Dark Souls III is a masterpiece. Both of the other games in the trilogy were masterpieces too (even II, which I’ve softened on quite a bit), but Dark Souls III is the polished jewel, the completed masterpiece, the closest thing I think we’ll ever get to a perfect soulslike. The gameplay is tuned to perfection, every weapon and animation feeling perfect, the story is probably the least obscure of the whole trilogy, but still compelling, and the atmosphere is at its bleakest and most rich. I definitely think you need to have played the other games to get the most out of it - so many calls back to the previous games right the way to the final boss - but it’s worth it. Every bit of difficulty in the trilogy was worth it for the raw catharsis of finishing this game. Can’t recommend it enough.