Dark Souls 3 is (probably) the final installment in a series long known for its interesting lore, unique combat system, and unrelenting-yet-rewarding difficulty. It took me 43 hours to complete my first playthrough, but I'll probably be diving back in considering the game has multiple NG+ cycles and a healthy amount of DLC.

DS3 is my favorite game in the series when it comes to mechanics. It's more fast paced than previous games in the series, but don't expect a hack n' slash title like Metal Gear Rising or Devil May Cry. You can perform various actions such as light/heavy attacks (heavy attacks can be charged), rolling/dodging, and blocking/parrying, to name a few (since I use a melee build, I'd actually advise against blocking in most cases; get used to rolling and two-handing your weapon for higher damage output. Blocking is useful for certain bosses and several sections of the game with projectile spam, but shouldn't be used as a crutch imo). This is governed by your stamina bar, and if you deplete it you'll be unable to perform any of these actions. Dark Souls 3 requires you to be patient and observant at all times, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Skillful play is rewarded, while button mashing will quickly and justly get you killed. Yes, finding better equipment, using the right rings for your build, and leveling yourself and your weapons are all helpful, but your level of skill is easily the biggest factor that decides whether you succeed or fail. Killing enemies will net you souls, which pretty much functions as an in-game currency to level your character or purchase items. However, if and when you die, you will drop every last soul you are carrying at the time and respawn at your previous bonfire (basically a checkpoint). When this happens, your souls will be dropped at the location of your death and you have one chance to return to that spot and reclaim them. If you die before you reach your souls, they're gone forever. This instincively makes you want to be cautious and play it safe, but DS3 balances this by heavily rewarding exploration. Maybe you've travelled a long way, you have a ton of souls, and you're low on health. The next bonfire might be right around the corner, or you might walk right into a boss area and die immediately. Do you backtrack to safety or press on? Your first playthrough, before you memorize the game's locations, will be extremely tense and suspenseful. Always be on the lookout; shortcuts are not always obvious, but it's crucial to find them if you want to save yourself a lot of headache upon your many inevitable deaths. DS3 has some great level design, with areas seamlessly linking to one another and brimming with secrets and treasures for the observant. Coupled with a strong combat system and a way of making you always want to press on just a little bit further, Dark Souls 3 shines in its ability to make you want to keep playing.

Dark Souls 1, although it was a great game, will forever go down in my book as one of the worst PC ports of all time. With a 30fps lock and a disgustingly low internal resolution, it looked terrible without the use of DSfix and other 3rd party tools. However, subsequent games fix this. Dark Souls 3 looks great with its varied locations and improved lighting effects. Is it going to blow your socks off and become the game you use for benchmarking your dual 1080ti setup? Hell no. It's a console-focused title optimized to have a consistently high framerate. It still looks great though, and there's opportunities for lots of awesome-looking screenshots with gorgeous views. Going back to how all the areas link together, it's cool to find a high point and look around at all the places you've been. Visually, this really helps the game's world look and feel like a real place rather than just some map littered with game assets. Some of the animations aren't perfect and the smoke/fire effects aren't on par with what we'd see in something like MGS V, but that's getting nitpicky. While not a technical masterpiece, the game looks great as a whole with its absolutely fantastic artstyle...and that's good enough.

DS3 has the best sound design in the series in my opinion. Everything is punchy, impacful, and effective. Certain areas become much more atmospheric with the right ambient sound effects, and the lack of music outside of boss fights really draws attention to it. When you do encounter bosses...my god. DS3's sountrack is incredible. It's extremely dramatic and movie-like; the heart-pounding thrill of taking down an enemy much bigger than yourself is only amplified when it's accompanied by a full orchestra and choir. The theme for the Lorian & Lothric boss fight is my personal favorite.

With minimal cutscenes and dialogue, DS3 uses the game itself to explain story points and lore. It's very effective, and is one of the things that helps the series feel so unique. Due to the nature of the game's unique blend of singleplayer and multiplayer, it cannot be paused; some may find this to be an annoyance while others may find that it increases the game's tension and immersion. I'm somewhere in between those two opinions (if you go afk in a non-safe area while embered, you deserve anything that happens to you). There's not much to speak of here; the Souls games have always been minimalistic in a sense, and DS3 is no exception.

Dark Souls 3 is an action-oriented rpg with what can almost be described as Metroidvania-esque level design (it bills itself as an open world game, but it's awfully linear for better or for worse). It's challenging and rewarding, forcing you to think tactically instead of just rushing through it like any other game. It combines a lot of gameplay elements from previous games in the series, and as a result it's the most Souls-feeling game you can play imo. It looks good, it sounds good, and it feels good. If you're open to something new, want to get into the series, or want to see how far the series has come, Dark Souls 3 is a must-have in your library.

Dark Souls 3 is (probably) the final installment in a series long known for its interesting lore, unique combat system, and unrelenting-yet-rewarding difficulty. It took me 43 hours to complete my first playthrough, but I'll probably be diving back in considering the game has multiple NG+ cycles and a healthy amount of DLC. [h1]GAMEPLAY[/h1] DS3 is my favorite game in the series when it comes to mechanics. It's more fast paced than previous games in the series, but don't expect a hack n' slash title like Metal Gear Rising or Devil May Cry. You can perform various actions such as light/heavy attacks (heavy attacks can be charged), rolling/dodging, and blocking/parrying, to name a few (since I use a melee build, I'd actually advise against blocking in most cases; get used to rolling and two-handing your weapon for higher damage output. Blocking is useful for certain bosses and several sections of the game with projectile spam, but shouldn't be used as a crutch imo). This is governed by your stamina bar, and if you deplete it you'll be unable to perform any of these actions. Dark Souls 3 requires you to be patient and observant at all times, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Skillful play is rewarded, while button mashing will quickly and justly get you killed. Yes, finding better equipment, using the right rings for your build, and leveling yourself and your weapons are all helpful, but your level of skill is easily the biggest factor that decides whether you succeed or fail. Killing enemies will net you souls, which pretty much functions as an in-game currency to level your character or purchase items. However, if and when you die, you will drop every last soul you are carrying at the time and respawn at your previous bonfire (basically a checkpoint). When this happens, your souls will be dropped at the location of your death and you have [b]one chance[/b] to return to that spot and reclaim them. If you die before you reach your souls, they're gone forever. This instincively makes you want to be cautious and play it safe, but DS3 balances this by heavily rewarding exploration. Maybe you've travelled a long way, you have a ton of souls, and you're low on health. The next bonfire might be right around the corner, or you might walk right into a boss area and die immediately. Do you backtrack to safety or press on? Your first playthrough, before you memorize the game's locations, will be extremely tense and suspenseful. Always be on the lookout; shortcuts are not always obvious, but it's crucial to find them if you want to save yourself a lot of headache upon your many inevitable deaths. DS3 has some great level design, with areas seamlessly linking to one another and brimming with secrets and treasures for the observant. Coupled with a strong combat system and a way of making you always want to press on just a little bit further, Dark Souls 3 shines in its ability to make you want to keep playing. [h1]GRAPHICS[/h1] Dark Souls 1, although it was a great game, will forever go down in my book as one of the worst PC ports of all time. With a 30fps lock and a disgustingly low internal resolution, it looked terrible without the use of DSfix and other 3rd party tools. However, subsequent games fix this. Dark Souls 3 looks great with its varied locations and improved lighting effects. Is it going to blow your socks off and become the game you use for benchmarking your dual 1080ti setup? Hell no. It's a console-focused title optimized to have a consistently high framerate. It still looks great though, and there's opportunities for lots of awesome-looking screenshots with gorgeous views. Going back to how all the areas link together, it's cool to find a high point and look around at all the places you've been. Visually, this really helps the game's world look and feel like a real place rather than just some map littered with game assets. Some of the animations aren't perfect and the smoke/fire effects aren't on par with what we'd see in something like MGS V, but that's getting nitpicky. While not a technical masterpiece, the game looks great as a whole with its absolutely fantastic artstyle...and that's good enough. [h1]SOUND[/h1] DS3 has the best sound design in the series in my opinion. Everything is punchy, impacful, and effective. Certain areas become much more atmospheric with the right ambient sound effects, and the lack of music outside of boss fights really draws attention to it. When you [i]do[/i] encounter bosses...my god. DS3's sountrack is incredible. It's extremely dramatic and movie-like; the heart-pounding thrill of taking down an enemy much bigger than yourself is only amplified when it's accompanied by a full orchestra and choir. The theme for the Lorian & Lothric boss fight is my personal favorite. [h1]PRESENTATION[/h1] With minimal cutscenes and dialogue, DS3 uses the game itself to explain story points and lore. It's very effective, and is one of the things that helps the series feel so unique. Due to the nature of the game's unique blend of singleplayer and multiplayer, it cannot be paused; some may find this to be an annoyance while others may find that it increases the game's tension and immersion. I'm somewhere in between those two opinions (if you go afk in a non-safe area while embered, you deserve anything that happens to you). There's not much to speak of here; the Souls games have always been minimalistic in a sense, and DS3 is no exception. [h1]CONCLUSION[/h1] Dark Souls 3 is an action-oriented rpg with what can almost be described as Metroidvania-esque level design (it bills itself as an open world game, but it's awfully linear for better or for worse). It's challenging and rewarding, forcing you to think tactically instead of just rushing through it like any other game. It combines a lot of gameplay elements from previous games in the series, and as a result it's the most Souls-feeling game you can play imo. It looks good, it sounds good, and it feels good. If you're open to something new, want to get into the series, or want to see how far the series has come, Dark Souls 3 is a must-have in your library.