14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at developer From Software and publisher Bandai Namco might not be ready to talk about them, but it seems that gamers will soon be able to pre-order two special versions of the coming Dark Souls 3, designed to appeal to the most dedicated fans of the franchise.
According to a leaked posting on Geeky Games, players will be able to choose between the Prestige Edition of the title and the Collector's Edition, both of them featuring some pretty interesting extra content.
At the moment, the prices are not confirmed, but it seems that gamers can expect to pay more than 130 dollars or Euro for the first of the packages and over 400 for the second one, which will probably be manufactured in limited quantities.
For the high price, the Collector's Edition of Dark Souls 3 offers access to a copy of the title, a designed Collector's box, a metal case, a figurine that is 40 cm high and shows the Lord of Cinder in full movement, a hardcover art book, a cloth game map, three iron-on patches for the player to use and the official soundtrack.
The Collector's Edition will give fans access to the special box, the metal case, a copy of the title, a Red Knight figurine that is 25 cm in size, the artbook, the soundtrack, a cloth game map and the three iron-on patches.
Neither Namco Bandai nor the development team has said whether they will offer both special versions of Dark Souls 3 in both North America and Europe and when the pre-order process will go live.
Fans are ready for an evolution of the combat system
From Software has said that the gameplay mechanics that will be used by the coming title are heavily based on that from Dark Souls 2 but with a range of refinements and some entirely new features.
The focus will be on complex combat encounters during which players will have to carefully manage their hit points and magic to take out enemies with as much efficiency as possible.
A variety of weapons, including short bows and dual, wield shortswords, can be used by the main character, each of them requiring a different set of skills to be effective and carefully constructed strategies.
Bonfires will be back and gamers will have a wider set of possible interactions with the world and the various characters.
Dark Souls 3 will feature an expanded character builder, and From Software has promised a wider range of options for role-playing.
The studio has tested the network functionality for the title in October and is planning to deliver an expanded set of features for the community.
Dark Souls 3 will be launched on March 24 of next year in Japan, and so far no clear date has been revealed for Europe and North America, although it seems that they are targeting an early April delivery.
The title can be played on the Xbox One from Microsoft, the PlayStation 4 from Sony and the PC.
