When comparing Primordia vs Dark Souls III, the Slant community recommends Dark Souls III for most people. In the question“What are the best adventure games on Steam?” Dark Souls III is ranked 44th while Primordia is ranked 49th. The most important reason people chose Dark Souls III is:
There's tons of lore everywhere for you to discover, but it isn't necessarily told through a conventional story. Weapons, armor, spells, and items you acquire have descriptions on them that tell you where in the game world they came from, any prominent characters they're associated with, and a bunch of other relevant and interesting information. So when you find examples of the lore scattered around the game, like bosses wearing a style of armor you read about, or an obscure NPC mentioned in a sword's description, you know the history behind the design and their purpose without that boss or character needing to explain anything to you. Even though the actual story in Dark Souls III is very thin, there's a lot to find under the surface if you're willing to look for it.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Thought-provoking story
Within the first few minutes of gameplay, it may appear to solely consist of self-aware robots surviving in a harsh world long after man has disappeared. However, the story takes a sharp turn into many ethical, religious, and moral issues which ultimately result in an extremely well-written and thought-provoking story.
As the game unravels, the robots go as far as to ponder their creator, the meaning of consciousness, and the difference between right and wrong. The player is presented with many different morality choices during gameplay that will determine the ending, and ultimately the fate of their world as a whole.
Primordia is especially known for its symbolism, especially as to how it relates to religion in our world. Some of the robots believe they were created by Man (God) and others don't believe it, or refuse to accept it. Since man no longer exists in Primordia's world, it is a constant source of debate among the robots. Horatio, the character we assume the role of for the duration of the game, even has an inventory item called "The Book of Man" which is symbolic of the bible. This type of symbolism runs deep in the game, and for the careful observer, all sorts of parallels can be found between our real world and the game world.
Pro Characters feel fleshed out and detailed
Many of the robot denizens that populate the game world have their own goals, personalities, and quirks. Their personalities change over time based on the player's interactions with them, and what choices the player made. Whether it's the comic relief from our sarcastic sidekick Crispin, to the lone robot who guards the Shrine of Man, each and every character no matter how minor is given a level of unique detail and depth that makes them feel alive and a part of the world.
Pro Multiple puzzle solutions and story paths
Many of the puzzles in this game have multiple solutions which lead to different story paths. For example, during one scene, the robots can attempt to persuade a self-aware virus to stop its destructive behavior, or they can simply just smash the computer terminal to end the threat. This choice of action leads to different results later in the game.
These kind of choices persist throughout most of the game, making the puzzle-solving a breath of fresh air in the adventure gaming genre. Primordia gives the player real choices with real consequences. Some are minor choices, some are major events - but all of them will influence how the story plays out and concludes.
Pro Extensive lore that's presented in unconventional ways
There's tons of lore everywhere for you to discover, but it isn't necessarily told through a conventional story.
Weapons, armor, spells, and items you acquire have descriptions on them that tell you where in the game world they came from, any prominent characters they're associated with, and a bunch of other relevant and interesting information. So when you find examples of the lore scattered around the game, like bosses wearing a style of armor you read about, or an obscure NPC mentioned in a sword's description, you know the history behind the design and their purpose without that boss or character needing to explain anything to you.
Even though the actual story in Dark Souls III is very thin, there's a lot to find under the surface if you're willing to look for it.
Pro Stunning environments
The world of Dark Souls 3 looks amazing, so you may often feel the need to stop and take in the beautiful sights. This can be the sheer size of structures, mountains, or caves. It can also be the decorations, inscriptions, or details in a room. There's always so much to look at, allowing you to truly immerse yourself in its world.
Pro Can give a great feeling of accomplishment
The Dark Souls series is known for its difficulty and Dark Souls 3 is no exception. It's filled with difficult enemies and tough boss battles, able to cause you grief on more than one occasion. However, every time you progress to the next safe spot or defeat a boss you'll often be filled with a mix of joy and relief. Beating this game will almost certainly feel like an achievement.
Pro Unpredictable boss battles
The boss battles in Dark Souls 3 consist of several phases, changing up how the bosses fight over the course of the battle. They will gain new abilities, become more aggressive, or reveal various nasty surprises. This creates an enjoyable experience that is different from most modern games where bosses are just glorified pincushions.
Pro A great variety of equipment for almost any playstyle
You'll be finding new pieces of equipment quite often, giving you many options to choose from. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, allowing you to pick the equipment that best suits your playstyle.
For example, heavy armor will make you move slower, but you'll be better protected. Greatswords have a wide reach, but you swing them really slow. Conversely a dagger is very fast but it has a horrible reach.
Pro Solid controls
This game feels and plays really well. Your character responds to button inputs immediately and it almost never feels like you're losing control over it. The control scheme can also be customized, giving you the option of a more personalized experience.
Pro Great combat system
Dark Souls 3 is a very fast-paced game but it's not just about having quick reflexes. A lot of the combat comes down to exploiting your enemies. To do that, you have to learn their patterns and attack the moment they pause or perform a telegraphed attack. This creates a combat system, which rewards awareness and patience, and is satisfying to master, even if you don't have extraordinary reflexes.
Cons
Con A few tedious puzzles
There are a few tedious puzzles in the game which will require either a photographic memory, or a pen and paper, to solve. One glaring example is a puzzle where you need to stop an argument between two robots that results in a rather complicated math equation.
Another such example is having to use a computer terminal which, when accessed, simply gives you an open-ended 'Search' query and not much else to go on. It's only through some trial and error that you ultimately figure out how you're supposed to be using the terminal, but it's pretty unintuitive in how it's presented.
Con Poor support for mouse+keyboard control
The default DS3 key/button bindings actually prevent full use of certain weapons by requiring the shift key to be pressed and not-pressed simultaneously. Rebinding is possible, but limited by issues like the left mouse button overriding all others and certain bindings not actually working in game (e.g. Shift+MiddleClick).
Con It's hard
You should try avoiding the trap of great review scores since most of them fail to mention the difficulty. It's simply put - hard. A lot of the combat requires quick reflexes, good mechanics, and the mental fortitude to carry on after failing for hours. If you're new to the Souls-like genre or simply want to enjoy a relaxing evening playing a video game, you most likely won't enjoy Dark Souls III.
Con Poorly tuned dynamic visiblity
You may notice some texture pop in while sharply turning the camera. It can be somewhat distracting if you notice it, but most of the time you won't because it happens in the distance.
Con Occasional performance issues
There are portions of the game that will have noticeable framerate drops, which can negatively affect the gameplay. Most of the fault lies with the game engine, so getting better hardware won't help that much.