Full Review of DARK SOULS™ III. Cursed is Lorthric

Dark Souls 3 breathes new life into the franchise, providing visually stunning locations which are both scary and enchanting. It also brings fresh combat including dual wielding which makes the action exhilarating.

Graphics: 4.0

The Kingdom of Lorthric is a stunning marvel, and you’ll enjoy moving through the various scenes and levels. While the framerate occasionally dips, the action moves fast enough that you might not notice this. The creatures you fight against are as terrifying as it gets, and you might lose a bit of sleep with some of the images that stick in your mind. A powerful soundtrack accompanies boss fights, but other than that there is an eerie effect to regular gameplay.

Gameplay: 5.0

In the Kingdom of Lorthric, the Age of Fire is coming to an end, ushering in the Age of Dark. This leads to the rise of undead creatures which must be defeated by The Ashen One who needs to face the Lords of Cinder to restore them to their thrones and rekindle the fire. The player is provided with a variety of weapons and shields, and also possesses special abilities to cast spells on enemies.

Bonfires act as checkpoints for the game’s different levels. You can reconfigure your character at the Bedchamber bonfire, and here you can also exchange collected souls for stat points. In the same location, you’ll be able to talk to other characters and buy useful items. The swinging of weaponry is faster, and movements are more fluid than in other releases. This makes combat action extremely effective in Dark Souls 3. Spells ranging from Pyromancies, Miracles to Sorceries can be cast to different effect.

Controls: 5.0

I’m giving this an almost perfect rating because the mechanics on an Xbox controller for a Dark Souls game have never been more fluid. They are entirely in sync with the controller movements, and you’ll enjoy tackling big enemies or swinging huge weapons without any shift in FPS or any unnecessary freezing. Movement is easy, and you can also set your weapons for dual hand mode. You can also toggle through weapons easily using the D-Pad.

Replay Value: 4.5

Enemies in Dark Souls 3 are completely relentless, and the boss fights are even more brutal than ever before. The adrenaline rush from the fights and the need to beat a foe itself gives the game a high replay value. The great variety of weaponry in Dark Souls 3 places this game above Bloodborne in terms of playability. The addition of weapon arts is a great one. The plot is a little less interconnected than it was in Dark Souls 2, but this won’t be an issue with all that sweet action.

Conclusion

The best quality of the game is Lothric’s locations which are brilliantly designed. Dark Souls 3 might be the last that we see from the franchise in a while, but this RPG lives up to the original Dark Souls legacy with fascinating scenery and better class improvement. You can tell that the developers spent a good amount of time trying to create a richer experience for gamers with all these additions.