Live Magazine : June/July issue

REVIEW
DARK SOULS III
When it comes to punishing-yetrewarding
games, few do it better
than the Souls games. One of
the most challenging franchises
of its time, the Souls series tasks
players with surviving harrowing
encounter after harrowing encounter,
without ever letting up
on the fiendish difficulty. From-
Software have given us Demon’s
Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls II,
and Bloodborne, with each entry
in the series further refining its
game play, whilst never straying
too far from its original formula.
Now, we finally have ‘Dark Souls
III‘, a return to the most popular
of Souls games. It’s unforgiving,
foreboding, and undeniably dark
– but does it hold up to the Souls
pedigree?
Dark Souls III takes place following
the events of Dark Souls II,
though returning players will discover
the majority of choices for
the ending of Dark Souls II have
been ignored. The world is succumbing
to the darkness and falling
into ruin. The flame at Firelink
Shrine must be lit to purge
the darkness from the world, and
usher in a new age. To do this,
the player must defeat and return
4 lords to their thrones at the
shrine: Yhorm the Giant of the
Profaned Capital, the Watchers
of the Abyss, Holy King Lothric,
Last hope of his Line and Saint
Aldrich of the Deep. One lord,
Ludleth the Exiled, still sits atop
his throne, offering the player
some information on their task.
Much like in Dark Souls and Dark
Souls II, the story takes a backseat
to the gameplay. This isn’t
necessarily a bad thing, as there
is a wealth of lore available for
enthusiastic fans. If you’re hoping
for a guide arrow, compass,
mini-map, objectives or indeed
any form of guidance, you’re out
of luck. The Souls games reward
exploration and the brave,
so you’ll have to carve your own
way through the dark.
Despite being left in the dark
when it comes to progressing
through the game, there are numerous
NPCs to talk to that offer
advice, clues and even items
to the player that will aid them
in their adventure. You can also
bet your bottom dollar that the
answers you seek like beyond
the frenzied behemoth boss that
blocks your path in most cases.
If all else fails, check out the
Dark Souls wiki. Dark Souls has
an amazingly dedicated community
of players that will aid others
in their quests.
Gameplay-wise, Dark Souls 3
plays a lot like Dark Souls and
Dark Souls II, though there are
some new features, and the
game feels more balanced. If
you’re new to the Souls games,
you’ll learn quickly that you cannot
rush into any area swinging
your weapon like a maniac
– you’ll only get yourself killed.
Instead, you’ll need strategy, patience,
and to keep your eyes on
your health, stamina and FP.
Players have a wealth of options
available when it comes to equipping
and wielding weapons. You
can choose to use a one-handed
weapon and a shield, with the
ability to wear your shield on
your back and hold your weapon
with both hands. You can also
choose to wield a two-handed
weapon such as a clay-more or
halberd, though if you build up
your strength and dexterity, you
can wield a two-handed weapon
with one hand!
There are also spells to wield,
such as healing spells and miracles,
as well as offensive spells
like the fireball and soul dart
spells. Players can select a magic-wielding
class at the beginning
of the game, though levelling up
certain stats allows other classes
to utilise these abilities as well.
Returning Souls players should
be able to pick up Dark Souls