Dark Souls is a franchise receiving its third entry (fourth, if you count the predecessor, Demon’s Souls) and from what little information given, many fans of the series are excited to see more, as the developers have only given information through trailers and few gaming magazine screenshots and teaser trailers.

From Software, [the developers] has been giving little information about Dark Souls 3, only leaving information in small portions. The current known knowledge is that the developers are taking assets and gameplay from previous works, hoping to close the series on a big, triumphant end. Through these facts, looking through the history of the “Souls” series is how one can understand what the series has to offer anyone who has moderate skill in video games.

Many fans await Dark Souls 3, to see what From Software will bring to the table, and wonder if the third entry will be as grueling and vicious as promised by From Software. Some fans are skeptical, due to Dark Souls 2’s controversy, but are still hopeful. From what photos and trailers are given, the traditional art style with a polished look and great mechanics, Dark Souls 3 appears to present itself as looking towards their roots, so far as to possibly take assets from Demon’s Souls, the first “Souls” game.

From the First game of Dark Souls, released on Sept. 22, 2011, players are given an overview of the story, and after creating their character, they are then thrown into a dark, mysterious, and ghoulish atmosphere, with minimal light. Walking through what is named “The Undead Asylum”, the game takes no time throwing one of it’s Bosses, that is by the programming in game, impossible.

But this is where the game rewards players who think outside the box. The developers have a planned escape route to avoid this “boss” (which is necessary to advance, the monster will always win), and this scene that plays out happens in mere minutes, showing the player that any stereotypes of games will not work. After navigating more, the player receives their assigned weaponry and can challenge the boss from before, and will be able to claim victory.

Using forceful and difficult scenarios like these are nothing out of the ordinary in a Souls game, and can create an experience that challenges a player to think differently and face in-game adversity. But it is through this adversity that players feel a great thrill of taking down what was once impossible, becomes achievable with their raw skill. From this point players are given an open world to explore, able to go wherever they please, with little to no guidance. This is another opportunity for players to grow and develop a sense of independence, something claimed to be rare in modern gaming by reviewers and fans.

With Dark Souls’ success came a sequel, Dark Souls 2, which was released on March 11, 2014 received well at launch, and it proved to be a worthy successor, but faced trouble when an announcement that Downloadable Content, (DLC), would not be created for Dark Souls 2, the statement ended up to be false, and created controversy through many of the Souls Series’ fans. But despite the marketing problems, Dark Souls 2 shined in sales that it went on to be remade into a newer, polished version, “Scholar of the First Sin”, released on April 1, 2015, and brought the game to the newer generation of consoles with all the DLC and even newer features.

Dark souls 2 kept the familiar combat and mechanics, but many fans felt the atmosphere and world felt different than the original. While the original was a world that felt connected, and held a constant theme of grit and mystery, Dark Souls 2 divided each of its areas down routes that felt as if they were separate from the “hub world”, Majula. Besides the controversy and theme, Dark Souls 2 is a worthy successor to Dark Souls 1, due to its performance and gameplay.

A main theme in many fans’ requests are for Dark Souls 3 to bring back the atmosphere of Dark Souls 1. Challenging, unforgiving, and brutal. This may sound strange, as the difficulty creates effects on its players, for better or for worse. With such immense weight behind its gameplay, Dark Souls is a series that can offer anyone a brand new, refreshing experience, and Dark Souls 3 may be the perfect opportunity to jump into the series.