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A hollow bursting through a barrel, or a knight waiting poised around a stonewall corner; Dark Souls has excelled at surprises just as much as it has its sense of rich, clotted enigma. How dispiriting, then, to be faced with a sequel that, from first impressions, felt so familiar. More Dark Souls will always be a welcome thing, of course, but could this sequel that's been fired off in quick succession after sequel expansion Scholar of the First Sin and spiritual partner Bloodborne be the proof that you can have too much of a good thing? On the evidence of playing a new build at Bandai Namco's headquarters ahead of this year's Tokyo Game Show, probably not. Despite some initial concerns, Dark Souls 3 feels different enough to what's gone before to justify its existence, and to justify the tingling excitement that comes with the prospect of a new From Software game - and one helmed by Hidetaki Miyazaki, no less. This is a sequel that folds in some of the philosophies of the brilliant Bloodborne, while reintroducing some of the series' elements that were perhaps lacking in Dark Souls 2.
What's changed since the reveal, then? Well, amazingly, it's what's changed since Gamescom only a few short weeks ago that brings Dark Souls 3's promise into focus. Back then in the first hands-on it was about getting our head around Critical Arts, special attacks tailored to each weapon and available when you're two-handing. With a scimitar, for example, you launch into a dervish of blades, while a greatsword can be used to launch enemies comically high into the air. Their use is limited, however - back in Cologne, the system was governed rather clumsily by a number by your health bar that would deplete with each move, being restored once you'd found your way back to a bonfire.
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