Dark Souls III: The Ringed City

Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City has found a way to revisit the past without a cheap reliance on nostalgia, wrapping up the story of Dark Souls in a way that will be satisfying for fans who enjoy digging into the rich lore the series has been building for the last few years. But you don’t need an encyclopedic knowledge of the Souls series to appreciate the satisfying twists and turns of this short, but exciting adventure, with its abundance of haunting, secret-filled locales and terrifying boss fights.

With some notable flaws and lack of originality, the Ringed City is a bit of a mix bag. Even so, the new areas are fun enough to explore, and the epic final encounter is something that absolutely needs to be experienced by anyone that calls themselves a Souls fan. It’s unclear if this truly marks the end of Souls as a series, but if it is, it can rest well knowing it has left an indelible mark in gaming that will never be forgotten.

When I finished The Ringed City’s critical path, I was left with pangs of sadness and some mild disappointment. While it was still able to surprise me and leave me in awe with its level design and enemy encounters, I couldn’t help but feel like the game wanted me to get through it as quickly as possible until I ran into walls with the Bosses. Dark Souls is over (for now) and I just wish it could have maintained its high bar throughout.

If The Ringed City really is the last time we’ll see any new Dark Souls content for the foreseeable future, players can rest assured that their final endeavor will be a worthwhile one. Though at times it can feel even more punishing than the main game, the thoughtful level design, fun boss battles, and a more horror-inspired tone make The Ringed City a worthy add-on and will give any Dark Souls 3 fan a reason to jump back into the madness.

It's a meaty instalment and a welcome deviation from the practices seen in Ashes of Ariandel, while still interlocking with and continuing the complex narrative. The bosses are challenging and visually fantastic - besides a cheap NPC opponent - and the environments continue the Dark Souls tradition of being large, intricate, and engaging. The Ringed City feels like the climatic end that the Souls franchise deserves, even if we find ourselves hoping that this isn't actually the end at all.

As satisfying an ending as Dark Souls was ever going to get, with some shocking story revelations and memorable boss battles. The Ringed City itself looks great and is filled with secrets and a surprising amount of new gear. Lore revelations are handled well and the bosses are impressively varied. Most of the new non-boss enemies are fairly forgettable and the extra slow pacing can be frustrating.

The Ringed City DLC is a mixture of things, unfairly difficult in the beginning, it opens up and delivers a thematically fitting end to the series of the whole. Great boss fights as well as a new PvP mechanic elevate it above the previous DLC.

Dark Souls III: The Ringed City isn’t a poor effort, and it’s far from a bad one. If anything that’s just testament to how great Dark Souls 3 is itself. But it’s nowhere near the highs of what the series has delivered in the past and provides more frustrating, tedious moments rather than exciting ones. You get bang for your buck and, if you’re a fan who is eager for more lore and detail, then The Ringed City will satisfy your needs. Sadly, it’s a lowpoint in one of the best games of 2016, and if this is the last Dark Souls chapter we ever get then it hasn’t gone out on the note that it undeniably deserved.

Overall The Ringed City was lots of fun, and even towards the very end the studio succeeds in surprising us with some interesting ideas. However, familiar themes from the series are recycled and partly copied. This didn't have too much of a negative impact on our experience, but we know not everyone sees it like that.

Decir cuál será el siguiente paso de FromSoftware es bastante complicado, pues para muchos, su amada fórmula se empieza a quedar sin piernas. Una secuela para Bloodborne parece ser lo más lógico, pero puede que este desarrollador japonés nos sorprenda con una idea completamente distinta que busque una vez más cautivarnos. Como sea, el nombre de Dark Souls ha quedado escrito con letras de oro en la historia de los videojuegos sin importar lo que pase con ella en el futuro y creo, The Ringed City es el cierre correcto que se merecía, por más sobrio que éste le pueda parecer a algunas personas. Larga vida a esta maravillosa franquicia.

The Ringed City es capaz de lo mejor y lo peor. Tiene una de las secciones más pobres de todo Dark Souls 3 y ofrece una de las zonas más interesantes del videojuego a la vez. Ofrece batallas épicas contra jefes finales y alguna sorpresa interesante para despedir la edad del fuego. Un contenido en el que las sombras existen, pero sus luces son excelentes.

Cette ultime extension propose un challenge sans cesse renouvelé dans les deux environnements les plus audacieux et majestueux de la série. Seule ombre au tableau, les boss ne sont pas si marquants et l’achat des deux DLC est obligatoire pour profiter de ce dernier fragment d’histoire. Heureusement, le bestiaire rattrappe largement le coup et The Ringed City distribue ses largesses avec parcimonie.

Dark Souls III : The Ringed City est le dernier contenu sortant pour la licence, dont les producteurs ont annoncés qu'elle se terminerait avec ce troisième épisode. Et ici, la formule est à son apogée : le level design est grandiose, avec une direction artistique maîtrisée de bout en bout, l'exploration fait des merveilles, et les nombreux pièges et ennemis poseront de grandes difficultés aux joueurs amateurs de challenge.

Aussi riches en révélations que propice à ouvrir de nouvelles pistes de réflexions chez les amateurs de lore, cet ultime contenu achève un long cycle de plaisir masochiste avec tout le brio qu’est capable de déployer le studio japonais quand il met tout son savoir-faire à l’ouvrage. Beau, plutôt long, mystérieux et surtout vraiment exigeant en matière de challenge, ce dernier chapitre est à posséder pour peu que vous ayez passé ces dernières années en compagnie de la série des Souls.

Sebbene non raggiunga le vette di The Old Hunters, The Ringed City può essere considerato uno dei migliori DLC mai visti nei soulslike di From Software. È in grado di rendere più completa la storia principale e fornisce una mole soddisfacente di contenuti, oltre a un paio di boss davvero degni di nota, ben realizzati e in grado di soddisfare i più esigenti.

Si tratta in definitiva di un bel passo avanti rispetto al DLC precedente, sia in termini di quantità che di immersività. Non siamo secondo me ai livelli (molto alti) del titolo base, in quanto a qualità generale delle situazioni di gioco proposte, né ai livelli di quello che rimane il miglior DLC recente di From Software, ovvero The Old Hunters per Bloodborne, ma in alcuni punti ci avviciniamo anche a questi standard.

Оно обогащает и без того прекрасную мифологию игру, подкидывает новую пищу для размышлений и новые инструмента для уничтожения врагов, чтобы размышлять было не скучно. За 8 лет существования серии ничего сопоставимого в индустрии так и не появилось, так что Souls-игры на своем месте в истории закрепились плотно. Ну а теперь, когда сага закончилась, нам остается только перепроходить игры и пытаться выстроить целостное описание происходящих в них событий. Теперь-то истина точно где-то рядом.

The Ringed City had de meest ambitieuze Dark Souls DLC ooit moeten zijn, maar weet niet helemaal te overtuigen. Toegegeven: de nieuwe gear is erg tof, de bazen weten de kippenvel te geven en de gebieden zijn met vlagen imposant. Daarnaast krijg je een nieuwe covenant, uitdagende vijanden en vooral een hoop titanite slabs.

Det mesta i The Ringed City känns som ett extranummer, du vet när publiken har applåderat och stjärnan kommer ut på scenen igen och bränner av någonting som till och med din mormor skulle känna igen som den slutgiltiga avslutningen? Det är The Ringed City. Med nya fiender, fler vapen samt krafter och bossar slås allt innehåll ihop till ett paket och gör det till ett snyggt avslut på Dark Souls III. Nu får vi se vad From Software hittar på härnäst.