4/5 ★ – Chunderclap's review of Dark Souls III.

Good: Much like Bloodborne, DS3’s level design is fromsoftware doing what fromsoftware does best, which is using interconnecting and overlapping level design in a way that capitalizes on the space to make levels feel grand and massive, yet grounded and intuitive. The levels are visually stunning, and laid out in a way that often gives you a clear vision of where you are going, from above a seemingly nonsensical labyrinth of buildings, streets, tunnels and ledges. The enemy design, for the most part is really well done, with very few poorly designed enemies and areas. The upgrading and infusing of weapons felt naturally paced, with upgrades coming naturally without needing to search high and low. Part of this is due to the intuitive level design, in which no areas are wasted, and as a result exploration feels effortless and yields meaningful loot. The game holds some extremely high points in its cast of bosses, with fights such as Champion Gundyr which is difficult but fair, Twin Princes which is atmospheric and a true spectacle, and soul of cinder, which is a perfect blend of the two. Additionally, while there certainly are low points, the average boss experience sits above that of bloodborne, with very few boring and unexceptional bosses. The combat feels fluid and rewarding to master, and open to many different builds and archetypes, much like any fromsoft game. Bad: While the level design feels like the pinnacle of fromsoftware, the enemy placement at times feels like the lowest of fromsofts lows. Difficulty always comes from gank encounters, and despite often times getting iframes when knocked prone, random encounters would knock you prone and completely stunlock you, such as the awfully populated Archdragon Peak area. In addition to Archdragon Peak, Irithyll Dungeon is another example of DS3 ruining what was an exceptionally well designed level with the worst enemy placement and inclusion ever. Without hyperbole, the jailers in Irithyll are the worst designed enemy that any game I have ever played has included. With a debuff that is 100% unavoidable, even if you immediately stagger or knock prone the enemy, the only purpose it serves is to waste your resources and time. If you take the time to encounter them 1 at a time, you will still exit the dungeon with no flasks and no health, because no amount of skill negates or minimizes their debuff. If it were like Maliketh’s debuff, in which you get the health back when it wears off, the entire dungeon would have been alright, but of course they did not think that through. This game did feel unnecessarily riddled with inconsistencies that punished the player unexpectedly, such as random attacks reaching through walls, some of the most egregious hitbox violations I have ever seen, terrible character control when platforming, and by far the worst camera control of any fromsoft game I have played. Many bosses, in typical fromsoft fashion, struggle from being made too massive for camera control, while having inconsistent or wack hitboxes. One terrible example of this is the phase 1 of Nameless King’s fight, which is somehow worse than fire giant. With a camera that refuses to allow you to see both the hitbox (wyvern head) and the threat (king), and a flying fire breath that is undodgeable if you are beneath the dragon, that fight is an absolute mess. It’s a shame because the arena and phase 2 are spectacular, but the first phase is such a waste of time and energy. I personally feel like there is a clear degradation of the quality of magic system from DS2 (I have not played ds1) to elden ring, and ds3 is right in the middle of it. With spells that largely feel repetitive, such as constantly just getting a bigger version of the same ability, and the departure from spell slot system, the game in no way incentivized me to try a magic build, even though it is always my preference. The pyromancy changes in scaling from DS2 ruins the appeal of pyromancies as a supplemental spellcasting form for people leveling as either faith or int, instead you have to completely devote to both. Couple that with the need to devote flasks to fp, and the difference from ds2 to ds3 is that you are seemingly forced into a glass cannon build in order to use the only interesting cast of spells. Overall (8/10): Dark Souls 3 is a masterclass in level design, capped off by several incredible boss fights, with fluid and engaging combat with huge room for customization. Unfortunately, the level design is bogged down by a few moments of poor enemy design, the boss fights by several boring and awkward encounters, and the combat by inconsistencies that appear at your lowest points. Altogether though, the highs greatly overshadow the lows, and there is lots in DS3 to keep you engaged, even through the low points.