasions that you need to worry about balancing.
One minor improvement to combat I absolutely adore: Backstabs are now probably the most satisfying thing in the game. In 1 there was always this weird disjoint where the stabbing noise only played after the animation had finished (?), but in 3 this has been remedied and has also had an incredible sounding cue added that plays every time you land a riposte or backstab.

It suffers somewhat from a lack of interconnectedness. In comparison to Firelink Shrine in Dark Souls 1 with its many shortcuts and pathways in and out, Firelink in 3 is entirely disconnected from the rest of the world for the most part, although bar the DLC areas, the entire rest of the game outside of the Shrine is seamlessly connected to my knowledge. Also changed from Dark Souls 1 (I'm actually unaware if this was present in 2), you can fast travel between any visited bonfire right from the start of the game. I found that while this did relieve some of the tedium of trudging across the map once you finished a certain area in 1, it led to less memorization of the map's layout, as I noticed that by the end of my playthrough of 1 I knew how to get from one place to another almost perfectly without any need of a warp, this not being the case in 3 (although it has been quite some time since I did a full playthrough).

In conclusion, Dark Souls III is one of the most satisfying experiences I've had in a videogame, and one of the games I've been saddest to be finished with. It will seriously test your perseverance, but if you push through you've got what is probably among the greatest games ever made.

Dark Souls III is probably my favourite game of all time, and if you like the sound of an action RPG that will test your willpower and immerse you in a unique and foreboding world full of things trying to kill you, I suggest you buy the game right now. A longer review is below. So, this was my first Dark Souls game, and as of writing this review I've since played and 100%ed Dark Souls Remastered, which I'll cover in another review. While Dark Souls 1 is probably the most universally acclaimed, 3 is still quite solidly my favourite in the franchise (I have yet to play 2), although I think that has something to do with most soulsborne fans liking the first game they completed the most. (I've spoiler tagged all area names as I don't want to potentially spoil the surprise for people going in blind) Dark Souls has an atmosphere like no other (I know, very original phrasing). I played through the entirety of 3 knowing only tiny fragments of the overarching plot of the series, and I was still completely and utterly immersed. Every area ([spoiler]except for Road of Sacrifices, fuck Road of Sacrifices[/spoiler]) is unique to the point that you really get an impression of the state of Lothric, the area you're playing in. Some of the standout areas would have to be [spoiler]Irithyll of the Boreal Valley[/spoiler], which rivals [spoiler]Ash Lake[/spoiler] from Dark Souls 1 as one of the most beautiful areas in the series, of course the [spoiler]return to Anor Londo, capital of Lordran from the first game[/spoiler], and [spoiler]Cathedral of the Deep[/spoiler], which feels a tad like a less infuriating [spoiler]Sen's Fortress[/spoiler]. The bosses stand out, even for a franchise known for its bosses. Having just recently finished DS1 I can pretty confidently say that DS3 seriously outshines 1 in terms of the consistency of its bosses, from the main game to both of the DLCs. The fights feel fluid, bone-crushingly difficult (I found this far more difficult than 1, although to be fair it was my first souls game), and beautifully designed. The music, too, is incredible, and relistening to it perfectly captures the intensity of the fights (if you want a recommendation, I'd have to say that the Twin Princes soundtrack is my favourite of the entire franchise thus far. These bosses, and the general gameplay, are thoroughly improved by the extremely streamlined combat when compared to 1. You can now charge heavy attacks allowing for some beefy punishes when bosses are in a lull between attacks, and every weapon now has an "Art", a special move ranging from a lunge forward to a ridiculous leap into the air followed by a smash back down with a greatsword. These add a lot of variety to regular gameplay, and encourage you to try out different weapons/different weapon types. Almost every weapon can theoretically be used in PvE, and it's really only once you get into PvP and invasions that you need to worry about balancing. One minor improvement to combat I absolutely adore: Backstabs are now probably the most satisfying thing in the game. In 1 there was always this weird disjoint where the stabbing noise only played after the animation had finished (?), but in 3 this has been remedied and has also had an incredible sounding cue added that plays every time you land a riposte or backstab. It suffers somewhat from a lack of interconnectedness. In comparison to Firelink Shrine in Dark Souls 1 with its many shortcuts and pathways in and out, Firelink in 3 is entirely disconnected from the rest of the world for the most part, although bar the DLC areas, the entire rest of the game outside of the Shrine is seamlessly connected to my knowledge. Also changed from Dark Souls 1 (I'm actually unaware if this was present in 2), you can fast travel between any visited bonfire right from the start of the game. I found that while this did relieve some of the tedium of trudging across the map once you finished a certain area in 1, it led to less memorization of the map's layout, as I noticed that by the end of my playthrough of 1 I knew how to get from one place to another almost perfectly without any need of a warp, this not being the case in 3 (although it has been quite some time since I did a full playthrough). In conclusion, Dark Souls III is one of the most satisfying experiences I've had in a videogame, and one of the games I've been saddest to be finished with. It will seriously test your perseverance, but if you push through you've got what is probably among the greatest games ever made.