Dark Souls III

 PC
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 56
  3. Negative: 0 out of 56
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  1. Ars Technica
    Apr 5, 2016
    It's 50 hours of arduous combat trials speckled with some of the best boss design this series has ever had. And just like so many times before, it's a battle of attrition I came to love.
  2. Kotaku
    Oct 19, 2016
    The sense of triumph after defeating a Dark Souls boss is unlike anything else I’ve felt in video games.
  3. Mashable
    Apr 11, 2016
    If you're a fan of the Dark Souls series, this game will give you another simply great 50-60 hours, though you may end up finally having your fill.
  5. PCWorld
    Apr 4, 2016
    Unlike the Xbox, the PC version looks great without compromising performance. I’ve been pushing the game at maximum on my GeForce GTX 980 Ti and it’s generally maintained a steady 60 frames per second, though I’ve noticed a few loading stutters occasionally. Never anywhere important.
  6. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Apr 4, 2016
    If this were to be the final Souls game, I’d be happy to say goodbye. It’s not quite the crowning achievement of the series but it’s a fantastically inventive and fluid interpretation of the formula. And perhaps that would make it a great first Souls game for somebody new to the series as well.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Apr 12, 2016
    I’m not so sure how well the series will hold up to another reincarnation. With all the constant recycling of ideas, its flame is starting to fade. Luckily, it was such a magnificent fire to begin with that it’s still a roaring success even after a little dwindling.

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best PC Game of 2016
4
#4 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
14
#14 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

User Reviews

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User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4553 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,853 out of 4553
  2. Mixed: 281 out of 4553
  3. Negative: 419 out of 4553
  1. MityaJ
    Mar 21, 2017
    10
    Yes, it is not such a phenomenon as the first one, and, seriously, it can't stand to that masterpiece.
    But still this game just absorbed    Yes, it is not such a phenomenon as the first one, and, seriously, it can't stand to that masterpiece.
    But still this game just absorbed everything great about Demon Souls, Dark Souls 1&2, Bloodbourne and there is nothing wrong with it, because it's a quintessence of Hidetaka Miyazaki's ingenious creativity.
    The stortelling, characters, foes, gameplay, f*cking legendary atmosphere... Thanks, Hidetaka. I'm sorry that this is the end of those game series. Looking forward for your future creations.    … Full Review »
  2. IsaacSlade
    Apr 12, 2016
    10
    To put it simply, Dark Souls III is a phenomenal game. Not a perfect one, despite what me giving it a ten may say. If I were to give it a moreTo put it simply, Dark Souls III is a phenomenal game. Not a perfect one, despite what me giving it a ten may say. If I were to give it a more accurate score, I'd personally give it a 9.4. It brings back a lot of elements from the first Dark Souls, and the level designs really do feel like I'm in a different version of Lordran. Whenever I see the sweeping castles in the distance, I can't help but be reminded of Anor Londo. And traversing the High Wall of Lothric just feels so much like traversing the high ledges of Undead Parish, it's just...nostalgic and refreshing at the same time. Even the cliffs in the Cemetery of Ash up to Firelink Shrine remind me of the cliffs surrounding the original Firelink Shrine, as well as the graveyard surrounding The Catacombs. It truly is like a love letter to the series, as well as to the fans who have been with the series since the start.

    Moving on to the gameplay aspects, combat is much faster now (you can thank Bloodborne for that), and there's a new element to it that has been added, in the form of Weapon Arts (I think that's what they're called). These function as special techniques that change based on the weapon you happen to be using, and deal high damage at the cost of a new uh...I'm not really sure what to call it, but it functions similarly to health (you even get a unique Estus Flask to refill it). I don't know the actual name, but it's referred to as FP, and a little is drained every time you use a Weapon Art. There's also a 'Cinder Mode' where you have double health and I believe increased strength until death. You can achieve this by either killing a boss, or using a consumable item known as an Ember.

    And all those pesky annoyances about Hollowing, such as losing some of your max health, as well as now looking like a zombie, are gone. When you die, you just lose all of your Souls and are sent back to the last bonfire. No Health loss, no green skin, none of that. If I'm not mistaken, death functions similarly to Bloodborne in that aspect. I have yet to find out how dying affects PVP and Summoning, however, so unfortunately I can't speak on that.

    I will close with a slight warning. The PC version has occasional framerate dips. Fortunately, at least for me, they didn't interrupt play too much, and I was still plenty able to enjoy my time with the game despite these dips.

    All in all, I absolutely love this game. It's fantastic, it really, really is.    … Full Review »
  3. Avadon
    Apr 12, 2016
    3
    The game is in a disastrous state for me. Running on 4790k, 16g ram, gtx980. The framerate is high, but suffers from occasional weird spikesThe game is in a disastrous state for me. Running on 4790k, 16g ram, gtx980. The framerate is high, but suffers from occasional weird spikes that really impact the gameplay. But that's nothing compared to the constant crashing. The game crashed 4 times for me in 90 minutes. I refunded because I don't trust FROM with fixing their games in a timely manner. When Dark Souls 1 was first released on PS3, the target locking was completely broken. It took them like 3 months to fix it, and it really ruined the experience. It took them so long to fix something that basic and important. Let's not even mention the weapon degradation nonsense in DS2 for PC, which they only bothered with when they had to deal with it for the PS4 version. I just don't trust them.

    The game itself looks great from my limited experience, but I recommend you wait and keep an eye on patch announcements and the Steam forums before you buy it. As for the score, I can't give a game that crashes every 20 minutes anything higher than 3. Will revisit it if/when they fix the game and update the review.    … Full Review »
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