FromSoft has released its latest trailer for the upcoming Dark Souls III DLC, Ashes of Ariandel, and it looks like the punishment hasn’t let up.
Ashes of Ariandel appears to take place in a painted world, perhaps the painted world from the first Dark Souls. For aesthetics, this puts the player in a snowed-out wilderness, and finds some challenges unique to the environment. Watch the trailer, Divert thine eyes, below if you don’t mind spoilers. (Possible spoiler analysis below, as well.)
Visibility is low in the almost misty snow, and enemies are never far from the alluring items that speckle the landscape. The sword-and-board wielding player and enemies alike display some new tech– a winglike sword, torch-based firebreathing– but what’s most interesting to the gameplay is the environment itself, how distances play tricks on you. A hill obscures enemies standing just out of view. A snowy cliff has an item on it, but it crumbles underfoot, plummeting the player below. Trees mask movement. We can rest assured they have more tricks up their sleeves.
A particularly meaty enemy takes a long time to take down, and hits the player enough times to, presumably, take down a non-trailer player. This is followed up by a blood-soaked patch of snow guarded by giant insects, which readily brings to mind Bloodborne.
The player eventually encounters a vicious opponent in a snowy version of the game’s final boss arena, when a giant wolf leaps in… perhaps Great Grey Wolf Sif? This is followed by a girl in white wielding a scythe, too small to be Crossbreed Priscilla, speaking to a father, likely the beastly, Lordvessel-wielding chap strapped to a chair. One strong theory indicates that the father is a church father or all-father, and perhaps Lloyd, Lord Gwyn’s uncle.
Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel releases October 25th. It will cost $14.99 standalone, or you can get the season pass (which includes this and one more DLC) for $24.99.