SPOILER WARNING: Very mild spoilers for Dark Souls III ahead, mainly regarding its references to previous games in the series. I personally don't consider anything here spoiler-tag worthy, but some people are picky about this stuff. So here's your friendly warning!

There's a moment near the end of Dark Souls III where it all came together. I stepped out onto a bridge in the final non-optional area, and took pause for a second. I've seen this bridge before, or something very reminiscent of it. This giant stone bridge, with an equally giant iron gate at the other end. These wooden barricades erected before me, and the undead soldiers scattered about. I bet even more enemies are hiding behind these barriers, aren't they? Yes, I've seen this bridge before, if not in exacting detail, then in spirit. I saw this bridge seven years ago, at the very beginning of a little game called Demon's Souls. It all seemed so unassuming then, but little did we know what was to follow. My, how much has happened since.

Dark Souls III contains a lot of such references to From Software's previous Souls games, which in my mind includes both Demon's Souls and Bloodborne in addition to Dark Souls proper. Yet most of them didn't work that well for me personally. Yes, I remember Firelink Shrine. I remember Andre the Blacksmith. I remember the archers (those fuckers). And this one area sure looks a hell of a lot like Yharnam. But those mostly felt like cheap, easy reminders of times past, simple callbacks meant to placate long-time fans. It left me wondering, what is Dark Souls III's identity? It gleefully displayed its ability to pay homage to the past, but what is it able to do for the present?

Dark Souls III, other than being a reference machine, is for better and for worse another Dark Souls game. For better, this is still one of gaming's grandest adventures. This is a quest that's easy to lose yourself in, reveling in details and scope all at once. This is a game full of secrets and things to explore. This is a game containing countless tough foes, and exciting bosses. This is a game that places incredible confidence in its players' ability to find their own way. And in its execution, it's easily the best-playing Souls game yet. Combat feels faster and tighter, taking some of the lessons learned from Bloodborne to produce action nearly as good as its adventuring. Mechanical and customization elements are more clearly explained, and feel more balanced than before without losing any of the depth. Levels are also both larger and denser, containing winding paths that diverge and reconnect in exciting ways. Exploring is at the heart of this series, and Dark Souls III has some of the most elaborate levels of them all. The bosses too, while perhaps not the hardest to date (I don't think the game on the whole is the hardest either), are extremely varied and clever. No two boss fights are the same, which keeps things engaging throughout this lengthy adventure. Previous games could lose steam in the back half, but Dark Souls III remains steady from start to finish.

For worse, it has lost its novelty and mystery. Demon's Souls is one of the most memorable games I've ever played due to how bold and inventive it was; it took modern gaming design, turned it on its head, and tossed the player into a new, unforgettable adventure. Dark Souls III, by virtue of being the fifth such game, never had close to that kind of an impact on me. Even for all its sublime execution, and for its ability to produce an adventure more compelling than 99% of games out there, I never could shake that feeling of "been there, done that". This double-edged sword defined my entire playthrough of Dark Souls III. I consistently enjoyed the game, but it also felt like going through the motions too regularly. By playing safe within its own established conventions, it loses one of the defining traits those very conventions established in the first place. Dark Souls III was no longer mysterious or surprising in the way the series once was; it was no longer bucking the trends, instead succumbing to its own, now wide-spread trends. These are still good trends mind you, but I've done this all before, multiple times now. Some of the magic is naturally lost, and the edge dulled.

But if this truly is to be the last game of this type, as From Software claims, then Dark Souls III's place becomes more discernible. Instead of being the game to push the boundaries of what a video game adventure can be, Dark Souls III is more reflective, looking back and saying "Hey, look how far we've come!" It's a reminder of all the great memories it's created, and tying a bow on one of gaming's most important and beloved series over the past seven years. This realization finally hit when I stepped out onto that Demon's Souls-esque bridge. I remembered that bridge, and immediately remembered everything associated with it. I remember being utterly confused and delighted as I explored the seemingly impenetrable Boletaria, and the satisfaction that came when I finally unraveled its mystique. And I remembered all the games that followed, and how they built on that legacy. That bridge kicked off one of the most influential gaming franchises of the modern era, and seeing it now at the end of Dark Souls III brought it full circle.

It brought a personal journey of mine full circle as well. When I crossed that iconic bridge in 2009, I was unemployed, living with my parents. I had just graduated with my bachelor's degree, but after wasting a year in graduate school and deciding that wasn't right for me, I was frustrated and directionless. I've gone through a lot of life changes over the past seven years, and this series, one of my favorites, has punctuated every step of my growth. When Dark Souls came out in 2011, I had been working a comfortable if unexciting job for roughly a year and a half. When Dark Souls II released in 2014, I was preparing to move and go back to graduate school, this time for a substantially different degree. When I got around to Bloodborne a little over a year later, I was graduating with my master's degree, punctuating one of the most intense and life-changing years of my life. And now, in 2016, I have a job I love, living in the place I want to be. In that way, Dark Souls III is not only a retrospective send-off to a series that has defined an era of video games, but also a period of great change in my life.

I hope From Software makes good on their word, and that Dark Souls III is their last such game. It's a fitting end to the series, and to make another one would only undo the bow this game ties. Yes, this series has created many great memories, and Dark Souls III is happy to remind us of that. But I'm not convinced it can reach those heights again, and I think it's best to leave it there and turn now to the future. At some point, you have to move on, and I'm doing the same in my own life. I've experienced great memories, both high and low, since I first set foot on that bridge seven years ago, and I want to remember and cherish them. But now it's time to look forward. The future is full of possibilities, and there are new memories to make, for both From Software and myself. I won't forget the Souls of the past, but it's time to lay them to rest.

Hiya @majormitch!

Just wanted to checkin to say hi. Sadly I can't read this blog closely, since I'm studiously avoiding DS3 spoilers as usual I tend to be behind on new releases.

But I did want to say congrats on to getting somewhere in your life where you are happy!

Where do you think From and your life are going from here?

I saw that King's Field might be getting rereleased on PSVita soonish, I hope From doesn't go back to First Person. Those games ....were not so great if memory serves.

@slag: Thanks Slag! No worries on avoiding the spoilers, that's why I gave the warning :)

I'm not sure where From goes from here, but the success of Dark Souls proves they have talent in that studio, and I would love to see what else they could do. Maybe they'll never make anything close to this good again, but we won't know if they don't try. They really created something special in this series, something bold that flew in the face of conventional wisdom and ended up influencing a lot of game design from other companies as a result. And while it's tempting to see them stick to that, I'd prefer to see them go off and be bold with something new; they seem to be one of the few "AAA" companies willing to stick their necks out there. I think they can be more than a Dark Souls factory.

As for me, the future's full of possibilities! Most of my life until now has been focused on getting through school and getting a job I really like. Now that I'm there, I kind of have a blank canvas to work with, so to speak. I'll certainly keep working hard at improving at my job, and keep pursuing my passions (video games and tennis). Otherwise I'm free to explore life and see what's out there! I like traveling, I'd love to learn how to make video games, and who knows what else I can get into- one step at a time! :)

Finishing DS 3 reminded me of finishing Halo 3, nice end to the series. And then I saw the Legendary ending and went "aaaahhh, why didn't you just end it?"

I keep thinking I'm done with the series, but I can't friggin' wait for the DLC.

For me I felt that finishing Dark Souls 3 was truly the first time in games where I felt everything come around again to the beginning (Mass Effect tried and failed). It's a hard thing to describe the feeling to people that would describe certain elements of the game as "fan service" or pandering, but I really felt the nostalgia in that final fight with Soul of Cinder. The 2.0 Gwyn Theme during phase 2 is such a perfect send off to one of the most important video game series in recent memory. Other games would have selected some kind of bombastic music for their end boss, but Dark Souls 3 went out on a sad and melancholic note that perfectly represented the scene and surely echoed the feelings of the player base as they knew this was the final Dark Souls.

@csl316: Ha, yeah, I'm sure I'd play and enjoy more Dark Souls if (when?) they make it. But I agree that DS3 was such a nice end, and it would be even better if something actually ended when they say it will.

@golguin: I do think that some of the references in Dark Souls III were a little on the nose without much real merit. The archers for example, that was really just a big "I bet you remember these guys!" But I definitely agree that in the end, it was a really strong sense of closure. That bridge moment for me, and then the final boss + music as you mention; easily two of the highlights. Nostalgia wielded correctly can be powerful, and I really like the way it all wrapped up.

I felt a similar Demon's souls vibe with the bridge before the Princes, though I was reminded more of the wide bridge before the Penetrator boss fight.

@majormitch: I've mentioned it before but, in my mind, Dark Souls really brought back some of the classic adventure game conventions. Partly by design and partly because of technical limitations, games often didn't hold the player's hand, relied on indirect, obscure or atmospheric storytelling and weren't afraid to be challenging, complex or expansive. Guides were rare (especially pre-modern Internet), so players were left alone to work through challenges (sometime with hints from friends, manuals or other sources). It wasn't all good but, like with Dark Souls, daunting challenges and immersive exploration can create truly memorable experiences.

The Dark Souls series may be (and perhaps should be) truly resolved, but we've already seen its influence on the industry. It's shifted the paradigm even if the series itself is done.

I never did much online with Demon's, 1 and 2. I dreaded invasions as progress-wrecking distractions. I never co-oped a boss because it honestly never really occurred to me to sit around a bonfire or boss door and throw down a summon sign when there was progress to be made elsewhere single player.

Now, I've been doing nothing but co-oping the Grand Archives for the past 20 hours of play, and I can't get enough. Every single time I play, it's some crazy, new experience. Everything from just me and the host who obviously doesn't know the area well slowly plodding our way towards an awesome knock-down, dragged-out boss kill to an insane host hitting every summon sign there is regardless of color where the battle went on so long, I ended up letting some red phantom backstab me to death so I could take a break. (To the obnoxious cheater who sits stationary, doesn't take damage and just spams soul arrows until everyone's dead. There's got to be a better way to farm covenant items...)

I've even gotten to the point where I actually win against invasions most of the time. (Gotthard Twinswords FTW!!) I never thought that would happen.

I might even get around to actually finishing the game sometime.

I used to think the Souls games were great. Now, I think they're fucking brilliant.

The real Souls starts here.