The Souls games are not for the weak of heart. They throw you in at the deep end, with none of the hand-holding that has softened gamers up over the years. And we love them for it. There's no recharging health bar, no minimap, no explanation and definitely no pausing. The boss battles are epic, the regular enemies punish you if you slip up, and even if you've got a good grip on how to beat them, human players invading your game will push you to your limits. They've become some of only a handful of games that are still genuinely fun after a good 200 or 300 hours. Hell, you'll probably end up with such a triple-figure hour runtime on your first playthrough, without it feeling needlessly padded. All of these and more are the reasons Dark Souls has been such a surprise success - an utterly unique experience that recaptures the intense difficulty of pre-2000s gaming. But, it is not a flawless series. From being unplayable without a controller to terrible hit-boxes and some missed opportunities in boss fights, there's a lot that Dark Souls 3 can improve on. The Souls series has already been hailed as having within it some of the best games ever made, but if FromSoftware want to keep people coming back (or even expand the series' popularity), there are a many things it simply needs to get right for the next instalment.
Currently living the dream by studying in Wales and writing articles about the things I love for beer money. My proudest achievements are teaching myself Accordion and getting my head round the off-side rule.
