At its core, Dark Souls is about fighting. That's not to say that the game is nothing but swords and shields throughout, but it's clear that From Software built the game with combat in mind.
If you ever needed any proof of this, well ... just take a look at the bosses.
From Demon's Souls to Bloodborne, From Software has proven itself a master of creating amazing boss fights — and from the looks of things, Dark Souls III will be a perfect example of this. Up until now, fans have only ever caught a glimpse of the most powerful enemies in the game, and so far, they've all looked fantastic. Gone are the days of Dark Souls II's ho-hum humanoid encounters, replaced with genuine monsters designed from the ground up to beat players into bloody submission.
These fights are at the forefront of the Dark Souls III launch trailer. Sure, there are a few small story snippets tucked away in the teaser, but the true stars of the show are the new enemies that fans can look forward to fighting.
First things first: if you hadn't already noticed, the trailer begins with a condensed version of the monologue from the opening of the original Dark Souls. From Software has made it clear that Dark Souls III is both a continuation and conclusion to the themes from the original game, and nowhere is that more evident than with this intro.
From there, the trailer jumps between a series of different shots: the first appears to be some sort of shrine to the Everlasting Dragons, while the second focuses on some sort of goblet. While the shrine appears further on in the trailer, the goblet's presence stands out — could this be some new form of Lordvessel, or is it simply some new artifact that players will find along their journey?
Out of everyone shown in the trailer, this rider stands out. There are only a few bosses throughout all of Dark Souls that wield lightning in such a way — Gwyn, the original Lord of Cinder, and Dragonslayer Ornstein. Given the giant bird and his lightning rod-esque weaponry, it's easy to assume that this is one of Ornstein's Dragonslayer brethren ... but there's always a chance that the first game's final boss is back for a rematch.
Given Dark Souls' reputation for boss fights, the characters featured in the trailer are likely just the tip of the iceberg. Thankfully, it won't be much longer before fans can finally go toe-to-toe with them: Dark Souls III is due out on April 12.
