Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King

 PC
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 210 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 139 out of 210
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 210
  3. Negative: 37 out of 210

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  1. StaticSpine
    Aug 3, 2014
    8
    I really liked the level design and the atmosphere. New enemies were nice too. Not much of a story/lore though. Most of the location is greenish/brownish/grey tombs and caves - that's not very pleasant to watch. The most annoying thing - the all the bosses are pretty much reused copies from DS/DSII, except the "gank squad", which is basically three red phantoms on one arena, it was hell ofI really liked the level design and the atmosphere. New enemies were nice too. Not much of a story/lore though. Most of the location is greenish/brownish/grey tombs and caves - that's not very pleasant to watch. The most annoying thing - the all the bosses are pretty much reused copies from DS/DSII, except the "gank squad", which is basically three red phantoms on one arena, it was hell of a fight, but still the boss design is lazy. Overall, the DLC is decent and fun to play. Waiting for other two.… Expand
  2. superexplosive
    Jul 24, 2014
    9
    The Crown of the Sunken King DLC brings a new level of navigation to Dark Souls II.

    Shulva, the Sunken City exudes a sense of atmosphere that I have been waiting for. Being an underground city, the player will find themselves traversing narrow passageways, surrounded by looming enemies and intriguing contraptions. The player will find, through experimentation, the purpose behind the    The Crown of the Sunken King DLC brings a new level of navigation to Dark Souls II.

    Shulva, the Sunken City exudes a sense of atmosphere that I have been waiting for. Being an underground city, the player will find themselves traversing narrow passageways, surrounded by looming enemies and intriguing contraptions. The player will find, through experimentation, the purpose behind the switches placed across the city. The player will also find themselves backtracking through dark corridors, scanning all the nooks and crannies for missed loot. While this may seem like a dreary, tedious mess, I can assure you it is not. As Dark Souls proves time after time, this dungeon-style exploration remains enjoyable for the player- especially if you take a co-op partner with you.

    This DLC brings more to the table in the form of loot and boss encounters. The Crown of the Sunken King allows players to collect new weapons, armor, spells, and consumables during the trek. I will not spoil these items, but I will say that many are unique- some being unlike anything a Souls game has had before. As for boss battles, there are technically three. Two are in the traditional Dark Souls style, while the other is geared to be fought in a co-op dungeon area. This particular event does not feel like much of a boss fight, although I can understand that it was made to be a cooperative battle. The other two bosses are luckily quite fun and present an interesting lore to look in to. As per usual, the souls acquired from these two fights can be crafted into weapons which tie into the aforementioned lore rather nicely. Lastly, the player is given access to a new Memory outside of Shulva, accessed by using the Ashen Mist Heart in the Undead Crypt.

    Overall, The Crown of the Sunken King impressed me with its engaging level design and entertaining challenge. I was able to complete this content in around three to four hours including the time it took me to backtrack for loot. As this is only one of three parts being added to Dark Souls 2, I am very much anticipating the next release in August.    … Expand
  3. xKindred
    Aug 28, 2014
    10
    Much better than the first, so so good! Bosses are relatively easier than the first dlc's, but the items on offer for exploring dlc are excellent. Recommended.
  4. Briosh
    Jul 23, 2014
    9
    This is how DLC should be done. In some ways its even beeter than the rest of the game! Unpredictable enemies with variety of tactics. Interactive environments and brilliant level design where everything is interconnected like the first Dark Souls and also, 4 to 10 hours of gameplay with 2 very challenging bosses. For 9€ it is well worth it and I bet you will be visiting the new areasThis is how DLC should be done. In some ways its even beeter than the rest of the game! Unpredictable enemies with variety of tactics. Interactive environments and brilliant level design where everything is interconnected like the first Dark Souls and also, 4 to 10 hours of gameplay with 2 very challenging bosses. For 9€ it is well worth it and I bet you will be visiting the new areas quite often for farming, adding even further playtime.… Expand
  5. DomiNito
    Jul 23, 2014
    9
    Probably the best DLC I've seen in a while. Being a Dark Souls freak, I've loved the series returning to Dark Souls 1 long ago. Ever Since Dark Souls 2 returned, I've felt like Dark Souls 2 wasn't as good as the first, and lacked something. To be honest, this DLC was what it needed. Walking in, you see a huge temple in the distance, and looking below reveals a swampy area with Toad-DemonProbably the best DLC I've seen in a while. Being a Dark Souls freak, I've loved the series returning to Dark Souls 1 long ago. Ever Since Dark Souls 2 returned, I've felt like Dark Souls 2 wasn't as good as the first, and lacked something. To be honest, this DLC was what it needed. Walking in, you see a huge temple in the distance, and looking below reveals a swampy area with Toad-Demon things. This area also included the type of exploration you expected Dark Souls 2 to have. The single player had a mostly straight path, this DLC doesn't as far as I'm concerned. It let's you explore as much as you want. To be honest, I retraced my steps a bunch of times to find all of the loot, not much of what I did in the Single Player. To twisting mazes, to puzzles, to moving structures, this DLC really shines. This DLC also does something that the Dark Souls 2 Single Player didn't do: Shortcuts. There are a multitude of shortcuts to different areas in the DLC, and it really feels like Dark Souls 1 in this sense. There are some good spells that you get in this DLC, as well as armor and weapons, and the boss fights are tremendously hard. The first one wasn't so bad, but the second one...I'll tell you this, just summon a player, at least 1 player. Otherwise, you might call yourself dead. To be honest, this DLC almost feels like they made it too hard for some reasons. I like how they spaced out bonfires, so it feels refreshing to finally find a checkpoint, but they've hidden them way too much. Even after beating he DLC, I still didn't find the last one in an area, I had to look up a guide to find the other. I also feel that either the Bosses had Too much health, or Too high resistance to damage. This DLC isn't perfect, but it's damn sure a great one, and a great start to From's DLC series. I can't wait for the next one.… Expand
  6. TommyTanker
    Jul 27, 2014
    10
    With the DLC things get even harder, just when you thought they couldn't. Having knocked up 340 hours in Dark Souls 2 on PC. This DLC takes me further into the storyline, which too my surprise is all connected. Great news armour and weapons you pick up too!!
  7. artoriascz
    Jul 23, 2014
    10
    4 hours atmosphere in Dark Souls is far more than 30 hours of kitsch in Divinity:Origin of Sin. 10/10 again. DLC is harder than the original game. Best DLC since Artorias of the Abyss.
  8. Garfoodle
    Sep 2, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok, lets make this short. The DLC is good. The level design is based around player interation and discovery. Good. The bosses are Ok. Seeing as I put a spoiler tag,the bosses are a Dragon that spits acid. Cool. A Gank Squad. Even better. And a Nashandra that summons Velstad. Meh.
    The scenery is a lot more "Dark Soulsian", as its very gritty and well, ya.
    If you like DkS2, you've owned it since launch. If your waiting for a sale because you think DkS2 is ok...well...get it?    … Expand
  9. mystero
    Aug 1, 2014
    9
    Fantastic DLC!!!
    Probably best DLC that i ever seen!
    But there is something that is very bad, the dlc is better than the game, why they don't do the game like the DLC? It would be thee greatest game ever.
  10. nurfedx
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    One of the best Games known to mankind.
    From Software is a safe heaven for the Gaming community.
    Especially in times where big Developers dissapiont us with theyr fraudulent intent.
    Praise the sun!
  11. Ravvy
    Aug 11, 2014
    8
    The DLC area is way better than the usual areas of the game. The map design is actually good here and the boss fights are better than any fights I had in Dark Souls 2 before. Well its still bad that there isn't a single NPC you can interact with in this DLC and the standard enemies are only strong because they almost never stagger. Not as great as the Artorias of the Abyss DLC but it's close.

Awards & Rankings

45
#45 Best PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 25, 2014
    90
    Satisfying add-on to a great game, with interesting bosses. [Oct 2014]
  2. CD-Action
    Oct 22, 2014
    60
    It looks like Crown of the Sunken Kings was developed by interns, as it misses many elements that made Dark Souls II an exceptional game. [10/2014, p.66]
  3. Hyper Magazine
    Sep 14, 2014
    80
    Manages to capture the rewarding highs and terrifying lows that define the souls series. [Issue#253, p.68]
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