Dark Souls is about two things: reward and punishment… though not in that order, and definitely not in equal measure. The game is out to completely destroy you and all that you stand for, unraveling your confidence and making you second-guess every decision. Once you’re a pathetic pile of garbage in some piss-stained pants, Dark Souls‘ second act begins.
If you stick it out through any of Souls’ rough beginnings, you may be rewarded. Be mindful, this will generally be something small and insignificant. Maybe it’s a new area full of nasties that kill you or a new weapon you don’t know how to use properly. From Software has developed a very specific balance to assure you don’t regain your confidence and become a person again. Not yet, anyway. You need to be as close to rock bottom as possible when you come across the boss that’s going to pummel you over and over.
This is where the real reward and the true genius behind the Souls series lies. Being stubborn and working out a boss’ mechanics each death will bring you closer to killing it. Only then will you understand why the series has become so popular. This sense of accomplishment can’t be paralleled in any other game. It’s not for everyone, but those who enjoy the challenge will tell you the punishment is worth the reward.
Dark Souls III looks stunning. The Souls series has always been pretty enough, but this new iteration shows off great improvements. Twisting architecture and asymmetrical design lead to interesting worlds — that hasn’t changed in III, but now we also get that all with rich, full detail. This is good because you’ll have plenty of time to inspect your surroundings though the huge lettering screaming, “YOU DIED.”
From the starting point of the stress test I participated in, I could see a surprising amount. Beneath me was a sprawling city, crumbling and falling apart. The air around me was full of ash; from where I stood I could make out plenty of potential enemies, both large and small.
My goal to progress in Dark Souls III is with small, incremental advances. Anything more than this is asking too much. With each death, I learned a little more about enemies and their attack patterns. The same went for the mental map of the world I was building. This included dangerous blind spots, long falls and dragons.
Yep, dragons.
My constant deaths never felt unfair. Every time I died, I knew I made a mistake; I also knew I’d have to correct my actions in order to gain more ground. Each time I got comfortable or complacent in an area, I’d die. I’d then curse myself for not paying attention or getting too cocky. Slowly, I was able to explore further and further, taking down bigger and trickier enemies as I went.
That all culminated in a big ‘ol door that clearly was hiding something even meaner than all the awfulness I had to hack through to get there. I allowed myself a sigh and a groan before pushing though into the suspicious room to get a look at what will be consuming all of my time for god knows how long: The Dancer of the Frigid Valley.
I finally was able to experience punishment versus reward at its greatest. The Dancer’s flaming sword destroyed me over and over. I switched tactics, swords and strategies. I certainly got my punishment; my reward was within my grasp but just out of reach. The unfortunate thing about timed demos is that they eventually end, regardless of how close to success you get. Now? I want that reward more than ever. I’ll have to wait until next year, but it’ll be worth the wait.
Dark Souls III will be available in April 2016 on PS4, Xbox One and Windows PC.
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