Dark Souls III

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 69 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 69
  3. Negative: 0 out of 69
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  1. Polygon
    Apr 4, 2016
    70
    In so many important ways — its world design, its pacing, the technology powering it — Dark Souls 3 falls short of the mark. Do you play for the joy and stress of exploring dangerous, intricately crafted places full of hidden elements and endless side paths? Then I suspect you'll join me in being a little let down with the direction this sequel has gone in.
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  1. Wired
    Apr 4, 2016
    Most games don’t try to break you, don’t ask you to band together and conquer something that seems impossible. Still, Miyazaki says, Dark Souls is made to beaten: “When [we] set the difficulty level… our objective was to make the game possible to accomplish.” It takes time, and it takes effort, but no matter who you are, or how you want to play, Dark Souls wants to see you succeed.

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best PS4 Game of 2016
4
#4 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016
14
#14 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2016

User Reviews

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User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 5171 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,678 out of 5171
  2. Mixed: 199 out of 5171
  3. Negative: 294 out of 5171
  1. adrenilinmatt
    Apr 12, 2016
    10
    Just started playing this last night, already clocked 9 hours, the graphics are stunning, combat is fluid and the music and voice acting ISJust started playing this last night, already clocked 9 hours, the graphics are stunning, combat is fluid and the music and voice acting IS PHENOMENAL. I love dark souls so much and if this truly is the final dark souls game, itll be a sad day for us all. But bittersweet, because we're sent off with a final stunning entry in this amazing series. Thank you FromSoftware.… Full Review »
  2. doug_quaid
    Apr 15, 2016
    4
    Ok, I realize the reviews here are a wall of 10's, but I have to put my honest opinion here. First off I'm coming directly from Bloodborne,Ok, I realize the reviews here are a wall of 10's, but I have to put my honest opinion here. First off I'm coming directly from Bloodborne, which I beat four times/loved, and haven't played any of the previous Souls games, so I'm going to be biased - for anyone else coming straight from Bloodborne, beware!

    I just don't like the feel of the combat mechanics in Dark Souls 3. Bloodborne was lightning fast, free-flowing, elegant, extremely responsive, almost Street Fighter level controls, combos and counters. Dark Souls feels like you're moving through molasses, fighting the controls (and camera) every step of the way. In Bloodborne with some finesse and dodging you can take on a room full of enemies, In Dark Souls you have to pull one at a time, even 2-3 guys is generally being cornered/death. Bloodborne encourages lightning-fast reaction times and pushing forward with aggression when you're wounded, Dark Souls rewards a slow, heavy armor, plodding, hiding behind a shield/turtling style.

    Lastly the art style - Bloodborne was an incredibly rich, detailed, nuanced, eerie, Lovecraftian nightmare, while Dark Souls seems to embrace this generic Lord of the Rings/Game of Thrones type fantasy environment with an undead vibe. Crumbling towers, dungeons, dragons, evil forest, swamps, check, check. I'm just not digging the art style, and it feels like a huge step backwards from Bloodborne quality and detail-wise.

    I gave up and returned the game after about 15 hours and 6-7 bosses. I just can't hack it, it's just not that fun. Every death in Bloodborne felt like it was teaching me patterns and making me improve - every death in this game feels annoying because you were fighting the controls instead of the boss.

    Sorry guys! I know I'm a dissenting opinion in a wall of perfect 10 reviews here and everyone seems to just love it, but I'm not just not feeling it. Here's to hoping Bloodborne 2 is being developed next!    … Full Review »
  3. Jpwr39
    Apr 13, 2016
    6
    I'm a diehard Sun Bro and have been Praisin' for years. Since Demon Souls first came out actually. But why am I disappointed with this game?I'm a diehard Sun Bro and have been Praisin' for years. Since Demon Souls first came out actually. But why am I disappointed with this game? While some of the visual effects have been improved, the overall graphics have not. Lords of the Fallen and Bloodborne both look better. They definitely have not pushed any boundaries there.
    Next, the camera. I'm tired of fighting it. It's OP. During the first boss battle there were multiple times where the target selected icon came off the boss randomly and the camera lost its bearings. At one point while standing on a scaffolding with a enemy beneath me I started to spin fast. The enemy below me was doing a spin to win attack and here is me above him spinning in place . WTF
    Lastly, the game doesn't feel new enough or different enough to me. Lots of the same weapons and shields from DS2, lots of the same Miracles from DS2. There is just too much of it that feels recycled from DS2 and Bloodborne. I told my wife about the game and how excited for it that I was and she asked yesterday "Did you get your new game?" I said "Yeah hun, I'm playing it right now". She said "Oh, it looks exactly like the other one you were playing." Pretty much.    … Full Review »
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