When Dark Souls III was first released there was a huge amount of hype behind it's release and it was supposed to go back to its roots. Dark Souls II changed up a lot of the mechanics and the feel of the game compared to Dark Souls I. Dark Souls III was supposed to bring back some of the old places and mechanics. I heard a lot about new, interesting multiplayer features. There were definitely a lot of nods and glances back to Dark Souls I. Entire areas were referenced and specific character stories were retold. I specifically liked seeing armor from the original characters resurface.
For me, a lot of the hype was worth it. Dark Souls III is faster paced than its predecessors. It has a huge and highly detailed world and some colossal new bosses. Some of the later bosses are memorable and challenging fights. Unfortunately, the game fell short in a few areas. It got rid of a lot of the innovative mechanics from Dark Souls II, and replaced it with the weapon art mechanic. I would have liked to see more references to Dark Souls II which has always been one of my personal favorites. The game feels a little over reliant on movement for a game that is themed around knights and armor. Role spamming is way too useful to avoid enemy attacks. To Fromsoftware's credit, enemy attack patterns have become shockingly more aggressive and psychotic.
All in all, the game holds up and is still worth playing. Its challenging enemies and expansive landscapes make it blast to play.