Dark Souls III

Dark Souls III is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Released in March 2016, it is the fourth entry in the Souls series and the final installment of the Dark Souls trilogy. Set in the decaying kingdom of Lothric, you play as the Ashen One—an undead warrior tasked with rekindling the First Flame to stop the world from falling into darkness. Expect punishing combat, intricate level design, and a deep, lore-rich story.

In the Kingdom of Lothric, a bell tolls as the First Flame—the force that sustains the Age of Fire—begins to die. As in ages past, the approach of the Age of Dark brings forth the undead: cursed beings who rise after death. The Age of Fire can be extended by “linking the fire,” a rite where great lords and heroes sacrifice their souls to rekindle the First Flame. But Prince Lothric, chosen to link the fire in this era, abandons his duty and decides to watch the flame fade from afar. The bell serves as the Age of Fire’s last hope, resurrecting former Lords of Cinder—heroes who linked the flame in previous ages—to attempt the ritual again. Yet all but one refuse their call. At the same time, Sulyvahn, a sorcerer from the Painted World of Ariandel, declares himself Pontiff and seizes control of Irithyll of the Boreal Valley and the returning Anor Londo cathedral from Dark Souls, ruling as a tyrant. An Unkindled known as the Ashen One—an Undead who previously failed to become a Lord of Cinder—rises and is tasked with linking the fire by returning Prince Lothric and the defiant Lords of Cinder to their thrones in Firelink Shrine. These Lords include the Abyss Watchers, a legion bound by the Old Wolf’s Blood whose souls are linked as one to fight the Abyss, now trapped in an endless battle among themselves; Yhorm the Giant, who gave his life for a nation conquered by his ancestor; and Aldrich, a Lord of Cinder driven by a ravenous hunger for both men and gods. Lothric himself was raised to link the First Flame, but he turns away and chooses to let it die. After restoring Lothric and the Lords of Cinder to their thrones, the Ashen One journeys to the ruins of the Kiln of the First Flame and confronts the Soul of Cinder, an amalgamation of all previous Lords of Cinder. With this foe defeated, the player may attempt to link the fire or pursue three optional endings determined by in-game decisions—such as summoning the Fire Keeper to extinguish the flame and begin an Age of Dark, or killing her in a sudden change of heart. A fourth ending has the Ashen One claim the flame for themselves, becoming the Lord of Hollows.