Dark Souls III (2016 Video Game) User Reviews

One of the best games I have ever played

[schroederagustavo · 10/10 · 8 July 2020]

Dark Souls 3 is very close to being a perfect game, in my opinion. From the horror dark fantasy atmosphere, to the visual storytelling, the amazing music and boss fights, the vast exploration and so much more. The game tells you little of where to go and what to do and it makes the game so much more interesting because you have to find out what to do and how to get somewhere, etc. There are so many builds and weapons you can choose from. I went with the knight build and all the way until the Soul of Cinder I used a Lothric Knight Sword, which I fully upgraded and refined. My end stats were about 40 vit, 40 str, 40 dex, 30 end and a little bit to vit here and there so I could carry heavier shields, weapons and armour. Soul of Cinder was giving me a hard time and I wanted a little variety, so I tried the Chaos Blade out, which then became my favorite weapon in the game. But then, I got to Friede and she was giving me a REALLY hard time, so I switched to the Hollowslayer Greatsword, which became my favorite weapon in the game. But the point is, there are so many options to choose from and many materials found throughout the game to fully upgrade up to 8 or 9 weapons I believe that you can have much variety in the game. Playing Fashion Souls is also really cool, since there are many options to choose from as far as armour goes as well. So, what didn't I like about the game? Well, I would say from a lore perspective the game wasn't as interesting to me as say, Bloodborne, even if it is really good, I ended watching the Vaati videos on Youtube to understand the story better and I still think it's a lot more confusing than and overall less interesting than Bloodborne's story. But here's the thing, both of those games, even if you never fully understand the story, visually the game says a lot about what's going on, even if it's only thematically, you kind of get a broad understanding of what's going on in both games and I can appreciate that both stories are vague enough so that the player can usually form their own interpretation of what's happening. All of the bosses are awesome, but here I have to give the edge to Bloodborne again, because I think the bosses there are a little more interesting and original, even though the bosses here are phenomenal (both games are masterpieces, I just feel the weird need to compare them). Since we are talking about Bloodborne v. DS3, there are things which I appreciated more in this game, such as that there is no blood vial farming: Every time you rest at a bonfire, you get your Estus Flask and health completely refilled, which is awesome. Also, resting at a bonfire and being able to teleport anywhere is pretty sweet compared to going back to the Hunter's Dream to move from there. In weapons, I think it's a tie between both games, since DS3 has more variety, but Bloodborne's weapons are more creative and interesting, overall. I don't think I can complain too much about the Chalice Dungeons in Bloodborne, since they're completely optional, but I was never really interested in them, they just felt very repetitive and boring to be honest, in my opinion. But I actually liked that Dark Souls 3 doesn't have that. Both DLCs are amazing, in the second one I definitely spent more time running away from enemies rather than fighting them, which was an interesting chance of pace. Overall, this is one of my favorite games of all time. And if I'm being completely honest, I think I like this just a little bit better than Bloodborne. But hey, maybe this is a 9.8/10 and Bloodborne a 9.7/10 for me. A lot of people say that the First FromSoft Game that you play is the hardest, but I would have to disagree, at least in my experience, I though Dark Souls 3 was a lot harder than Bloodborne. In Bloodborne I beat most bosses on my first try, but here that was very rarely the case. We'll see how it goes with Sekiro, but maybe I find more aggressive combat easier. Gameranx called this "The perfect marriage between Bloodborne and Dark Souls". While I never played the original Dark Souls, this is probably accurate, since this is a little less aggressive, you have to time everything a little bit better I think and it's built into the game, since the health bar doesn't regenerate if you hit bosses right after they hit you. And I think that's why this game was so hard for me, because it doesn't allow you to be as aggressive as in Bloodborne, but I think most of the bosses are just as fast and aggressive (if not more) as in Bloodborne. But again, both games are amazing, regardless of difficulty.

My ranking for the hardest bosses: 10) Abyss Watchers 9) Pontiff Sulyvahn 8) Aldrich 7) Gael 6) Dragonslayer Armour 5) Soul of Cinder 4) Sister Friede and Father Ariandel 3) Midir 2) Twin Princes 1) Nameless King

One of the best games ever, a phenomenal game as expected!

[hakobyanhakob81 · 10/10 · 14 May 2016]

First things first, yes, this game is pretty difficult. Difficult enough to make DS2 and Bloodborne look like Disneyland to me. I reached nearly the end of it and realized there's no other way but to call for help. For that get yourself a PlayStation plus subscription if on ps4 or the analogue subscription for other platforms. Playing online will make it easier and a lot more fun. My major rules for Dark Souls are - 1. Don't be afraid to fight 2. Keep the foes close 3. Play with no rage 4. Don't rush and take your time to explore.

Have fun! This is one the best games you'll ever play. Hidetaka Miyazaki has put an enormous amount of effort into every detail of this beautiful world you're likely to never forget. I wish there are more people like him in the entertainment industry loyal to what they are doing. What I would also like to specifically point out as outstanding is the soundtrack this game has. After hearing the beautiful piece of the early video preview released in 2015 I was certain we're to see and hear something epic, but the composers even exceeded my expectations. I can clearly say there's a fight where the score playing is so good I couldn't concentrate on beating the boss. So special thanks to Yuka Kitamura, Motoi Sakuraba and Nobuyoshi Suzuki. I thank the entire crew and everybody involved in the creation of Dark Souls 3. You're brilliant, guys! The very sad news is master Miyazaki announced this will be the last in the series. The good news is we'll get 2 DLC's. Either way I'll be revisiting this game frequently, to me Dark Souls never ends. I'm proud to be a fan of this game and before starting playing the next game waiting, I will be improving some of my skills for the upcoming DLC's. P.S. I really hope the ps4 remaster of the first Dark Souls is on its' way.

Immensely difficult, immensely rewarding.

[Gamesearcher1 · 10/10 · 3 December 2018]

Well, if there was a best first impression award to any game, I wouldn't even need to think about which game deserved it. From the get-go this game tells you that it's going to be fair to you, but also make you want to destroy everything you can in a ten metre radius. But just writing this game off as hard would be doing the genius work a massive disservice. For this game is difficult, punishing and unrelenting for all the right reasons. The bosses all have fast, but predictable move-sets, and the true art of the game is recognising this and using an enemy's weakness to your advantage. Secrets are also littered all throughout the depressing world that Dark Souls III takes place in, some rewarding you with unique weapons, others with terrifying beasts that are true pains to defeat, and even entire levels ripe with enemies and unique bosses are held as secrets.. I love that they incorporated some of the speed from Bloodborne into the game, although not as much. It shows in the enemies, some of which are incredibly fast, requiring you to dodge, parry and fat-roll to even stand a chance. The sheer number of weapons also never fails to astound me, as even in very specific groups such as Great-Hammers, there are still plenty of weapons there. Every build, from a swift person who wears rags and jumps around with a dagger, to a fat tank that takes very little damage from anything, but dishes out a giant amount, is viable, although some might be better suited other situations. But, alas, in a game that puts such and emphasis on bosses, just one boss fight can drag the game down quickly. And I found this out with the penultimate boss, who was an absolute annoyance to fight. But one thing that this game does miles better than anything else on the market, is the music. The melancholy soundtrack is based around a choir and stringed instruments, while some scores experiment with brass and bells. Even from the main screen, you understand very clearly that the game is going to posses an amazing soundtrack, and Dark Souls III doesn't disappoint in this front at all. In fact, I'd go as far to say this is the greatest soundtrack to emerge out of gaming. Yes, I said it, and it's not meant to be exaggeration. I mean it. The graphics are up next, and I can't help but say this game looks quite nice. The backdrops of some locations can just look drop-dead gorgeous, while some things are just not pleasant to the eyes whatsoever. The colour scheme is also sadly limited to, for eighty percent of the game's length, grey, brown, black, red and yellow. And, yes, I acknowledge the fact that this is meant to symbolise the atmosphere of gloom and dread, and it does make other locations stand out, but the abstinence of another less other than its pallet can drag down the experience. The lore in this game, and really in any modern From Software RPG, is cryptic at best, and hard to understand, but the main premise that you, the Ashen One, must kill all Lords of Cinder to keep a fire alight, prolonging the Age of Fire, and keeping the world from becoming darker than it already is. As with bugs, I've encountered none, except one extremely frustrating crash, in one of the most loathed areas in the entire series, that deleted not only the character I was playing as, but also every single other character. Aside from these gripes, Dark Souls III will not be forgotten by me for years to come. Its fast paced combat, that includes hundreds of various weapons and shields, its unforgettable bosses that made me run around the house like a madman and its incredible approach to level design. This is the end of the Souls series, and what better way to end a series than making a masterpiece?

Frustrating, infuriating but so, so rewarding.

[Matrix_Gaming · 9/10 · 8 March 2021]

This was my second Soulsborne game. After playing the Demon's Souls Remake on Playstation 5, I decided to give this a try. I've got to say, I enjoyed Dark Souls 3 even more.

I said the same about Demon's Souls but, as a newcomer to the genre, these games are unforgiving, frustrating and sometimes infuriating. But so, so rewarding.

The bosses are interesting and really well done. After beating one I felt an incredible sense of achievement. But even minor progression such as finding a bonfire, opening a gate or making a lift operational to create a shortcut feels so satisfying.

Character progression is great, with many customisation and build options.

The level design is genius. The way the levels interlink is remarkable. As you progress, you'll walk out of buildings to open vistas of where you've previously been or where you are about to go. And these rare, comforting moments are a nice touch.

Hidetaka Miyazaki has created something infatuating with these Souls games. I literally didn't play anything else during my 50 hours with the game. And I cannot wait to play the others.

Maybe Bloodborne next.

My first Souls game, and changed my life for the better

[faisalhayki · 10/10 · 5 February 2021]

As a fan of action adventure games, it has been many years since I was satisfied with a game of that genre. Since playing DS3, I have been itching to find every souls-like game and own it. The game brought some so much joy, and anger, that it opened up that part of me that used to be so thrilled for a challenge, that it made me remember what challenging video games used to be like. The game's music, graphics, and movement, are nothing less than perfection, and for anyone playing these kinds of games for the first time, this is the go to.

Realistic and beautiful

[8ush · 10/10 · 29 November 2020]

I've played this game for some hours, and I can tell, it's amazing. At first glance it was really annoying and frustrating to get used to its gameplay dynamics and mechanics, but when I did, I found some stuff I haven't found in almost no other game: That guy you are playing is a normal person, and still you can beat em all (with some help and try hard). What I'm trying to say is, that you die a lot, but it's normal because that little guy is fighting against incredible creatures. God, even normal enemies can kill you sometimes. That's so realistic in my opinion. On the other hand, I found the game design outstanding. The creature's design is really unique and the environment and soundtrack are beautiful. The only thing I think that could have been better is the fighting mechanics. I'm not talking about enemies mechanics, but about the player mechanics. There are is a lot of potential that haven't been explored. Like real counter attacking, or more complex displacement.

Masterpiece

[mahmudali-05025 · 10/10 · 29 November 2019]

Everything about this game is great, the lore, the characters, the gameplay, the difficulty. It was a great and a memorable experience. Sadly it's the finale

The king of rewarding games

[lmilovitch · 10/10 · 11 December 2018]

Dark souls in its third instalment smoothed out its mechanics beautifully and in many ways was all I ever wanted after the first and second game. It is perhaps the least innovative of the three in new areas and threats but ultimately it's my favourite as it feels like a culmination of the first two games best qualities in one delectable masterpiece.

Challenging yes but new comers please understand, few games feel so rewarding and subtly complex. Each foe is a new pattern. Most weapons have distinctions in sword play / art. This adds a connections to your chosen gear/weapons that few other games can weave.

Love it and always will!

No pain no gain

[lmilovitch · 10/10 · 13 April 2019]

Dark souls III is superb and refined from the ashes of its two epic games , Hell I'll admit it's less original and rehashes tests and flavours from the last two games but it still surprises it still tests and it gets it down pat so well. It looks stunning and really aintbfor the faint hearted. A masterpiece I'll never forget!

Remix Souls

[residentgrigo · 9/10 · 15 July 2016]

I knew From Software before it was cool but admittedly never liked their low-budget games until Demon's Souls turned them around. This 5th entry in the larger series feels like the advertised conclusion, and more variations will (and should) come but this is a good place to end the DS narrative. The story is easier to figure out that in DS II and most of it is a semi-sequel to the 1st entry. Reference to my beloved Berserk manga (one of the inspirations for the franchise) are also at an all-time high and the overall experience is best described as a "greatest hits" of what came before. The upgraded presentation comes from Bloodborne, the world is best compared the DS 1 and the combat is a refined version of DS II. The infamous difficulty is hard to judge, as I became too accustomed by now, but it should fit in the middle, with Demon's Souls as the hardest and Bloodborne as the easiest entry. The always fun multiplayer works as it should and the ability to summon up to 3 helpers (1 additional enemy will then also get a chance to invade) will ease the sometimes merciless bosses. Half of these were the only "real" challenge to me and I settled on the Havel armor and the Fume Ultra Greatsword. Tank for life! I further recommend to show the highly atmospheric game to someone else, as my mother uncharacteristically watched the 2nd half of my run with great fun Newcomer should lastly start with DS1 or the faster Bloodborne and graduate to DS3. This "final" dish needs to be savored after all and I could use a polished Armored Core reboot.

John Souls returns...

[Jerg3n · 9/10 · 17 June 2023]

After the masterpiece that is Dark Souls and the mess that is Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3 concludes the trilogy by mixing aspects from it's predecessors together under modern physics and a lot of brand new ideas as well, and it makes for an absolutely fantastic game.

The combat is the most refined in the trilogy, and same goes for most of the bosses. Almost all of the bosses are great and the stand outs are absolutely fantastic, the best in the series. Also the atmosphere and storytelling is on par with the previous titles, the story being probably the best in the trilogy due to the buildup from being the end of the trilogy.

The only thing that bugs me and still takes Dark Souls 1 over this game for me is the level design. It is great in this game, the areas are vast and mazelike, and the world itself is huge, but the way everything connects into one cohesive and living world in Dark Souls 1 is not there.

Loved my time with this game, I still think the first game is the best though.

The fire fades...again

[TheCorniestLemur · 7/10 · 20 September 2021]

I'm sure just from my rating for this game alone the Dragon Teeth weapons are getting pried for bashing my skull in already, but please hear me out.

If you've read my reviews on the other two games in this series and Bloodborne, then you'll know how much this series means to me, so know that I don't like it anymore than you do when I say that the biggest issue I had with this game by far is that so much of it feels like we've been here before. Like it hasn't evolved or changed very much, and it does suffer for it.

Surprisingly though, I don't think that much - if any - of this was down to outright lack of creativity, like most games I have this criticism for would probably be the victim of. The cyclical nature of the world, how it bends time around, and how no one ever seems to truly die in this universe has been thoroughly beat into the player since the second game, and even more so in this one.

And while I can forgive the occasional re-used area or NPC from previous games because of this fascinating world they've built up so well, at times it almost felt to me like they might as well have all been re-used. Not that the areas or NPC quests, or even the story in general is all that bad even, just that...we've seen it all before.

I can't really pick out any areas that are outright bad (aside from the bloody poison swamp they keep insisting is part of these games), which stands in stark contrast to Dark Souls II, but nor can I pick out many areas that really stood out to me as something special. Even if they're well designed taken on their own, having played the first two games, they feel so lacking in imagination.

The same goes for the NPC quests, a fair amount of which I found quite dull. To be honest, the most exciting ones were the ones centering previous characters in the series, because at least I got a little shot of fanfare from them.

And the overall story, while some of the individual areas do have interesting lore as ever, feels way too much like we're just repeating the first game again. The fire's fading, go light it again. Cool. And no, the fact that it's supposedly never faded this much before, or that we're now "Unkindled" instead of Undead (you still die and get revived at your last bonfire, and it's still implied you're somehow cursed, only this time, you have little embers flying off your body, oooooh) does not make it feel original enough for the conclusion of this trilogy.

It's only if you find a hidden optional area, the entrance to which is not particularly intuitive, or do a particular NPC questline during which any number of things could go wrong, that you'll find something that makes the story any more interesting than just "go link that damn fire again".

So what was I talking about when I said that even though the areas aren't badly designed, they don't feel too special to me? Well, it's still really bloody satisfying to completely pick an area apart and find all the loot scattered about it, there are the ever present shortcuts that feel really good to find, and the lore in many of these areas is still interesting, but it's all just starting to feel so tired to me. Castles, cathedrals, catacombs and cities, the four C's are all present in this game, and so little of them feel special, even if the art direction that went into this is something to behold.

By far the most unique area in the game to me is a completely optional one, and not one that is particularly easy to find either. And while I'm at it, the world design this time around...well, if you thought Bloodborne was too linear, you are gonna be pretty ticked off at this. The game is by far the most linear in the series, and if you're expecting anything as mind-blowing as the lift in the Undead Parish leading back to Firelink Shrine, you will be sorely disappointed.

The best example of art design in this game by far is the enemies, which unlike the area design, is great and produces a lot of unique and memorable images. Same goes for the bosses, while the locations they're in are not terribly interesting to me, there are still more good bosses than bad ones...even if the bad ones are always there in these games.

The game looks and sounds pretty great (although another source of disappointment for me was unfortunately the soundtrack, nowhere near as good as either DS1 or Bloodborne in my opinion), and in terms of gameplay, again...not much has changed. The biggest change to combat is probably the inclusion of weapon arts, special attacks each weapon has that will use up some of your mana. Some weapons have really cool special attacks, but I still never found myself using them very much, so I guess I can forgive this as no harm, no foul.

Other than that and a few quality of life improvements and general tightening of mechanics, the gameplay is the same, if a bit faster in the wake of Bloodborne's release, and it's at this point after all this negative talk that I realise that most of what I like about this game is that it's more Dark Souls, and Dark Souls is great. You can write that off as me fanboying, but at the time of this game's release, it was only five years after the first game sent its tidal waves rippling through the industry, and only two years after the first notable Souls-likes started popping up, so I don't consider it wholly unoriginal for this reason.

So because it's more Dark Souls, you know that what you're getting is a difficult but satisfying quest, a lot of weapons, armour, spells, and general build variety to mess about with (and if you're expecting me to talk about balance when I don't even know how to build a proper PVP setup and only played this through once for this review, you can expect to be wrong), and jolly cooperation and PVP. And I love all that stuff, so all I can really tell you is while I could mention a ton of little annoyances, and a ton of little things I like, the most helpful recommendation I can give is if you like Dark Souls, you probably won't complain too much about having more of it. At least if you're me, which you aren't, so maybe you shouldn't be listening to me at all and go do what you want. I do encourage it.

This game is kinda bad

[tomascarvalhal · 3/10 · 10 March 2024]

I've already finished Bloodborne and Elden Ring and I can say that both games are very good, but Dark Souls 3 is rubbish for me. I couldn't play anymore, not because of the difficulty of the bosses but because of the confusing areas full of really annoying enemies, it seems which has 5 thousand different paths all with hundreds of enemies, which makes this game very boring to play for me, it is basically running forward ignoring all the enemies and getting to the boss, killing the boss and doing the same until the end game.

Killing the bosses is fun but the rest sucks, if the areas were good this game It would probably be one of my favorites Ps: its to expensive as well.

Also a Good Game

[bottisd · 9/10 · 21 January 2019]

While I'll always say that if you want to get into the Soulsborne games you should start with Dark Souls 2, I have to say this is the best one in the series. Quality bosses and level design throughout. Can't complain

the greatest bosses of the franchise

[fh147 · 9/10 · 12 December 2023]

This is weird. I think it has some of the greatest bosses of the franchise and it has some amazing game combat, but its story and level design let me down and I Wish it was more original.

I wish the game had been more like the last part the world grinding together to dust. It's just most of the game feels like I'm seeing characters. I've seen before and I'm like them, but nostalgia is not why I come for Dark Souls games.

I would say is to like this Dark Souls 2 is about names and kingdoms who no longer exist and you cannot find anything about it because all is gone. This game really sits value on the names of the characters from the first game. It wants you to really find the sadness and look at them again, but it's just not working for me. I wanted original not more of the same.

Word finally goes for me is the DLC because it feels like something news happening. It feels so interesting and good and the bosses are some of the greatest I've seen in the franchise is just like all of the production all of them mechanics go together in an amazing chorus, but sadly the story left me cold.

The one finger game legs is weirdness. I wish it was more weird. I would set more bad points. It's just like the first two games was so absurd Adventures but this one feels most Like A Boss rush at most points.

I have played it for way too many hours because it is an amazing game. It is the best game of the year when it came out it lived in bit cold at some park, but don't take it long way, it's amazing even if I get the feeling of being no inspired at some point.

Don't you dear go hollow

[gabrielopstad · 10/10 · 26 November 2023]

You can find him again at the Sunlight Altar on the other side of the drake bridge in Undead Parish. This encounter is optional.

The next time you actually need to find him is not until way later in the game when you reach Anor Londo. He's almost impossible to miss, sitting next to the bonfire inside the castle after you brave the buttresses with the Silver Knight archers on the ledges. Talk to him as much as you can again here, then move on.

You can find him again at the Sunlight Altar on the other side of the drake bridge in Undead Parish. This encounter is optional.

The next time you actually need to find him is not until way later in the game when you reach Anor Londo. He's almost impossible to miss, sitting next to the bonfire inside the castle after you brave the buttresses with the Silver Knight archers on the ledges. Talk to him as much as you can again here, then move on.