Dark Souls 3 Retrospective

The finale of the Souls marathon is here. Join me as I look at the final entry of the series and see how it stacks up to its predecessors.
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Twitter: / kingdomklannad
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[@DocDoesGamingYT]

"It's like the end of a dynasty" accidental Sekiro foreshadowing right there

[@thaeldir8923]

How so?

[@Remiusthemage]

@@thaeldir8923 dynasty... Sekiro....

[@thaeldir8923]

@@Remiusthemage dynasties will be found all over the world and are not exlusive to east asia, its just a thing that vaguely could be related to japan thus sekiro

[@ashmitpattnayak8060]

"Sword" Saint Isshin wants to know your location.

[@Strummify]

Lmaooo just because of dynasty warriors?? Bruh

[@jonathansenile4396]

You : Lothric Castle is the final act in the game Me , an intellectual : *kills the dancer before vordt*

[@night23412]

gozinta82 damn boi

[@gozinta82]

@@night23412 Looks like it was fixed. I felt necessary as he was calling himself intellectual. I personally killed the dancer late because of its weird attacks.

[@drgvgfg391]

@@gozinta82 its a women you damn fool

[@kindredlebel9175]

Right? Dancer is pretty easy tbh

[@gozinta82]

@@drgvgfg391 Fool? Look at my unedited comment above. "He" is referring to the original poster. I use "its" for referring to the dancer. Who's the fool?

[@Julie-do2dr]

oh my god, DS3's soundtrack is one of my favourite video game soundtracks ever.

[@angel__king]

I’m tied between bloodborne and Twilight princess

[@squeegeemcgee]

so many hits Halflight is my favorite underrated track, i’d say. phase 2 of that theme goes absolutely fucking nuts

[@sagivn.s2237]

TP has an amazing soundtrack, i think ds3 has a few gems but mostly dry, most of the game is almost silent except boss themes, ds2 however jad amazing music, but also has many silent areas, its part of the atmosphere in both but in 3 its just too silent Best piece in the series imo is looking glass knight's theme from 2

[@squeegeemcgee]

@@sagivn.s2237 That silence is the point - Dark Souls focuses largely on diegetic audio, which is basically just audio that originates from within the context of the game world (armor sounds, weapon sounds, enemy grunts, etc.) This is done to craft a more tangible atmosphere, but also for gameplay reasons as well - you can often very clearly hear enemies through walls or from around corners, giving you a better idea of what to expect as you traverse the level. As for the soundtrack, I'm pretty surprised you think DS3's OST is "dry". Music is subjective, obviously, that's just the last word I would have used to describe it. I mean shit, dude, Twin Princes, Slave Knight, Darkeater, Dragonslayer, Pontiff, Yhorm, Halflight - those themes are all gorgeous and emotionally charged. Stellar quality.

[@sagivn.s2237]

@@squeegeemcgee you didnt tell me anything i didnt know, i watch these kinda videos and i played the games, i prefer ds2's approach where more levels have some level of background music, i admit the boss themes in 3 can be really good at times, but not always, and thats true for the whole series, its not exactly know for the ost.. regardless i like playing with music in the background after my first run of a souls game, feels more alive i guess

[@timm_3r]

From Soft should buy the rights to Castlevania and make the 3D version fans deserve.

[@DeMomcalypseLive]

Timmer Ratajczyk They already did. It's called Dark Souls

[@JNST2023]

It's also a new kind of Vagrant Story ;p

[@jinkiskhan1967]

Dark souls is similar enough

[@madmanvarietyshow9605]

That'd be fucking sweet

[@EmilyRose900]

Bloodbourne's pretty close.

[@TwiggehTV]

20:00 - you entered a Fight Club.

[@ZeroTheHeartlessKing]

dood, the first rule D:

[@nexus3756]

its not even a fight club though. everybody is just fucking walking around. and sometimes hitting each other. seriously wtf were those guys doing XD

[@HyperionStudios]

Thank you.....even DkS noobs know this.

[@TheLurchReaper420]

was just about to say this : P

[@RayanTheModder]

@@nexus3756 it's probably an all out fight club every man for himself

[@XoRandomGuyoX]

When it comes to Anor Londo being moved to a new location I believe it is stated that the kingdoms of the various lords were dragged towards the kiln. It's more apparent in the DLC how the world is contorted and smashed together. It was also necessary because the game accepted Dark Souls 2 as canon. So the idea of countless cycles went from a hairbrained theory in Demon's Souls to being cemented into Dark Souls lore thanks to DS2.

[@jgloukas]

Correction : Greirat can survive Irithyll of the Boreal Valley but not Lothgric Castle

[@kimishou]

He dies in irithyll if you dont help onion boy out of the well, but on new game+ you can save him in lothric if you dont buy the onion armour off treasure friend.

[@wormwood8352]

@@kimishou He dies in Irithyll if you buy Siegward's armor from Patches but don't give it to Siegward, or if you don't buy the armor but also don't tell Patches where Greirat went. He always dies in Lothric Castle, though, you cannot save him.

[@kimishou]

@@wormwood8352 play though a normal game making sure to do sigwards quest and get the onion gear. Ng+ give onion bro the armour from the last game and tell patches.

[@pohja4552]

Telling him where greirat went gives patches greirats stock of items either way

[@doctordungus7774]

Man, you didn't know that Gwynevere was an illusion in DS1. Looks like someone doesn't watch VaatiVidya.

[@josephagnetti8921]

Doctor Dungus roasted

[@joshuahetzler1548]

You don't have to watch vaati to figure that out.

[@TheBrazilRules]

He just don't tried hitting her.

[@JNST2023]

Use both hands and try thrust

[@joed5150]

Julien NT And who could forget "amazing chest ahead" haha.

[@chulebam]

Dude, im 27 and i thought you were older than me

[@Jack_80]

he sounds older than 27.

[@V1CT1MIZED]

@@Jack_80 He sounds like he's in his late 40s

[@someone-js6pg]

28*(or 29)

[@davesargent8748]

I’m pretty sure he’s only 18 or 19 in this video. Crazy

[@shannoncross286]

The thing you were confused about is a fight club. They have existed since Dark Souls and the area just after Pontif Sulyvahn has become the "designated" area for it since the location looks a little arena-ish. A host player will use the Dried Finger (for more phantom connections) and then summon via Red Signs and such and then the phantoms fight 1 v 1 until the host gets bored and lets it die off.

[@exquisitecorpse4917]

A major element of the Souls series that is too often overlooked is a very simple, very pure game design principle: The buttons ALWAYS do the same thing in every situation. Like 2D Mario, your character has a specific set of movements designed to navigate every challenge in the world. Whatever it is, you can roll, swing, block, and parry your way through it; 'swing' never re-maps to 'wall jump' because you're next to a chair. Poor Nathan Drake has 1000 moves mapped to each button, so he needs to autosave every 12 seconds just to offset the problem with cheap deaths.

[@nathaneskin3572]

Jessica Breeden That's one of the reasons I loved Shadow of the Colossus so much, to give another example, since games that do that and were made after 1994 are so rare. The sword button is the sword button, even though you never need to use your sword when you aren't directly on an enemy's weak point. It would have been really easy for them to have made that contextual but they didn't, you can even swing your sword on the ground which isn't required at any point. Wish more games would do that.

[@Cyrenetes]

I disagree on counts of your use item button being bound to every single item in the game, toggling items does the same thing only ever when you go through everything you've equipped, same with spells. You use one button for run attacks, normal attacks, roll attacks and kicking. Absolutely the worst of these is of course having jump bound to the same button as rolling in DS1, causing you to accidentally do the last thing you would want to do when trying to dodge an attack. Not necessarily contained within the subject but still relevant is how the same button as locking on enemies is used as the "center camera" button, causing your camera to, at worst, turn 180 degrees when the game thinks you aren't trying to lock on to the enemy right in front of you.

[@SeekerLancer]

Not entirely true. Having jump and roll on the same button in DS1 has screwed me a few times.

[@Farcallo]

That moment when you are 18 and make better reviews then IGN. You are very talented my friend.

[@hughlingard]

"That moment" would be a year long.

[@raresmacovei8382]

That moment when his "profesional review" is a rant because he didn't get a grip in the mechanics.

[@johnreedy9098]

he sounds about 25

[@isetmfriendsofire]

@@raresmacovei8382 Usually a review is called a rant when it's a negative review with an opinion differing from the person labeling it a rant.

[@haruhidaso]

Holy fuck you're 19!?!??!? You sound super mature

[@KingKlonoa]

Almost 19

[@soulsborne1513]

KingK late '97 or early '98?

[@allex3004]

no fucking way :o

[@mal3k1th]

wait, what? omg he's so young :o

[@SSBBcore]

I had never thought you were this young. That is incredible, keep up the good work! You tackled all these subjects with such a matter of maturity I atleast imagined you as 25! :)

[@FrozenG4mes]

"and it even has a fight with a dragon" seems like someone didnt jump on his head xD

[@jordanneal576]

I'm pretty sure every boss has two phases, though some of them are much more subtle, just changing move sets. I think Bloodborne was the same.

[@kidkoopa6389]

I literally teared up at the end of this, feeling your overwhelming admiration as if it was my own. I have only played the 3rd and some bloodborne but your plentiful reviews have me thinking of picking up the previous. Your eloquence is phenomenal and truly earns your keep in the world of video game critiquing. I am enjoying the journey again and again everytime I plug into DS3. And everytime it feels as if i am learning something, or trying something new. The Souls legacy will continue to burn on, but now tell me, who will kindle the next flame?

[@derrmann328]

Would love to hear your thoughts on the Ringed City as I feel From really just stepped it up in every way.

[@SeekerLancer]

The Ringed City took what I already thought was a perfect ending for Dark Souls and made it even more perfect.

[@joesheridan9451]

I thought the ringed city, other than the 3 incredible bosses, was good looking crap. It doesn't hold a candle to the old hunters, I'd even say the crown dlcs where better...

[@gimmedataids]

Unpopular opinion I know, but Ashes of Ariandel was the best to me. Love a good snow level, and those knights were fun to duel.

[@Jack_80]

@@joesheridan9451 i felt that way about the entire game. boss fights were the one strong point and everything else sucked, my least favorite game in the series, i had more fun playing scholar than 3, especially the dlcs.

[@Astaticembrace]

@@joesheridan9451 Honestly I found both Old Hunters and Ringed City disappointing. Not because they were bad but because they were so good and just end abruptly. Unpopular opinion but I loved Ashes of Ariandel for how engaging and complete it felt from a gameplay standpoint.

[@pyguy7]

4:40 You didnt even mention the two bonfires that are LITERALLY 20 FEET APART after fighting the Dragon slayer armor in Lothric castle. You can literally see one while standing on the other and NOTHING happens in between them. LOL?

[@Setnja92]

Maybe this two bonfires are just developer's joke? Lot of people was saying, that in DS2 is too much bonfires and too close to each other. What if they said: "Why not make this as joke for the players in the DS3? You lot thought it was too much?? It could be much worst, look!" :D

[@JM-vl3cy]

@@Setnja92 even though it's very unlikely this could make sense since there's no enemy or any form of danger btwn these two bonfires, not making the game any easier and staying true to their philosophy while cracking a subtle joke. It's Miyazaki, who knows.

[@RegularNobodyII]

I think they were just following the rule that after every boss fight a bonfire would spawn and it'd be strange for them to not spawn a bonfire just in certain bosses or maybe too much of trouble to even bother with programming this specific bonfires not to spawn? it's not like it makes any difference in the gameplay though, doesn't make any difference in the difficulty or anything...

[@DuBaas007]

I think Lothric Castle and the Grand Archieves just have different level designers. They might have miscommunication, or the guy that designed the Grand Archieves either forgot, or just didn't realize a bonfire was that close to the start of his area.

[@JM-vl3cy]

@@DuBaas007 not possible dude. There's hundreds and hundreds of hours of playtesting during development. Something like this cannot go unnoticed. There's no way they "forgot" this. Also, I don't see why they would give two consecutive levels to two different design teams. And even if it was, Miyazaki is supervising everything made in the game anyway to make sure everytging is a coherent whole. There's no way he couldn't see that.

[@katalynnthomas3510]

Just wanted to let you know that after watching this series I am convinced to try the Dark Souls Nintendo Switch edition. I was one to believe the hype that it was a merciless game. Thank you for the detailed reviews!

[@Fkjb69]

LONG AWAITED... I was anticipating your DS3 review and I can say I'm satisfied with it thus far. Great job dude!

[@wolfendoom7269]

This is my favourite dark souls game.

[@asdfghjkllkjhgfdsa8725]

My least favorite. Crazy isn't it

[@Haedox]

Ah hell yeah

[@KingKlonoa]

yee

[@Timothan]

ayy

[@sayf_]

PRAISE THE SUN PLEASE

[@theguy3851]

What's up, checkmark?

[@Charsept]

I've played through DS3 several times and the Abyss Watchers still make me sweat.

[@earlofyarg]

This series of reviews has been great! I'm happy to have (in my mind) gone on this journey with you. You've earned a well-deserved break from reviewing a series.

[@KingKlonoa]

Thanks! Marathons are really really taxing, I think I'm going to try to avoid them. My plan is to space out sequels, so people aren't constantly asking when the next review of the sequel is, and I can review whatever I feel like. My next review is a game in a trilogy, and I'm gonna space out those reviews so I don't get burnt out again. Glad you enjoyed this though!

[@knut7362]

10:40 Aldrich ate Gwyndolin who were keeping up the illusion of Gwynevere and maintaining the sun

[@Manguypersonthing1]

21:02 That's a fight club. Host summons a bunch of dudes and the dudes duke it out while he and a couple other dudes who are just arriving watch the fight. It's a great way to see some stranger, more out-there PvP builds that you wouldn't normally see in invasions or duels, as well as generally interact with people in kookier ways (like the use of prism stones or those rocks you throw down to give a weird sounding greeting/compliment/whatever)

[@earlbrady9115]

Thank you for shining a light on the music. Such an important part of many mediums and art forms

[@asm3282]

I just watched 2 of your videos for an entire hour. I'm never patient enough to do so. Good job

[@RegalPixelKing]

Great review, I will check out the rest of you channel. I just binge watched your entire retrospective. Also about your comment at 19:35 about having the option to start NG+ when you are ready, that was a concept actually taken from Dark Souls II. A bunch of minor mechanical changes to the game took place back in Dark Souls II, like weapon upgrades and refinements and durability, covenants act similar to Dark Souls II compared to Dark Souls, you actually could respect multiple times in Dark Souls II, and I'm sure that I could find a lot more mechanics that Dark Souls III borrowed from Dark Souls II.

[@SHARDK2]

"Where does Dark Souls go from here?" _ACTIVISION_

[@criticalf0ll0w16]

Dark Souls kart a racing / visual novel as you meet wacky quirky characters in the class of Bonfire High

[@WhyGodby]

Been listening to these videos while I try to sleep and I love this man's monotone voice! Not boring but I do be falling asleep to him

[@fscsknight74]

I’ll never forget the moment I was in discord with my friends while I was fighting the nameless king and beat him solo for the first time and just screaming YESS!!! While my friend was taking about something with someone else and them just understanding the pure relief and excitement that I felt in that moment. The fact I got to experience that “with friends” it was a very special one of the many reason the souls series is one of my absolute favorites

[@TheAnthraxBiology]

Dark Souls 2 is too disconnected from Dark Souls 1 so people complain. Dark Souls 3 is too connected to Dark Souls 1 and people complain. This fanbase annoys the living fuck out of me sometimes. A lot of criticisms are very true but that one is what annoys me. Then people complained that the DLC for DS3 was too disconnected from the game! COME ON!

[@GrayOlson]

It's because most of the people who do reviews on games like Dark Souls think of themselves as edgy intellectuals. They need to find something wrong with the game, and no matter what the devs did, doing the opposite would have been the correct thing.

[@sunburn8273]

I know this is a year later but the souls fans loved BloodBorne and it literally had nothing to do with Dark Souls.

[@VetriVade]

Ds3 connects to ds2 constantly, especially in the second dlc. I love arguing with people who say ds2 isnt cannon when it's clear that it is

[@SeekerLancer]

I didn't mind that DS2 was somewhat disconnected, it was that the world was a lot less interesting that disappointed me.

[@Wisdomv3]

21:00 it's a fight club where people gather to fight one another 1v1 and the host summons other dark spirits to fight

[@FUBARGunpla]

i just watched this entire series of yours, sitting here having now beaten the last DLC of dark souls 3 and after years of playing them... i`ve learnt SO much about not only the game and the story, but about myself. this game series will teach you to better yourself on a level that NO other game has brought to the table in years. this last dlc had me left with a heart racing, a huge smile and lots of bittersweet emotions, whatever happens next this retrospective really made remember that this series is hands down my favorite series EVER. subbed for sure!

[@EditorJohn_TIRL]

Watched all of your Souls reviews and enjoyed them immensely. Great stuff, friend.

[@user-vz4hj8oh2z]

Doesn't every single boss have multiple phases? I mean if you consider them changing up their moveset and getting faster for example, I'm pretty sure every single boss has that mechanic.

[@CollinPickup]

Yeah lol, every single boss in the game has two phases. Not sure what he's talking about with "they're definitely in the minority"

[@Godslayer5656]

well I think he means big changes, like the first boss for example, where it goes from a knight of sorts to a giant black demon thing

[@Beremor]

I was wondering the same, yes, because every boss has a distinct second phase. Spoilers ahead, be warned ye who venture further. Iudex Gundyr becomes a Pus of Man. Vordt of the Boreal Valley gains blue eyes and with them a charge and frost breath attack. Curse-rotted Greatwood crushes the arena and gains another arm. Crystal Sage summons clones. Deacons of the Deep summons the final deacon and his personal guard mid-fight. Abyss Watchers merge into one guy with a flaming sword. Highlord Wolnir starts using his sword. Old Demon King gets engulfed in flame and gains a few new attacks. Pontiff Sulyvahn summons clones. Yhorm the Giant gets engulfed in flame and gains a few new attacks. Aldrich the Devourer gets a flame weapon and uses different spells. Dancer of the Boreal Valley gains a second sword and a new moveset. Oceiros, the Consumed King smashes his baby and drastically changes up his moveset. Champion Gundyr gains red eyes and with them a range of new attacks and an unlimited stamina bar. Nameless King gains the power of his mount and turns into a completely different boss altogether. Dragonslayer Armor gets help from the Pilgrim Butterfly. The Twin Princes cooperate. Soul of Cinder channels Gwyn, Lord of Cinder. Granted, those changes range from the unmistakable (Nameless King) over the glaringly obvious (Oceiros) and the readily apparent (Dancer of the Boreal Valley) to the downright subtle (Champion Gundyr), but after fighting every boss at least twice, I was literally never confused as to what the tells of a phase switch are and what phase I'm currently in.

[@f3z087]

I think he's talking about the sort of phase that'll refill a bosses health bar. If that were the case, then the Twin Princes, Abyss Watchers, Souls of Cinder, and the Nameless King.

[@adelynn3501]

All except wolnir ancient wyvern demon king and half light

[@Eboyd1100]

i forgot how much i loved this game

[@ettoreozzy9932]

amazing series of videos for the souls series and just like the tear up feel you got from dark souls 3, I also got it a little bit and I also got it a little bit at the end of this video. good work and keep up!

[@pdb2223]

Happy to see so many positively oriented comments. I don't may not often leave comments on retrospective videos simply because I check so many out. I do thumbs up and sub (in most cases), but your videos deserve them definitively - I won't ramble on anymore though. Basically, I think you're particularly talented and it's an absolute joy to watch your retrospectives. Really well-executed material, I think. Thanks so much for the videos you make here! Very much a kind of gift to enjoy (visceral content, well-measured pacing and no gimmicks, all solid information, impressions, etc, bravo I say).

[@FredHerbert999]

Great, amazing video! DS3 is my favorite DS, tied with Bloodborne. I'm happy you mentioned Motoi Sakuraba too. He is so talented. Hes so good at composing DS style epic orchestral music as well Valkyrie Profile and Star Ocean epic synth. That's a hellava wide range!

[@deadchanndl3016]

2:52 i did not know fighter pl would be in this video

[@Nylle_]

I did the exact same thing when i first entered Irithyll! Still have it as my desktop bg, single most beautiful sight in a video game ever.

[@deankjf]

Your retrospectives really are they best I've come across, you should definitely continue with the series

[@seanowens3153]

"the theif" greirat is more then just a common theif and has more wit then most royals, I'll have you know.

[@eagle_5480]

Ah yes, theif

[@bed22455]

Now that Sekiro has been out for a while, are you going to eventually review that one as well?

[@Synchro-tq1mo]

I respect this video so much , one of the best retrospectives I ve seen , big thumbs up👍

[@electrictears3512]

I absolutely enjoyed the shit out of your Souls Marathon and I never even played the games. But the reason I found your channel, is because I actually thought about getting into them. Thank you for the detailed insight and I subscribed because I really enjoy your other videos too!

[@finismalorum9746]

Watching these videos first will most defiantly ruin your Dark Souls experience, the videos are an amazing analysis but they spoil way to much for a new player.

[@Justin-Thyme]

Yeah, Soul of Cinder is the best way to say good bye to the series. That is, until you try a SL1 run. Soul of Cinder is beyond brutal there. Nameless King feels like a walk in the park compared to that abyss of despair. Superb playlist, by the way

[@gozinta82]

Why do a SL1 run w/o expecting the game to be insanely difficult near the end? Seems obvious.

[@SuperSecretAgentNein]

My issue with the soul of cinder is he’s not actually a character in any way shape or form. Gwynn you got to know throughout the game if you paid attention. Same with Aldia. Soul of cinder is just, blah.

[@goldroger2614]

@@SuperSecretAgentNein soul of cinder is literally ur character from ds1 tht s why he uses abilities the chosen undead had access to in it

[@goldroger2614]

Might sound cheesy but to me these games were always about surpassin my limits and nthn beats the feeling of beating an 8ft roided up version of my character xd

[@SuperSecretAgentNein]

that one guy even if that’s the case, that’s not a character in the traditional sense. That carries zero pathos or drama from a storytelling point of view.

[@zarkouiable]

"Iudex gundyr is a challenge to experienced players" Ever heard of parry?

[@XxrajoxX]

Again well done, I started out with DS2 and moved onto bloodborne. I didnt really think about going back to dark souls, but after watching these reviews, i picked it up off steam. I look forward to diving in.

[@Mibit911]

To me you get more out of ds3 if its your first game in the series. I had playee anout an hour of demon souls back in 2009 when i got it on ps3 and 8 hour of dark souls 2, but because of college and work i really didnt pay m7ch attention and forgot the experience. Dark souls 3 on the other hand i bought day one, amd invested about 26 hours in the game exploring all areas and collecting iems except for archdragon peak or dlc which was not out. I did find the untended graves and accidentally unlocked the firekeeper ending. But as whst i consider my first real experience in dark souls, everything felt fresh, the difficulty and curve was amazing, i died countless times and by the time i reached the twin princes and finally the lord of cinder and beat them after dozenscof deaths i really felt excited and rewarded andcmaking the firelink sword after was amazing, it was one of the best game experiences ever. Then i played dark souls remastered and at first it seemed harder than ds3, also the world waw much brighter like a greek city, finally when i reached the elevator in undead parish my jaw dropped, i had thought ds3 was connected but this was amazing, but as time went in what seemed the harder game became too easy, i barely i killed enemies with ease, i gainee havels, ring and armor and after anor londo i was overpowered, only did i realise later that making acknight build like i have each time for souls games, i managed to make a giantdad build with the onlt difference being my helmet. The game became a trudge and what felt like a better more immersive expetience than ds3 became a chore, never dying killing bosses in ine shot where ds3 bosses took multiple tries and level progression was curved judt right by the linearity. I did have some challenge from artorios and kalameet but only died 2 or 3 times ti each. Also over time the refrences to dark souls in ds3 became very apparent, and where i played ds3 first everything felt newcans great, seeing how much actually was reused hurt my future ds3 experience, and the way i reconciled this was to see ds3 as a reboot of one or retelling then an actual sequel. Im not playing demon souls which to me seems the hardest so far, i would say mainly from the clunky controls, and playing as a melee build, but the creativity and difficulty of bosses is refreshing and fun and even witg good armor and upgraded weapons first world bosses like armor spider, do massive damage are hard to exploit for a knight and takes tiny damage, where as the bell gargoyles where one of the best boss fights ive played, they took high amounts of damage from regular non modded weapons. Although in ds3 modding your was something i didny encounter until a third through the game where as in ds1 i had a plus 5 weapons pretty much by the first bell of awakening. In all i would say nornal enemies and boss difficulty, as well as progression of difficulty anf pace goes to ds3, demon souls also having good pace and level design especially for a non linear game, dark souls 1 has the best interconnecting world of amy game ive played and up untill anor londo the game is a masterpeice of style difficulty and wonder but after the game collapses into an unfinished mess that should have been fixed in ths remaster by changing difficulty of enemies and bosses or scaling. All in all each game has its perks and flaws but untill i beat demon souls, blood borne and dark souls 2 i would have to say dark souls 3 has tge most polished combat and difficulty although the linearity hurts multiple playthroughs and sadly new game plus is nothing great with barely a difficulty increase and no new items besides rings. Dark souls 2 new game plus should have found its way into ds3

[@ricardojanate]

Wait are you me?? My experience was almost the same( main difference I didn't had any contact with the games other than a cousin playing it. Then I played 3, I fucking loved it, my first run was like 80hs, tried to look for all itens and areas. Going back to Ds1 , I was kinda disappointed with the combat and bosses, but everything else was as amazing or better. However I can't think when I'm going to play again Ds1 after 3 runs, having done 95% of it, while I'm at my tens of runs in ds3, which is has better combat and bosses and is for me just way more fun to play and after coming back to 3 after 1 I saw all that i needed as a fan to see the throw backs . For me Ds3 was so , so hard, died a bunch, still die a bunch of times to the harder bosses in new runs but in Ds1 I died to almost no bosses and when I died, I overcame it easily, and in my second or third run I basically never died to bosses. I believe they just don't have that epicness from fight, the music going hight and low, bosses with amazing visuals and design and difficult, different moveset. In Ds1 I was absurdly disappointed with the Gwyn fight (not the lore or music , those are amazing) but like in first playthrough I literally killed him in 4-5 hits, and in my sorcery run was 2 dark beads. But of course that's just my opinion Ds3 is my absolute masterpiece and Ds1 is an absolute masterpiece, just... not for me.

[@FinneousPJ1]

I just watched this series over two evenings. Can I just say VERY GOOD.

[@TSchlumpf]

I like your Retroperspective. You really hit the point!

[@Dfrosty1987]

laid back, chill and funny. Subscribed!

[@aayushdas19]

You forgot the two bonfires right after Dragonslayer Armor. You can actually see one from the other XD

[@TheLazarusOperation]

I was genuinely suprised at your subscriber count. not many people provide analysis of games in general with such intracite and personal detail. I'd love to see more souls content from you :D

[@Shadowonshadows]

You’re just about my age, and I have such respect for your retrospectives. Wish you well for the future.

[@ShapBro]

The dark souls series just has a big place in my heart. I just bought demon souls and I will keep it as long as possible

[@SM-vx6zq]

This was my first souls game and it’s one of the few games that felt really satisfying after completing. I defeated every boss and lit every bonfire. I nearly bought every thing too. I really hope they make a 4th one

[@fredybautista1612]

I would like to have a bloodborne 2 or demons souls 2.

[@redseagaming7832]

Fredy Bautista that's up to Sony from software has to go to Sony to ask permission to make a blood-borne 2 and it would be exclusive to the PS4.

[@fredybautista1612]

sonny would like to make a sequel for bloodborne.

[@tadici4464]

I'd love a Demon Souls Remaster so I don't have to buy a PS3 just for that game.

[@JoshuaConnorMusic]

+Tadici you'd still need a PS4 then as it is still a Sony title.

[@flailingweasel8541]

JimJamBanx He probably has a PS4 and doesn't want to buy a last gen console because PS4 doesn't have any backwards compatibility.

[@flamingmanure]

this was a fantastic series of videos you have here! gotta admit, i also teared up at the end of ds3 and you almost made me tear up at the end of this video. soulsborne will surely be missed. alas, miyazaki himself has stated that this was just the beginning of his gaming career, and that he made a personal promise to himself to surpass the souls series. buckle up kingK. miyazaki's dynasty is just getting started.

[@JazzyUnderscoreTrumpeter]

I respect your approach to these games very much, and I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on Sekiro when that releases... I think it looks promising enough. Great content, I just subscribed even tho I've already watched a bunch of these videos. You seem like a genuine guy.

[@MagicSpartan1992]

Great retrospective! Coming from a 25 year old, your skills to present, articulate and analyze are incredible! I think I honestly learned a bit from you. Thanks!

[@Highlaw]

Well now that I've watched the latter half I can see we get to the same points but reach different conclusions. I'm glad you enjoyed DaS3 more than I did :-) Can't wait to see where FromSoft goes next. There was a "leaker" that said their next multiplat game will be a Souls-like inspired by the manga Blame, a futuristic setting. Regardless of what they do I'll be there waitin'

[@KingKlonoa]

FromSoft has quickly become one of my favorite developers. I'm so ready for whatever they do next.

[@neoncrusader7244]

Oh shit! Do you have a link for this?! This is basically my dream game concept come true! (I've tried some Google-fu with no success)

[@Highlaw]

NeonCrusader saw it a couple months back on /v/ , I think the poster left a link but I can't recall. I think it was from a recent insider working for them - just take this with 2 tons of salt, I'm not getting my hopes up. If they are doing ANYTHING other than sequels I'm more than happy.

[@neoncrusader7244]

Highlaw Damn. Thanks for the reply, I'll try to keep my hype levels from melting down my brain. Imagining a new Bloodborne-like game created from the world and concepts of BLAME makes me giddy like a schoolgirl.

[@Dj2xP]

The wax in the archives protects you from curse-buildup the bookhands inflict. Pretty useful to go item hunting in the area after clearing it.

[@dferrith]

I love your videos about the dark souls series. I totally agree with all your videos and felt exactly the same with ds2.

[@jerryb216]

It's probably a good thing for you that you seem to have missed the other area call backs. A good chunk of the areas are intended to be ds1 areas that have aged considerably. After awhile it went from "cool" to "ok I get it"

[@NoxMortem]

Prepare yourself for the DLC. Painted World and Sif are waiting for you! (At least i hope that is what the Trailer shows^^)

[@silenthillfreak156]

now i have a great urge to play these again. such a great review

[@TheRavenArchon]

I literally took that exact same screencap, on that same ridge, as a Knight, and set it as my PS4 wallpaper the moment I got to Irithyll. It's one of the most amazing fantasy cities in any fantasy game I've ever played.

[@Ponimaju]

Crazy that you were able to play through these games in such a short time. I've owned Demons Souls for a few years and only recently finally played it enough to understand the mechanics and not get entirely frustrated, and having gotten that, started Bloodborne which I found manageable now that I have the basics down. I enjoyed all of your Souls reviews, they were some of the best long reviews that I've ever seen on youtuibe.

[@thebee9853]

These games aren't that hard. Nothing crazy about it.

[@Weaponsandstuff93]

great series of videos. I think overall Dark 3 beats Dark 1 simply because the quality is consistent throughout unlike dark 1 where the end game feels rushed and disappointing.

[@nathaneskin3572]

Weaponsandstuff93 Unless you go to the demon ruins in DS3, which feel just as rushed and shitty as they did in DS1.

[@Weaponsandstuff93]

It's more than From Soft can't make a good fire level, 2-2 is considered generally to be a bad level in Demon's Souls as well.

[@theclawyaww3740]

but thats optional isnt it while in DS1 its a main area

[@somaoni8806]

Weaponsandstuff93 Honestly I'm one of the few people that doesn't mind 2-2 in Demons Souls

[@SeekerLancer]

DS1 is still my favorite, nothing will recapture the magic of exploring Lordran for the first time. The first half of DS1 is one of the most immersive gaming experiences I've had in my life. DS3 is a more even and consistent game though.

[@kidashian4658]

Just found this channel, and this series. While I've always had an interest in the Dark Souls series, I was never that interested in Bloodborne. But, hearing you talk about all of the games, I'm now convinced I also need to add that game to my to-play list. Thanks for this!

[@theelderworm9134]

Sigward for me was awesome. He warned me about the fire demon. So I successfully snuck past the demon. Just as I was clear, I hear sigward screaming that he will help me in my fight and charges the demon even tho I was safe. Begrudgingly, I turned around because I couldn't let him die. It was such a hard fight but we got him.

[@Eranon11]

you got my subscribe because you actually played through all the souls games. BRAVO GOOD SIR

[@redseagaming7832]

Eranon11 I played all the games and I intend to play any game that resembles Souls there's a PS4 exclusive coming out that's Samurai focused that is Dark Souls an inspiration but I don't remember what the name is.

[@Eranon11]

When you do let me know I'm fighting my way through DS3 right now:)

[@flamingmanure]

nioh was its name. its gonna be a fantastic game! at least based on the demo i played a few months back.

[@drxaodin5295]

I’m really liking this guys content though his 6 pack a day voice is jarring to say the least when he’s only 22 at the most

[@infiniteFERN]

Great work on this series!

[@MrMerryFISTmas]

The excess bonfires usually isn’t an issue. In the example you used with Wolnir, you get a bonfire followed immediately by another one with no enemies in between. This means it doesn’t remove any challenge, it just makes the run back to the pontiff dog better. The 3rd bonfire is after the pontiff dog which does not respawn, so all three bonfires do not make the game easier or more hand holdy in any way, just more convenient.

[@tulegaming415]

I'm playing Dark souls now, should I skip 2 and go straight to 3? I beat Bloodborne already, it's the one that got me interested.

[@SaintOgDuck]

Dark souls 2 is a great game

[@JT044-iz1cv]

Do you need to Play DS 1 and 2 to know the story of 3?

[@SaintOgDuck]

@@JT044-iz1cv no they're stories arent really related

[@SuperSecretAgentNein]

Jack Taylor 044 I know this is a two month old comment but I’d recommend playing DS1 at least. Mind you I love DS2 personally, I think it’s a better sequel to DS1 than DS3 story wise BUT you can basically treat both DS2 and DS3 as alternate sequels to DS1. 3 pretends 2 never existed. Both are interesting extrapolations to the events of the first game. So play 1, and then play just 2 or just 3, either way you’ll be properly caught up.

[@correctcritic9749]

Ds2 has good level structure and ideas but the gameplay is fucking atrocious

[@ilbv5]

When u get into Dark souls,ur hooked like cocaine and only remedy is more cowb...i mean from software games

[@Yora21]

I really love Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne and keep replaying them over and over. But I still haven't gone back to Dark Souls 3 where I am probably just halfway done.

[@testsubject1615]

regarding the rotting grate wood being a gimmick, I TOTALLY AGREE! I first attempted the great wood (all though I had watched some videos on it) I went through the greatwood with ease, the deacons after I learned about there giant attack that would kill you with curse (or something) I was able to easily push through that and the crystal sage I cheesed my way through with gold pine resin

[@konstantinosmerikakis6206]

I cried at the end of dark souls 1 T_T

[@jarehelt]

What? Who doesn't like DS2? DS2 was a great sequal!

[@davidjames3985]

DS2 perfected the fight mechanics and controls, its pretty much flawless, this DS3 gets glitchy at times. But, on the scrip area well, yeah, its so strange, every area is so different from one another and totally disconnected, all the 'dark' was gone but I didn´t mind at all. DS in the end its 70% about the combat and 30% story: of course the mistery is alluring but if the fighting was unbalanced or cheap or generic nobody would care. You can make a fighting game out of these mechanis perfected on DS2 (the 3 is too fast for me, it gets mashy at times like he said precisely against the dancer you are rolling like a maniac all over the place because there is literally no time to react properly), BUT you can´t get the Uncharted mechanics, put the misterious lore and enviorenments of the souls series and make a good game for sure. Its mostly about the combat and the thin line between being really hard and just depending on luck and frustrating.

[@theworstcatholic7247]

@@davidjames3985 DS2 certainly did not 'perfect' the fighting mechanics, it has the worst hitboxes in the series, which is a proven fact that you can see in multiple break downs of the game series. The game puts your roll Iframes into a stat, which was a horrible idea for gameplay. The game has the most 'double trouble' boss battles in the series, Yet forgot how to make them Well, making them feel like cheap and artificial. Dark Souls 2, was a fine game. But it was the worst in combat by far, Objectively, due to my first point alone.

[@Efreeti]

DS2 was wonderful, almost every single criticism of comparing it to the other games in the series is a double standard. It's fine if you think it's the worst Souls game, but if you say it's bad, broken, or second rate, you're wrong.

[@theworstcatholic7247]

@@Efreeti Considering that even the hitboxes were coded more terribly, that's it noticeable. No, it's not. It is the worst souls game and not due to just opinion, but legitimately the worst souls game. That said, I love the game. It's still a fact however. Not saying your own subjective opinions or experience can't make it your favorite, because they can.

[@toooydoeur]

It sucks

[@gamerhex7335]

"Dark Souls is all about that minimalist plot." Oh, my sweet summer child. There is SO much lore surrounding these games you have no idea.

[@ShellShocks14]

Great retrospective! Every single boss health bar in the game except for the ancient wyvern has multiple phases

[@jockkroser6755]

Overall for me: Bloodborne > DS = DS3 > Demon's Souls > DS2

[@toooydoeur]

Based

[@rhenry5708]

Review sekiro

[@MrTomfooligans]

Excellent series of retrospectives, pal. I didn't expect to spend 2+ hours watching Soulsborne videos back-to-back-to-back, but here we are. Very well-written, well-executed. I do think the "In Defense of Dark Souls II" video by hbomberguy has lots of valid points about DS2, but either way, we're all entitled to our own opinions and it'd suck ass if we all agreed about everything. Anyway, keep up the good work. We're almost to E3. Maybe Bandai Namco will have a surprise lined up for us...

[@evancarroll6899]

i breifly played ds1 and didnt think too much of it but years later i went through ds3 and loved it a lot having never played any of the others i found it to be a very full experience in its own right

[@haldir108]

In regards to DS3's reuse of characters and locales, i agree that it feels pandering-y. However, it feels more apropriate than in a lot of other game series, because of how the story of DS1 sets the world/time up as cyclic and repetitive. Where it could have come off as lazy, instead it just feels like a different incarnation of the same fairytale, something there is ample examples of coming from oral tradition.

[@skullyskulls3154]

I disagree with basically everything you say. But I can appreciate your point of view. Nice video.

[@madscientistme]

you have summarized the series well, most of which i share very similar views of. I really hope from software could create something as amazing again, as you have mentioned, i would feel slightly put back that they created a new game but the fan in me wuold be hyped!

[@LordParticle]

That flame demon fight with siegward was so fucking epic

[@TheBrazilRules]

I think you was too leniente on this one. This game was a disapointment to me. I expected it would be a return to form but it was just an almagamation of the previous games. What you forgot to address is the fact that the estus system is the same as Dark Souls 2 with you needing to find estus shards instead of each bonfire delivering a certain number of it, the fact they scratched poise, so wearing heavy armor has no point anyway and how the ashen estus make you have pratically infinite spell casts after you upgrade it, wich even makes the game easier as you get closer to the ending.

[@SQGReviewShow]

Git gud at Dank Souls 2! XD

[@Radriar___9946]

It's literally the same thing for me. For years I have heard horror stories of the souls series and never did I think I would pick up on of them. But as you said at the end of the video I decided to pick up bloodborne because I just wanted something different. Here I am 4 months later and I have beaten Bloodborne and dark souls 3 twice and the original dark souls there separate times. These games really are special and I can't help but compare every game I play to the souls series.

[@ultramagnus1859]

Oh no, he didn't know Greirat can be saved in Irythill if you have Seigward or Patches in the area at the time!

[@Highlaw]

11:09 "I think this is why DaS3 works so well for fans, it sticks to its roots." That's exactly why I disliked it. Too much fanservice/throwbacks and felt like it was riding DaS1's horse, even more so than DaS2 (which failed, but at least tried to do its own thing). DarkSouls3 will forever sit in my mind as the most forgettable Souls game out there. It's not "so-bad-it's-good", but it's not excellent either. The re-used DaS/BB assets make me want to go back to playing those games instead. and the pandering made my eyes roll around 20 times throughout the game. But I guess that's why everyone has different tastes. You liked and even loved some of the fanservice and throwbacks while I despised them. I'd rather play a game that has its own identity, but DaS3 to me is too lovey-lovey with DaS1 characters and BB assets. Anyway, onto the rest of the review :-)

[@DeadpoolX9]

As the final game in the series, to me it felt like a sendoff. I think VaatiVidya describes the themes of the first two games as "Curse" and "Search" respectively To me, Dark Souls 3's theme is "consequence" Everything about the game is about the consequences of the actions of people who lived long before. Why should Lothric light the fire? Because he has to. Because its part of the twisted cycle made by Gwyn. Why doesn't he light the fire? Because Aldia. Why is Lothric so fucked up? Because Oceiros and his lineage were obsessed with linking the fire which pushed them into a warped and twisted madness doing unspeakable things. The whole Undead Legion is a direct consequence of Artorias' actions. They dedicated their lives to eradicate the abyss and the consequence for linking the fire was to fall to the abyss. Yhorm's entire questline is his apathy after seeing the result of his kindling the fire. He did everything to try and protect his people and consequently doomed them all. Now he sits apathetic to everything until you and siegward show up to put him out of his misery as per their agreement. You will always become what you hate. Thats what I take away from DS3 If you try to link the fire, it doesn't kindle and you sit there waiting for the darkness. I've compared it to Star wars episode VII but I feel it would be more appropriate if in episode VII the entire economy of the galaxy collapsed without an iron fisted dictatorship and everywhere becomes the Wild West. Do you see what I'm getting at here? Also I believe in DS3 even space is getting warped. You can see this towards the end at the kiln of the first flame the world is collapsing inwards on itself.

[@Highlaw]

satient one Well, when the rest of the game is so shit for me, PvP being "good" is inconsequential. Personally that's the absolute last reason why I play Souls games. I'm glad you enjoyed the money spent more than I did :-)

[@JD-yy7yo]

+Highlaw if you didn't like it then why are you watching a review on it?

[@Highlaw]

josh foster To not live in an echo chamber and see everyone's opinion :-)

[@JD-yy7yo]

+Highlaw Yeah I can understand that. What's funny is people would have complained no matter what from did on ds3. either they didn't change enough or changed too much. personally I'm loving it but I've only played ds2, bb, and ds3. so I'm not burnt out like a lot of people. well the unhappy people will finally be happy when from don't make anymore souls games. At least they won't run it into the ground like assassin's creed.