The trailer also featured a melancholy rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s ballad “True Colors.” While the cover, performed by Richie Kohan featuring Faux Fix, doesn’t exactly jive with the original, both its lyrics and new tone seem fitting for the newest game in a series built on unforgiving gameplay designed to wear players down.
“Many will fall,” the trailer declared. “But those who stay the course will discover the darkness within.”
As ever, the prevailing question for the sequel remains how the series will distinguish itself and/or resemble From Software’s last project, Bloodborne, which runs parallel to the series in many technical respects and is often cited as a part of the “Souls” series, despite having a separate narrative and publisher. The new trailer shows many player characters fighting with a sword and shield, an equipment option notably unavailable in Bloodborne.
Developer From Software showed off an extended gameplay demo of Dark Souls III during Sony’s PlayStation Experience fan convention in December. The demo showed players fighting lanky monsters and a tree-like boss with a flaming sword, all of which make an appearance in the new trailer.
From Software president Hidetaka Miyazaki said Dark Souls III would be a “turning point” for the franchise during an interview last year. Miyazaki said he planned to work on “several new projects” after closing development on the upcoming sequel.
“I do want to work on something new,” Miyazaki told Gamespot. “I’m pleased to hear people are interested in seeing that.”
Dark Souls III shows its true colors — which are gray and a very sickly yellow based on the game’s box art — on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC April 12.