Dark Souls III

Dark Souls III is a 2016 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki. It was released in Japan on March 24, 2016, and internationally on April 12 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. Published internationally by Bandai Namco Entertainment, it is the third numbered entry in the Dark Souls series. Its setting, Lothric, returns to the series’ central conflict: whether the fading First Flame should be linked again or allowed to die.

The player controls an Unkindled, a being who once failed to link the fire and has risen from the grave. At Firelink Shrine, the Fire Keeper directs the Unkindled to return the Lords of Cinder to their thrones. Those lords include the Abyss Watchers, a legion bound to the legacy of Artorias; Aldrich, the Devourer of Gods; Yhorm the Giant; and Prince Lothric, who refuses his destined sacrifice. Ludleth of Courland is already seated at the shrine. Their stories unfold through boss encounters, dialogue, item descriptions, and the ruined places the player explores.

Combat retains the series’ emphasis on stamina, positioning, and learning enemy attacks. Dark Souls III also introduces Weapon Arts: special moves tied to weapons and shields that generally consume Focus Points. The Ashen Estus Flask restores those points, while the regular Estus Flask restores health; players choose how to divide their available charges between the two. Bonfires serve as checkpoints, and consuming an Ember increases maximum health while enabling certain online interactions, including cooperative summons and invasions.

The journey passes through distinctive locations such as the Undead Settlement, Irithyll of the Boreal Valley, Anor Londo, and the Grand Archives. Familiar figures and places connect this installment to earlier games, but its conclusion turns on the Unkindled’s choices. After defeating the Soul of Cinder at the Kiln of the First Flame, the player can pursue endings involving the fire’s renewal, its extinguishing, or its usurpation.

Two expansions extended the game. Ashes of Ariandel, released in October 2016, takes players into a decaying painted world and culminates in a fight against Sister Friede. The Ringed City, released in March 2017, explores a city associated with the Pygmies and features encounters with Darkeater Midir and Slave Knight Gael. Gael’s pursuit of the Dark Soul gives the final expansion a direct connection to the series’ title and its longstanding mythology. Together, these releases added new areas, weapons, enemies, and bosses to the base game.