REVIEW

Dark Souls III: The Ringed City Review

by Marc Smith, April 9th, 2017

Trepidation abounded as I made my journey into The Ringed City and from what we’re lead to believe, this is to be the final chapter in the Dark Souls series. A series I have adored for the past few years and made me aware that I was a secret masochist. I had some time away from Dark Souls III, since stuff like NieR and Horizon had taken up my playtime, but I felt confident returning for this new expansion. This is of course Dark Souls, so any confidence I had was swiftly beaten out of me and smeared along the walls in a fine red paste.

Oh Dark Souls, I’m certainly going to miss you when you’re gone.

Acting as the second expansion to the wondrous Dark Souls III and the supposed final chapter of the entire series, The Ringed City had a lot to live up to. The previous expansion Ashes of Ariendal was somewhat underwhelming. Offering a measly two boss fights and little else to be excited about. The Ringed City immediately scores points for doubling the amount of bosses and giving the player a much larger area to explore.

As you would imagine, this new expansion sees fit to barrage you with adversity from the word go. The weakest enemies hit like freight trains, the environments are filled with traps and the set-pieces that will most certainly catch you off-guard. It instills a level of fear and trepidation that I personally haven’t felt since my first time playing the original Dark Souls. The new map is labyrinthian in design, with most paths leading to a gruesome demise or a powerful new toy to adorn yourselves with. There’s plenty of hidden secrets and rare items, like a variety of +3 rings and deadly weaponry to find. Which as you progress further, will be compulsory to ensuring success.

With this being the final outing for the Souls series (at least for now),you’ll soon notice numerous references, locales and set-pieces lifted directly from previous games. Not limited to cat-and-mouse encounters with dragons to dizzying falls into dark voids, this title seeks to remind us of all the “Holy Shit” moments that captivated us throughout the series. The Ringed City itself is a stunning in design and scope. A breathtaking landscape full of danger and sparse moments of tranquillity that really let you breathe it all in. Much like Dark Souls III itself, The Ringed City feels like a celebration of the series. No other area does that feel more prominent than the boss fights. Each one of them is different, encapsulating the different ways in which a Dark Souls boss can intimidate. Some depend on pattern memorisation, whilst others lean more heavily on crowd control. There’s a great balance to the bosses here that has been sorely missed in previous DLC packs.

The real sticking point for a lot of people will be the frankly sadistic difficulty. It’s a given that a Dark Souls will be hard, but The Ringed City pushes it to the very limit. Unlike Ashes of Ariandel, this expansion has been designed with veteran players in mind. With the entrance to The Ringed City only being available once you’ve reached the game’s finale or defeated Sister Freid in it’s sister DLC pack. Both of which are no easy feat I can tell you. Even the weakest enemies hit like a freight train and it’s easy to get stuck early on as a constant barrage of enemies and projectiles stands between you and the next bonfire.

Alongside the general challenge of the landscape, the boss fights themselves are sure to put your limits to the rest. Two of the four are reasonable fights that offer a great deal of challenge. With one PvP boss fight in particular that is genuinely unfair as is more likely to test your patience rather than your skills. It’s a great inclusion as not only a reference to the often forgotten Demon’s Souls, but for also cementing the online community as an integral part of the game. The real downside of the fight comes from the other enemies thrown into the mix whose stun-locking abilities will often spell doom if they land even the slightest hit on you. It’s certainly doable if you summon an ally, but it’s a wholly unbalanced fight that misses its mark.

It may be tough as nails at time, but The Ringed City is a fitting final chapter to the Dark Souls mythos. Ticking all the right boxes in the areas that matter and paying enough fan service to long-time players to ensure satisfaction. There’s the odd misstep here and there but this is possibly the finest piece of DLC the series has seen since Artorious of the Abyss reared its head. If you’re a glutton for punishment like myself, then you’ll find plenty to love in The Ringed City.

So long Dark Souls, you will be missed.