Ever since the original Dark Souls released in 2011, From Software’s brand of hard-as-nails action RPG has steadily grown in popularity among players around the world. The series is considered as something of a successor to the more linear Demon’s Souls, and is similarly tangentially linked to the PlayStation 4 exclusive Bloodborne.
It’s no secret that a huge component of the franchise’s notoriety is its extreme difficulty. While there are already reports of the third installment being beaten in under two hours, most will likely have to spend much more time getting to grips with its systems and mechanics to have any hope of completion.
Is Dark Souls 3 a heady challenge players will be eager to meet, or has the franchise fallen at what seems to be its final hurdle? Here’s the word on the street as the game’s review embargo closes.
IGN (Chloi Rad)
Score: 9.5/10
Destructoid (Chris Carter)
Score: 8.5/10
PC Gamer (James Davenport)
Score: 94/100
Polygon (Philip Kollar)
Score: 7/10
Gamespot (Mike Mahardy)
Score: 8/10
For the most part, it seems that the critics are very happy with Dark Souls 3. However, there are some complaints — which is perhaps to be expected with any new iteration of an established franchise.
Slightly underwhelming map design and a sense of familiarity seem to be the biggest gripes with the game. On the other hand, there’s plenty of praise for the way that From Software have brought together some of the best elements from their output over the last five years.
If you’ve already spent some time with Dark Souls 3 thanks to its early Japanese release date, let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Dark Souls 3 is scheduled to release worldwide on April 12, 2016 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
