Dark Souls III Preview

The original Dark Souls has become one of the most important cornerstones in modern gaming, having sneaked into the market at the time, and gradually nestled itself among the big names. However, many would agree with me when I say that Dark Souls could have gone either way: it’s a numbers game, and tuning the system to achieve the perfect balance is the core of its success. Looking at Dark Souls 2, this becomes obvious. The latter was not regarded very highly by fans, something that has been attributed to the absence of Creative Director Hidetaka Miyazaki, even though on paper, it had all the requirements to be another success. This is why, with his return, Dark Souls 3 represents a big turning point for this franchise; for many, it is the salvage of the series.

We dropped by the offices of Bandai Namco to try Dark Souls 3 out, and see whether it manages to hit the mark. Naturally, this game carries a lot of baggage from its more recent predecessor, Bloodborne. Even though it maintained the core principles of these games, it shook them up to create a faster and more visceral experience. Bloodborne, for me, was the proof that what we had been seeing since Demon’s Souls was a perennial formula, and that you only needed to add originality to the lore and mechanics to never see it die out. But more importantly, Bloodborne testified to the gaming industry that the presence of Miyazaki was crucial to the use of this formula.

As always, the story of Dark Souls 3 is not easy to understand nor explain. We awaken in Lothric, in a world where the fire is fading. Hence, the Lords of Cinder are summoned, who, from the opening cutscene, you can infer that they’ll be tough as nails, and most likely, final bosses. You soon learn that there are a total of five Lords, who take their place on their thrones, in order to kindle the linking of fire — whatever that means. Much like we saw in the original Dark Souls, fire is seen as a very important element that keeps the darkness from spreading throughout the world. A world, however, where it’s always night time , and that is covered in the ashes of those who were burnt.

Right off the bat, as your character resurrects from the world of the dead, you can see Bloodborne’s influence in the grey, sordid and vertical design of the architecture. You are an unkindled, and by defeating bosses you’re able to rekindle, gaining a larger health bar. Whereas your movements are firmer and more decisive, the world strays off a bit from the traditional conception of Darks Souls. The enemies are lankier, and their movements are unenthusiastic, but at the same time, much more aggressive and faster than in previous Dark Souls. What’s more, the Lovecraftian horror that was present throughout Bloodborne makes its appearance in this latest entry, with gangly, enormous shapeless enemies threatening to smash you to smithereens. Even the names give this away, like the Lord of Cinder Aldritch, who’s introduced in the opening cinematic. What we have seen so far in Lothric is much more elegant, visually sober and overall with a much more slender design than any of the previous Dark Souls, with undertones of the artistic style seen in Yharnam.

During my time with the game, I played as a Cleric, which as many of you will know, is able to cast miracles and wields a mace as a starting weapon. The stats have been slightly modified, but anybody who’s played a Dark Souls game won’t find any trouble understanding how they work. The most notable addition to the game is the weapon arts. Depending on the weapon you’re using, you can wield it with two hands and then use the special ability. It can be, for example, a ready stance that can bypass the enemy’s defence. In my case, the mace I was using boosted my balance and reduced the damage taken, which is always handy. Because you can only use these abilities when wielding two-handed, the trade-off between the shield and the weapon arts will add some variety and resources in the most difficult fights.

And talking about difficulty, Darks Souls 3 is not short of it. Sometimes, it is hard to know whether you’re on the right path, as weak enemies hang out with really strong ones in the same areas. The bosses present a real challenge, as just like we saw in Bloodborne, they alter their behaviour and even shape throughout the fight, becoming increasingly difficult, faster and aggressive. The first boss, a knight twice my size, grew black gooey tentacles, transforming into a gigantic shapeless mass of black serpentine limbs. Later on, I encountered some normal enemies that suffered a similar transformation, becoming nigh impossible to beat. But there is always a loophole. If you sprint towards them and kill them before they are fully transformed, you won’t have to deal with such monstrosities. Of course, you can always take them head-on, if you’re brave enough.

It’s too early to say whether Dark Souls 3 has that spice that many loved in the original.Having played just under three hours, and only reaching the second boss, we don’t have much to judge the game on. What we have seen so far looks gorgeous, and it resembles more Bloodborne in the level of quality than Dark Souls 2. This series has gradually evolved from a game with a very specific niche to one of the most anticipated games of this year, and the obscure story and mechanics just make the series all the more appealing. Dark Souls 3 looks very promising indeed, and what has been revealed so far looks fantastic. Nevertheless, with so many games coming out attempting to emulate this formula, a question that we should perhaps start asking ourselves is whether we’re seeing too much of the same thing, and where the line between repetition and development of the same ideas is.