And the Dark Souls series is over. An incredible adventure. It can keep people glued to the screen for hours with each of its games, sometimes I want to break the controller, sometimes I just stop and breathe for a minute or two after an idle interrupt, I can't get enough of wandering and exploring, I read the description of even the shoe I found on the ground to understand its story, I visit every corner to avoid missing the spells, That wonderful game series, in which I took notes on the locations of the weapons I liked to use in my gameplay, ended with this game. To be frank, I feel sad about this. I don't know if there will ever be a series like Dark Souls again. I don't know what FromSoftware, which made the ultimate Souls game with Elden Ring, will do. But no matter what, this game and this series are some of the best I've played.
Dark Souls has a structure that really stands out from other games. This separation is never in a negative sense. It truly shines among other games. Moreover, it shines as a “game”. So it's very good in terms of gameplay. Before, Dark Souls was a game that stood out neither with its story nor with its art design. His choice in these matters is certainly very successful, but what makes Dark Souls Dark Souls is the gameplay. So what's in this game? What's special about this game? Playing Dark Souls is an experience. It's much more than a game. Desperation, satisfaction, fear, joy, sadness. The emotions you will experience while playing these games. Which game last made you feel these feelings? Moreover, the game doesn't even try to tell you a story. Even though the game takes place in a fantasy universe, it is actually very realistic. You are born, you start the game. There is no tutorial. You have nothing but the notes left for you by previous people. The game never holds your hand. It doesn't have a map, the character talks to himself and gives clues to the player, nothing. There are ways to learn something in this game, but these ways are much different from modern games. You will either read other people's signs, talk to other people in the universe, or read the descriptions of the items you buy. Just like humanity creating common ground by talking in ancient times, and humanity writing history from objects unearthed as a result of excavations in the modern period. As you may have noticed while reading, this is not how you learn the most important things in the game. Do you know how you learn? By trial and error method. Yes, you are researching Dark Souls just like a child. You make hypotheses like a scientist, then try them in the game, and when they don't work, you try other ways. The game leaves you so barren in terms of information that you literally turn into a child who has just been born and is trying to make discoveries. Then you start learning the game by trial and error like a scientist. The game never holds your hand. The characters he presents to you are strong. In this case, you become depressed. You fail over and over again. Do you know why? Because games don't do that to you anymore. If you were born around 2000 like me, the time you started playing video games was probably in the 2010s, and you can see that games were much easier at that time , as video games became popular and games developed with high technologies. If you know someone who plays the old games, ask. In the old days, it was impossible to finish games, but it was a great feat for those who made them. I'm sure those born in the '90s will approve of this. Of course, there was artificial difficulty in the games back then. Because they were very short in duration and the game producers wanted to get more people to play the games they sold by extending the duration of the games. But over the years, video games have become more story-dependent. However, there has been a shift from gameplay to story in video games. With the advancement of technology, it has shifted somewhat from gameplay to art design. However, with the increase in resources of game producers, the games were kept in balance. But the games were becoming popular and spreading, naturally the majority did not want difficult games. The games got easier, more and more. Far from holding people's hands, modern games literally treat us like idiots. Characters constantly talking and giving clues, unnecessary long tutorial sections. In this case, the feeling of discovery in the game is largely lost, the game gives us orders and we follow them. At this point , freedom, one of the things we need most in our lives, let alone video games, is taken away from us . However, Dark Souls is not such a game. We don't even care about the game. It leaves us at the starting point. A person who would never tell us if we didn't ask tells us our purpose, then I let him out to the pasture. This is a great feeling, no matter how much the game makers don't understand it. Because now I'm free. And I'm curious. When I have these two feelings, I can play games until the morning, dear producer. I don't know what to do, where to go, what to buy, I have no information. I don't know why this world is the way it is. Do you know what I'm doing? I go and start talking to people. Not because they would give me a task, but because I was curious about what they would say. I'm going somewhere because I wonder what's there. Dear producers, please understand that we do not want to go somewhere just because there is a question mark on the map. Anyway, let's go back to our previous topic before getting into this topic. We experience depression when we repeatedly fight an enemy and fail. We feel like we can't do it no matter how hard we try. Sometimes we try for hours but it doesn't work. Even though we think we are not making progress, we are always making progress, just like in real life. Our brain gradually encodes the movements of the enemy in front of us. Then we see that the boss is kneeling in front of us. We watch him die. Then we are satisfied. Do you know why? Because we had a hard time. If I don't have difficulties, I won't be satisfied. Many recent games go for power fantasy instead of this satisfaction. Every game has literally turned into a musou game. That feeling of satisfaction doesn't just happen when you defeat a boss, but when you pass a difficult area or finish an area. I gain information about the region, I start using the weapons used by the bosses, I become stronger with every step I take, I step into every land of the world offered to me. No matter how many times I die, I never give up. I never get tired of traveling because the world is connected to each other by such places. I look out the window of a castle and see where I started and say "wow". I don't get bored of killing enemies because I feel like my sword is hitting him and his sword is hitting me, it's like I'm in real life, not in a game. Even though I die many times, I keep trying, because nothing has been able to stand against me, nothing will ever be able to stand against this challenge that I will eventually overcome. At the end of the game, I really overcome everyone. Now there is nothing left in the universe that can stand against me. I made every creature they call the most legendary and divine kneel before me. And at that point, the game leaves the fate of the entire universe to me, as I deserve. Will you continue this cycle? Or will you bring back nothingness?
That's basically what Dark Souls is like. So, I'm not talking about this game here, but all of Dark Souls and what makes it stand out from other games. The Dark Souls series is more like an experience, an adventure, rather than a game. And this adventure can really get tiring sometimes. I want to sit and rest, and I want to go back to some easy places in the game. Sometimes I don't even want to play the game. Normally, I would like to write this part of the article in the review of the first game, but I was not writing about the games I played when I played it, so it was left to this review. Now let's take a look at this magnificent last game of the series.
The story of Dark Souls III is more integrated with the first game compared to the story of the second game. Dark Souls II had a much more local story. Characters were really important, but we weren't fighting the gods of the universe like the first game. Although the story of this game is not as divine and important as the first one, it is more similar to the story of the first game. I don't have much or accurate information about the story of the game, but I always listen to the conversations and read the item descriptions, so I think I know as much as the game gives me. As in other games, we have a weakened fire, those who burned it before are called to rekindle this fire, but they pursue their own business and naturally unkindled people, that is, those who tried to strengthen the fire before and failed, are reborn from the ashes to do this job. We are one of them. What we need to do is to defeat these Lords of Cinders one by one and seize their powers. Afterwards, we are asked to light the fire using this power. This is how our journey begins. As in other games, we are in a world that is corrupt to the maximum level. So much so that whatever we encounter in this world, there is a ninety percent chance it will attack us. We set off on our adventure from our Firelink Shrine. The first one we find is Lord of Cinder Abysswatchers. To describe these friends in the simplest way, they read Artorias's epic (that is, our epic) and said "this man is just like me" and they set themselves the goal of defeating the Abyss. However, as we all know very well, it is not easy to defeat Abyss, naturally they failed and they were condemned to fight with themselves forever. So we kill them, put them at peace, take our souls and continue moving forward. By the way, the area where these friends are located is the garden area in the first game, if I'm not mistaken, because there are quite a few similarities between them. There may be mistakes in what I tell about the story, I'm probably completing the parts I don't understand myself, like Miyazaki. After progressing, we go to the Carthus region, which was once a land with very good warriors, but Wolnir, who has no chance against the Abyss even though he was victorious in his previous wars, retreats to the Abyss and finishes his job when we break his bracelets, which are the last thing that protects him from the Abyss. Afterwards, the game takes us to a place that catches our eye the most in terms of art design. Irithyll. Here we encounter Tiran Sulyvahn, who has declared himself Pontiff. He's a total control freak and a total tyrant, but he's also a very smart person. Sulyvahn, who is allied with Aldrich, also has Outrider Knights, whom he drives crazy by giving them a ring to various parts of the map in order to maintain order. It has complete authority over the region it owns. He is someone who is very skilled in both fighting and spells. After hitting his head, we go to Anor Londo. Although Anor Londo is very familiar, it is possible to say that they went for a different design. It's a much less confusing place. Despite this linearity, we still have to fight with annoying archers to get there, and there are very annoying enemies inside, as well as an image that will make the player extremely sad. I don't really understand Aldrich's story, but you know he's a friend who eats gods. He ate Gwyndolin (I think Sulyvahn did this) and the gun he is holding is Nito's gun. So he might have eaten Nito too. Of course, it is not about cooking food and throwing salt and pepper here, but we can say that he consumes these and adds them to his own body. We hit this friend's head, which I think especially the wizard friends should wait a little longer, and we move on to the next area. After passing through a disgusting dungeon, Profound Capital welcomes us. There is Yhorm here. What happened to Yhorm must have been very sad, he gave one of the weapons needed to kill him to one of the NPCs in the game and left the other one in the room. He knew that he would probably go crazy and wanted to be killed so that he would not be harmful from this point on. Personally, I couldn't get the gun to work for some reason and had to cut it off with magic. After getting Yhorm's soul, we collect three souls, and at this point, to get the fourth soul, the game throws us back to the point where our exploration of the castle, which we could not fully explore, was restricted. At this point, we kill one of the knights that Sulyvahn has placed to block our way and we go towards the castle. As we go up to the castle, we go through a long journey and on this journey we come across a ruined king who has failed to raise his previous children to continue the cycle and therefore has gone crazy with his spells by researching the legendary dragon Seath, Dragonslayer Ornstein's armor is controlled by the butterflies around him. We fight with the boss that appears. Eventually, in the castle, we fight with the king's sons, Lothric and Lorian, and take our last soul. After combining these souls, we go to the end of the universe and fight against a boss created by everyone who lit the fire before (that can include us, depending on our choices in the first and second games) and make our decision. After finishing the game, we embark on two new adventures with Gael, one of the most beloved characters in Dark Souls history. After adventuring with him , in the last stage, he accepts to go crazy for this mission because he knows that we will find him in the future, kill him and deliver the pigment to the painter, knowing that he will go crazy with the pigment he tries to get, and we end the Dark Souls series with one of the best bosses ever.
Dark Souls is truly an adventure. We're miserable when we start. While we are dying to the skeletons attacking us with the crappy swords and spells in our hands, over time, walking on the same path with legendary warriors and fighting with them, finding and slaughtering the creatures that are the subject of epics, and eventually confronting the gods of the universe truly gives one an unforgettable adventure. Moreover, while all this is happening, it is important to remember that the difficulty in the game is really high and when I say fighting with the gods, you really have a hard time as if you were fighting with the gods.
This is our story, although Dark Souls is very successful in terms of the universe, it is very selfish about the story and chain of events it will present in this universe. In other words, we do not have a story supported by cutscenes, nor a plot with a clear beginning and end. These consist entirely of stories shaped by the choices the player makes and the path he takes. I love such vast, allegory-filled, difficult-to-explain universes, but I also see that the game is stingy in this regard. Although this is more of a design choice than a mistake, I think it could be even better.
To some people, Dark Souls games mean nothing in terms of story. These games are perfect for those who want to kill everyone with the gun they are given. This is where they shine anyway. From the moment you are given a gun, swinging that gun and using it on your enemies is so much fun in these games. First of all, Dark Souls reminds you that you are not a head floating in the air, but a person relatively weak against blows. When you swing your weapon, you get power from your body, which means that if your opponent manages to swing before you, he can interrupt your move. That's why you need to wear stronger armor and strengthen your stance. Stronger armor will make you bulkier, so you may need to level up. I personally played the game once, this time I played a wizard, so I will mostly focus on the wizard, but I will come back to do the "strength build" in the game. I played all the Dark Souls games the same way, with a gun in my right hand and a staff in my left. My magic for strong enemies, my weapon for easy ones.
First of all, the mana bar, which is present in almost every RPG game but I don't understand why it is not in the DS, has been added. In previous games, we had a limited number of spells and we could not cast more. Here, we can throw as long as we have enough mana. To replenish mana, we need to sacrifice our estus and give blue estus instead. This is a very logical choice because mages have “very safe” gameplay since they play remotely. Therefore, by reducing the number of estus and allowing fewer lives to be completed, the game has been made a little more difficult, and I think it is a good balancing act. The most important difference here is that we can cast big spells as many times as we want. In previous games, we could throw a few "soul spears" and then throw them small, but in these games, we throw them at their heads. However, the bosses in the game are incredibly strengthened in terms of magic resistance. Although this is the easiest game as a mage if you ask me, very high magic resistances are given to balance this. Aldrich has 80% magic and dark damage resistance. It takes a few minutes to complete, and considering that he is constantly throwing things at you during these minutes, you will be fighting a long boss fight. Likewise, Crystal Sage, one of the bosses of the game that should be relatively easy, has become very difficult for wizards with its high magic resistance and self-cloning. It was many times harder than the last boss for me. Finally, Oceiros, which I think is a wizard's nightmare. While I thought it was impossible to actually cut it with its high magic resistance and the long dash it made with 0 seconds of preparation, I accidentally stuck it somewhere and cheesed it. Of course, I am not at ease and we will have our rematch. Friede, who also has high magic resistance, kept me struggling for almost 45 minutes. The reason for this is that he can dodge the spells completely according to his mind. This definitely doesn't feel fair, and I could never cut it if he stood in front of me forever and Dodged. Invisible or coming from behind spells in Elden Ring solved this problem, but they cause you to waste a large amount of mana in this game. Apart from the bosses, as long as you play it safe, I don't have much difficulty with the mages except for certain parts of the game. Also, if we touch on one more point, FromSoftware, which is far behind other RPGs in terms of wizards, must have seen that people liked the innovations in Dark Souls II and brought even more innovations to wizards. I hate throwing blue beads. It really makes me sad that I have nothing but blue beads in these games, while the wizards in other games use fire, ice, lightning and shoot down meteors. Although there are not many differences and different tools are introduced such as the spell that turns the staff into a sword, the spell that allows us to cast the MGS spell, the spell that allows us to deal dark damage without requiring INT, the smoky spell that deals damage to the area, unfortunately you spend the majority of the game with the blue bead. This limits wizard gameplay.
The game is much faster than other games. However, of course, the bosses and enemies move at the same speed and the game does not get easier, but I must say that I had a little difficulty playing with MGS. Unfortunately, the “power stance” from the previous game is gone, but it has been replaced with dual weapons. Although these weapons are placed in one hand, they cover both hands and perform a different attack when you perform L2/LT. When I come back to the game, I really want to play with Dancer's weapons. However, as the game gets faster, STR builds seem to have become a little more difficult. Good luck to Guts loving friends...
Finally, moving on to art design, we have an incredible work before us. Although we do not notice it because we are usually fighting against enemies while playing Dark Souls, they have put extra effort into making places such as castles work, knowing that the players will never look at them. However, if we do not look at it one by one, if we focus on the whole, the game provides us with an incredible atmosphere. We cannot forget our admiration when we first entered Irityhll, fighting with an armor controlled by butterflies in the castle, the moment when brother and sister support each other, the place at the end of the world where everything intertwines, a prison that really made me afraid, and the ashes of the two most successful warriors in history at the end of the universe. It is definitely a game with incredible atmosphere and fearless fighting. However, FS once again surpassed themselves in sound design and went for incredible pieces. They have never compromised the sound quality in their games and they intend to surpass themselves even more. The music in the DS games isn't just random epic tunes, it's music that's actually reminiscent of the characters they play. For example, the Dancer boss's music, along with the steps he takes, makes you very nervous and makes it an unforgettable moment. Likewise, the music played for a ruined king is top notch. A legendary dragon who was raised to fight the Abyss, but was eventually defeated by the Abyss, and a warrior who could reach the end of the universe. Their music is a truly incredible choir-violin concerto. I guess even people who have nothing to do with the game will listen. Also, the art design of this game reminded me a lot of the East. I know FS and Miyazaki are Japanese but this is like the west of Japan. So it seemed a little more oriental to me. Dancer's music in particular is definitely the best track on the album and is very oriental. FS did not stray far from the Middle East in visual design and added a mosque to the game. Yes, it is exactly like a mosque. I think this game, while very successful in terms of innovation, is a feast for both the eyes and ears.
Do you know what a beautiful finale would suit this series, it is this beautiful. Even though it is so reminiscent of the first game that it resembles fan service, and the changes made in DSII seem to be regretted, DSIII is one of the best games in history, with its much more refined version, innovations, and mechanics that are preserved because they are solid. Even though I think it doesn't open an era like the first game, it is a great series ending and will remain the best of this formula for 6 years until the next game. It is a masterpiece that I can recommend even to players who do not like to be challenged.

this is coming from someone who didn't like the soulsborne games at all, didn't like ds1 for the clunky movement and dodging, and only liked Sekiro but it's considered to be a souls-like.

this game is INCREDIBLE. the game plays very well and the bosses are sometimes easy but they are amazing and the OST is HEAVENLY.

what's kind of holding this game back for me is the camera, this is literally your real enemy in most boss fights. also some areas just felt like they were bullsh*t and made no sense at all (maybe i didn't get their ideas).

overall a very solid game that made me wanna give ER another shot.

The first souls game I ever played and many years later beat. I still remember the utter confusion I had trying to play this the first few times, but when it clicks it CLICKS. Although I haven't beaten Dark Souls 1 or played 2, from watching many lore videos, the story told across the trilogy of a slowly fading world is honestly beautiful. Probably my favorite thing about the Dark Souls games is the philosophy of perseverance baked into the gameplay itself. By giving up on these games, you can infer that your own character goes hollow, another sword to add to the swathes of lost souls. Find the next bonfire, beat that next boss, and don't you dare go hollow

Dark Souls 3 is an absolute masterpiece of the action RPG genre, delivering an unparalleled experience that is as challenging as it is rewarding. From its atmospheric world design to its intricate combat mechanics, every aspect of the game is crafted with meticulous attention to detail, resulting in an unforgettable journey through a dark and hauntingly beautiful landscape.

One of the most striking features of Dark Souls 3 is its atmospheric world design, which expertly blends intricate level layouts with breathtaking scenery to create a sense of immersion unlike any other. From the crumbling ruins of Lothric Castle to the eerie depths of the Catacombs of Carthus, each location is rendered with stunning detail and filled with secrets waiting to be uncovered. Exploration is a key component of the game, with hidden passages, shortcuts, and hidden treasures rewarding players who dare to venture off the beaten path.

The game's combat mechanics are equally impressive, offering a deep and satisfying experience that rewards skill and strategy over brute force. Players must carefully time their attacks, dodges, and parries to overcome formidable foes ranging from hulking knights to grotesque monsters. Every enemy encounter feels like a tense duel to the death, with victory often requiring careful observation and precise execution.

In addition to its challenging combat, Dark Souls 3 also boasts a rich lore and mythology that adds depth and meaning to every encounter. From the enigmatic Firelink Shrine to the tragic tales of fallen heroes, the game is filled with lore that invites players to piece together the mysteries of the world for themselves. Every item, every NPC dialogue, hints at a larger narrative waiting to be uncovered, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the experience.

Visually, Dark Souls 3 is a feast for the eyes, with stunning graphics that bring its world to life in vivid detail. From the hauntingly beautiful vistas of the High Wall of Lothric to the oppressive darkness of the Untended Graves, each environment is rendered with breathtaking fidelity and atmosphere. The character and enemy designs are equally impressive, with grotesque monsters and towering bosses that are as awe-inspiring as they are terrifying.

In conclusion, Dark Souls 3 is a triumph of game design, delivering a challenging and immersive experience that will test the skills and determination of even the most seasoned gamers. With its atmospheric world design, deep combat mechanics, and rich lore, it stands as a shining example of what the medium is capable of achieving. Whether you're a fan of action RPGs or simply appreciate a well-crafted gaming experience, Dark Souls 3 is not to be missed.

I think overall a really solid game and the first souls game I sat down and went "okay I'm playing through all of this". While the peaks of this game are very cool and very fun I feel like a lot of this game is kinda meh. Despite beating the game within like 8 days I had to look up a list to remember the bosses. Plus some of the areas were just not fun to navigate like irithyll, farron keep, and the dungeon for irithyll. I did think this game was visually very gorgeous tho, with a lot of beautiful environments and especially the skyboxes are beautiful. Another thing that adds to the atmosphere is the amazing music too throughout the entire game. Plus this game has a pretty kickass final boss. Think I will play through the dlc one day but today is not that day. Just kinda feel like "well I beat the game and that was my main goal." Fun first souls game tho !

esse jogo é incrivel, maravilhoso e otimo, porem, é muito triste saber que absolutamente quase TUDO vem de dark souls 1, personagens, mapa e etc, é como se esse jogo fosse uma sombra do que dark souls 1 é, a unica parte que acho que fizeram bem isso foi no soul of cinder, aquilo foi tão sutil, e bem orquestrado que fica de longe um dos melhores bosses da franquia, esse jogo obviamente é incrivel, mas ainda sim fico paia que ele se envolva em tudo do 1, e as dlcs são a q mais ajudam esse jogo, principalmente a ringed city