What if I told you all that I just finished this game on Wednesday last week?
Finishing "Dark Souls 3" has been on my video game bucket list for quite a while, ever since I played it back in January. I had picked up a copy on a whim after one of my contemporaries expressed great interest in the game series. I had also finished "Ni-oh," another game that has similar gameplay elements, and I wanted to experience "Souls" myself.
I'm not going to lie: this game is pretty brutal.
To begin, it's absolutely fine if you didn't play the first "Dark Souls," as the game is for an older console and has honestly kind of aged. Luckily, a remastered version is coming out later this month for those who wish to try it out. The game is set in the kingdom of Lothric, where a tolling bell signals that the First Flame is dying. This prompts undead and many evil creatures to come forth in the land. Those in the land called the Lords of Cinder can prolong the fire by Linking the Flame, using their souls as tinder for it, but all except for one ignore the call. Prince Lothric, as well, is content to watch the fire fade from his castle. You play as an Ashen One, an undead that failed to become a Lord of Cinder when revived. You are tasked with traveling the land and defeating the other four Lords of Cinder, so that you alone may link the flame.
The gameplay involves you, your created character, using various weapons to defeat a myriad of evil and frightening enemies as you travel the land. There are a LOT of weapons in this game, so there is something for everyone. Swords, axes, spears, greatswords, and various magic weapons like staves. You can take the game at whatever pace you like, defeating enemies at your leisure and earning Souls. You use these Souls to increase your characters stats, as well as purchase items. You are also able to equip armor and use ranged weapons like bows and arrows, and bombs. You also make use of Estus, a magical potion that heals your health or your magic. You can increase the power and amount of usages of Estus by finding certain items in the game.
The biggest draw of this game is the boss fights. There are 19 different major bosses, with a few of them optional. Included in these are the four Lords of Cinder: Aldrich the Cleric, Yhorm the Giant, The Abyss Watchers, and Prince Lothric. The bosses have great variance and are all different from each other, with no clones or reskins of old bosses. A few more examples are a great, cursed tree, a fire demon, a dragon king, and a suit of armor that only moves due to lightning magic. All of the bosses are difficult in their own way, and as such, each person will find some bosses more difficult than others.
The music is godly. In this generation of gaming, I can only expect the best from a game like "Dark Souls 3," and it definitely delivered. Each boss track is different, with no repeats. The ambient location music pieces are great as well. The songs are mostly orchestrated, with a lot of choruses and chanting.
The graphics are top-notch, too. Each enemy is detailed and fascinating-looking, even the most obnoxious and hard-to-kill ones. All of the bosses have intricate detail, you can see and hear the creaks and cracks in the Curse-Rotted Greatwood, and you can see each scar and dent in the Dragonslayer Armour. While the world often lacks color in some places, you can't deny the ambiance of some of these areas is beautiful and calming. The entire game has a somber, almost final air to is, as if the entire world is holding its breath in anticipation of what you do next.
I've said nothing but praise about this game, so I might upset some people about what I say next: I don't think "Dark Souls 3" is as great as everyone says it is. Why? Because video games are supposed to be enjoyed, not hated. While this game is beautiful and intricate, the combat is honestly boring. Fans of this game praise it as "revolutionary," but all I see it as attack, dodge, attack, heal, dodge, attack, repeat, ad nauseam. Maybe I'm not playing it right? Am I just bad at video games in general? That's what most people would probably be thinking right now...
The biggest thing that really makes this game harder to like is the difficulty. I got through most of the game no problem, having been experienced with "Ni-Oh," which I think is even harder. "Dark Souls 3" has an issue where some of the bosses just come across as cheap and unfun. Also, some of the mechanics in the world are never fun to experience. You'll trudge through poisonous swamps that kill you instantly, high areas where enemies can knock you off to your death, and even a graveyard where if you get splashed with too much zombie barf, you'll get infected and bleed out.
I'm not joking.
I don't see why this game is so critically acclaimed, as it has a fair share of problems. The camera is god-awful, and it often works against you in boss fights. How am I supposed to dodge a lightning spear from the Nameless King if I can't see him? The game forces you to buckle down and focus, learn patterns, and really try. There are some areas where if you lose to a boss, you will go back to your checkpoint and have to run through packs of enemies to get back to the boss. It's infuriating.
In conclusion, I think "Dark Souls 3" has its pros and cons, but overall I think it's a decent game. I recommend it to those seeking an adrenaline rush, those who love epic boss fights, or those who don't mind a good challenge. Just be prepared to yell. A lot.
Pros:
+ Awesome level design that is rarely reused or recycled
+ Epic soundtrack that makes the boss fights even more grandiose
+ Amazing enemy and monster design
+ Combat that is fluid that is easy to learn, but difficult to master
+ Interesting story that is told through interaction in the overworld rather than read to you out loud
Cons:
- While the story is minimalist, it could afford to be a bit more up-front
- Many of the best fights are optional and require a guide, great critical thinking skills, or just plain luck
- Stupid mechanics like poison and being outnumbered get old quickly
- Armor is almost useless, as it's just for show
- Some of the weapons are borderline useless compared to others
Final Rating: 7.5/10
