While the Souls series has established itself as one of the big AAA titles we all look forward to every couple of years, the Dark Souls diehards will cry that the last 'true' game in the series was the original Dark Souls back in 2011. That was the last time Dark Souls was directed by designer-extraordinaire Hidetaka Miyazaki, and now in 2016 he will make a triumphant return to the franchise that brought him global recognition. Dark Souls 3 looks set to be the concluding, definitive entry in the series that completely redefined the gaming world's understanding of what it is that gamers really want - gruelling challenge, screams of agony and ecstasy in equal measure, and a forlorn fantasy world with no hope of redemption, it seems. With Miyazaki at the helm again, expectations are high that the grim, seamless open world of Dark Souls 3 will weave and intertwine on itself in that ingenious way the original did; that satisfaction of unlocking a gate or hidden passage that connects a deep, distant part of a tough area with the start of the area remains one of the most relieving, satisfying experiences in gaming. From what we've seen, Dark Souls will be darker, more open, and more majestic in its postlapsarian beauty than its predecessors, and should be a fitting, shrieking swansong for the series. Which open-world games are you most hyped for in 2016? Have we missed anything? Let us know in the comments, or to get your opinions shared with millions of readers, have a go at writing for WhatCulture!
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
