After I first played Dark Souls back in 2012, I patiently waited for the next game in the series, sure that it would be as great as the first. Unfortunately, vanilla Dark Souls 2 and I just didn't get along, and I soon moved to Korea and stopped playing video games for a few years. By the time I got back into the gaming world, Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 had released without my knowledge, so one of the first purchases I made with my shiny new slightly used PS4 was Dark Souls 3 with all of the DLC, and just like that, I was back into the series. This was the game that reignited my love for FromSoftware and led to the focus on their games that fans of Tales from the Backlog have noticed.
Dark Souls 3 is at the same time a very fun game to play, the beginning of some troubling design philosophies by FromSoftware, a half-step toward some of the mechanics that make Elden Ring work as well as it does, and a strong example of how fan service and callbacks can backfire for your longtime fans. The gameplay is faster than the previous games in the series, the bosses are more complex, and for those looking for the biggest challenge that the series has to offer, you'll find it here.
Joining me in episode 30 of Tales from the Backlog to break this divisive game down is Adam Rivera, who is returning for the second time on the show, previously heard in Episode 7 (Dragon's Dogma). Adam is a Soulsborne expert with many many hours in every game in the series, and adds a great deal of knowledge of both gameplay mechanics and lore for this game and the series in general. In the episode, Adam and I share our thoughts on story, changes to the established Dark Souls formula, and fan service, as well as sharing memorable moments and thoughts on some of the boss fights in the spoiler section.
You can listen to episode 30 (Dark Souls 3) of Tales from the Backlog in the player below, or you can follow the links to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or search "Tales from the Backlog" in your favorite podcast app!