This review contains spoilers
While DS3 has undeniably some of the best bosses in the entire series, with particular highlights being in the late game and DLCs of this game, This game is held back by 3 main things:
1) the atmosphere. This might be the most depressing game I've ever played (maybe except for inside) because the colour pallete is just beige, grey and dark green. It's so dull and while I definitely feel like that was the goal, there is just so much colour in many other of the souls games like DS1, DS2, Elden Ring, and I'd even say DmS. Playing the early game of this game for more than an hour makes me want to kill myself because of how muted it is, and it greatly hinders the replay value I get from this game.
2) The areas. HOLY SHIT THEY SUCK. In the entire game I think maybe 4-5 of the areas are at the very least bearable. And half of them are in the ringed city DLC. DS3 is probably the opposite of DS1, as most of the games quality is in the second half of the game rather than the first, but at least in DS1 there was SOME stuff in the second half that made it fun to trek through (Dukes archives is a fun area with a cool gimmick, Nito is a cool boss, Four kings can be fun, and I actually like the Centipede Demon). But outside of High wall and MAYBE Undead settlement on a good day, playing through the early game areas of DS3 is just ass. They are sooooooo fucking linear in design and not really many branching off points to go and mess around with, like in DS1 with the darkroot garden and the valley of drakes which lets you do some funky shit out of order.
3) the enemies. The bosses in DS3 are really fucking awesome dont get me wrong, but FIGHTING ENEMIES SUCKS. I feel like everyone ESPECIALLY in Lotheric castle is soooo beafy and has needlessly hard movesets to learn, making them just pains in the ass as I try to get to each boss. I tried to do an int build on one of my subsequent playthroughs but genuinely couldn't get past some of the enemies and had to respec into dex to finish up the game.
Overall while DS3 definitely cuts back on a lot of the jank of the older games, it loses a lot of the charm from those older games that I really appreciated, and also makes fighting through everything that isn't a boss hard and annoying.
In conclusion DS1 better xD
(also fuck the trophy list)
1) the atmosphere. This might be the most depressing game I've ever played (maybe except for inside) because the colour pallete is just beige, grey and dark green. It's so dull and while I definitely feel like that was the goal, there is just so much colour in many other of the souls games like DS1, DS2, Elden Ring, and I'd even say DmS. Playing the early game of this game for more than an hour makes me want to kill myself because of how muted it is, and it greatly hinders the replay value I get from this game.
2) The areas. HOLY SHIT THEY SUCK. In the entire game I think maybe 4-5 of the areas are at the very least bearable. And half of them are in the ringed city DLC. DS3 is probably the opposite of DS1, as most of the games quality is in the second half of the game rather than the first, but at least in DS1 there was SOME stuff in the second half that made it fun to trek through (Dukes archives is a fun area with a cool gimmick, Nito is a cool boss, Four kings can be fun, and I actually like the Centipede Demon). But outside of High wall and MAYBE Undead settlement on a good day, playing through the early game areas of DS3 is just ass. They are sooooooo fucking linear in design and not really many branching off points to go and mess around with, like in DS1 with the darkroot garden and the valley of drakes which lets you do some funky shit out of order.
3) the enemies. The bosses in DS3 are really fucking awesome dont get me wrong, but FIGHTING ENEMIES SUCKS. I feel like everyone ESPECIALLY in Lotheric castle is soooo beafy and has needlessly hard movesets to learn, making them just pains in the ass as I try to get to each boss. I tried to do an int build on one of my subsequent playthroughs but genuinely couldn't get past some of the enemies and had to respec into dex to finish up the game.
Overall while DS3 definitely cuts back on a lot of the jank of the older games, it loses a lot of the charm from those older games that I really appreciated, and also makes fighting through everything that isn't a boss hard and annoying.
In conclusion DS1 better xD
(also fuck the trophy list)