First things first, the armour sets in Dark Souls III weren’t great. In fact, they’re not even approaching great, for the most part they’re merely for aesthetics.

Giving armour a bit more variety and purpose would be a welcome addition as barring a few examples that would give its wearer better fire protection, your armour really didn’t do a whole lot. A lot of time in my own play-through I’d just gravitate more toward what had the best physical damage reduction as it was the only stat that truly differed from armour to armour.

It’s a shame too, as a lot of people in the Dark Souls community like their armour to not only be a distinction of their character, but a reflection of their character build and fit for purpose. Perhaps a scaled-down version of a crafting system could be utilised? Allowing you piece together armour from the various bits of it you find dotted around the world. Even a simpler system like being able to change the colours of your armour would be appreciated. 

Also, whilst we’re at it From Software, can you sort out the Poise stat please?

Perhaps appealing more to rabid fans of Bloodborne, myself included, the weaponry on offer in Dark Souls III was a little lacking in comparison to its sister game. Granted, the medieval style of Dark Souls doesn’t allow for some of Bloodborne’s more technical weaponry (It’s all about that whirly-gig saw), but a little more creativity in the weapons department would be welcome.

The transformable weapons from Bloodborne were particularly awesome and added a whole other dimension to combat that kept the game fresh and exciting on multiple play-throughs. This idea was briefly touched on with the variety of stances and secondary abilities that weapons had in Dark Souls III, but they lacked considerable depth in comparison.

This also extends to the more hardcore side of the Souls community, particularly those who love to show-off in PvP. Mastery of unconventional weaponry shows considerable skill and let’s face it, you’re going to be a little bit afraid of any players who runs at you with a dragon’s tooth.

Let’s face it, every souls fan let out a girlish squeal when Siegward of Catarina emerged from the lift. The sight of his pearly onion armour was a wondrous, if not fleeting, sense of calm and security amongst the many horrors of Lothric.

Who also didn’t feel a little sad seeing the corpses of mushroom people or the gentle giant of Anor Londo? Personally, I found this to be one of Dark Souls III’s biggest strengths. Previous entries in the series featured very little call-backs or references to previous games so this felt like a nice change.

These little nods also helped players make sense of Dark Souls’ baffling narrative. Highlighting the importance of locales such as Anor Londo and revealing the fates of some beloved characters. Not to mention the thrill of battling against Aldrich in the same room where you previously defeated Ornstein and Smough. Even if Aldrich manages to replicate the slapping about you received from that dreaded duo.

Side note, bring back Solaire. We all want Solaire back.

Arguably Dark Souls III’s greatest strength was its lineup of stellar bosses. There may have been the odd duff one here or there (I’m looking at you Crystal Sage), but there’s no denying that the third instalment features the strongest roster of big-bads the series has to offer. From the spooky High-Lord Wolnir to the absolute powerhouse that is The Nameless King, Dark Souls III really hammered it home with the creativity this time around.

Bar their cruel difficulty, what truly distinguishes this game’s bosses is that a lot of them feature set-piece elements or somewhat unique methods that you must learn to conquer them. Take for example the Curse-Rotted Greatwood, a fight that is fairly run of the mill for Souls. That’s until the floor gives way and you plummet into an underground cavern for some close-quarters combat. Admit it, your heart stopped a little when it first happened.

It was moments like these that helped to really push Dark Souls III beyond the heights of its predecessors by giving its bosses a much bigger scale. Especially compared to the endless slap-fights you’d encounter in Dark Souls II. More creativity and spectacle is what we need, not monotonous fights with big guys in armour.

So this last one may be leaning on my own personal feelings and experience with Dark Souls III, but I don’t feel that I’m alone in saying that the game is capable of some very potent scares. Not through jump-scares or excessive gore, but through atmosphere and insanely grotesque enemy design.

Clearly taking a lot of pages from the book of Bloodborne, Dark Souls III had some truly nightmarish imagery and monsters for you to gawk and flail your sword at wildly. The sewer centipedes (pictured above), the dreaded Deep Accursed and not to mention those weird hand monsters. The series has always leaned on the macabre; twisting traditional western fantasy iconography and stuffing it with death and decay. There was also a greater emphasis on the the placement of enemies. Many are positioned to be deliver a sudden fright or to trap you in a tight space.

It was these little moments that added that extra level of dread and foreboding to what is at its core, a very doom-laden story of death and misery. Each journey into unknown territory was that little bit more unnerving due to the horrific beasties that came before. Here’s hoping that Ashes of Ariandel keeps up this trait of scaring the piss out of players.

Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel will be released on October 25th for Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC.