FromSoftware has only just pushed out Bloodborne, its ambitious debut PS4 release, and an HD remaster of Dark Souls II, but the busy developer has just revealed its latest creation - Dark Souls 3, the latest entry in the punishingly difficult Souls series.
The most exciting news is that series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki is back in charge of directing duties. He was largely respsonsible for the original Demon's Souls, first Dark Souls and Bloodborne, but had a more hands-off role for Dark Souls II. Many fans of the games argued this made it an inferior sequel, despite initially proving popular with the existing fanbase and new players alike. Fingers crossed this new release will appease those disappointed fans.
The reveal trailer might not show any actual gameplay, but it's most definitely a Souls game; it oozes atmosphere, with shambling, withered creatures, misty locations and a creepy looking zombie queen reaching slowly for an ominous black crown all featuring heavily. The jaw-drop moment occurs at the end, when a towering zombie knight rises from the ground. It looks absolutely massive, and could indicate that the game is taking a different approach to its boss monsters - more Shadow of the Colossus than the mere room-filling creatures of previous games.
Although publisher Namco Bandai used Microsoft's press conference to make the reveal announcement, it doesn't look as though the two companies have signed any kind of exclusivity contract. That means Dark Souls III will most likely be coming to Sony's PS4 and the PC on launch as well as the Xbox One.
Amazingly we won't have a long time to wait for Dark Souls 3. Considering the incredibly deep and complex lore the series is known for, an early 2016 release is practically a Christmas present for fans of the games. We're expecting to hear more about the game at Gamescom later this year.
