Dark Souls 3 Story Deutsch

• Dark Souls 3

Dark Souls 3 takes place both before and after Dark Souls 1 (not counting DS2 as canon) due to the wonder of Bonfire Time Travel. Firelink Shrine and the whole Iudex area is current time, as is the Kiln of the First Flame, whereas everywhere from Lothric to wherever the last mandatory area is (I forget right now) is before the events of DS1, so Little Boy Gwyndolin is alive then, although.

Dark Souls^[b] is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Namco Bandai Games. A spiritual successor to FromSoftware's Demon's Souls, the game is the second installment in the Souls series. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Japan by FromSoftware in September 2011 and worldwide by Namco Bandai Games in the following month. Dark Souls takes place in the fictional kingdom of Lordran, where players assume the role of a cursed undead character who begins a pilgrimage to discover the fate of their kind.

Killing floor 2 rpg. Dark Souls received critical acclaim upon its release and is considered to be one of the greatest video games ever made, with critics praising the depth of its combat, intricate level design, and world lore. However, the game's difficulty received mixed reviews. While some praised the challenge it provides, others criticized it for being unnecessarily unforgiving. The original Windows version of the game was less well received, with criticism directed at numerous technical issues.

In August 2012, a version of Dark Souls for Microsoft Windows, Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition, was released. It featured additional content not seen in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. In October 2012, the new content was made downloadable for consoles under the subtitle Artorias of the Abyss. By April 2013, the game had sold over two million copies worldwide. A sequel to the game, Dark Souls II, was released in 2014. A second sequel, Dark Souls III, was released in 2016. A remastered version of the game, Dark Souls: Remastered, was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, and Nintendo Switch in 2018.

• 1Gameplay
• 4Reception
• 5Legacy

Gameplay

Dark Souls is a third-person action role-playing game. A core mechanic of the game is exploration. Players are encouraged by the game to proceed with caution, learn from past mistakes, or find alternative areas to explore. Dark Souls takes place in a large and continuous open world environment, connected through a central hub area (Firelink Shrine). The player character can travel between areas and explore various paths at will, although prerequisites have to be met to unlock certain areas.^[1][2][3][4]

A central element to the gameplay of Dark Souls is the bonfire. Bonfires are scattered throughout the world and serve as checkpoints for each level. By resting at a bonfire, the player character is healed to full and regains all of the healing charges of their 'Estus Flask.' They can also level up and perform other functions, such as attuning magic, and repairing and upgrading equipment. However, resting at a bonfire respawns as all of the world's enemies, except for bosses and friendly non-playable characters.

The player character's interaction with the world of Dark Souls includes a great deal of combat. Combat includes melee attacks, various forms of defensive maneuvering, and magical abilities. For melee attacks, player characters have access to a wide array of high fantasy, medieval-style weaponry—including swords, spears, maces, and more—as well as imaginary, fantastical weaponry—including magical swords, humongous greatswords, and immense clubs. For defense, player characters have access to shields, armor, dodge rolling, and parrying. For magic, which includes a wide variety of offensive and defensive abilities known as sorceries, miracles, and pyromancies, player characters do not use any form of mana as in most other fantasy RPGs - instead, they gain a discrete number of uses for each attuned spell when resting at a bonfire. These various forms of combat all have tradeoffs, variations, and in-game costs associated with them; and they can all be buffed or altered in some fashion through leveling, smithing, consumable items, magical rings, and new equipment.

Multiplayer

Another aspect of Dark Souls is the 'humanity' system. There are two forms the player character can be in during the game, human form or hollow form. Whenever the player character dies in human form, they are returned to hollow form and can only have their humanity restored by consuming an item. The player character must be in human form to summon other players. While in human form, however, the player may be subjected to invasions by other players and non-player characters (NPC) who seek to kill the player to restore their humanity, harvest souls, or achieve some other goal. Humanity can be acquired in many ways, and if no humanity is available, players are still able to progress in hollow form.

Death (whether in human or hollow form) results in the loss of all carried souls and humanity, but players revive as hollows at their most recent bonfire with one chance at returning to where they died to recover all lost souls and humanity. If the player dies before reaching their 'bloodstain,' the souls and humanity they previously accrued are permanently lost.

Communication and interaction between players are deliberately restricted. Outside of five stock phrases (which can only be used after acquiring Gough's carvings in the game's DLC) and character gestures, the only other communication players have with one another comes by way of orange soapstones, which allow players to write limited messages that can be read by others in the same area. Also, players can enter cooperative or player versus player combat with each other.^[5][6]

Throughout the game, there are multiple NPCs that the player may encounter on their journey. These characters add to the plot of the game but are not essential. If the player does choose to engage with them, some of the characters can assist the player by being able to be summoned for certain boss fights when the player character is in human form.

Plot

Dark Souls employs minimalist storytelling to convey its plot and lore. Historical events in its world and their significance are often implicit or left to player interpretation rather than being fully shown or explained. Most of the story is given to the player through dialogue from non-player characters within the game, flavor text from items, and world design.

The opening cutscene establishes the premise of the game. Dragons once ruled the world. In this period, a man known as Gwyn happens upon an object known as the 'First Flame' and finds the 'Lord Souls.' He and his allies use their power to defeat the dragons, which starts the Age of Fire. Over time, the flames begin to fade with the rise of humans, and Gwyn sacrifices himself to prolong the Age of Fire. With the flame artificially rekindled, the undead curse begins to plague humanity, causing some humans to resurrect upon death constantly.

The player character is a cursed undead, locked away in an undead asylum. After escaping the asylum, the player travels to Lordran to ring the Bells of Awakening. The bells awaken Kingseeker Frampt, who tells the player to ascend to Anor Londo. In Anor Londo, Gwynevere instructs the player to succeed Lord Gwyn and fulfill the prophecy. To accomplish this, the Lord Souls must be acquired from Gwyn's primordial allies and returned to the flame. Optionally, the player may encounter Darkstalker Kaathe who encourages the player not to link the fire but to let it die out and usher in the Age of Dark instead. Once the player acquires the Lord Souls, they travel to the Kiln of the First Flame to battle Gwyn. Once Gwyn has been defeated, the player has the choice of linking the flame to preserve the Age of Fire, or letting it die out to instigate the Age of Dark.

Development and release

Dark Souls was developed by FromSoftware, with series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki directing and producing. Dark Souls is a spiritual successor to FromSoftware's cult classic previous game, Demon's Souls^[7] (which was, in turn, a spiritual successor to From's earlier King's Field series^[8]). However, Demon's Souls was published by Sony and Dark Souls by Bandai Namco; this transfer meant that intellectual property rights prevented FromSoftware from making a sequel.^[9][10] After two years of development, Dark Souls was released with its numerous similarities (such as the gameplay, online multiplayer, and plot presentation) and differences (such as a connected world and new characters in a distinct universe and storyline) from its predecessor.^[11]

The design and development process itself involved a guided freeform approach, with Miyazaki steering designers while allowing them latitude for creativity:

The design ordering process for 'Dark Souls' can be divided into two main categories. The first involves providing the designers with simple keywords we brainstormed during the early stages of project development and allowing them to design freely. We take the images they produce and provide feedback, make adjustments as necessary, or incorporate their ideas into our plans. [..] The second process comes into play once we've settled on the basic details of the game world. At that point we are able to make more detailed design requests. These requests usually include information like how the design will be used, where in the game the design will be used, and the specific purpose of the design in terms of what it will represent in the game. [..] Either way, I am the one who hands out the orders and I work directly with each designer instead of having a middleman between us.^[12]

The characters and world of Dark Souls contain many philosophical and folkloric parallels among Greek mythology,^[13][14]Japanese mythology,^[15]French existentialism,^[16] and the work of proto-existentialist philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche.^[16]

Dark Souls' description of natural cycles that the world experiences, and the designs of some individual characters, parallel Japanese and Greek myths.^[15][13] The game's presentation of a universe defined by the inevitable burning out of a flame, and the tragic stories of the individuals in that meaningless world, parallel ideas in schools of philosophy concerning existentialism, absurdity, meaninglessness, and the end of the universe.^[16]

Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki has stated that the game draws direct inspiration from earlier works of fantasy and dark fantasy, especially the manga series Berserk.^[12][17] He has described the driving aesthetic principal of the game as being “a certain kind of refinement, elegance, and dignity.”^[12] He also described the themes which guided the design of the game in the following way: 'I put three major guidelines in place: Gods and knights centered around Anor Londo, demonic chaos and flames centered around Lost Izalith, and the theme of death centered around Gravelord Nito. To these themes we added the special concept of ancient dragons that predate all life, and this formed the basis for 'Dark Souls'.^[12]

Following the game's successful release for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, many gamers expressed their hope for a PC version. International publisher Namco Bandai Games administrator Tony Shoupinou responded on their page that a PC version was possible.^[18] In early 2012, fans started a petition to bring Dark Souls to PC, with over 93,000 people signing it.^[19] A PC version of the game was confirmed in April 2012 via German magazine PC Action.^[20] It had been reported during the development process that FromSoftware had been having difficulty with the port due to inexperience with PC as a platform and were focusing on new content rather than optimization.^[21] Re-branded as the Prepare To Die Edition, it came out in August 2012 and featured new content, including bosses, enemies, equipment, and NPCs.^[22] The new content, titled 'Artorias of the Abyss,' was released for consoles in October 2012 in the form of DLC.^[23] Soon after, it was announced that Dark Souls for PC would use Games for Windows – Live for online play and DRM, spurring fan backlash.^[24]

The PC version was released on August 23, 2012. A user-created mod to circumvent the resolution cap, named DSFix, appeared shortly after release.^[25]DSFix was later extended to become an unofficial fan-made patch which additionally allowed graphical improvements, raising the framerate cap to 60, and allowing the installation of custom texture mods.^[26] On December 15, 2014, Games for Windows – Live was removed from the Steam version and replaced by Steamworks. The ability to transfer both achievements and save data was provided.^[27] In April 2016, Dark Souls became available on Xbox One via backward compatibility.^[28]

Reception

Dark Souls received positive reviews from critics upon its release. One of the reviewers for Dark Souls described it as 'a very hardcore dark-fantasy [role-playing game]' that is 'role-playing right down to the roots, and stated that the 'massive field map and powerful enemies serve to rev up both your sense of adventure and your sense of dread.' Another reviewer said that 'the sheer happiness you get after the trial-and-error pays off and you overcome the challenge is absolutely impossible to replicate.'^[52]

GameSpot scored Dark Souls a 9.5/10. The online system received, as well as the sense of jubilation felt when conquering boss fights after numerous failed attempts. They also suggested that casual gamers may struggle to progress, whereas role-playing game enthusiasts will thrive on the difficulty.^[32]IGN gave Dark Souls a 9.0/10, praising the well-thought-out level design, variety, strong emphasis on online features, excessively dark tone and atmosphere, and deep gameplay. While praising the extreme difficulty, they stated that 'there's a difference between punishing, and downright unfair.'^[53]

Eurogamer gave Dark Souls 9/10, praising the level design and atmosphere while noting that the game's difficulty might not appeal to casual gamers.^[30] Japanese publication Famitsu gave it a score of 37 out of 40.^[31]

Jason Killingsworth wrote a response to Thomsen's review for Edge, arguing that the game's 'vertigo-inducing breadth makes it the gaming equivalent of a marathon.'^[54] Killingsworth praised the game's length and addictive nature.^[54]Edge later retroactively awarded the game 10 out of 10 in their October 2013 20th anniversary issue, stating that over time the breadth and quality of the game's design had overruled complaints about its difficulty.^[29]

In a review of the game, Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw praised Dark Souls in his Zero Punctuation video for its deep gameplay and immersive atmosphere, but was 'disappointed' with the late-game bosses and criticized the difficulty of getting into the game, saying that it would be a critical factor in turning new players off.^[55]

Namco Bandai's yearly financial report stated that the game sold 1.19 million units in the United States and Europe by March 2012.^[56] FromSoftware announced in April 2013 that the game had sold 2.37 million units worldwide.^[57][58]

PC version

In GameSpy's review, the port was referred to as 'shabby,' citing the game's limit of 30 frames per second, poor mouse and keyboard controls, and nonadjustable resolution, but the expanded content was praised, giving the game an overall favorable review.^[59]Eurogamer also commented on the quality of the port, stating: 'Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition does not come with the technical options you would expect from a well-engineered PC game, because it's a port of a console game, and that's all FromSoftware ever promised to deliver. Anyone who passes up Dark Souls for this reason is cutting off their nose to spite their neckbeard of a face.'^[60] One of the producers of Dark Souls II, Takeshi Miyazoe, responded to the criticism of the PC version by saying:^[61]

This is going to sound bad but our main priority was to get the game onto the PC as fast as possible, because people wanted it on the PC. The PC market in Japan is so minimal that originally there were no plans to make it on the PC, but with the strong petition from the North American and European fans, even with the lack of experience of working on a PC platform we still did our best to try to get it out as fast as possible. [The problems] were expected to a certain extent.

We did know there were PC-specific features like key-mapping and use of the mouse and keyboard, high resolution and higher frame rate, stuff like that, but.. It's not that we ignored it, but it would have taken too much time for us to implement it, test it and get it up to the level people expected. It was more of a publisher (Namco Bandai) decision to say, ‘Guys, don’t worry about this – let’s just get it out and see how this works on PC.'

Awards

Game Revolution gave Dark Souls the Community Choice Game of the Year award.^[36] IncGamers also gave it the 'Game of the Year' award.^[37]Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert and Double Fine Productions' Brad Muir chose Dark Souls as Game of the Year.^[38]Electronic Gaming Monthly's Eric L. Patterson chose it as Game of the Year.^[35]GameTrailers gave it the 'Best Role-Playing Game' award,^[39] while also nominating it for the 'Best Multiplayer Game,' 'Best Trailer' and 'Game of the Year' awards.^[62] GameZone gave the game the 'Best Action/Adventure' award and chose it as the runner-up for the 'Best RPG' award.^[41]

The Daily Telegraph gave the game the 'Best Integration of Online Features' award, and nominated it for the awards of 'Best Director' (Hidetaka Miyazaki), 'Best Level Design', 'Best Sound Design', 'Best Original Score' (Motoi Sakuraba), 'Best Developer' (FromSoftware), and 'Game of the Year'.^[63]TeamXbox gave it an honorable mention as the runner-up for the 'Best RPG' award.^[42]1UP.com gave it the 'Most Rewarding Game' award.^[64]Game Informer gave it the award for 'Best Boss Fight' (Sif).^[44] It also received the 'Best Boss Fights' awards from GameSpot, including both the Editors' Choice and Readers' Choice awards.^[45]Famitsu gave it an Award of Excellence in its 2012 awards ceremony.^[43]

In 2013, Digital Spy named Dark Souls the best game of the seventh console generation.^[65] In 2014, Edge magazine named Dark Souls the best game of the seventh generation of game consoles, noting that while some may initially tire of it, 'We've yet to meet a single player for whom persistence has not been enough to transform apathy into all-consuming love.' ^[46] In September 2015, Dark Souls topped the magazine's special issue The 100 Greatest Videogames.^[47]

In 2015, the game placed first on GamesRadar's 'The 100 best games ever' list.^[66] The game was also put first on USgamer's The 15 Best Games Since 2000 list.^[48] The game was titled the 'Best RPG on PC' by Rock, Paper, Shotgun.^[67] In 2016, Dark Souls placed fifth on PC Gamer's 'Best RPGs of all time' list.^[68]

Legacy

Dark Souls is often considered to be among the best games ever made.^{[69][70][71][72][73]} Due to its design and philosophy, it is often cited as an essential instance of video games as an art form.^[16][74][75] It is also considered one of the most influential video games of its generation;^[76] in 2019, GameSpot named it one of the most influential games of the 21st century.^[77] Games cited to have been influenced by Dark Souls include Destiny,^[78]Alienation,^[79]Lords of the Fallen,^[80]Salt and Sanctuary,^[81]Shovel Knight,^[82][83]Titan Souls,^[82][84]Enter the Gungeon,^[85]The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,^[86][87]Nioh,^[88]God of War,^[89][90]Journey, and ZombiU.^[76]Dark Souls was also cited as an inspiration for the television show Stranger Things.^[91]

Sequels

A sequel, Dark Souls II, was announced at the Spike Video Game Awards on December 7, 2012, for release on the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows.^[92] Amid rumors of a possible decrease in the difficulty of the series due to comments made by the new director to Edge, Brian Hong, global brand manager of Namco Bandai Games America, stated that Dark Souls II would be 'viciously hard.'^[93]Dark Souls II was released in early 2014.^[94] An updated version of it, subtitled 'Scholar of the First Sin,' was released in 2015 for the same platforms as well as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.^[95]

The third installment of the series, Dark Souls III, was released in early 2016. Two downloadable content packs were released for this game: Ashes of Ariandel, on October 25, 2016, followed by The Ringed City on March 28, 2017.^[96]

Dark Souls: Remastered

A remastered version of the game, titled Dark Souls: Remastered, was released worldwide for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in May 2018, and for the Nintendo Switch on October 19, 2018.^[104][105] The remaster was ported by the Polish studio QLOC, whereas the Switch version was ported by the Singaporean studio Virtuos. The game runs at a native 60 frames per second on all platforms except the Nintendo Switch and supports a 4K resolution on the PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One X, and Windows.^[106] Several changes were made to the online multiplayer, including the addition of dedicated servers, the maximum number of players online increased from four to six, and the addition of password matchmaking, first introduced in Dark Souls III.^{[107][108][109]}

Dark Souls: Remastered received 'generally favorable' reviews from critics, according to review aggregatorMetacritic.^[98] Critics praised the improved visuals and performance, while criticism was directed towards the lack of an effective anti-cheat system^[110][111] and the PC version's price despite few significant changes.^[112] It sold 71,739 copies in Japan during the week of its release, making it the best-selling game in the country at the time.^[113]

Notes

1. ^For the PlayStation 3 only
2. ^ダークソウル (Japanese: Dāku Sōru)

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79. ^Tach, Dave (August 22, 2014). 'How Dark Souls influenced Alienation, the next game from Resogun's developer'. Polygon.com.
80. ^Makuch, Eddie (January 5, 2015). 'Lords of the Fallen Dev Talks Dark Souls Comparisons'. GameSpot.
81. ^McElroy, Griffin (August 28, 2013). 'How Salt and Sanctuary reimagines Dark Souls as a 2D action-platformer'. Polygon.
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External links

• Official website for Dark Souls: Remastered

Dark Souls III^[a] is an action role-playing video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. An entry in the Souls series, Dark Souls III was released in Japan in March 2016 and worldwide in April 2016.

Dark Souls III was critically and commercially successful, with critics calling it a worthy and fitting conclusion to the series. It was the fastest-selling game in Bandai Namco's history, shipping over three million copies worldwide within the first two months after release. A complete version containing the base game and both downloadable content expansions, titled Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades, was released in April 2017.

• 2Plot
• 4Reception

Gameplay[edit]

Dark Souls III is an action role-playing game played in a third-person perspective, similar to previous games in the series. According to lead director and series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki, the game's gameplay design followed 'closely from Dark Souls II'.^[1] Players are equipped with a variety of weapons to fight against enemies, such as bows, throwable projectiles, and swords. Shields can act as secondary weapons but they are mainly used to deflect enemies' attacks and protect the player from suffering damage.^[2] Each weapon has two basic types of attack, one being a standard attack, and the other being slightly more powerful that can be charged up, similar to FromSoftware's previous game, Bloodborne. In addition, attacks can be evaded through dodge-rolling.^[3]Bonfires, which serve as checkpoints, return from previous installments.^[4] Ashes, according to Miyazaki, play an important role in the game.^[5] Magic is featured in the game, with a returning magic system from Demon's Souls, now known as 'focus points' (FP). When performing spells, the player's focus points are consumed. There are two separate types of Estus Flasks in the game, which can be allotted to fit a players' particular play style. One of them refills hit points like previous games in the series, while another, newly introduced in Dark Souls III, refills focus points.^[6] Combat and movements are faster and more fluid in Dark Souls III;^[7][8] several player movements (such as backstepping and swinging heavy weapons) can now be performed more rapidly,^[9] allowing players to deal more damage in a short period of time.^[3]

Throughout the game, players encounter different types of enemies, each with different behaviors. Some of them change their combat pattern during battles.^[2] New combat features are introduced in Dark Souls III, including weapon and shield 'Skills', which are special abilities that vary from weapon to weapon that enable unique attacks and features at the cost of focus points.^[2] The game places more focus on role-playing; the expanded character builder and improved weapons provide the player with more tactical options.^[10] The game features fewer overall maps than its predecessor Dark Souls II, but they are larger and more detailed, which encourages exploration.^[4] The adaptability stat from Dark Souls II was removed in Dark Souls III, with other stats being adjusted.^[4] The game features multiplayer elements like the previous games in the series.^[11]

Plot[edit]

Set in the Kingdom of Lothric, a bell has rung to signal that the First Flame, responsible for maintaining the Age of Fire, is dying out. As has happened many times before, the coming of the Age of Dark produces the undead: cursed beings that rise up after death. The Age of Fire can be prolonged with the linking of the fire, a ritual in which great lords and heroes sacrifice their souls to rekindle the First Flame. However, Prince Lothric, the chosen linker for this age, has abandoned his duty and instead chooses to watch the flame die from afar. The bell is the last hope for the Age of Fire, resurrecting previous Lords of Cinder (heroes who linked the flame in past ages) to attempt to link the fire again; however, all but one Lord shirk their duty.

The Ashen One, an Undead who failed to become a Lord of Cinder and thus called an Unkindled, rises and must link the fire by returning Prince Lothric and the defiant Lords of Cinder to their thrones in Firelink Shrine. The Lords include the Abyss Watchers, a legion of warriors sworn to protect the land from the Abyss and linked by a single soul; Yhorm the Giant, who was once a conqueror of the very people for whom he then sacrificed his life; and Saint Aldrich of the Deep, who became a Lord of Cinder despite his ravenous appetite for both men and gods. Lothric himself was raised in order to link the First Flame, but rejected his destiny and chose to watch the fire fade.

Once the Ashen One succeeds in returning Lothric and the Lords of Cinder to their thrones, they travel to the ruins of the Kiln of the First Flame. There, they encounter the Soul of Cinder, an amalgamation of all the previous Lords of Cinder who had linked the flame in the past. Once the Soul of Cinder is defeated, four endings are made possible based on the player's actions during the game. The player can attempt to link the fire, summon the Fire Keeper to extinguish the flame and begin an age of Dark, or kill her. A fourth ending consists of the Ashen One taking the flame for their own and becoming the Dark Lord of Londor.

Ashes of Ariandel[edit]

Ashes of Ariandel introduces a new area, the Painted World of Ariandel. On arriving at a location in the base game, the Ashen One meets a wandering knight, Gael, who implores them to enter the Painted World and fulfill a prophecy to bring 'Fire for Ariandel.' Inhabitants of this world variously beg the Ashen One to burn the Painted World per the prophecy or leave it to its slow rot. A painter girl tells the Ashen One of 'Uncle Gael's promise to find her dyes to paint a new world. The player's decision to proceed elicits first coldness from the world's self-appointed guardian and then a boss fight, in which Ariandel is ultimately set on fire. The painter thanks the player for showing her flame and paints her new world.

In keeping with previous franchise DLC, Ashes of Ariandel introduces not only a substantial new area, with two boss fights, but also several new weapons, spells and pieces of armour.

The Ringed City[edit]

In The Ringed City, the Ashen One begins their journey to an area known as 'The Dreg Heap', a region where ruined kingdoms of different eras are piled upon each other as the world draws to a close. From the Dreg Heap, after battling through the ruins of Lothric Castle, the Ashen One encounters the amnesiac knight Lapp, who cannot remember his past. The Ashen One traverses the Earthen Peak, an area encountered in Dark Souls II, before fighting a boss known as the Demon Prince. Victorious, the player travels to the Ringed City, an ancient city of the Pygmies, the ancestors of humanity, which has fallen into the Abyss. After defeating the guardian of the Church of Filianore, the player's actions transport them to a ruined wasteland of ash, ostensibly in the world's future. There, the Ashen One meets a disheveled Gael, from Ashes of Ariandel, who has begun killing and looking for the souls and blood of the Pygmies for the painter girl to use as ink. He has been fully corrupted by the Dark Soul and demands the Ashen One's portion of it. He is finally struck down, allowing the Ashen One to obtain his blood and the Dark Soul.

History[edit]

The development of the game began in mid-2013, prior to the release of Dark Souls II, whose development was handled by Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura instead of the series creator, Hidetaka Miyazaki.^[12] The game was developed alongside Bloodborne but was handled by two mainly separate teams. Miyazaki also returned to direct Dark Souls III, while Isamu Okano and Tanimura, the directors of Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor and Dark Souls II respectively, served as co-directors for the game.^[13] Despite Miyazaki originally believing that the series would not have many sequels,^[14]Dark Souls III would serve as the fourth installment in the Souls series. Miyazaki later added that the game would not be the last game in the series, and instead would serve as a 'turning point' for both the franchise and the studio, as it was the last project by FromSoftware before Miyazaki became the president of the company.^[15] Multiple screenshots of the game were leaked prior to its initial reveal at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015.^[16][17] The game's gameplay was then first shown at gamescom 2015 in August.^[18]

Miyazaki said that Bloodborne's limitations made him want to return to the Souls series.^[19] According to him, the game's level design was created to become more of another 'enemy' the player must face.^[20][21] However, just as how the former Souls games narrate their stories, Dark Souls III unfolds the plot with strong vagueness: players can learn the storyline merely through the conversation with non-playable characters (NPCs), art design, and item flavor text.^[22] Due to this, Miyazaki states that there is no official and unique story, and his intention of designing this game was to not impose his own viewpoint, with him stating that any attempts to discover and understand the plot and that world are encouraged.^[22] The improvement to archery, specifically draw speed, was inspired by Legolas from The Lord of the Rings franchise.^[5] The game's visual design focuses on 'withered beauty', with ember and ash scattered throughout the game's world.^[11] The game's original score was primarily written by Dark Souls II and Bloodborne composer, Yuka Kitamura, and performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Additional music was written by Dark Souls composer Motoi Sakuraba, with a single boss theme each by Tsukasa Saitoh and Nobuyoshi Suzuki.^[23]

Dark Souls III was released in Japan for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 24, 2016,^[24] and released worldwide, along with the Microsoft Windows version, on April 12, 2016.^[25] A stress test for the game, which allowed players selected by Bandai Namco to test the game's network functionality before release, was available for three days in October 2015.^[26] The game has three different special editions for players to purchase, all of which cost more than the base game. Players who pre-ordered the game had their game automatically upgraded to the Apocalypse Edition, which has a special case and the game's original soundtrack. The Collector's Edition contains physical items such as the Red Knight figurine, an artbook, a new map, and special packaging. The Prestige Edition features all the content in The Collector's Edition, but has an additional Lord of Cinder resin figurine, which can form a pair with the Red Knight figurine.^[27]

The game's first downloadable content (DLC) expansion, titled Ashes of Ariandel, was released on October 24, 2016.^[28][29] The second and final DLC, titled The Ringed City, was released on March 28, 2017.^[30] Both DLCs added new locations, bosses, armors, and weapons to the game. A complete version containing the base game and both DLCs, titled Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades, was released on April 21, 2017.^[31]

Reception[edit]

Dark Souls III received 'generally favorable' reviews according to review aggregator, Metacritic, with praise given to the game's visuals and combat mechanics, reminding reviewers of its faster paced similarity to FromSoftware's previous game, Bloodborne.^{[32][35][36][39][47]}

Chloi Rad of IGN awarded the game a 9.5 out of 10, stating she thought that 'If Dark Souls 3 truly is the last in the series as we know it, then it's a worthy send-off.'^[39] Rich Stanton of Eurogamer rated the game as 'essential', calling it 'fabulous' and that it was 'a fitting conclusion' to the series.^[47] Steven Strom of Ars Technica wrote that he thought the title still had the 'smooth and impressive rendering of the series' signature style' and some of 'the best boss fights in any Souls game'.^[48] Simon Parkin of The Guardian gave the game 5 out of 5 stars, and wrote that while Dark Souls III 'may not have the novelty of the first Dark Souls', it was 'the more pristine and rounded work' of the series.^[43]

However, criticism was directed at issues with the game's frame rate and performance,^[41] linear map design,^[36][48] and the way Bandai Namco handled the Western launch.^[49][50] Philip Kollar of Polygon rated the game a 7 out of 10, bluntly stating disappointment at the lack of surprises and the arbitrary nature of the game's design, writing that 'in so many important ways -- its world design, its pacing, the technology powering it - Dark Souls III falls short of the mark.'^[41] A later patch, released on April 9, fixed some of the technical issues reviewers had with the game.^[51]

Reception to Ashes of Ariandel, the game's first downloadable content (DLC) expansion, was generally positive. Brendan Graeber of IGN enjoyed what the DLC offered, enjoying the introduction of a dedicated player versus player (PvP) arena, as well as the new enemies and bosses, but criticized the length, stating that Ashes of Ariandel served more as 'an appetizer than a full course meal'.^[52] Kollar of Polygon considered the content of the DLC to be 'great', but agreed with Graeber's criticism of the length, saying that there was not much of it.^[53]

Reception to The Ringed City, the game's second and final DLC expansion, was also generally positive. Chloi Rad of IGN praised the overall level design and boss fights, adding that the DLC was a 'satisfying' conclusion to the trilogy.^[54] In contrast, James Davenport of PC Gamer was less positive, calling the DLC 'gorgeous but empty', adding that it was a 'weak reflection' on the series' best traits.^[55]

Sales[edit]

In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version sold over 200,000 copies in its first two weeks of release.^[56] It became the fastest-selling video game published by Bandai Namco Entertainment America, becoming the company's most successful day-one launch.^[57] On May 10, 2016, Bandai Namco announced that Dark Souls III had reached three million total copies shipped worldwide, with 500,000 in Japan and Asia, 1.5 million in North America, and one million in Europe.^[58] It was also reported that Dark Souls III was the best selling software in North America in the month of release.^[59]

Accolades[edit]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Saed, Sherif (June 17, 2015). ''Dark Souls 3 follows closely from Dark Souls 2,' says Miyazaki about game's design'. VG247. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
2. ^ ^abcRad, Chloi (June 16, 2015). 'E3 2015: Dark Souls 3 Is Everything I Want In A Dark Souls Sequel'. IGN. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
3. ^ ^abReseigh-Lincoln, Dom (July 19, 2015). 'How Dark Souls 3 combat is changing post-Bloodborne'. Edge. GamesRadar. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
4. ^ ^abcFenlon, Wes (June 18, 2015). 'Dark Souls 3 preview: a grander sense of scale, but still familiar'. PC Gamer. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
5. ^ ^abMcWhertor, Michael (June 17, 2015). 'Our first look at Dark Souls 3 gameplay and its new changes to combat'. Polygon. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
6. ^McWhertor, Michael (September 16, 2015). 'How magic works in Dark Souls 3'. Polygon. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
7. ^Byford, Sam (June 19, 2015). 'Dark Souls III is faster, weirder, and far more beautiful'. The Verge. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
8. ^Tach, Dave (July 20, 2015). 'Dark Souls 3's combat is faster in a post-Bloodborne world'. Polygon. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
9. ^Wilson, Aoife (July 23, 2015). 'Dark Souls 3 is familiar, and that's fin'. Eurogamer. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
10. ^Romano, Sal (August 17, 2015). 'Dark Souls III Have Fewer Maps, But Larger Scale'. Gematsu. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
11. ^ ^abPatuleia, Mike (June 16, 2015). 'E3 2015: World's First Dark Souls III Details Revealed'. Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
12. ^Hillier, Brenna (June 18, 2015). 'Dark Souls 3 has been in the works for two years'. VG247. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
13. ^Scammell, David (June 17, 2015). 'Dark Souls 3 is being developed by a different team to Bloodborne'. VideoGamer.com. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
14. ^Karmali, Luke (January 29, 2013). 'Miyazaki: Dark Souls Shouldn't Have Multiple Sequels'. IGN. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
15. ^Robinson, Martin (August 17, 2015). 'Dark Souls 3 isn't the last in the series – but it is a turning point'. Eurogamer. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
16. ^Devore, Jordan (August 6, 2015). 'Gallery: Leaked Dark Souls III screenshots look legit'. Destructoid. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
17. ^Hussain, Tamoor (June 15, 2015). 'Dark Souls 3 is Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki'. GameSpot. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
18. ^Russell, Scott (August 4, 2015). 'Dark Souls III Gameplay Revealed in New Trailer'. Paste Magazine. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
19. ^Khan, Zarmena. 'Hidetaka Miyazaki Says Bloodborne's Limitations Made Him Return to Dark Souls 3'. PlayStation Lifestyle. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
20. ^Martin, Liam (August 7, 2015). 'Everything we know about Dark Souls 3, including trailers, gameplay and screenshots'. Digital Spy. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
21. ^Martin, Matt (June 24, 2015). 'Dark Souls 3: 'everything is designed to kill you''. VG247. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
22. ^ ^abDonaldson, Alex. 'Dark Souls 3: Miyazaki explains the difference between 'difficult' and 'unreasonable''. VG247.
23. ^Greening, Chris. 'Dark Souls III composers and soundtrack detailed'. Video Game Music Online. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
24. ^'Product FromSoftware'. FromSoftware. September 12, 2015.
25. ^Frank, Allegra (December 4, 2015). 'Dark Souls 3 nails down its April 2016 release date'. Polygon. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
26. ^Splechta, Mike (October 15, 2015). 'Dark Souls 3 stress test will begin tomorrow'. GameZone. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
27. ^Sheriden, Conner (December 5, 2015). 'Dark Souls 3 gets new gameplay, release date & special editions'. GamesRadar. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
28. ^Paget, Mat. 'Dark Souls 3 DLC Released Early on Xbox One by Accident [UPDATE]'. GameSpot. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
29. ^Kollar, Philip. 'Everything we know about the Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel D'. Polygon. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
30. ^Frank, Allegra. 'Dark Souls 3's final DLC stops by The Ringed City this March'. Polygon. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
31. ^Nunneley, Stephany. 'Dark Souls 3: The Fire Fades Edition is out today, and includes all Season Pass content'. vg247.com. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
32. ^ ^abCarter, Chris (April 4, 2016). 'Review: Dark Souls III'. Destructoid. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
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39. ^ ^abcRad, Chloi (April 4, 2016). 'Dark Souls 3 Review'. IGN. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
40. ^Davenport, James (April 4, 2016). 'Dark Souls III Review'. PC Gamer. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
41. ^ ^abcKollar, Philip (April 4, 2016). 'Dark Souls 3 Review'. Polygon. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
42. ^'Dark Souls 3 is familiar, fierce and fascinating - review'. The Daily Telegraph. April 4, 2016.
43. ^ ^abParkin, Simon (April 12, 2016). 'Dark Souls 3 review – the grandiose end to an unmatched trilogy'. The Guardian.
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46. ^'Dark Souls III for Xbox One Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
47. ^ ^abStanton, Rich (April 4, 2016). 'Dark Souls 3 review'. Eurogamer. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
48. ^ ^abStrom, Steven (April 5, 2016). 'Dark Souls 3 review: Marching toward masochism'. Ars Technica. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
49. ^Bashore, Nicholas. ''Dark Souls 3' and the Problem with Regional Release Dates'. inverse.com. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
50. ^Leack, Jonathan. 'Dark Souls 3's Launch Has Been Poorly Handled By Bandai Namco'. Game Revolution. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
51. ^Imtiaz, Khurram. 'Dark Souls 3 Gets Patch 1.03 In Japan, Tweaks Gameplay And Improves Performance'. GearNuke.
52. ^Graeber, Brendan. 'Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel Review'. IGN. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
53. ^Kollar, Philip. 'Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel review'. Polygon. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
54. ^Rad, Chloi. 'Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City Review'. IGN. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
55. ^Davenport, James. 'Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City review'. PC Gamer. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
56. ^Seeto, Damian. 'Dark Souls 3 Sales Impress In Japan'. AttackoftheFanboy. Modern Media Group LLC.
57. ^Potter, Matt (April 18, 2016). 'Dark Souls 3 Is Bandai Namco's Fastest Selling Game Ever'. IGN. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
58. ^Romano, Sal. 'Dark Souls III tops three million shipments, Dark Souls series tops 13 million'. Gametsu. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
59. ^Grubb, Jeff. 'April 2016 NPD: Dark Souls III, Ratchet & Clank lead as gaming industry drops 15%'. Venturebeat. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
60. ^Sheridan, Connor (November 18, 2016). 'Overwatch scoops five awards, Firewatch wins Best Indie Game: Here are all the Golden Joystick 2016 winners'. GamesRadar.
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External links[edit]

Dark Souls 3

• Official website