Without the accomplished, layered world of DS1 and the experimentation featured in DS2, Dark Souls 3 stands as FromSoftware’s most streamlined, mechanically perfected title to date using a very simple design philosophy, which we’ll discuss below. If you’re considering buying it, just go right ahead and make the purchase.
The design philosophy of Dark Souls 3 is all about the rapid deployment of highly engaging boss fights. FromSoftware decided that this game, which marks the third game in the Dark Souls trilogy, would take the more obvious strengths of the previous two and go all in on just those fundamentals: Boss fights, straightforward progression, and fun build variation.
If Dark Souls 1 feels too punitive, Dark Souls 3 will feel forgiving. If Dark Souls 2 feels too obscure, Dark Souls 3 will present itself as easy to follow and easier to understand: Just move forward toward the next boss fight.
It’s arguable that the boss fights themselves are the best FromSoftware has even managed to create in the Soulsebourne series, although Sekiro bosses will put that idea to the test. Still, even over Elden Ring, Dark Souls 3 manages to create the best of FromSoftware boss fights that, while pacey, are designed under a consistent theme of rhythm that the player naturally attunes to as they get better at the game. The DS3 player-character, too, is designed around being able to appropriately manage the difficulty of the game, something PCs in Elden Ring are sometimes accused of not being able to do.
The world is pretty, linear, and easy to follow the progression of. The bosses are excellent. Build variety is just as wide as ever. Dark Souls 3 is just as great of a game in 2024 as it was upon release. Go play it.
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