STAGING Version - 1016

Sign In

awwReels

Game type

All types

Main game

Remake

Remaster

Expanded game

Port

Standalone expansion

Expansion

DLC

Genre

All genres

Indie

Adventure

Simulator

Strategy

Role-playing (RPG)

Puzzle

Arcade

Platform

Shooter

Sport

Visual Novel

Racing

Card & Board Game

Fighting

Point-and-click

Hack and Slash

Turn-based Strategy

Tactical

Music

Real Time Strategy

Quiz/Trivia

MOBA

Pinball

Sort

Newest

Recent popular

Recent high ratings

Most popular

Top rated

Oldest

Critic rated

Player rated

Dark Souls III

Dark Souls III

|Japan|Role-playing (RPG), Adventure

9.2 /10

Aww Amazing!

Super hit!

440.5k ratings
Time to beat
Main
26.8h
Main + extras
51.5h
Complete
106h
Trailers & screenshots
Why play it

Dark Souls III is a 2016 Role-playing (RPG), Adventure game rated 9.2/10 from 440.5k ratings, with a main story of about 26.8h, available on PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One.

Dark Souls III is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Released in March 2016, it is the fourth entry in the Souls series and the final instalment in the Dark Souls trilogy. Set in the decaying kingdom of Lothric, players take on the role of the "Ashen One," an undead warrior tasked with rekindling the First Flame to prevent the world from falling into darkness. The game features challenging combat, intricate level design, and a deep, lore-rich narrative.

Story and worldbuilding

Set in the Kingdom of Lothric, a bell has rung to signal that the First Flame, responsible for maintaining the Age of Fire, is dying out. As has happened many times before, the coming of the Age of Dark produces the undead: cursed beings that rise after death. The Age of Fire can be prolonged by linking the fire, a ritual in which great lords and heroes sacrifice their souls to rekindle the First Flame. However, Prince Lothric, the chosen linker for this age, abandoned his duty and decided to watch the flame die from afar. The bell is the last hope for the Age of Fire, resurrecting previous Lords of Cinder (heroes who linked the flame in past ages) to attempt to link the fire again; however, all but one Lord shirk their duty. Meanwhile, Sulyvahn, a sorcerer from the Painted World of Ariandel, wrongfully proclaims himself Pontiff and seizes power over Irithyll of the Boreal Valley and the returning Anor Londo cathedral from Dark Souls as a tyrant. The Ashen One, an Undead who failed to become a Lord of Cinder and thus called an Unkindled, rises and must link the fire by returning Prince Lothric and the defiant Lords of Cinder to their thrones in Firelink Shrine. The Lords include the Abyss Watchers, a legion of warriors sworn by the Old Wolf's Blood which linked their souls into one to protect the land from the Abyss and ultimately locked in an endless battle between each other; Yhorm the Giant, who sacrificed his life for a nation conquered by his ancestor; and Aldrich, who became a Lord of Cinder despite his ravenous appetite for both men and gods. Lothric was raised to link the First Flame but neglected his duties and chose to watch the fire fade instead. Once the Ashen One succeeds in returning Lothric and the Lords of Cinder to their thrones, they travel to the ruins of the Kiln of the First Flame. There, they encounter the Soul of Cinder, an amalgamation of all the former Lords of Cinder. Upon defeat, the player can attempt to link the fire or access three other optional endings unlocked by the player's in-game decisions. These include summoning the Fire Keeper to extinguish the flame and begin an age of Dark or killing her in a sudden change of heart. A fourth ending consists of the Ashen One taking the flame for their own, becoming the Lord of Hollows.

Game highlights
Rating momentum

Aww Amazing!: 9.2/10 across 440.5k ratings. This score says: bump it to the top of your backlog.

Play style

Leans into Role-playing (RPG), Adventure, with a main story around 26.8h. Check if that style and time commitment fit you.

Reviews

21 media reviews

RATE THIS

All

Media

Member

IGNChloi Rad · 4 Apr, 2016
9.5/10

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.

Read full review
GameSpotMike Mahardy · 4 Apr, 2016
8/10

Dark Souls 3 is a harrowing trek through a dark and gorgeous world, and despite a few missteps, is well worth the challenge.

Read full review
EurogamerRich Stanton · 4 Apr, 2016
10/10

Dark Souls 3 sees the return of the king in a spectacular conclusion to From Software's trilogy.

Read full review
PC GamerJames Davenport · 4 Apr, 2016
9.4/10

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

Read full review
PolygonPhilip Kollar · 4 Apr, 2016
7/10

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

Read full review
GamesRadar+Edwin Evans-Thirlwell · 5 Apr, 2016
9/10

Dark Souls used to feel like a gigantic trap. Dark Souls 3, for better and for worse, feels like home. The third in the trilogy is bewitching while it lasts, but may not leave you wanting more.

Read full review
Game InformerDaniel Tack · 4 Apr, 2016
9.3/10

An excellent entry in the fantasy series featuring unique environments, bosses, and a massive wealth of secrets and surprises

Read full review
GuardianSimon Parkin · 12 Apr, 2016
10/10

Game designer Hidetaki Miyazaki no longer has novelty on his side, but the genius behind the Souls series still has plenty of tricks to surprise us with

Read full review
Washington PostChristopher Byrd · 14 Apr, 2016

With its handsomely-crafted labyrinths and rigorously paced combat, "Dark Souls 3" hits all the notes that aficionados have come to expect. Still, I hope Miyazaki's next creation finds a new way to cut against the grain.

Read full review
Rock, Paper, ShotgunAdam Smith · 4 Apr, 2016

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.

Read full review