From Soft's magnum opus.
I've played almost every modern FS game and DS3 stands high above all of them in my mind. Objectively, I think Elden Ring offers more but the quality is not as good and Sekiro's quality is better overall but the experience offered by DS3 is unrivalled.
I'm currently replaying this after returning to Elden Ring and it's like wearing an old pair of comfy shoes. The movement somehow feels better to me than ER, the rate of progression and unlocks is vastly more rewarding than any other Souls game. The world is beautiful and everything flows so nicely, starting at Firelink near the base of Lothric Castle and being able to see everywhere you will go, then looking back from those locations, will forever be more rewarding than new markers on a map. Irithyll to me is one of the best areas From ever made.
The enemy variety was at its best here too, so many interesting designs. The bosses are also the best in the series by a country mile. Only Yhorm stands out for being a gimmick boss but every other boss has a great balance of visual interest and genuine challenge. Pontiff Sulyvahn is probably my favourite boss fight in any From Soft game, it flows so well.
The soundtrack here is wonderful, I can pinpoint songs from DS1 that stick with me, but basically none from DS2/Sekiro/ER. DS3 meanwhile never misses, each boss song is such a perfect match, Vordt stands out as a great one, as does the Abyss Watchers.
The lore and characters you interact with are really great too, each one is very well fleshed out and you really get attached to those who come to Firelink Shrine. I love Siegward's journey in this game too.
I've always loved this game but after putting 100+ hours into Elden Ring and coming back to this, there is a night and day difference, DS3 just puts a smile on my face and challenges me in a way ER never did. Everything has a purpose and is designed so intentionally, the consistency of the game from start to end is just phenomenal and all I want to do is keep going back to play more.
The most valid complaint in my opinion is that this game is too easy relative to others in the series. I agree it's probably easier than DS1 however I chalk that up to DS1's rushed development cycle meaning half of that game is reused/underbaked with sudden difficulty spikes and it having far more gimmicky bosses.
I've played almost every modern FS game and DS3 stands high above all of them in my mind. Objectively, I think Elden Ring offers more but the quality is not as good and Sekiro's quality is better overall but the experience offered by DS3 is unrivalled.
I'm currently replaying this after returning to Elden Ring and it's like wearing an old pair of comfy shoes. The movement somehow feels better to me than ER, the rate of progression and unlocks is vastly more rewarding than any other Souls game. The world is beautiful and everything flows so nicely, starting at Firelink near the base of Lothric Castle and being able to see everywhere you will go, then looking back from those locations, will forever be more rewarding than new markers on a map. Irithyll to me is one of the best areas From ever made.
The enemy variety was at its best here too, so many interesting designs. The bosses are also the best in the series by a country mile. Only Yhorm stands out for being a gimmick boss but every other boss has a great balance of visual interest and genuine challenge. Pontiff Sulyvahn is probably my favourite boss fight in any From Soft game, it flows so well.
The soundtrack here is wonderful, I can pinpoint songs from DS1 that stick with me, but basically none from DS2/Sekiro/ER. DS3 meanwhile never misses, each boss song is such a perfect match, Vordt stands out as a great one, as does the Abyss Watchers.
The lore and characters you interact with are really great too, each one is very well fleshed out and you really get attached to those who come to Firelink Shrine. I love Siegward's journey in this game too.
I've always loved this game but after putting 100+ hours into Elden Ring and coming back to this, there is a night and day difference, DS3 just puts a smile on my face and challenges me in a way ER never did. Everything has a purpose and is designed so intentionally, the consistency of the game from start to end is just phenomenal and all I want to do is keep going back to play more.
The most valid complaint in my opinion is that this game is too easy relative to others in the series. I agree it's probably easier than DS1 however I chalk that up to DS1's rushed development cycle meaning half of that game is reused/underbaked with sudden difficulty spikes and it having far more gimmicky bosses.