Dark Souls III: The Ringed City Reviews
The Ringed City is a competent end for the Dark Souls Franchise. It has interconnected bigger places and better bosses than the previous DLC. Maybe some of the story subjects that were anticipated to be explained are not spoken in this DLC. But after all, if you have ever played any Dark Souls game, you should play The Ringed City. Only the last location itself worth buying these DLC.
Review in Persian | Read full review
A farewell to the Dark Souls series that showcases all of the developer's experience in terms of concepts and level design, and gives those who care about the lore a chance to explore it further. The Ringed City adds more gameplay hours while sustaining the full game's quality, but it doesn't differ much as it reuses the same concepts of previous installments.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Dark Souls III's The Ringed City isn't exactly the final piece of the puzzle that people have been waiting for, as it's just more of the same (albeit, very good), and not something that will be hailed as a DLC masterpiece, partly due to its short length. Buy, rent, or never play? Irrelevant. Soulsborne aficionados are already on it…
Let the Feast End
Dark Souls III: The Ringed City is a worthwhile expansion for fans of the series but it also frequently devolves into a controller-throwing nightmare.
The Dark Souls plot is as mysterious in its conclusion as it was in its beginning. Of course there are a myriad of scattered clues, references and story points scattered throughout the Ringed City. And I’m sure there’s a myriad more I’m yet to discover.
"What a ride, what a send-off, what a missed opportunity! I’m being a bit unfair. The Ringed City is perfectly good content, with a lot of play time, a lot of new weapons, armor and enemies. Some bosses suffer from hallmarks of the series so far, while one is almost exemplary in its design. It’s a linear experience but enjoyable to go through. The environments are among the most impressively looking in the series but the overall level of quality and polish fall short of previous DLC’s by From such as Artorias of the Abyss or The Old Hunters. In terms of lore and environmental storytelling, The Ringed City seems like a fair send-off for the series, even if it seems like it could have used (and deserved) more attention. Other aspects seem like placeholder ideas, such as the sections in which you’re forced to run from cover to cover which felt alien considering the series I was playing. I would call it “phoned in”, but even “phoned in” by From Software is still leaps and bounds ahead of what some AAA developers consider well-rounded and finished. Either way, it’s over at least for the time being and it’s been a privilege. Praise the Sun."
Ultimately, simplicity is not always a negative thing, some titles even use such to their advantage. But when a series which has built itself upon exploration of complex, foreign and extremely hostile environments, especially one as highly regarded as Dark Souls, completely shifts its formula and transforms itself into a simple A-to-B adventure game, it ultimately loses a lot of its charm. And one could debate whether such drastic transition has come from change in artistic vision, financial constraints, or simply a loss of passion, but in the end he/she still has to agree that The Ringed City is a solid piece of content, and unlike the Ashes of Ariandel, it is worthy of being considered a major part of the Dark Souls universe.
One of the best expansions From Software has ever produced, The Ringed City is a challenging and satisfying epilogue for the Dark Souls trilogy.
The Ringed City is not quite the conclusion of the series that fans would've wished for but besides a weak first hour, Souls Fans will get a good portion of challenging enemies and varying places that will entertain you even beyond new game+ for several hours.
Review in German | Read full review