Dark Souls II: Crown of the Ivory King DLC Reviews
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I'm not quite finished with my review of Crown of the Ivory King yet, unfortunately, but luckily more mainstream publications have picked up the slack for me in the meantime, and there's already a batch of reviews for Dark Souls II's last add-on available.
Eurogamer, 8/10.
Enjoy the next few weeks, during which there will be a steady population touring through the chapter, seamlessly and thinly appearing in one another's games like ghosts in a dream. Soon, the people will have moved on: Eleum Loyce will return to ice and all but the small group of NPCs you gathered at Majula, the clifftop homestead that overlooks the endlessly rioting sea, will be gone. For many, 2014 has been the year of Dark Souls 2. And now, finally, the real Dark Souls ends here.
Destructoid, 7.5/10.
None of Dark Souls II's DLC is particularly spectacular compared to what was already in the base game, but they are great companion pieces to the proper package. If you're a diehard fan this is all you're going to get until Bloodborne arrives, and with multiple playthroughs and New Game+ runs, odds are you'll get your money's worth. Everyone else who took a more casual approach to Dark Souls II should probably wait for a possible Game of the Year edition or a sale.
PC Gamer, 80/100.
And with that, so ends our Dark Souls 2 journey. The Crown trilogy haven't been the most filling morsels. Unlike Dark Souls' Artorias of the Abyss, they feel superfluous to the main show, something scooped off the cutting room floor. It's still Dark Souls, and it's still brilliant, but the Ivory King is a similar deal to the last two a solid five-hour chunk of adventuring in another enemy-filled fortress. Like its wintry setting it might leave you a bit, well, cold.
USGamer, 4/5.
If you've been playing through the Dark Souls 2 DLC up to this point, Ivory King offers plenty of reasons to see the last of what FromSoftware has to offer. It features the same focus on new experiences and terrifying boss fights as the past two Crown installments, tucked into a setting that's atypical for a Souls game. Once you tie the bow on Dark Souls 2, the only thing left to do is start counting down the days until Bloodborne.
Hardcore Gamer, 4/5.
Dark Souls II: Crown of the Ivory King is arguably the best of the Lost Crown Trilogy, but it's not without its faults. The main complaint revolves around the conclusion not having a big pay off, despite sinking ten to fifteen hours into the entire set of quests. With that said, From Software's attempt to break away from their traditional formula by testing your agoraphobia is something to be commended, not to mention establishing a smartly crafted, interconnected kingdom. With well-conceived bosses, an exciting new snow setting, and a shiny new crown to put on your mantel, Crown of the Ivory King helps expand the Dark Souls II fiction into great territories.
