Since the series’ debut back in 2009, the “Souls” series has evolved into one of the most divisive and intriguing franchises ever released. While most modern video games try to appeal to as many people as possible, the developers at FROM software have no similar inclination. The “Souls” games have no interest in going easy on their players, and while the challenges they present are almost always fair, they are also quick to punish carelessness and hubris without remorse. This has rightfully earned the series a reputation for being some of the hardest, but also some of the best, games ever released. And while it may not add anything substantially new to that formula, “Dark Souls 3” is unquestionably deserving of that legacy as well.

You play as an undead warrior, brought back to life in the kingdom of Lothric in order to complete an ancient ritual. In order to keep the world from plunging into eternal darkness, the five kings of Lothric must sacrifice their souls in order to keep the First Flame, the source of all life in the world, from fading away. However, all but one of the kings has fled from their duty, and it’s your mission to hunt each one of them down and claim their souls so that the ritual can be completed and the world can be saved. Like previous games in the series, the story of “Dark Souls 3” is shrouded in mystery, with almost all background information needing to be gleaned from item descriptions, sparse character dialogue, and environmental cues. There’s plenty of interesting lore to be found for those interested in searching for it, but very little of that context is required to get the most out of the experience.

The true core of the experience is in the gameplay, which will be very familiar to series veterans. For those not quite as familiar, “Dark Souls 3” is a third person action game similar in design to “The Legend of Zelda”, though with much more of an emphasis on swordplay. After the tutorial area, the player is set loose through the semi-open world area of Lothric to find new equipment, battle enemies, and gather those enemies’ souls, which act as the player’s currency in shops and their experience points for leveling up. All of this was true for previous titles in the series as well, and while there are a few new ideas added in to keep things fresh, the game does very little to mess with what already worked.

Thankfully, the changes it does make to the formula mark this as the most accessible entry in the series for newcomers. From the offset, the difficulty is far more gradual, with the first two areas mainly designed to introduce new players to the basics of play and get them accustomed to how the world operates. And even after these areas, the game makes an effort to be more welcoming by making objectives far clearer to the player and by making almost every weapon viable in its own way, allowing for a greater diversity in play style. That’s not to say the game is any easier than its predecessors, in fact it may very well be the hardest entry in the series. But the quality of life changes it makes do go a long way in making “Dark Souls 3” more inviting to new players, which is something neither previous “Dark Souls” title did very well.

On the subject of graphics, “Dark Souls 3” is absolutely gorgeous. While the game is by no means a graphical powerhouse, with some clear texture issues and a disappointingly washed out color palette, it makes up for its shortcomings with masterful art direction that succeeds in bringing every corner of Lothric to life (or death, as the case may be). This is most evident in the enemy design, which deftly runs the gambit between the traditional medieval knights in shining armor to more grotesque eldritch monstrosities lying in wait. This is only helped by some superb sound design, which succeeds in giving each weapon the appropriate amount of weight and making each creature even more threatening, even if they really need to tone it down with the unearthly screeching.

If there’s one issue that “Dark Souls 3” constantly runs into, it’s an overreliance on series history for nostalgia points. The game is designed to be the final game set in the series’ original universe, so it takes that setup as an opportunity to bring back nearly every notable character from the original, either as cameo appearances or as major roles in the story. This is fine for returning players who have the proper context, but for new players, it only ends up making the background story even more impenetrable than before. This isn’t a huge problem since, as was said previously, a full understanding of the story isn’t required, but it’s still a bit disappointing.

Regardless of this issue, “Dark Souls 3” proves itself to be a more than capable entry into the “Souls” series. The gameplay’s better than it’s ever been, the world of Lothric is a sight to behold, and it successfully walks the line between being more accessible to new players without losing the ruthless edge that gives the series its identity. If the recent rumors end up being true and “Dark Souls 3” really is the final game in the series, the franchise is absolutely going out on a high note.

“Dark Souls 3” is available on PC, Xbox One, and Playstation 4 for $60. The PC version of the game was played for this review.