In spite of the fact that it is the third game of its ilk in as many years, there is a lot of hype and anticipation for the upcoming Dark Souls III. A lot of this anticipation comes from the fact that this game sees series creator and custodian take the helm of the franchise again, after handing it off to others for Dark Souls II. Dark Souls II was generally well received, but it is widely considered disappointing as a follow up to the original, and is viewed as the weakest of the Souls games.
Speaking to VG247 about Dark Souls III, and his own role with respect to the game, and to the wider series at large, Miyazaki revealed, in a statement that perhaps has lots of series fans heaving sighs of relief, that the new game is based on his style of gamemaking- it is a return to how he prefers to make games.
“All of Dark Souls III’s design is basically based on my own personal preference,” he said. “Dark Souls II was of course built and supervised by other people at From Software, and so it matched their preference,” he went on. “So, in terms of the world design, and other elements, my preference is to return to something structurally a little more like the first game, and Bloodborne, with the world a little more connected.”
Considering that the world design of Dark Souls II was one of its most criticized areas – it was no longer considered organic and cohesive, and it felt more like several themed areas had all been assembled together, with little regard for larger consistency – fans are now likely less apprehensive of what seems to be, by all accounts, a return to form for a franchise that, even on its worst day, is far beyond most of its competition.
Dark Souls III is set to release in April, on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.