6) Dark Souls III
Release date: 2016
Come on, admit it. The latest chapter in the franchise isn’t as good as you hoped. Released earlier this year, entry number three tries to straddle the demands of hardcore fans and newcomers alike, but to achieve a balance, FromSoftware dumbs down the number of options available to you.
If the series’ first tentative steps in the world were under the guise of an RPG, those pretensions have been ripped away. This is now a slick action game that prioritizes the swish of a blade over inventory management, trading and customization. While the combat has admittedly never been better, I can’t escape the feeling that Dark Souls III is truncated and strangely muted. There are simplified build options and fewer tactical decisions to make. Somewhere along the line, the mystique so central to the experience (and the idea that your experience is differing vastly from someone else’s) begins to fade.
But perhaps my biggest gripe is Lothric, the world of Dark Souls III. It begins promisingly with open vistas and a sense of scale, but soon tunnels underground, pulling you through a series of warren-like levels. Bonfires are meted out around every corner, robbing the experience of the fear so central to your enjoyment. A bonfire acts as an opportunity to ‘bank’ your souls, and since there’s one at almost every turn, you simply never feel in danger of squandering your hard work.
Dark Souls laid down the template for level design and with III we were promised a return to that hallowed land. But in reality, it’s an A to B romp between levels and only a matter of time until you reach the end-game. We’re talking about a Dark Souls title, so the margins are incredibly narrow, but in my eyes, this one is the weakest of the lot.
