Things have been going pretty good in my life and I have been feeling pretty up so I figure now is the time to ruin everything and pick up the third and final installment in the Dark Souls series Dark Souls III by FromSoftware. I set the clock for one hour and entered into another land of self-loathing and unending punishment that somehow just feels good.
Here We Go Again
I have been through the first two installments of this series and now get to jump into the newest title. With Dark Souls you have a pretty good idea of what you are stepping into. It's an action RPG game that would be short if it wasn't hard as hell. Each mob encounter has the chance to kill you and the boss encounters will most likely kill you several times. I had played a character with a halberd in the first installment, a Blademaster in the second, but I felt it was time to go with a spear. It's a lot like the halberd because of the poking action and I just like to play that way. I'll most likely get a halberd later.
The first encounters felt pretty easy. Even when one of the tips said to turn back I walked in and fought off crystal lizard thingy on my first go. The combat felt great. The controls were a lot tighter than the previous games, the delay is gone, and I feel like I am going to hit what I think I am going to hit. This along with really nice clean graphics add to the ambiance already set by the opening cutscenes and the forlorn music creating an overall dark world. It felt ominous and it made me feel like I was in for a good time.
After my quick frolic, which told me that the game might be too easy and as a seasoned vet I would just walk through it, Dark Souls brings you back down to earth with the first boss fight. Now he wasn't too tough but they show you that in exchange for the great fighting mechanics, the bosses are just as smooth. Dodging to the right only worked sometimes, he wasn't going to buy my strafing bullshit; he was there to kill me. He did, but only a few times.
There are marked advances in this game beyond the graphics. You no longer lose max health when you die, which is the greatest fucking thing; you are able to sell your gear for souls right away; all the vendors you need are there from the start. Things that keep the game entertaining while at the same time taking away some of the annoyances of previous titles. The UI has some minor tweaks, which just make the overall usability feel better.
In an hour the game feels like a familiar set of sneakers with some nice new laces. It shines and feels good all at once. The mechanics are there and I am already feeling excited about where this game is going to take me. The bread and butter of Dark Souls are that every fight, every encounter, every slow advance through a level is a calculated step that can require patience and practice; all of the work is to recieve the ultimate satisfaction that you were successful. I am excited even though I know it's going to be agonizing along the way.
The first encounters felt pretty easy. Even when one of the tips said to turn back I walked in and fought off crystal lizard thingy on my first go. The combat felt great. The controls were a lot tighter than the previous games, the delay is gone, and I feel like I am going to hit what I think I am going to hit. This along with really nice clean graphics add to the ambiance already set by the opening cutscenes and the forlorn music creating an overall dark world. It felt ominous and it made me feel like I was in for a good time.
You Are Playing Dark Souls
After my quick frolic, which told me that the game might be too easy and as a seasoned vet I would just walk through it, Dark Souls brings you back down to earth with the first boss fight. Now he wasn't too tough but they show you that in exchange for the great fighting mechanics, the bosses are just as smooth. Dodging to the right only worked sometimes, he wasn't going to buy my strafing bullshit; he was there to kill me. He did, but only a few times.
There are marked advances in this game beyond the graphics. You no longer lose max health when you die, which is the greatest fucking thing; you are able to sell your gear for souls right away; all the vendors you need are there from the start. Things that keep the game entertaining while at the same time taking away some of the annoyances of previous titles. The UI has some minor tweaks, which just make the overall usability feel better.
TL;DR:
Dark Souls III feels good and looks good. It is a polished and punishing action RPG. Only an hour in but I am getting the sense I will enjoy this title as much as the others.
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