It’s safe to say that Dark Souls III was by FAR my most anticipated game of the EB Expo. I was curious to see not only what From Software could do to further enhance the series, but also whether or not some inspiration would be drawn from Namco and From Software’s smash hit Bloodborne, and finally whether or not the return of Hidetaka Miyazaki as game director would breathe new life into the series. Sadly, since I only had such a brief amount of time with the game (around 20 minutes) many of these questions still went unanswered.
One question that was answered was how Dark Souls III would look on next-gen consoles. The Souls series of games have always been known for sacrificing top-of the line visuals in favour of solid gameplay, and Dark Souls III looks to be no exception. That isn’t to say that the game looks ugly by any stretch of the imagination; the character and enemy models look superb and the desolate landscape is brimming with character unto itself. I could also see a lot of Bloodborne’s inspiration in the locale, which looked like a slightly more medieval take on the rooftops of Yharnam. It was kind of cool to see the styles of the two games meet each other like this.
Gameplay-wise, it felt exactly like you would want it to. That is to say, it felt like Dark Souls. Controls were right and responsive. The weapons all felt different (there were three weapon type to try out in the demo build) the enemies had a terrifying presence and the items all looked and felt familiar. best of all; It ran as smooth as silk!
I really wanted more time with Dark Souls III, but even with just the short time that I had, I am already excited. Thankfully the Dark Souls III Network Test is coming up soon and after that we only have to wait until early next year to prepare to die all over again.
For the rest of our coverage of the 2015 EB Games Expo, click here.
