Dark Souls III: The Ringed City Reviews
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
One of the best expansions From Software has ever produced, The Ringed City is a challenging and satisfying epilogue for the Dark Souls trilogy.
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.
"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."
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.
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.
Let the Feast End
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…
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
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
Dark Souls series is over in the possible way with The Ringed City. As a fan of the series, I would be disappointed if that wasn't the case. The Ringed City deserves every penny you will spend on it.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
The Ringed City is a brutally unkind piece of content that shows the series at its best, but also unfortunately its worst.
The Ringed City DLC fixes the shortage of the previous DLC, presenting much more content, although not everything offered has a satisfactory gameplay. The big highlight are the bosses - challenging and worthy to face that vigorous build you created, after spending considerable time in the Dark Souls III campaign.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
You can respect how well it fits in with the series' overall lore.
The Ringed City is as challenging and enjoyable as one would expect from a Souls game, and although it suffers from some level design issues at the beginning, it's a great conclusion for Dark Souls III.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Exploring ruins has gotten no less satisfying. Risking it all to secure a glowing item or a stash of souls still provokes baseline thrills. The basic back-and-forth of combat maintains its addictive rhythm. And the whole world is incredibly beautiful, especially the lush panoramas of the Ringed City itself.
Dark Souls III: The Ringed City isn’t the swan song that we hoped it would be, but it’s still an enticing adventure for hardcore fans.
Plentiful, engaging and beautifully designed content adds many hours of playtime and reasons to return to the base game one year after release, be it to enjoy fashion souls or your powerful new arsenal, or simply explore what humanity may have meant all along. A fitting end to a fantastic game, worth full price.
From Software brings the Souls train into the station on a fittingly somber, yet high note with this excellently realized content. The one stumbling block comes from trying new things at a stage where they probably shouldn’t have with introducing the stealth element. nevertheless, as a concentrated showcase of 8 years of Souls and the journey along the way, it’s an excellent send off to the age of fire.
The Ringed City is a fantastically punishing finale for the Dark Souls saga, but is held back by linear level design and an underwhelming story.