Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
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No score yet - based on 1 Critic Review

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
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  1. PlayStation Universe
    May 26, 2017
    85
    The Ringed City is a fine ending to a memorable franchise, making the Fire Fades Edition a must-buy for anyone looking to jump into it head first.

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User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 83 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 83
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 83
  3. Negative: 9 out of 83
  1. BlakDak666
    Apr 21, 2017
    9
    Dark Souls 3: The Fire Fades Edition is a fantastic experience for new players to hop into if they have never gave the game a try. The finalDark Souls 3: The Fire Fades Edition is a fantastic experience for new players to hop into if they have never gave the game a try. The final chapter (supposedly) of the Souls saga, Dark Souls 3 is still as brutal and engrossing as other Souls titles in delivering powerful moments. With the base game, Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City, there is alot of content for players to chew through and enjoy. Allow me to further point to the pros, cons and mixes Dark Souls 3 has from a player since its release last year.

    Pros:
    1) Out of all the trilogy, I would argue the combat in DS3 is the best one. The way you can use skills on weapons and have more fluidity in engagement really feels like you are in control far better than 1 or 2 could. This isn't to say those ones were bad (far from it really), but something about the speed, sound and engagement just really made me love it.

    2) The OST and DLC soundtrack is arguably the best of the Souls series (including Bloodborne and Demons Souls). The use of orchestra, choir, bells and certain instruments really help elevate the boss fights and I am confident in saying that listening to the tracks on their own would make you cry or feel pumped up. The main menu theme is perhaps one of the best main menu themes I have ever heard in a video game (just my opinion though).

    3) The bosses that are good to fight are some of the best the series has ever had. The music mixed with their moves, sounds and landscape with surround sound or a gaming headset is pure magical and wonderful. Their designs are interesting and often use a theme that can make players asks questions if they are really sharp.

    4) The lore of the game implies a end of an age, so expect madness to run rampant and see the world come to a dark end. The atmosphere does a good job at conveying the severity of how beautifully depressing the tone is for the game. Not as much as Bloodborne's (and not super graphically amazing or anything), but still get the job done.

    5) Co-op and password matching is great for newcomers to summon help and friends when they struggle through a jam. It might make fights easier, but I love the idea of helping someone who might be new.

    6) DLCs are solid and definitely fun to play through. Not fantastic like Old Hunters in Bloodborne or Artorias in Dark Souls 1, but still good expansions.
    Cons:
    1) The PVP is just not that great, and I am convinced it never will be. The poor connection times make frustrating moments of lag hits and kills that feels like From just didnt care about putting in a dedicated server ever. Thankfully, online is optional so you don't need to be upset much (although npc invaders and spirits are very tanky and powerful when they hit you).

    2) Some of the worst bosses of the Souls series are here too. Not to a degree like Dark Souls 2, but to have bad or lazy bosses thrown in is still a wasted opportunity. Admittedly, some of the enemy variety is lacking, with flailing beasts and poor telegraphed reaction frames from some that feels very cheap and hurts the challenge significantly. It's like From put Bloodborne in for PC and Xbox players instead of focusing on more Dark Souls 1.

    Mixes:

    1) The lack of an interconnected world had disappointed so many players around Dark Souls 3's launch, but the linearity of levels and difficulty curves are not that bad and actually good to gauge players on progress.

    2) The story (different from lore) is a rehash of the previous two Dark Souls, and with that there is alot of rehashing used. It is difficult to say if Dark Souls 3 is truly original, as it borrows from all of its previous entries and has only a handful of original concepts and ideas. Does not mean it's necessarily bad, but I can't help it that seeing certain armors from the previous entries seemed more like From was trying to give fanservice instead of creating a full fledged original game.

    3) The PVP arena addresses the PVP issue a bit, but the unreliable servers make it difficult to enjoy. You can use passwords to settle scores with friends, rivals or whoever and there are multiple maps and modes to play on.

    4) Covenant system is lazy. You don't get penalized for dropping out of one and only two awards are given after you offer your 30th item. It doesn't mean it's bad, but the fact Dark Souls 1 had one that needed improvement and Dark Souls 2 flushed it down the drain, it makes Dark Souls 3's flop like a fish on giving players anything meaningful and feel like they are of a covenant.

    As a fan of the Souls series and playing DS3 on and off over a year (clocking at about 200+ hours), and despite the cons and mixed reactions, I still think it will be amazing and fun overall for newcomers. It will be brutal, but also rewarding in your skills and with a price of $49.99 to boot, newcomers are getting a very good deal with the game that can easily give you 30-50 hours of content in your first run alone. PREPARE TO DIE ONCE LAST TIME!    … Full Review »
  2. Allthat
    May 17, 2017
    10
    What can I say? The best game of 2016 plus both of its amazing DLCs. This is a perfect example of value for your money, as over a 100 hoursWhat can I say? The best game of 2016 plus both of its amazing DLCs. This is a perfect example of value for your money, as over a 100 hours can be spent with this. And if your a DS fan then that last DLC is just the best as it gives closure to the whole series. If you aren't crying at the end then I don't know you. Worth every penny and more.… Full Review »
  3. Rox22
    Feb 18, 2019
    10
    At the end, there was only Dark Souls 3. After playing over 400 hours worth of Bloodborn, Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2. I finally came to this.At the end, there was only Dark Souls 3. After playing over 400 hours worth of Bloodborn, Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2. I finally came to this. This was/is glorious!

    What a fantastic way to end off the Dark Souls Trilogy. This game takes all that it did in the previous 2 games, with some lessons from Bloodborn thrown in for good measure, and made this. The best of the series.

    Dark Souls 3 improves on everything. Visuals, sound, action variety. It's all bigger and better.

    Visually DS3 is just a marvel, with every environment rich in detail that it would take nearly forever just to see just how much work went into the art design. There is also such a degree of variety as well with some earlier areas being affected by actions later in the game, drastically altering the feel and tone of those areas.

    Gameplay has just been taken to the top. No longer as stiff as DS1 and enemy placement and difficulty at the "just right" setting. Challenging, but not so difficult as to make things impossible. There is also such a variety in weapons and build types that you can easily just start the game again and again trying a different style and approach each time. I do miss the power stance and dual wielding function that was in DS2, but even so, there is still plenty of variety.

    As for the DLCs. Both utterly gorgeous and with some of the hardest and fun boss fights of the whole series. Both have such a wealth of extra content that they are well worth the it for anyone who hasn't gotten them yet.

    As for the online. It is allotof fun and PvP is a great improvement on it's predecessors, almost making it as good as the main game. But I also feel that there should be a better system to pair people who are similar in skill (eg. Death to Win ratio, and total number of PvP battles should also factor into the pairing.) I find people on PvP are either insanely good, or really really bad, there doesn't seem to be an inbetween.

    Overall:
    I have played over 400 hours of Dark Souls 3, and I'm still playing it. It has quality, quantity of content and great online play. As close to perfect a game as I can see. While this is the end of the trilogy, I hope it is not the end of Dark Souls forever.    … Full Review »
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