The most varied, colourful, and technically deep installment in the series, and consequently my favourite. Make no mistake, there's a number of issues in this installment, predominantly hitboxes and the Emerald Herald's iconic "Bearer of the seek seek lest". Boss fights are generally stunningly easy with the right build- powerstanced +10 large clubs will decimate nearly everything with a few L2s- but SOTFS's decision to alter invasions to trigger even while hollow make certain areas like Shrine of Amana a pure hell.

There's no better Souls game for online options, however, and the breadth of content here is more vast than any other as well. You'll find the greatest freedom in viable builds right here, which makes it significantly more replayable than 1, 3, or Bloodborne. And best of all, its locales vary in colour scheme, tone, and concept significantly more than any other installment, with a generally warmer yet still imposing atmosphere.

After 200+ hours on PS3 and a 53-hour return here on PC, this definitely still stands as my preferred option when it comes to a Souls game.

The most varied, colourful, and technically deep installment in the series, and consequently my favourite. Make no mistake, there's a number of issues in this installment, predominantly hitboxes and the Emerald Herald's iconic "Bearer of the seek seek lest". Boss fights are generally stunningly easy with the right build- powerstanced +10 large clubs will decimate nearly everything with a few L2s- but SOTFS's decision to alter invasions to trigger even while hollow make certain areas like Shrine of Amana a pure hell. There's no better Souls game for online options, however, and the breadth of content here is more vast than any other as well. You'll find the greatest freedom in viable builds right here, which makes it significantly more replayable than 1, 3, or Bloodborne. And best of all, its locales vary in colour scheme, tone, and concept significantly more than any other installment, with a generally warmer yet still imposing atmosphere. After 200+ hours on PS3 and a 53-hour return here on PC, this definitely still stands as my preferred option when it comes to a Souls game.