While this most recent bout of Japanese marketing for Dark Souls 3 treats the property with a sort of reverence in order to project the dark mythology embodied in the title’s complex story, there have been advertising ventures for the release in other areas of the world that took sillier approaches to publicize the game. For instance, Bandai Namco recently held a hot wing eating contest in the UK that challenged fans to eat 20 of the most punishingly spicy pieces of chicken to win prizes related to the Dark Souls 3.
As seen in the trailer below, though, there’s not a fowl to be found, as the blend of cinematic footage and gameplay video intends to instill a sense of dread in fans, with its narrator at one point quoting, “You’ll face death and it won’t be pretty, enough death to leave you broken, time after time.” With that in mind, should people be new to the series, if they consider themselves to be long-time veterans, or even if they’re lukewarm to the franchise, it’s certainly worth the watch.
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Considering the fact that Dark Souls 3’s creator and director Hidetaka Miyazaki has said that the third entry could be the end of the series, it makes sense for From Software and Bandai Namco to inject gravitas into the most recent ad for the game. After all, there’s really no better way to convey the feeling of dignity and seriousness in a trailer than to rely on a lofty operatic score and to invoke the shadowy pall of death at a near-constant rate.
Naturally, not all fans will be swayed by the developers’ promotional campaign for Dark Souls 3. However, that certainly won’t stop From Software and Bandai Namco from putting out even more videos in the near-future, as there’s sure to be a launch trailer for the West closer to the title’s North American release date.
What did you think of the Japanese launch trailer for Dark Souls 3? Do you believe it struck the right balance between actual gameplay and what seemed to be cut-scenes and in-game cinematics? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Dark Souls 3 is set to release on March 24, 2016 in Japan, while Western audiences will receive the game on April 12, 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: From Software – YouTube
