{"title":"FromSoftware","description":"\u003cp\u003eFromSoftware was founded in Tokyo on November 1, 1986 by Naotoshi Zin, spending its first years building business software before an abrupt and historic pivot to games: King's Field, a first-person dungeon crawler released in December 1994 as one of the earliest PlayStation titles, established the studio's taste for oppressive atmosphere, interconnected level design and unforgiving combat. The formula deepened through sequels and 1997's Armored Core, the customizable mech series that became the studio's commercial backbone for two decades, alongside cult experiments such as Shadow Tower, Echo Night and the Otogi action titles. Long before its worldwide breakthrough, FromSoftware had already built a reputation among devoted players as a developer that trusted its audience to master difficult, opaque systems without hand-holding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat trust became a genre. Demon's Souls (2009) and Dark Souls (2011), directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, turned deliberate combat, environmental storytelling and shared-world multiplayer into the \"Souls-like\" template that countless studios now follow, while the Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne (2015) and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - The Game Awards' 2019 Game of the Year - cemented the studio as one of the most influential developers of its era. Miyazaki was appointed president in 2014, the same year Kadokawa Corporation acquired a majority stake, and in 2022 Elden Ring - created in collaboration with George R. R. Martin - became the studio's biggest release yet, selling tens of millions of copies and winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards before its acclaimed Shadow of the Erdtree expansion arrived in 2024. From a Tokyo business-software firm to the standard-bearer for demanding action RPGs, FromSoftware's catalogue rewards patience like no other in gaming.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"dark-souls-iii-pc-download","title":"Dark Souls III","description":"\u003cp class=\"lead\"\u003eThe First Flame is guttering out, and the Lords of Cinder who once linked it have abandoned their thrones. You rise from the grave as Unkindled Ash, a failed ember with a single task: drag them back to Firelink Shrine by force. Dark Souls III is the closing chapter of FromSoftware's trilogy, with Hidetaka Miyazaki back in the director's chair for the series' fastest and most confident entry, and the Golden Joystick Awards 2016 Game of the Year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eA Kingdom at the End of the Age of Fire\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLothric is where the transitory lands converge as the age of fire ends, and every region you pass through is a fragment of what came before. The High Wall of Lothric gives way to the Undead Settlement, the Road of Sacrifices, the Cathedral of the Deep, the poisoned mire of Farron Keep and the moonlit streets of Irithyll of the Boreal Valley, before a broken Anor Londo and the towering Lothric Castle bring you to the end of the road. Each area folds back on itself with shortcuts, hidden ladders and illusory walls, so that a bonfire kindled in the right place turns a brutal gauntlet into a manageable route.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story is never handed to you. It sits in item descriptions, in the words of the Fire Keeper, Andre the blacksmith and the wandering knight Siegward of Catarina, and in the ruined architecture itself. Piecing together why the Lords fled and what the Unkindled truly are is one of the game's quiet rewards, and it pays back players who have followed the series since the first Firelink Shrine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eCombat Built for Aggression\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDark Souls III moves faster than any earlier Dark Souls. Stamina recovers quickly, rolls are generous, and enemies close distance and combo with real intent, so hanging back behind a shield is rarely the safe option it used to be. Every weapon carries a Skill, a special art fueled by a new FP bar: a greatsword's stance attack, a spear's charge, a katana's quick draw. Estus is split between the familiar healing flask and an Ashen Estus Flask that restores FP, and you decide the ratio at the bonfire. Sorcery, pyromancy and miracles draw on the same FP pool, so a caster manages the bar as carefully as a knight manages stamina.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bosses are where the design shows most clearly, and several of them are the best FromSoftware has ever produced.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eIudex Gundyr\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eThe game's opening test. A measured halberd duel that becomes something far uglier partway through, and the first sign that you should never assume a fight is over.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eThe Abyss Watchers\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eA legion of Undead Legion swordsmen who fight each other as readily as you, then rise again as a single flame-wreathed Lord of Cinder. Fast, elegant and unforgettable.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003ePontiff Sulyvahn\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eThe tyrant of Irithyll, wielding a sword of fire and a sword of moonlight at once. A dance of feints and delayed swings that punishes panic rolling more than any fight before it.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eThe Nameless King\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eAn optional encounter at Archdragon Peak, and one of the hardest in the series. A storm drake and its rider, then a duel against a god of war whose every swing carries lightning.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003c\/dl\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eCovenants, Summons and Invasions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnline play is woven directly into the world rather than bolted onto a menu, and it still runs on the rules Dark Souls established.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBurn an Ember and your maximum health rises, but so does your visibility. Embered players can summon phantoms to help with a boss or an area, and can be invaded by other players looking for a fight.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCovenants shape how you meet others. The Way of Blue calls for protection and the Blue Sentinels answer it; the Watchdogs of Farron and Aldrich Faithful guard their territory against trespassers; the Mound-makers simply want chaos.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePassword matchmaking lets friends summon each other regardless of level, with the summoned ally scaled down to match. A leveled veteran can walk a first-timer through the High Wall without trivializing the game entirely.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eBuilt to Be Played Again\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA first run through Lothric takes most players somewhere between forty and sixty hours, and it is rarely the last. Four endings hinge on choices that are easy to miss, from linking the fire to letting it die, with or without the Fire Keeper at your side, or usurping it altogether, and New Game Plus keeps your character, weapons and rings while raising the stakes. Stat builds change the game as much as the difficulty does: a Luck-focused bleed build, a pure pyromancer and a heavy-armor greatshield knight play three genuinely different games.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe bonfire at Firelink Shrine is lit and the thrones sit empty. Take up your sword, kindle your first ember and go find out what became of the Lords of Cinder.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bandai Namco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31891239180,"sku":"PC_9197929612_DL_L_DE_JP_SS_XK","price":33.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0875\/3268\/files\/card-dark-souls-iii-pc-steam-game.jpg?v=1789166506"},{"product_id":"dark-souls-ii-scholar-of-the-first-sin-pc-download","title":"Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin","description":"\u003cp class=\"lead\"\u003eDrangleic does not forgive, and that is exactly why it endures. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin is the definitive edition of FromSoftware's sprawling action RPG - every expansion included, enemy encounters rebuilt throughout, and a curse that asks more of you than almost anything else you will ever play.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Definitive Dark Souls II\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eScholar of the First Sin collects Dark Souls II and all of its released content in one package, presented as an exclusive director's cut of the game. Whether you fought through the original release or are stepping into the series for the first time, this version stands as an entirely different experience - bigger, harsher and more complete than the game that came before it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eA Kingdom Rearranged\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnemy placement has been overhauled from one end of Drangleic to the other, producing a play dynamic unlike anything returning players remember. The safe zones some players relied on are no longer safe, and a new NPC invader known as the Forlorn stalks your journey, appearing exactly where he is least welcome. Hardened veterans will need to forget everything they thought they knew.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSouls Shared and Stolen\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnline play has been enhanced with a special item that regulates the souls you acquire in battle, making it far easier to match up consistently with other players. Sessions now support up to six players instead of four, completely changing the dynamic of both cooperation and invasion - alliances form faster, betrayals cut deeper, and no bonfire ever feels entirely yours.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat Awaits You\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eOverwhelming encounters\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eFrom packs of ravenous hollows to towering bosses that fill the screen, every fight demands patience, observation and nerve. Victory is never given away - it is earned one carefully measured swing at a time, and it feels magnificent every single time.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eDiabolical hazards\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eDrangleic's dungeons, caves and crumbling fortresses are riddled with traps, ambushes and environmental dangers that punish haste. Reading the terrain is as vital to survival as any weapon upgrade you will find along the way.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eUnrelenting challenge\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003eThe renowned obscurity and gripping difficulty of the series are at their peak here. Each death is a lesson, and each small triumph an intense emotional reward that few other games have ever managed to match.\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003c\/dl\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLight the bonfire, steady your shield and answer the curse - Drangleic has been waiting for you. Make Scholar of the First Sin the next chapter in your collection and discover just how rewarding overcoming the impossible can feel.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bandai Namco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12215088545878,"sku":"PC_1322198040662_DL_L_DE_JP_SS_XK","price":22.29,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0875\/3268\/files\/card-dark-souls-ii-scholar-of-the-first-sin-pc-game.jpg?v=1787696850"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.pjsgames.com\/en-ie\/collections\/fromsoftware.oembed","provider":"PJ's Games","version":"1.0","type":"link"}