The Therapist Gamer

Dark Souls 3

Dark Souls 3 was made by the fine folk who made Bloodborne, Demon's Souls, and, of course, Dark Souls 1 and 2.  The development team of these games (From Software) is talented and they clearly know what they are doing.  Dark Souls 3 is as good as the previous entries, which should tell fans all they need to know.  For everyone else, here's a bit of info.

 

Dark Souls 3 is a third person combat game where you primarily use a sword and shield, but you can also use other medieval weapons and even some magic.  Though the games are known for their brutal difficulty, I think they should be more well known for their exacting and satisfying combat.  Every time you die you should learn what you did wrong, and by the time you get to the end of the game you'll be much more capable than you were at the beginning - not because your stats have improved, but because you've honed your own skills. (And by the way, Demon's Souls was the hardest game they've made - you played most of the game with half health!)

 

A standard tactic is to run around with your shield up in case a monster jumps out of nowhere.  When you encounter a new enemy, observe their attack pattern and decide when you should strike.  Most enemies can be handled on a one-on-one basis (but not all enemies), but the real trouble comes when facing multiple enemies.  A reasonable approach is to tease them out so you only face one enemy at a time or, if you can't, try to keep all of the enemies in front of you.

 

You make your way through the distinctive environments by killing the enemies and exploring.  As you defeat enemies you get souls, which can be used to purchase items or level up your character.  You'll invariably take damage and can use a limited number of Estus Flasks - these refill part of your health.  You'll eventually run out of health refills and need to make a decision: should you risk all of your gained souls by moving forward into the unknown, or should you return to the last bonfire to refill your health and estus flasks?  If you rest at a bonfire then all of the enemies return.  This gameplay loop is, I think, ultimately why Dark Souls is so beloved.  The tension in the game isn't created by jump scares or creepy mansions, but by the gameplay itself.  It totally sucks to lose your souls, but it also sucks to do the whole section again just to cash them in at the last bonfire.  If you do get killed then you leave a bloodstain on the ground.  This bloodstain holds all of your souls, so you have one last chance to save them.  There is significant tension after you've died and you know that you need to perform at least as good as last time or you'll lose your recent progress.

 

Dark Souls 3 adds a twist to the estus flask - you get a certain number of flasks, and you can choose to divide them any way you like between flasks that refill your health or flasks that refill your spell points.  If you don't use spells then you'll just allot them all to health-restoring estus flasks, but if you use magic then you can change how many of each you'll need.

 

Dark Souls utilizes many different forms of multiplayer.  At the most basic level, players can leave messages to each other and rate the messages of others.  In order to curb nonsense messages you have to mix and match predetermined phrases (with occasionally hilarious results).  Players might warn others that a tough enemy is ahead, or to use a specific technique to get through the next section.  Players can volunteer to help others, or can even invade the world of others in order to fight them.  Some players have entered covenants and will be summoned to attack anyone who enters a certain space or performs certain actions.  There are a myriad of other ways to play with others, and I imagine everyone will find something they like.  One of the more memorable moments I had while playing Dark Souls 3 was being summoned to another players world only to realize they had essentially set up a fight pit, where players would act cordial and fight in a one-on-one fight to the death while all of the other players watched while perched above them.

 

An iconic aspect of the Souls games is tough bosses.  It is rare to be able to beat a boss on the first try, or even the tenth.  They can be aggravating but the sense of accomplishment afterwards is like no other experience in gaming.  In this game I did manage to beat a particular boss on my first try, but the fight was so intense that I was breathing heavily towards the end and punched the air at my victory.  Take that, Dragon Slayer!

 

Dark Souls 3 pays a lot of fanservice to Demon's Souls veterans, with a Nexus-like area and multiple homages to classic locations.  One of the most iconic places in Demon's Souls - the prison with the Mind Flayers - is almost replicated with possibly even more annoying enemies.  Every part of this game is basically perfect and it's another excellent addition to one of the greatest gaming franchises ever made.