Dark Souls II: Crown of the Old Iron King
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Dark Souls II: Crown of the Old Iron King Media
Critic Reviews for Dark Souls II: Crown of the Old Iron King
A fun throwback to the feel of Dark Souls, but easier than we'd hoped.
Crown of the Old Iron King rewards players who accept its difficulty and required effort
From Software is able to create an eerie tower to climb down, but at the same time, doesn't really deliver on anything that we haven't seen before. The formula has changed slightly, giving players a little more freedom in what they want to do, but at the same time, pacing in how bosses are introduced could have been structured better and more varied.
Another uninspired expansion that features some enjoyable new enemies and encounters but fails to excite in the same way as the parent game.
Outside of the repetitious boss, there's very little to complain about with Crown of the Old Iron King. As you descend deeper in Brume Tower, there's much to uncover and you're often given multiple paths to explore. Regardless of how you progress, that familiar sense of dread will plague every step. Crown of the Old Iron King only gets more insidious as it goes on and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Is Dark Souls 2's second expansion a song of ice and fire? Nope, that's ash, not snow.
Crown of the Old Iron King is another accomplished and well-constructed addition to Dark Souls 2, with a pair of bosses who rank alongside the best the series has to offer.
The most disappointing area is tied to another optional boss, accessible only after you gain the titular Crown using the 'enter memory' mechanic. It lacks any of the distinct qualities of the Iron Keep or the Brume Tower, consisting of a series of windowless iron rooms and arranged ambushes.
