STACK #138 Apr 2016

FEATURE GAMES

Tips

• Dark Souls III is about how you fight through the world, and how you explore it. • Every enemy you face has its weakness. In order to exploit those weaknesses, your character needs to become more powerful. • As you journey through the world of Dark Souls III , leave no stone unturned. If you find a locked door, remember it for later. If you come across a branching path, explore both ways. Your character can become a great deal more powerful because of hidden items, and hidden characters. • One of your most valuable tools is your Estus Flask – responsible for healing you and restoring your focus. As a result, one of the most valuable prizes is an Estus Shard, which can be brought to the Blacksmith in return for an extra charge of Estus. Additionally, if you find Undead Bone Dust, remember to burn it at the bonfire in Firelink Shrine. • Just like items, characters have a lot to offer as well. The blacksmith resides in Firelink Shrine and will upgrade your weapons in return for Titanite Shards. However, not all NPC's originate in your Shrine. Many important characters have to be found out in the world, before they then teleport back to the shrine for easy access.

GAMES

• Dark Souls III is out April 12.

deeply convoluted map designs of Dark Souls 1 . Gone are the days where I could be journeying through an early-game area, only to stumble upon a tough but rewarding late-game area. Souls is at its strongest when it puts faith in the player's intelligence, and its faith in a player's navigational ability is somewhat lacking. Additionally, the care put into dense environmental design is wasted when a player can simply warp past it all, instead of being forced to run through it again. In closing, Dark Souls III is a well- crafted farewell. If you're a series veteran, the game will play upon your nostalgia with plentiful references to memorable characters and encounters. If you're a newcomer, you will be challenged, you will die, you will overcome, and you will succeed. After you complete it, other games just won't feel the same. You can then dive into all the other Souls games just to see what made Dark Souls III so great.

In the first five hours of Dark Souls III, you have access to at least 30 weapons, 20 equipment sets, dozens of spells, and at least 10 NPC questlines that help you attain these valuable items. While the early-game is more linear than Dark Souls and Dark Souls II , the world is folded in on itself like never before, hiding unique treasures around every corner. The more you give, the more you get – and the same goes for the lore. You could go through the game without even thinking about the story, but look more critically, and you'll discover disturbing truths about the characters, bosses, and the world you took for granted. My biggest criticism stems from the linear world. While levels are densely packed and folded in on themselves, I still yearn for the

• One character worth tracking down is Yoel. Yoel is found at the end of the bridge as soon as you descend towards the Undead Settlement. Once you send him back to your Shrine, he will offer you the ability to level up your character without requiring an investment of souls. From this point onwards your character will begin to hollow every time you die. You can continue to level up at Yoel the more you die - making the sting of death less painful. • There are many other characters to be found, and all of them have something to offer. Talk to them every time you return to your Shrine, and you will reap many rewards.

51