Prepare To Die All Over Again With The First Gameplay Trailer For Dark Souls III

Ancient dragons? Check. Towering bosses? You bet. Spooky castles? Absolutely. During Microsoft’s Gamescom presentation, Bandai Namco took to the stage to unveil the first gameplay trailer for its hotly-anticipated threequel, Dark Souls III.

Retaining the dark and mythic style of its predecessors, the footage is as haunting as it is familiar, as the demonstrator creeps gingerly around ancient ruins before coming into contact with a variety of grotesque monstrosities. For all of its aesthetic similarities, one thing that leaps off the page is the improved movement of the lead character. Taking a leaf from Bloodborne‘s book, it’s understood that Dark Souls III will feature a more agile demon hunter, as Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki looks to fine-tune the combat system upon his return to the RPG franchise.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that the threequel will be any less difficult, of course; those who have trudged through the blood-drenched streets of Yharnam will know fine well that the game is still excruciatingly difficult, no matter how fast your character can dodge.

Aside from today’s trailer reveal, it’s understood that From Software will be bringing a playable of Dark Souls III when Gamescom kicks off for the public on Thursday, August 6. Stay tuned to We Got This Covered as we’ll be bringing you all the news from the event as it happens.

Hidetaka Miyazaki will make his triumphant return to a series he helped define when Dark Souls III launches across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in spring 2016. In the meantime, be sure to share your early impressions of the threequel in the comments below.