Dark Souls III The Ringed City | Review
Dark Souls final DLC has launched today, and it does not disappoint. This article is only a basic impressions and review and will attempt to remain spoiler free.
The Ringed City has finally arrived, and it is a sight to behold. There are two ways to access the DLC in the game, you must either have completed the main story, in which case it can be located at the Kiln of the First Flame, or you must have completed the previous DLC Ashes of Ariendel. The last DLC is not required for this new DLC, but for the best ending, you will need it.
The scenery is on par with much of the game and is enjoyable and unique. From Software has taken this a step further however and made the level design and layout interesting and almost maze-like. Areas feel open with different paths to go regularly, elevators opening up to areas you have already been, places you can see but are nearly impossible to access even though you know there has to be a way. And all of this combined with the view of the world literally folding in on itself makes it very aesthetically stimulating.
The DLC has four bosses, three main story ones, and a fourth optional boss. The fights are memorable, the final boss of the DLC being a character we had seen before made an excellent match. A unique boss fight actually incorporates PVP, and the DLC gives you a way to repeat it even if you have already defeated the boss. The truly great parts about this DLC however actually require a bit of digging to find. Much of this DLC is filled with small shout outs to previous Souls games, and characters within them which really makes it feel like a warm send off for the series from the developers to the players who have stuck with them for all these years.
One thing that really struck me with this DLC was real theme of the original Dark Soul. In much of DS3 we've seen the linking of the fire as a continuation for the Lord Soul, or in the previous DLC, we set fire to the painted world to cleanse the rot and bring about a new one. This was the first time in Dark Souls 3 I really felt that the real Dark Soul of Man was given the spotlight, and I think it made it all the better.
Ultimately, if you are looking for a “should I or shouldn't I buy this DLC” the answer is simple. If you’re a long time lover of the souls series, there is a lot you will enjoy here, and it will make you reminisce about the previous games. If you are new to the series and just like playing Dark Souls for its challenging gameplay, interesting level designs, cryptic NPCs, and impossibly convoluted plots and timelines…. well it's got more of that too.