Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King

The first part of Dark Souls 2's DLC trilogy is as tense, challenging, and rewarding as anything in the series.

A whole new challenge for diehards, and a lot of content for your money.

Aside from a few frustrations, Crown of the Sunken King is Dark Souls at its best

If you enjoyed Dark Souls II, it's hard to pass this addition up.

From Software looks to the original Dark Souls for inspiration in the first of three announced expansions to Dark Souls II.

Don't expect Dark Souls II: Crown of the Sunken King to match up to Artorias of the Abyss, but it still offers a surprisingly deep and gratifying experience. While the boss selection is somewhat disappointing and context to why we're in the ancient land of Shulva seems to be missing, the inhabitants and hidden story behind Sinh and Yorgh will keep fans occupied until the rest of the Lost Crowns Trilogy is released.

For those that have yet to venture into Drangleic, this updated release might just be the best opportunity to jump in. Meanwhile, fans that have already conquered Drangleic may find it a convenient excuse to tackle it all once again.

This game shows that the bar's set high and they can reach it,

DSII remains a skilled, often clever impersonation of the game everyone wanted. But I can't see the point of teasing out its journey with ever more kings, dragons, and Havels. The more DSII overlaps with its predecessors, the less reason there is to play it at all.

All in all, this is a homerun for FromSoft, and with another two episodes to come, Crown of the Sunken King has set a benchmark of quality that, if matched by episodes two and three, will mark an excellent continuation to an already great title.