Couchpotato spotted that the Dark Souls: Archthrones demo is now available.

DSOG reports that the Dark Souls 3 prequel mod, Dark Souls: Archthrones, will receive a demo on March 15.

Wccf Tech reported that a first demo for the ongoing Ashen Blood mod was available on Nexus Mods.

Dark Souls 3 Bloodborne Mod ‘Ashen Blood’ Receives Demo

Overhauling one Souls-like with another one from FromSoftware - this new Dark Souls 3 Bloodborne mod alters the game's weaponry, map design, enemies, visual effects, and more.

Created by modder 'Jennisauris75', his 'Ashen Blood' overhaul looks pretty interesting, and the first demo for the project is now available for download. As expected, this Bloodborne-inspired mod is, single-player focused, and the demo was released as an early test just before the release of Elden Ring later this month.

We've included a short video from the mod in action, showing off a boss fight in Bloodborne-style, down below:

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[...]

DSOGaming reports on a Dark Souls III mod called The Convergence which adds over 150 spells, new boss monsters, weapons, and more.

According to its description, The Convergence aims to offer a whole new Dark Souls 3 experience with plenty of new spells, classes, items, weapons, bosses and much more.

Going into more details, this mod adds over 150 spells and 12 total spell schools. Additionally, it brings dozens of new weapons, armor and tools. Not only that, but this mod packs major map edits on certain zones including adding completely new areas to Irithyll and Farron.

[...]

DSOGaming reports on a mod that adds 10 new classes to Dark Souls 3.

Going into more details, the new classes that this mod adds are:

• Spear of the Church
• Thorns Knight
• Knight of Catarina
• Temple Knight
• Wandering Knight
• Slave Knight
• Lautrec´s Disciple
• Ghost Slayer
• Worker
• Old School Pyromancer

In addition, this mod modifies Sorcerer, Pyromancer and Cleric. Furthermore, it adds Ghost Rapier, Ghost Greatsword and Ghost Shield as new weapons.

You can download this mod from here.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

DSOGaming reports on a gameplay & combat overhaul mod called Champion's Ashes. Be careful of using it through as it could get you banned.

Again, its modding team has stated that Bandai Namco will ban you when using this mod. Therefore, you should make alternative Family Share Steam accounts. After you have set up another account, you can easily download and install the files onto your game, without fear of getting banned on your main account. You can find a guide for setting up a Family Share account here. Once Bandai Namco bans you, you can play online on the banned servers.

You can download Dark Souls 3 Champion’s Ashes from here, and you can find below its main changes.

[...]

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Thanks Farflame!

Farflame spotted this - no comment ...

Dark Souls Gets Loot Boxes

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CGM has reviewed Dark Souls III - Ringed City:

Dark Souls III: The Ringed City Review - A Punishing Finale

With The Ringed City, we are receiving the final adventure in the Dark Souls series. Talk about an end of an era. The franchise’s’ unique gameplay has essentially created its own sub-genre of action RPGs, with games like Nioh wearing the influence proudly. However, nothing quite feels like a Dark Souls game, and The Ringed City DLC is about as quintessential as it gets in most respects, but strangely lacking and unfamiliar in others. This is both a good and a bad thing, in a way. Fans of the series’ famous boss fights and notorious difficulty are sure to be delighted but those players looking for the labyrinthine, interconnected world design or some answers to the questions raised over the series’ three major entries will be left wanting.

[...]

All in all, The Ringed City is a bit of a mixed bag. The levels are gorgeous, great throwbacks to the rest of the series, but feel way too linear and rushed—especially in some sections. The cryptic and ambiguous storytelling the series is famed for is there, but not in any capacity that feels fitting for the end of such an epic tale. The enemies are tough as hell, and the boss fights are fantastic, but are weighed down by irritating sections and gameplay mechanics that don’t jive with the series. The new weapons are great, depending on your build, but plenty of the new sets are radical and Fashion Souls players should be pretty stoked.

Score: 7/10

The Ringed City is a fantastically punishing finale for the Dark Souls saga, but is held back by linear level design and an underwhelming story.

PC Gamer has reviewed the Dark Souls III - Ringed City DLC:

Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City review

Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City rushes through the series' history like an unhinged amusement park ride. It's excessively punishing, even by Dark Souls standards, and unusually straightforward, with a flat, linear design that doesn’t leave much room for exploration or inspire curiosity. Full of haunting landscapes and with a few exhilarating (and some infuriating) fights, it’s more Dark Souls, but not the fitting end the series deserves. With some of the worst level and encounter design of the series, The Ringed City blows by its dreary themes and thin story beats by constantly pushing the player towards an inevitable, obvious conclusion. 

[...]

Analyzed for its story alone, The Ringed City is an incoherent mess. Lore hunters will find new names and locations to build theories around, but theories are all they’ll ever be. Slave Knight Gael and the Painting Woman are the only characters that get somewhat complete arcs, and they were only just introduced in Ashes of Ariandel. I’m OK with no answers about the greater Dark Souls lore, but for anyone expecting to find a keystone of vital lore intel to tie it all together will be massively disappointed.

At times the difficulty and dreary landscapes are enough, but overall The Ringed City was one hell of a soft note for Dark Souls to go out on. As a surface level thematic experience, the finale is a fitting way to end the series, leaving the faintest glimmer of hope amidst all the ash. I had fun descending through a visual collage of the series’ history—it's much more interesting than Ashes of Ariandel—and I can appreciate the symbolic significance of its ending, but this is Dark Souls design at its most uninspired.

Score: 77/100

Thanks henriquejr!

Trusted Reviews checked out the Dark Souls III - Ringed City DLC:

Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City review

The Ringed City isn’t just another piece of DLC. It’s almost certainly the last piece of Dark Souls 3 content From Software will ever produce, and an extensive, enthralling adventure in its own right – one that represents all that’s best and worst about the Souls series.

[...]

Verdict

The Ringed City is a must for Dark Souls fanatics, and not just because it’s almost certainly the final chapter in what has become a cult classic series. It’s a great piece of DLC in its own right, with thrilling boss fights, gorgeous locations and an appropriately sad, mournful ending.

If you count yourself among the hordes of gamers who adore these games for what they are, then you’ll find this last jaunt through a perilous, dying world where everything wants to kill you over and over again a joy.

Score: 4/5

Here's the Ringed City DLC trailer for Dark Souls III:

Dark Souls III The Ringed City - PC/PS4/X1 - The Close of the Age of Fire

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Fear not the dark, ashen one. Journey to the world’s end to search for the Ringed City and encounter new lands, new bosses, new enemies with new armor, magic and items. Experience the epic final chapter of a dark world that could only be created by the mind of Hidetaka Miyazaki.

Thanks Farflame!

@GameRant A new gameplay video for the Dark Souls 3 DLC 'The Ringed City'.

...
As seen below in the trailer courtesy of Bandai Namco Entertainment America's YouTube page, players should expect The Ringed City DLC to introduce new areas, weapons, enemies, items, abilities, and much more. For instance, the footage shows off a few different locations encounters to be included in the upcoming Dark Souls 3 expansion, including an experience with a flying, ethereal creature with the capacity to shoot lasers, a boss battle between a humongous flame beast with wings, as well as a long exploration sequence after dropping into the side of a building in a city straight out of M.C. Escher's dreams.

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Not to mention, the latest Dark Souls 3 trailer for its Ringed City DLC features a look at some new dark plum-colored ghost baddies with the ability to change size and drag Ashen Ones into the underworld with them. Interestingly enough, there's even another variation of this specific monster, as there is also a type that can shoot flames from a shield and set its weapon ablaze during combat.
[...]

@DSOGaming Dark Souls 3 update 1.09 is now available.

This new patch for Dark Souls 3 fixes a number of issues in the Painted World of Ariandel, in the Undead Match, and in the Grand Archives.

Furthermore, this patch fixes an issue where it becomes impossible to progress further in the game because, Friede occasionally does not respawn as Blackflame Friede, fixes an issue where the application would freeze upon trying to load a 6-Player undead Match, and comes with various game balance tweaks.

Dark Souls 3 - Update 1.09 Changelog:

• Updated multiplayer in the Painted World of Ariandel so that guests can also fight Sir Vilhelm.
• Fixed an issue in the Painted World of Ariandel where Sir Vilhelm would get trapped in the rocks.
• Fixed an issue in the Painted World of Ariandel where Sir Vilhelm would disappear/reappear in certain areas.
• Fixed an issue in the Painted World of Ariandel where the character name is not displayed when locked on to Livid Pyromancer Dunnel.
• Fixed an issue where it becomes impossible to progress further in the game because, Friede occasionally does not respawn as Blackflame Friede.
• Fixed an issue in the Painted World of Ariandel where the Gravetender Greatwolf would not appear in the battle.
• Fixed an issue in the Painted World of Ariandel where a crab enemy would float in the air if led to a certain location.
• Fixed an issue in the Painted World of Ariandel where a certain Birch Woman would suddenly appear directly in front of the player.
• Fixed an issue in the Painted World of Ariandel where certain crystal lizards would not move until they began to attack.
• Fixed an issue in the Painted World of Ariandel where the crab enemies movement patterns would change if the player repeatedly saved/loaded data near them.
• Fixed an issue in the Painted World of Ariandel where the knight enemies in the tower would disappear if the player repeatedly saved/loaded data in that area.
• Fixed an issue in the Painted World of Ariandel where a bridge would break in the host's side, but not on the guest's side.
• Fixed an issue where the application would freeze upon trying to load a 6-Player undead Match.
• Fixed an issue in the Undead Match where the controls at times become unresponsive when joining a session.
• Fixed an issue in the Undead Match where consumable items were not restored after the battle ended.
• Fixed an issue in the Undead Match where the player is unable to see other players' soceries such as Homing Soulmass, Homing Crystal Soulmass, etc.
• Fixed an issue where some motions which were improved in patch 1.08 did not take effect when a weapon was equipped to the left hand.
• Fixed an issue where the weight of Curved Swords fluctuated in Regulation 1.22.
• Fixed an issue where the player can fall from any height by repeatedly performing the Crow Quills skill while the Silvercat Ring is equipped.
• Fixed an issue where player could not be absolved of sin as long as Siegward of Catarina remained in Irithyll of the Boreal Valley.
• Fixed an issue where the player was able to leave the area during the battle with the Crystal Sage.
• Fixed an issue in the Grand Archives where the Elder Prince, Lorian would warp outside of the boss area.
• Fixed an issue in the Grand Archives where a boss battle would start upon returning from a multiplayer session.
• Fixed an issue where the guest could enter the boss area before the host.
• Fixed other issues and adjusted game balance.

GameBanshee reviews Dark Souls III's Ashes of Ariandel DLC, and considers it an important addition despite disappointment over its size.

With only two bosses and a similar-sized area as Artorias of the Abyss and the Dark Souls II DLC, it's easy to see why there has been disappointment concerning the DLC's size. Still, there are a lot of opportunities to explore, and I feel like the strong atmosphere and the vague story are some of the most evocative material Dark Souls III has to offer. It's a bittersweet DLC that, PvE-wise, might either end up being ultimately redeemed or condemned by its promised 2017 successor, on which we still have no information.

...

All in all, Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel is perhaps a bit of a disappointment, but still a very worthy piece of downloadable content in the grand scheme of things, and one that will certainly become a mainstay in my next playthroughs of Dark Souls III.

RPGSite has reviewed the DLC Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel:

Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel Review

The Dark Souls series has history of producing additional content that often surpasses the base game in the eyes of many. The Artorias of the Abyss expansion for Dark Souls was so important to the games' story and world that it felt like it should have always been a part of the game. Dark Souls 2's 'Crown' DLC trilogy was so rife with quality that it elevated the game as a whole and made it a much better experience.

Now that brings us to Ashes of Ariandel, the first in a series of DLC for Dark Souls 3. The base game was one I believe to be the best overall of the series, so my expectations for this DLC were quite high. While Ashes of Ariandel is not inherently lacking in quality, it did unfortunately leave me wanting much more.

[...]

Ashes of Ariandel is by no means a drop in quality from the base game of Dark Souls 3, just one that lacks defining properties to help it stand on its own. If you are in the mood for more of that mechanic fineness and polish found in Dark Souls 3 already, then you will find plenty more here. However the new ideas introduced in this DLC rarely feel like they live up to their potential. Some of the combat encounters are brilliant, others feel more like a clumsy experiment. From Software opted to have Ashes of Ariandel go with the grain rather than against it. A safe bet for sure, but one that will leave players like myself wanting more.

Score: 7/10

The Dark Souls 3 DLC Ashes of Ariandel has a trailer about PVP.

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Wccftech have a preview for the Dark Souls III DLC Ashes of Ariandel.

As I ventured further into the Ashes of Ariandel DLC, I discovered more intimidating enemies. After falling through the snow I landed in an icy forest, populated by packs of wolves. Singularly, the wolves are pretty easy to defeat; however, their piercing howls soon attract the rest of the pack and before I knew it, I was completely surrounded by them. As if that wasn't enough to keep me on my toes, exiting the forest also marked my encounter with a huge wolf that actively tried to nudge me off the side of the cliff face. The enemies that followed were even more interesting. At points, I found myself cornered by hefty figures clad in in chainmail and horned helmets. These forest-dwelling foes brandished heavy axes and some even ambled alongside the wolves that I had met earlier. The most interesting enemy that I discovered in the demo were the trees. Adopting the silhouette of a woman, the trees would remain still until disturbed. Once awoken, they would lean forward and grab my character, blowing a gust of cold air that greatly depleted my health bar, before dealing further frost damage.

So far, the area that I've described may sound like your average starting area for Dark Souls and you'd be correct in assuming that. My first few minutes in Ashes of Ariandel almost felt soothing and despite the fact that many of the enemies that I encountered felt familiar, it was not a disappointing experience. There is certainly more to come. Turning a corner away from the wolves and entering a clearing littered with ruins and a dilapidated tower reminded me of the sheer depth of the story, history and secrets that Dark Souls encapsulates. Racing up the spiral staircase in the hopes of discovering a new item filled me with curiosity and excitement; as did sneaking up on the enemy halfway up and landing that oh-so-satisfying backstab. In the tower, I uncovered the ‘Captain's Ashes' which I found will unlock new items from the Handmaiden at the Shrine (unfortunately I do not know what these items are). I also picked up a Millwood Battle Axe and Follower Javelin, although these weapons may be common enemy weapons in this area.

Winter finally comes to the brutal world of Dark Souls III with the upcoming Ashes of Ariandel DLC.  FromSoftware gives us a closer look.

PCGamer reports that the latest update for Dark Souls III has made some anticipated changes to item balance, notably the Dark Sword.

A Dark Souls 3 update rolled out just ahead of the weekend has made a number of tweaks to various weapons, items, and effects in the game, including a long-awaited nerf to the Dark Sword. The official update notes say the sword now has "reduced weapon efficiency," which the "Detailed Changes" thread on the DS3 Fextralife Wiki has broken that down to mean about a five percent loss in effectiveness.

[...]

The full, official list of changes:

• All Dagger weapons: increased critical attack power.
• Dark Sword: reduced weapon efficiency.
• Anri's Straight Sword: reduced scaling effects.
• Wolnir's Holy Sword: added faith scaling and adjusted weapon efficiency accordingly.
• Crescent Moon Sword: added intelligence scaling and adjusted weapon efficiency accordingly.
• Morne's Great Hammer: added faith scaling and adjusted weapon efficiency accordingly.
• Lothric's Holy Sword: added faith scaling and adjusted weapon efficiency accordingly.
• Yorshka's Spear: increased FP damage effects.
• Scholar's Candlestick: reduced sorcery-strengthening properties.
• Demon's Fist: reduced weight.
• Greatsword of Judgement: increased attack power.
• Heysel's Pick: increased intelligence scaling.
• All shield-piercing weapons: added shield-piercing properties to regular attacks.
• All Skills that enchant a weapon with special properties: extended length of effect.
• Obscuring Ring: increased distance at which ring takes effect.
• Hornet Ring: adjusted efficiency.
• Black Serpent: adjusted tracking.
• Lightning Stake: now requires 1 attunement slot.
• Magic Barrier/Great Magic Barrier: extended length of effect.
• Divine Pillars of Light: increased attack power.
• White Dragon Breath: reduced stamina consumption.
• All Bug Pellet items: extended length of effect.
• Addressed other game balance issues and fixed other flaws.

The notes also state that the update will not require a patch or maintenance, and in fact if you've played Dark Souls 3 at any time over the past weekend, you should already have it installed. And in case you missed it, here's a video of guy who finished the game in well under three hours, without taking a single hit.

One very skilled (and very dedicated) Dark Souls III fan has apparently beaten the game without getting hit once.  Of all the things...

Most of us play Dark Souls games once, get killed a tonne of times, finish the game with only a shred of willpower left, and then retreat forever. Others approach it differently, like Twitch streamer FaraazKhan, who is so good at Dark Souls 3 that he's managed to complete it in less than three hours without being hit by a single enemy.

As you'll see, FaraazKhan spends a lot of time dodge rolling. Bravely, he's gone with a pure melee setup, so there's little sniping from afar with magic or arrows. Understandably, he avoids most of the game's optional bosses, and falls back on the trusty Homeward Bone in cases where things are getting a bit too hairy.

Check it out below. Cheers, Reddit.

(video at source)

Game Informer takes an introspective, thought-provoking look at using games as a lens through which to see our own lives.  For the author, it's Dark Souls.

Halfway through my second semester of teaching, I popped Dark Souls into the disc drive of my PS3. I had already played through the game before, understood its insistence on making you earn your victories through many, many failures. But I felt drawn to replaying through it for some reason, so I created a new character, and became hollow once more.

Lordran, the setting of Dark Souls, took a different shape this time. It was no longer just a spooky kingdom filled with all sorts of baddies that I had to get before they got me. Instead, it was an absolutely haunting place, a world of the dead and the damned, a realm of silence. I actually took the time to examine my surroundings. The algae green stone bridge guarded by the fiery Hellkite Dragon, the mountains of bloated blue corpses that lay at the bottom of New Londo Ruins. I witnessed a kingdom that had, perhaps in another age been one of great beauty and wonder, fallen so short of its promise and sunken into ruin.

I saw the unhappiness of my life reflected back at me in fragments, being fed to me in bearable installments, and I was engaging with it in a battle doomed to fail because I was confronting that misery without actually confronting it. Instead, simulating confrontation through an interactive assemblage of fantasy archetypes. But that was important for me...

...

Sometimes, as silly as it sounds, it’s easy to forget the human experience is not a universal one, and that we are all different entities constructed out of our own personal experiences and socio-economic circumstances. Each and every one of us prescribes different amounts of emotional and logical value to objects and experiences we come across in our lives. Someone might have some kind of deep moving emotional attachment to Watch Dogs, a game I truly despise, or Bubsy 3D. Unlikely? Sure. But it’s certainly within the realm of possibility. Besides, who am I, the guy who chose Tales From The Borderlands over The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt for his Game of the Year, to judge anyone on what they find meaning in?

Perhaps in the end it’s as simple as the right game at the right time, and for me in the fall of 2014, that game was Dark Souls because it allowed me to get away from my troubles without really getting away from them. Lordran is, to me, just as much my home as that little duplex in the heart of Georgia was, filled with memories good and bad, and an essential part of my experience as a person, cracked and broken in more places than the human eye can see, but also housing pockets of light burning well into the neverending night.

Youtube critics Errant Signal discuss Dark Souls III; specifically its level design, comparisons to Castlevania, and even the "git gud" meme.  Note: video contains spoilers.

Criticism-focused YouTube channel Errant Signal has posted a new Dark Souls III-themed video, to accompany its first video which examined the game's difficulty. This time, the video examines the community's insufferable "git gud" meme, the way its level design replicates haunted house tricks, the similarities between the series and Castlevania, and the way the series has become synonymous with "difficulty" in gaming press circles, to the detriment of actual critical analysis.

It feels a bit more superficial than the channel's usual fare, but it's still a good starting point for interesting reflections and discussions.

Source.

Just when you thought you'd seen it all, some incredibly talented person managed to beat a boss on Dark Souls III...using a dance pad.

Beating Dark Souls games using unconventional tools is a popular sport on the internet. Folk have beaten early instalments of the series using drum and guitar controllers in the past, while the rest of us swear in admiration. Now YouTuber Rudeism has taken up the challenge in Dark Souls 3: he's decided to beat the game using dance pads, because why not.

The boss battle embedded below is the game's first, Ludex Gundyr, and according to the creator it "only took nearly 30 attempts". At that rate, I'd hate to guess how many attempts some of the game' later bosses will require. Given the feats we've seen achieved in the past, though, it's inevitable someone will do it eventually.

Source.

For fans of Dark Souls III and Skyrim comes a first person mod for the former.

Now you can get the Skyrim experience with first person mode.
Zulliethewitch/ShadowedImage just released this really cool mod, all credit goes to them.
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/darksouls3/comments/4jiqpd/friend_of_mine_just_created_a_fully_working_1st/

[...]

Zulliethewitch, who you might know as the person who made that big cut content folder that was passed around a while back, recently made a completely working 1st person perspective DkS3 mod. Works a lot like the Dark Souls 1\2 1st person mods (which she also made).

...

NOTE: while this doesn't modify files, you're using this at your own risk.

Offline now, gonna be doing some more runs in about an hour

Gamereactor reports that Dark Souls III has sold over 3 Million copies:

After about one month in stores Dark Souls III it is apparant that From Software's action-RPG has done very well in terms of sales. Publisher Bandai Namco announced last night in a Japanese press release that From Software's latest game has sold (shipped) over three million copies worldwide. The sales figure was broken down to 1.5 million in North America, 1 million in Europe and 0.5 million copies in Japan and Asia. The Dark Souls series has now sold in excess of 13 million copies to date.

[...]

Digital Pinnacle has reviewed Dark Souls III:

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Our Review of Dark Souls III, the third installment in the notoriously hard Action RPG series!

The Dark Souls III series is over and FromSoftware is working on a new IP:

[...]

Miyazaki said:

"Dark Souls III will be have several DLCs like previous games. But there’s absolutely no plan right now for any sequels, spin-offs or tie-ins. But I can’t say for certain the possibility is 0%. For example, if a From Software developer comes to me in five years from now and begs ‘please let me make another Dark Souls’ then I will not rule out the possibility to let my subordinates start a new project. What is certain for now is, to me personally Dark Souls is over. So rather than make another sequel, I think it’s time we take a step to a new direction. Development of a new IP has already begun."

[...]

FilmGamesEtc has reviewed Dark Souls III:

This review is based on the PC version of Dark Souls III

FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series has always tested the limits of gamers. The original Dark Souls is an action RPG that is routinely ranked on lists of the hardest games ever made. The third installment of the series deserves a similar warning label. Dark Souls III was my introduction to the franchise, and I was blown away. With the notable exception of Ninja Gaiden for the original Xbox, this is easily the toughest game I have ever played.

Emotionally draining is a good way to describe Dark Souls III. There are exhilarating highs and crushing lows, both of which left me absolutely exhausted. This game can suck the hope and optimism right out of you, but the moments of victory are positively euphoric. After failing 20 times to down a particularly tough boss, that 21^st time when you finally destroy it is quite the rush: a feeling of elation that can only be elicited by accomplishing something you thought impossible just a few minutes ago. Of course, this sense of invigoration quickly fades the next time you run into a foe who squashes you like a bug.
[...]

Summary

DARK SOULS™ III continues to push the boundaries with the latest, ambitious chapter in the critically-acclaimed and genre-defining series. As fires fade and the world falls into ruin, journey into a universe filled with more colossal enemies and environments. Players will be immersed into a world of epic atmosphere and darkness through faster gameplay and amplified combat intensity. Fans and newcomers alike will get lost in the game hallmark rewarding gameplay and immersive graphics. Now only embers remain… Prepare yourself once more and Embrace The Darkness!

Good

• Exhilarating and punishing combat
• Shadowy landscapes and the constant fear of ambush create an atmospheric sense of terror
• Extremely flexible character building and customization
• Interesting and detailed lore
• Well-crafted environments make this linear game feel bigger than it actually is
• Engaging and varied PVP
• Beautiful graphics
• Plenty of good-looking armor sets

Bad

• Enemy AI behaves strangely in certain situations
• The bleak aesthetics gets a little tiresome after a while
• Soundtrack lacks variety
• The character creation system leaves a lot to be desired

Score 8.9/10

Gamespot reports that Dark Souls III is now Bandai Namco's fastest-selling game ever:

Dark Souls III enjoyed a record-breaking debut, Bandai Namco has announced. The From Software-developed RPG had the most successful launch day in the publisher's history, while it's also become the fastest-selling game ever for the company. Overall, Dark Souls III saw "incredibly strong" first-week sales.

However, no specific sales numbers for Dark Souls III were divulged in Bandai Namco's news release today. [...]

Richard Cobbett talks about how he never managed to 'get into' the Dark Souls games in the latest installment of the RPG scrollbars.

Ever had one of those games that you just long to get into, but can’t? There haven’t been many I’ve wanted to get into more than the Dark Souls series. To sink into the world I see people talking about on my Twitter feed. To have that sense of discovery in ash and ember. For that crumbling world to feel like something more than just a succession of traps and gauntlets. I want to like Dark Souls. I really hope Dark Souls 3 is the clicking point. But… so far, (whispers) I’ve never managed to like Dark Souls.

I say ‘managed’ for a reason. I’m not saying Dark Souls is bad. Nor do I have any problem with a game that’s a brutal challenge, or simply a game that’s not for me. What frustrates me is that I desperately want it to be for me. From the snippets of Keza and Jason’s book to the little bursts of design like Miyazaki wanting to see tragedy rather than horror in his undead dragons, it sounds great. But then I try to play one of them and just bounce right off in a way that I haven’t really done since STALKER.

Thanks Couch.

Here are more reviews for Dark Souls III.

MMORPG, 8.8

Dark Souls 3 is the great game everyone expected it to be. There’s no denying that.  Two late game bosses are absolutely off-the-wall fantastic.  But in hindsight having played it, I can’t help feeling that there’s not much room for the series to go if From Software insists on such a breakneck pace with sequels. Much like Bloodborne just felt like Souls in a different place, Dark Souls 3 feels like “more of the same” a little too often.  Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing, and I worry that another quick turnaround on a Souls game will make the series feel stale. Here’s hoping whatever comes next shows us that the From Software still has more tricks up its sleeve.

Eurogamer

This is a truly epic journey, from your first faltering steps across gloomy cliffs to striding like a lord-slayer through Lothric Castle. Like all epics it has endless diversions, quarrels, unexpected companions, and great big fights. Is it the finest Souls game yet? I don't know; it might be. I can say this, though: Dark Souls 3 is a fabulous game, and a fitting conclusion to the greatest trilogy of modern times.

Gameplanet, 7

Examiner, 5/5

Digitally Downloaded, 4.5/5

Gamingbolt, 8

God is a Geek, 9

Gamespot, 8

RPG Site, 9

PCGamesN, 9

Attack of the Fanboy, 4/5

WCCFTech, 9.2

The first reviews for Dark Souls III are coming in:

Polygon:

Dark Souls 3 lives up to the formula in some respects but falls short a little too often.

Score: 7/10

IGN:

If Dark Souls 3 truly is the last in the series as we know it, then it’s a worthy send-off. Weapon arts allow stylish and versatile new moves without tarnishing the purity of the combat system. Lothric’s awe-inspiring locations provide visually stunning arenas for rigorous exploration and fierce face-offs with hosts of deadly enemies and even deadlier bosses. While not all the risky changes land as neatly as others, Dark Souls 3 is a powerful journey and the sequel the series truly deserves.

Score: 9.5/10

AusGamers:

Good:

• The pitch perfect build-up of difficulty as the game progresses
• Every accomplishment is your own
• The final boss is brilliant but I can't tell you why
• When the level design is on point, it's brilliant
• I invaded someone as they ran up to the final boss because I'm a huge dickhead

Bad:

• Not a good PC port
• Swamps can go to hell

Score: 9.5/10

Rock, Paper, Shotgun:

If this were to be the final Souls game, I’d be happy to say goodbye. It’s not quite the crowning achievement of the series but it’s a fantastically inventive and fluid interpretation of the formula. And perhaps that would make it a great first Souls game for somebody new to the series as well.

My complaints are minor, given the quality of the game as a whole, and some of them are directed toward elements that make this entry more approachable than its predecessors. Just remember, if you are going to play, not even the biggest and most brutal beasts are as tough as you imagine when you first see them, and the next bonfire is rarely more than a few minutes away.

Destructoid:

If Dark Souls III truly is the last game for now, it makes perfect sense, since it's just as much of a love letter to fans as it is a culmination of the series. I may not have liked this iteration as much as the rest, but it's still streets ahead of most current action games and deserves a warm spot on your shelf by the bonfire.

Score 8.5/10

PC Gamer:

Dark Souls 3

Sprawling level design, thrilling combat, and masterful indirect storytelling make Dark Souls 3 the best Dark Souls yet.

Score: 94/100

Eli Roth has made an animation for the Dark Souls franchise, named The Witches.

Thanks Couch.

Hidetaka Miyazaki is interviewed by Wired about Dark Souls III, it's difficulty, potential expansion to other genres and the ways the game is played.

WIRED: As far back as 2009's Demon's Souls, your games have been renowned for their difficulty. What compels you to make such challenging experiences?
Hidetaka Miyazaki: I have no intention to make the game more difficult than other titles on purpose! It's just something required to make this style of game. Ever since Demon's Souls, I've really been pursuing making games that give players a sense of accomplishment by overcoming tremendous odds. We've added new items and weapons over the course of the series, and having a certain level of difficulty adds value to those because they incentivise players to experiment more with character builds and weapon load-outs.

Do you intend for player classes to be balanced, depending on player skill? Or are some deliberately underpowered, to create that greater sense of accomplishment?
It really does depend on the classes. They can drastically impact the overall 'difficulty' of the game. I want players to consider how to complete each stage using each class, utilising their strengths and weaknesses. There are different approaches, in both your route through certain areas of the game and how you maximise the attributes of each class. If you choose thief, for example, you'll need to be a lot faster and more careful than if you chose a warrior. Thieves don't have particularly powerful, big attacks, whereas charactets who can use magic, like the pyromancer, have an advantage -- their weapons and items give them an elemental edge. Each player should come up with their own approach to conquering environments in Dark Souls III.

Thanks Couch.

Bandai Namco has released the launch trailer for Dark Souls 3:

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Here is something for those who are in the UK at the right time, like Dark Souls and spicy food, all at the same time.

ASHES TO ASHES... WINGS TO WINGS...

Are you ready to embrace the fiery flavours of the deepest darkest chicken wing challenge yet? Well, prepare to sacrifice your soul to the Food Gods in the sky with the Dark Souls Wings Challenge this April. WARNING: they're HOT.

MEATliquor and Bandai Namco Entertainment UK and Sony Computer Entertainment UK have teamed up to create the Dark Souls Wings Challenge. Bringing a true sensory assault to your taste buds, the UK public will be challenged to eat twenty wings in the fastest time possible under extreme pressure.

From 4^th April to 29^th April, any brave challenger can visit a MEATliquor restaurant* to enter the Dark Souls Wings Challenge. Simply buy your wings and focus your mind on the eternal flame!

Those brave enough to take on the challenge will feel the heat, as a portion of the twenty wings are smothered in a quarter of a litre of chilli sauce; MEATliquor's darkest chilli sauce specially created for this challenge. The chef preparing the wings for hardy challengers is required to wear protective gloves, a mask and goggles to protect from the intensity of heat, as the wings pack a punch.

Although full of flavour, the heat is so intense that participants are required to sign a waiver before competing in the contest and must too wear protective gloves throughout the challenge.

Anyone able to complete the challenge will be rewarded with an exclusive 'I SURVIVED' the Dark Souls Wings Challenge T-Shirt and every victorious completer will be included in the Hall of Souls leaderboard for each restaurant.

The winner with the fastest time from each restaurant will receive a PlayStation®4 with the Dark Souls Collector's Edition, while the Soul survivor with the fastest time in the country will also receive a very limited Prestige Edition, which includes a colossal 40cm Lord of Cinder Figurine.

"We're very excited to be partnering with such an exciting food group as MEATliquor, whose famous food, individual approach and adventurous challenges have clearly captured the interest of food enthusiasts all across the UK" said Lee Kirton, PR & Marketing Director of Bandai Namco Entertainment UK. "Dark Souls III challenges players to overcome the odds - and we hope everyone will also enjoy the challenge of overcoming these incredibly hot wings".

"Video games & hot wings are two of my favourite things in life; the MEATliquor #DarkSoulsWings Challenge combines both. Come to MEATliquor and test your mettle". Yianni Papoutsis, Co-Founder & Creative Director of MEATliquor

Can you take on the challenge and achieve victory over the competition?

VISIT DARKSOULS3.COM FOR MORE GAME INFO!

VISIT MEATLIQUOR.COM FOR MORE RESTAURANT INFO!

*Participating MEATliquor restaurants include: MEATliquor (W1 London), MEATliquor (N1 London), MEATliquor (Leeds), MEATliquor (Brighton), MEATliquor (Bristol), MEATmission (Hoxton, London), MEATmarket (Covent Garden, London), CHICKENliquor (Brixton, London)

Couch spotted this gameranx information video for Dark Souls III:

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Dark Souls 3 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) is releasing soon and we have some tips and facts you NEED to know before you play.

In an article on GamesRadar, about Dark Souls III, the author explains that the game has lost some of it's mystique in favor of accessibility.

Perhaps though, by the time of a part three, the loss of some mystery was inevitable. Perhaps, in fact, Dark Souls could never truly exist more than once in its purest form, sequels inevitable but fundamentally unable to recreate the experience. By their very nature, intrigue and discovery cannot be repeated using the same systems – probably another reason Bloodborne took a slightly different direction. With repetition comes inherent degradation of the unknown, and many Dark Souls players have walked this path before. 

Maybe then, Dark Souls 3’s structure is less an erroneous mis-step as it is an admission of the problem, expressed through the very game design at the heart of the issue. Miyazaki is, after all, nothing if not a very insightful, experiential designer, one who has long mastered the art of communicating meaning through interaction. Coming alongside the end of Dark Souls as we know it, before From retools the series’ values in a fresh new direction, it’s entirely possible that DS3’s more direct, accessible set-up is intended as an everything-must-go fire sale, burning all that’s left as fast and as bright as possible, in the knowledge that the old shadows of mystery and intrigue just can’t and won’t do the job any more.

Destructoid share a video from the intro and character creation of Dark Souls III.

GamerHubTV interviewed a Dark Souls III dev:

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Bandai Namco and From Software ready Dark Souls 3 for global launch. Hear the latest details about the new gameplay, classes, embers, and music in this exclusive interview.

Thanks Couch!

PC Gamer thinks Dark Souls III is the sequel that part II should have been:

 

Dark Souls 3: the sequel 2 should have been

Certain assumption pop into your head when you learn you're going to be exploring a new Dark Souls 3 location called “Undead Settlement”. I expected the hanging corpses, carcasses broken on wheels, and the wet mud, almost the colour of dried blood. I didn't expect the sunshine, or the greenery. A massive amount of time seems to have passed since the events of Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2. Somehow, on the brink of its destruction, the world has been lifted out of the dark.

The zone is a vast, knotty township that displays all the hallmarks of a good Souls location. You arrive with a view of the whole area. The path slopes down towards a crevasse and a few huge structures sit on the horizon. From Software excel at using vantage points to tie locations to one another, creating a web of landmarks that you encounter from various angles. In the distance I see the silhouette of a giant firing a greatbow from the top of a tower. Later I walk through a graveyard below, and have to dodge his huge spear-sized bolts as they crash into undead townspeople. Later still I scale the tower and stand at the giant's knees. There I get an extraordinary view of the entire zone—a bizarre coiled wooded town perched on huge cliffs. To the left I see the previous area, a stunning castle the size of a small city, with huge bridges link its pointed spires. Miyazaki says that's explorable, too. The whole area is bigger and more detailed than any place in the previous games.

[...]

Thanks henriquejr!

Couch spotted a new trailer for Dark Souls III, named Shadows Ahead.

Discover the True Colors of Darkness in our new Dark Souls 3 trailer! Are you ready to fight for your life in the Kingdom of Lothric on April 12th ?

Supercheats tells us why Dark Souls III is a game everyone should play:

Why you will want to Play Dark Souls III

In all corners of the gaming world, from players to developers, the name Dark Souls immediately evokes strong positive feelings. In fact, millions of people all over the planet, which often have very little else in common, hold the idea of the Dark Souls franchise as one of the best video game series in the entire history. For those who have not had a chance to play any of these games, this might seem like a huge overstatement, like many others that can be heard from different fan communities.

But, in the case of Dark Souls, the same notion ring true for players, video game journalists, critics and some of the biggest game development companies currently operating. It appears that all agree that the Dark Souls games attain some extraordinary quality that makes them an incredible gaming experience. Now, all of them are gearing up for this year and the upcoming release of Dark Souls III. For fans, 2016 is a year they have been waiting for since Dark Souls II came out in 2014, but others should take notice as well. Here are the key reasons why you will want to Play Dark Souls III.

A Rich Lineage

Developed by the FromSoftware, the so-called Souls series began in 2009 with the release of a game called Demon’s Soul. The game was successful, but did not gather too much attention, but this all changed in 2011 when Dark Souls came out and was followed by Dark Souls II three years later. At that moment, the legend was already born and the series gathered a cult following, where fans spread the word about the game. Now, Dark Souls are a household name for millions of players.

Basically, the series represents a third-person action RPG game where a lot of focus is placed on a combination of weapon and magic combat. As a warrior, the players enter the twisted and dangerous domain of the Dark Souls game, where they began to explore and combat horrible monsters which litter the landscape of a medieval-like realm. But, the game really shines when it comes to their bosses, huge creatures that often require a lot of skill, contemplation, and determination to be successfully vanquished.

[...]

In five separate videos, some new gameplay is shown of Dark Souls III. Here is part 1.

Dualshockers has links to all five videos.

Thanks Couch.

In a new Dark Souls III cinematic trailer introduces us to the Lord of Cinder in the kingdom of Lothric, which does contain spoilers.

GameSpot shows off some new video of the thief class from Dark Souls III.

Thanks to Couch for tonight's news.

New screenshots and artwork for Dark Souls III have just surfaced.

Thanks, Couch.

Dark Souls III is coming, releasing in the west on April 12th for PS4, Xbox One and PC, and today the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu had an article showing off some new assets.

We get both screenshots and artwork, giving a further glimpse on the grotesque bosses we’ll have to fight, and on the creepy environments of the game.

There’s even a beast that looks a lot like the Vicar Amelia from Bloodborne, but this one is actually named “the dirty beast.”

More information.

A new promo pamphlet for Dark Souls III has emerged in Japan, showcasing some of the game's features, as well as goodies included in pre-orders like deluxe maps and soundtracks.  And yes, it's been translated into English.

The new entry of the Dark Souls series, Dark Souls III, is going to be released in all regions in a few months. While the game will only reach North America and Europe in April, Japanese players will be able to enjoy the new action role playing game developed by From Software from late March. To better promote the game in Japan, From Software has recently released a Dark Souls III promotional pamphlet and a scan of this pamphlet has surfaced online a few hours ago.

The new Dark Souls III promotional pamphlet highlights some of the game’s features, also showing some in-game screenshots and the Japanese pre-order bonuses, which include a Deluxe Map and original soundtrack CD. Reddit user TheMindWraith has also translated the pamphlet in English, allowing non-Japanese speakers to understand it in full.

More information.

Fextralife offers us some thoughts on the nature of duality in Dark Souls III.

This cycle is like the dog of lust. You can feed it, whether you light the flame and set upon the world a gold Age of Fire or dim the lights and let the Dark encroach upon the world in silent sleep, but it will always come back with the same appetite because it’s playing to the same cycle. The curse and the cycle of the worlds in Dark Souls, as we see many characters considering it, is not merely a push between fire and dark, to push away one or the other. One cannot be considered without the other; the two come from the same center.  It is tempting to lean to one side, working tirelessly to achieve the fruition of the great dark or the ember sheen and scarlet skies of a brilliant fire. So, as Aldia spoke, we chance upon the great illusions. Ideas of “destroying light” or “destroying dark.” There is no Dark without Fire; there is no Fire without Dark.

More information.

Dark Souls III finally has a release date.  It'll ship for PS4, PC, and XBox One on April 12.

More information.

Gamespot interviewed Hidetaka Miyazaki about Dark Souls 3, who feels that this latest installment should be the closure of the series.

Over the last few years we've had a lot of Souls games: Dark Souls 2, Scholar of the First Sin, Bloodborne. Is there a worry that people may be over-exposed to the franchise?

It'd be a lie if I said I have no concerns about that. I don't think it'd be the right choice to continue indefinitely creating Souls and Bloodborne games. I'm considering Dark Souls 3 to be the big closure on the series. That's not just limited to me, but From Software and myself together want to aggressively make new things in the future. Dark Souls 3 will mark the last game where the development project began before I became president. The next title will be a game that was conceived while I was president. I believe that From Software has to create new things. There will be new types of games coming from us, and Dark Souls 3 is an important marker in the evolution of From Software.

Would it be fair to say that you don’t want From Software, and your time as president of the studio, to be defined by the Souls series?

I don't care about what type of president I will be in the future or how I'll be remembered, I just believe that [moving on] is necessary in order for players to continue enjoying our games. We have to keep creating quality games and be aggressive about doing new things.

Thanks Eye.

Gamespot asks the question if the magic of Dark Souls 3 is fading in this article from last week, based on the stress test. The reason they ask the question is that based on the stress test they felt like it was more of the same, which isn't perse bad.

The biggest change to gameplay is the introduction of Weapon Arts, a unique special move for the game's arsenal of arms. Three games in, the way a broadsword, axe, or rapier works has become second nature, but Weapon Arts add a new wrinkle. While one weapon may have a heaving upward swing that launches enemies into the air, another may activate a powered-up state for a short period. This gives players a reason to experiment with different weapons again, instead of sticking to those they’ve become attached to. Better still, it provides a reason to carry a second weapon beyond serving as a fallback for your main one if it breaks. Since all this is governed by a new energy bar, there’s also a layer of strategy to micromanage Weapon Arts.

Despite all this, it’s still hitting the the same beats that a Dark Souls game should. It’s challenging, hides enemies off camera to spring an ambush, while bosses are towering monsters, and environmental traps punish the foolhardy. It’s still satisfying, but feels rote. Seasoned players have peeked behind the curtain multiple times, so it’s easy to predict what’s coming. That convenient alcove in the camera’s blind-spot that’s just big enough to hide an enemy isn’t fooling anyone.

Thanks Eye.

IGN have taken part in the Dark Souls III stress test - here's some gameplay footage:

Watch 20 Minutes of New Dark Souls 3 Gameplay

Recently I played  2 hours in the Dark Souls 3 stress test. Below is some footage from that time.

What was on offer was very similar to what we played at Tokyo Game Show back in September, but with basic online functionality – summoning, invading, and messages – included for the first time. It's worth noting, before you check out the videos, that this is based on early code (the game isn't out in the West until April next year) so you might spot the occasional bug.

I played as the two magic-orientated characters – the Herald of White (who wields miracles) and the Academy Assassin (who wields sorcery) – and had varying degrees of success... well, I'm more a DEX kind of guy. [...]

Over the weekend a stress test for Dark Souls 3 was hosted by From Software. VG247 has an overview of 8 of the changes to the system they have experienced. Here is one of them:

Locations are massive, great sense of scale

You’ve probably seen a bit of this in the trailers, the game’s playable area is very large. It’s not quite on the same level as The Witcher 3 or other open-world RPGs, but it’s the series’ biggest yet.

The first door you open in the game is on a rooftop. From there, you can see three distinct locations that you’re going to come across. You can also see the enemies patrolling them and in some cases, choose which of them to visit first. The area we were allowed to access was very reminiscent of Demon’s Souls 1-1.

Furthermore, it looks like even the smallest of nooks are going to tell stories, just by having a few decorations and certain things that we won’t spoil. Think of Nightmare of Mensis from Bloodborne to give you an idea of of the type of thoughts that’ll go into your head just by entering the place and looking around for five seconds.

The Souls Forum also has some screenshots from the stress test.

Thanks Eye.

A short in-game video of a dragon spewing fire was published last week for Dark Souls 3 on their Twitter channel.

Here are a few previews, for Darks Souls III.

VG24/7

Dark Souls 3 doesn’t feel precisely like Dark Souls 2. The combat has been finely tuned to even better reflect the brutal risk-reward reality of hacking away at each other with crude lumps of sharpened metal. The trademark ruinous world setting is brighter, clearer and more beautiful than ever before.

20 minutes of gameplay (it is in Japanese, so you might want to turn the sound low and just watch it)

And 4 minutes of gameplay at IGN.

Thanks Eye.

Eye spotted on RPGFan that Dark Souls 3 has a US and European release time window now as well. This window is set for April 2016.

Further searching teaches us that this time window is for Xbox One, PS4 and PC releases.

The release date for Dark Souls 3 has been set to March 24, 2016. That is, if you live in Japan and have a Xbox One or PS4. No dates have been announced for the PC version or any other location besides Japan.

In addition GamesRadar have an article about how the limitations of Bloodborne inspired the new Dark Souls game.

"Because of the character of Bloodborne’s gameplay, its battle style, as well as the role-playing elements, it’s limited compared to the Dark Souls franchise," he explains. "It doesn’t necessarily mean Bloodborne was bad. However, while working on [it] I realised, I want to [create] something which has a wide range of battle styles, or features magic, or those things which allow players to wear awesome armour. Those elements are what actually made me come [back] to the Dark Souls franchise." We can't wait, even if does mean we'll eventually be crushed by another monstrous Miyazaki menagerie.

The entire article is in their GamesMaster magazine, which can be downloaded for free on iOS and Android apparently.

Thanks Eye.

GameInformer list what, in their opinion, are the key aspects of Dark Souls III.

Fast Travel

Players can expect to use fast travel from the very beginning of the game, much like Dark Souls II. Miyazaki wants to keep the convenience aspects from previous titles, unless they interfere with game design.

Respecialization

While Miyazaki is unsure if the “Soul Vessel” item will be available in Dark Souls III, he says there will be a method for players to reallocate stat points so that they can change builds around without having to create a completely new character. “I’m not sure if the same sort of item will be implemented, but there will be a method for players to re-assign souls,” Miyazaki says.

New Game+

New Game+ will look more like Dark Souls II than other games, with new weapons, items, and reconfigured enemy locations and placements to keep the surprises and exploration elements fresh in Dark Souls III. Of particular note is that bonfire ascetics will not be returning, so players will be unable to artificially + zones.

Durability

Miyazaki’s take on durability is that Dark Souls III will find a happy medium between the two extremes of Dark Souls and Dark Souls II. “Still tuning the balance, but I personally think that the weapons in Dark Souls II break a little too easily. This was implemented intending for the players to try out many types of weapons, but even so, I felt they broke too quickly. However, in Dark Souls I, they didn’t break enough, and so I’m hoping to find a good balance for Dark Souls III. “

Summoning And Invasion

If you were worried that Dark Souls III would be shifting toward Bloodborne’s bell summons, not to worry; it will have the standard summoning system found in Dark Souls and Dark Souls II, and will use soul level for matching, not soul memory. Here’s something interesting – Miyazaki states that players won’t be locked behind consumable items for invasion; they’ll be able to do so as they wish without having to worry about keeping stocked up on cracked red orbs.

Hidden Walls

Hidden walls will still be there for players to find in Dark Souls III, but forget walking to each section of a zone and tapping the interact button – they’ll be tied to attacking again, like the first Dark Souls. “This is due to my thinking behind this type of feature,” Miyazaki says. “I like to have coincidences happen during battles, or accidental reveals due to swinging weapons around, randomly shooting arrows. I want to implement this sort of surprise discovery in a natural way when playing the game.”

Magic

Tim Turi runs down some of the magic changes here!

GamesRadar ask themselves the question why Dark Souls 3 is being made. In their opinion the series felt completed with the second installation of it, so they wonder what Dark Souls 3 brings to the table. While playing a two hour session of the game, the author tries to find the answer to that.

I begin to understand the direction Dark Souls 3 is going in as soon as I push the stick forward. I experience a speed and fluidity of movement that all of my experience tells me the mid-weight character I'm using just should not have. It's a revelation compounded when I make my first evasive roll, the movement manifesting not as the expected metallic tumble, but launching with immediate momentum, horizontality taking priority over gravity for the first time in any situation involving moderately hefty armour.

Thanks Eye.

IGN captured 13 minutes Dark Souls 3 gameplay off-screen at Pax Prime 2015:

Alex Riviello (Birth.Movies.Death.) has explored the new Dark Souls III battle arts system, dragons, and death:

Listen, I only died seven times in an hour.

Bandai Namco stopped by NYC this week to show off an early playable demo of Dark Souls 3, the grand return of Hidetaka Miyazaki to the series after he sidestepped the second installment to focus on Bloodborne. Like Bloodborne, this game is a next-gen only affair, coming to the Xbox One, PS4, and PC early next year, and it’s all the more gorgeous for it.

The first thing you need to know is that the game is absolutely beautiful, full of stunning vistas and creatures. The second? It’s just as relentlessly brutal. It’s been months since I’ve laid hands on a Souls game and my rustiness led me to die time and time again, by everything from knights to dogs to a pissed-off religious acolyte.

Playing the game with an audience is an interesting thing. The pressure of knowing another person is waiting in line can make you do silly things, as it did to the writer in front of me who, after whittling down a boss to a hair of health in an impressive display, handed the controller to me after thinking he had perished in an attack. He hadn’t. I handed it back and he scrambled to save his life but that moment of hesitation cost him his life, for real that time.

Dark Souls would be the ultimate arcade game, really, sucking up everyone’s quarters and attracting a whole crowd of gawkers. The small group of writers gathered talked together about rumors they had heard as we played - there was a shortcut to unlock, and a dragon to find, and wasn’t there some sort of frost giant mini-boss, maybe down to the left? It was the game’s messaging system turned into real life, just the perfect example of how deep and satisfying these games are.

Exploring the medieval castle I found the dragon for myself, which wasn’t hard. It envelopes the top of a number of buildings completely, occasionally leaning over to breathe (incredible-looking) fire at a corridor, a real Demon’s Souls throwback. You need to run through the area quickly to make it through unscathed, and can even lure enemies into the area for some quick kills. Along the way I kept finding these crazed worshippers that ignored me unless I attacked them, which I managed to do until one on the top of a roof splurted some sort of tentacle and smacked me right off of it. [...]

Tamoor Hussain (Gamespot) has interviewed Hidetaka Miyazaki at GC2015:

Hidetaka Miyazaki talks about the next big step for the Souls franchise, new ideas, Bloodborne DLC, and "The Miyazaki Touch."

[...]

Fans often speculate about whether the Souls framework and style of gameplay will ever extend to genres outside of dark fantasy. Have you thought about that, perhaps sci-fi Souls?

Dark Souls is my life’s work. Everything I came up with for Dark Souls 3 is based on my personal preferences. However, Dark Souls 3 is also actually the turning point for the franchise. This project was launched by the previous From Software management, before I was appointed president. In that sense, Dark Souls 3 is the turning point for the series.

As president of From Software, I am planning to launch several new projects. I can’t quite specify exactly what they are. Those could be something sci-fi, but you’ll have to stay tuned for more about that in the future.

[...]

IGN filmed 16 minutes of Dark Souls III gameplay at the Gamescom 2015. The video has a poor quality and no game sound but it's interesting:

Mike Mahardy (Gamespot) has checked out Dark Souls III:

Dark Souls III is Faster, Smoother, and More Fluid Than its Predecessors

Still as cruel and foreboding as ever.

My footsteps echo down down the hallway of these castle ruins, and all is quiet while I step into the shadows. But then it's there, snarling and vicious, leaping at me with fangs bared. I roll aside just in time, spinning around for a counterattack. And then they come from behind--four gruesome, twisted figures with long limbs and drooping skin. My stamina recharges quickly, but my frantic dodges are limited in this cramped space, and the creatures finish me in seconds.

This is Dark Souls III. It's faster and more streamlined than its predecessors, but still brutal enough to kill me without warning. It requires more patience and defense than Bloodborne does, but borrows from it as well; From Software is taking cues from its newest franchise in more ways than one.

"Dark Souls and Bloodborne are two separate franchises, but both have [Hidetaka] Miyazaki-san’s personal touch," producer Brandon Williams says. "One thing that people are already noticing is the faster speed at which combat and action in Dark Souls III moves. It’s a bit faster than previous Dark Souls games but not as fast as Bloodborne. I’d say it’s just right."

[...]

"With Dark Souls III, we are trying to bring the best aspects of Dark Souls I and II together to create an amazing, truly new Dark Souls experience," Williams says. "The team is exploring ways to bring more players into the franchise, such as increasing the game speed and expanding weapon capabilities, but the characteristic difficulty of the franchise will remain intact."

From what I played, Dark Souls III does feel more accessible than earlier franchise installments. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's intuitive and smooth, with tight controls and more abilities than ever before. And based on the difficulty of the demo, I'll need every option I can get.

 

Gamescom 2015 trailer for Dark Souls III released:

Eurogamer has a preview of Dark Souls 3 based on a hands-off session with Hidetaka Miyazaki.

In the ashes of the aftermath, we pick up a greatsword, and begin to test out the new adjustments to Dark Souls' combat system. The biggest of these thus far, a mechanic that seems to have been at least partially borrowed from Bloodborne, has players capable of deploying different stances for different types of weapon. It's not entirely clear how this will work yet, but in the case of the greatsword, players can perform a strong, two-handed upward stab motion which will actually launch enemies into the air.

From Software is calling this new mechanic 'Weapon Arts,' and it's designed to give specific arms additional, unique attacks. Essentially, it's adding a little something extra to the system regular Souls fans will now be intimately familiar with, without changing the basic mechanics too much - giving you more choice than simply 'normal' and 'heavy' attacks and contributing to the role-play element of the game. With a standard-looking straight sword, for example, you can enter into a 'ready' stance that will allow you to perform two special attacks; a heavy swipe to break an enemy's shield guard, and a running sweep to thrust them forward quickly. When we find a Legion Scimitar towards the end of the demo, we're able to dual-wield it with another and perform a spin attack, a move that can kill off multiple undead enemies at once. Miyazaki warns that it isn't a move you'd want to try on, say, a Knight (another Souls staple that returns in 3) - but used for a crowd-control on a bunch of low-level enemies, it's effective. Weapon Arts aren't exclusively the preserve of melee weapons, however; short bows can be fired quickly and consecutively during battle. You can still line up and take shots from afar, but this new streamlined mechanic will likely make them a much more viable option during prolonged, engaged combat.

Dark Souls Lore specialist and well known speculator upon the obscure narrative and philosophical themes found in the series Vaatividya, posts his E3 impressions and explores some of the fan expectations for the third game. Some interesting insights into the Miyazaki presence and additional information not covered so far:

Thanks Pessimeister!

Interview at Polygon:

The Souls games have about as picky an audience as they come. How can Dark Souls 3, the franchise's next installment which was announced at E3 2015, satisfy the divided fans of the first two titles? Also, is archery going to be terrible again? We talked with Bandai-Namco's Michael Chang and Nicholas O'Leary to find out.

and a preview by DaveControl:

Thanks Couch for the link.

BANDAI NAMCO officially announced the Action RPG Dark Souls III at E3.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe announces DARK SOULSTM III for XBOX ONE, PLAYSTATION®4 and PC

A dark and brooding fantasy adventure awaits players in a vast twisted world full of fearsome beasts, devious traps and hidden secrets.

Leading interactive entertainment company BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe today proudly announced DARK SOULS™ III for an early 2016 release date for the Xbox One®, all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, and STEAM® for PC. 

Developed by acclaimed Japanese developer FromSoftware and directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, DARK SOULS™ III is the latest chapter in the critically acclaimed DARK SOULS series with its trademark sword and sorcery combat and rewarding action RPG gameplay. Players will travel across a wide variety of locations in an interconnected world of unrelenting challenge and deep RPG gameplay as they search for a way to survive the coming apocalypse. 

“The DARK SOULS brand became a phenomenon thanks to amazing work from our dear partners FromSoftware and our very own BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment teams”. said Herve Hoerdt, Vice President of Marketing & Digital at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe. “But above all, we are blessed to have such a supportive and loving community, and we are happy to dedicate this final episode to them!”

DARK SOULS™ III will arrive on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC early 2016.

Thanks Couch.

VG27 share the information that Dark Souls III will be shown at E3.

Namco will announce Dark Souls 3 at E3, a source familiar with the matter has told VG247.

In news guaranteed to delight fans of the series, Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls and Bloodborne director Hidetaka Miyazaki is again heading the team.

Miyazaki, the father of the Souls series, moved onto a supervisory role for Dark Souls 2. Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura co-directed the sequel.

The platform to be used for the announcement is as yet unknown, but our source guessed the title may come during Sony’s E3 press conference on the Californian evening of Monday, June 15.

We received no specific details of the game itself.

Thanks jhwisner.