Burning brightly, ‘Dark Souls III’ is a monument to greatness

The journey has been long and arduous. Spirits have been crushed, oceans of blood shed as if to quench the thirst of a ruthless god. Yet, like the chosen Undead, we have risen again and again—hungry, not for more punishment, but for the unparalleled euphoria gracing every hard-fought victory.

Within the heart of a “Souls” player, such sentiments burn strong. They are, after all, what have spurred so many to keep fighting, creating a demand for these games significant enough to justify multiple sequels. Which brings us to “Dark Souls III.” With its status as what could possibly be the final entry in the series, the title has a lot of expectations to surpass. Thankfully, it was a challenge developer From Software took seriously. The result, while a familiar experience, amalgamates everything that elevated the action RPG franchise to something that’ll be celebrated for as long as we are willing to be pushed past our limits.





Seeking fire

The fires have grown cold, and the world is dying. You, as the undead Ashen One, enter the Kingdom of Lothric with a mission: destroy the fallen heroes, the Lords of Cinder, and prevent the apocalypse.

Lothric is vast, and mesmerizing in its decay. As the most beautiful “Souls” game to date, “Dark Souls III” will have you stopping every five minutes just to absorb the grandeur of its sights. Crumbling towers and ramshackle villages bring to mind past glories eroded by entropy, while subterranean caverns and gloomy forests remind us how nature reclaims all marvels fashioned by human hands. Just as entrancing is the enemy design. Shambling corpse-men evoke pity and disgust, while horrors too despicable for description awaken the primal urge in all of us to run, as fast as we can, from the deliverers of death.

“Dark Souls III,” however, makes you feel as if From Software overexerted itself ticking off every box in the “Souls” game checklist. Things seem a little too familiar. “Souls” offshoot “Bloodborne” surprised us with strange environments and eldritch monstrosities. “Dark Souls III” gives us more zombies, faceless sentinels in heavy armor, and dragons; more dilapidated castles and spooky catacombs; and yes, yet another toxic swamp to slog through.

Of course, more of the same isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially when it’s done so well. For example, one particular region is a nod to the creepiest location in “Demon’s Souls.” It creates an atmosphere so full of dread, a part of you will want to shrink into a ball. This is where “Dark Souls III” excels: the manipulation of your mood—through stellar visuals, sound, and interaction with the world and its denizens—towards fear and despair.

With respect to level design, “Dark Souls III” is peerless. Areas boast branching passageways that loop around in ingenious ways to connect to earlier zones, and secluded paths leading to treasures or hidden worlds. There are secrets aplenty, and you’ll find there’s more to any locale than initial impressions would suggest. Exploration rarely feels this rewarding.

Shortcuts and bonfires abound; discovering them brings both relief and a sense of accomplishment as gratifying as defeating a challenging boss. It’s worth noting that warping between bonfires is now a readily available convenience—a system first introduced in “Dark Souls II,” and perhaps that game’s most important contribution to the series.





The art of battle

When it comes to items and equipment, “Dark Souls III” offers a lot of newness. The game is bursting with never-before-seen rings, spells, armors, and weapons. Dual weapons, whose destructive potential is maximized when wielded simultaneously in each hand, offer a high-risk, high-reward alternative to the traditional sword-and-shield and two-handed-weapon strategies.

Weapons are linked to a new combat mechanic inspired by “Bloodborne.” You can now perform several unique skills, or “Battle Arts,” with each weapon, such as a quick, spinning overhead attack, or a powerful slash that obliterates the enemy’s defense. While Battle Arts add a layer of versatility and strategic depth to “Dark Souls III’s” combat, you won’t depend on them as much as the variable modes of “Bloodborne’s” trick weapons. In fact, you can play the entire game without utilizing a single skill. One can’t help but feel From Software could have better interwoven the feature into the established “Souls” combat system.

Fortunately, traditional combat is as awesome as ever, thanks to a speed boost influenced by “Bloodborne’s” wild yet methodical fights. You’ll still rely on precision, patience, tactics, and the observation of behavioral patterns and your relation to the environment to survive. And if you’re fresh off playing “Bloodborne,” then you’d have had excellent practice dodging blows.

True to “Souls” form, the bosses are fantastic. While some are of the underwhelming “armored brute” variety, the rest are masterworks of twisted imaginations, and will embroil you in complex duels that’ll test every last drop of willpower remaining in you. Taking inspiration once again from “Bloodborne,” the bosses of “Dark Souls III” evolve, growing in ability and power as the fight progresses. You think you’ve finally gotten the hang of a specific adversary? Think again!

Lothric may be full of death, but not every sentient being you encounter wants to exterminate you. “Dark Souls III” is chockfull of NPCs, many of them offering intriguing quests that will shape your adventure and the world around you. The game is as clandestine as ever, though, and it’ll take the investigative skills of a master sleuth to figure out what some of them want, let alone how to make them appear in the first place.





Death comes easy

Is the game as difficult as it claims to be?

I didn’t have much trouble in the opening hours of “Dark Souls III.” This is not to say the game is easy – far from it. But, having been a “Souls” player for so long, one learns to anticipate the various ways the game could kill you. Perhaps it also helps that “Dark Souls” abounds in spectacular spots for grinding souls.

When “Dark Souls III” finally does hit hard, it’ll leave you reeling, shocked. So don’t, for a second, believe that From Software has gone soft in its closure to the “Souls” franchise. Because this game is as tough as it gets.

“Dark Souls III” does run into a few problems which can render the game needlessly frustrating. The console versions occasionally suffer from frame rate issues, which can be disastrous in situations where timing and accuracy are key. The camera is sometimes wonky in cramped spaces, especially when you’re locked on to a highly mobile enemy. Still, these flaws don’t detract from the superlative combat of “Dark Souls III.”

Burning brightly

Despite its lack of novelty, “Dark Souls III” is an amazing experience from start to finish. Lothric’s many realms inspire awe and wonder, while its menagerie of villains, given their propensity for carnage, will challenge even the most hardened “Souls” players. Its combat is the sharpest it’s ever been, and exploration is a joy.

By borrowing the best elements from previous “Souls” games, “Dark Souls III” pays tribute to the masterpieces that preceded it, thereby becoming a monument to greatness. If this is indeed the end, then the series could ask for no better finale. We should all be glad, because “Dark Souls,” far from fading away, will forever burn brightly. — TJD, GMA News

Rating – 9.5/10
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One