"Withered beauty," was how game director Hidetaka Miyazaki described Dark Souls 3 during his E3 2015 presentation. This game, as with the rest of the Souls series, reveals in finding beauty among death and decay. And in Dark Souls 3, death surrounds you as the world itself faces an impending apocalypse.

With the largest gaming event of the year now behind us, let's recap all the information surrounding Dark Souls 3 that came to light both at - and around - E3 2015. A lot of the nuts-and-bolts details on the game are still forthcoming, but in broad strokes there is a lot here for Souls fans to sink their teeth into.

Considering Dark Souls 2 was released just last year, and Bloodborne hit store shelves back in March, a 2016 release window for Dark Souls 3 makes sense. It gives us a bit of breathing room from the last two games, and enough time to discover all the secrets hidden therein.

The Souls games (and Bloodborne) are usually released early in the year - with the lone exception of Dark Souls - so if history is any indication we'll be seeing this game land sooner rather than later. As for platforms, Dark Souls 3 will be available on PlayStation 3, Xbox One, and PC, making it the first Souls game built specifically for current-generation hardware.

After taking a break from the Souls' series to work on Bloodborne, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki is back in the director's chair for Dark Souls 3. Miyazaki made his directorial debut with 2006's Armored Core 4, a franchise he later stepped away from to work on 2009's Demon's Souls. After that game became an unexpected success, Miyazaki went on to direct Dark Souls and Bloodborne, leaving Dark Souls 2 in the hands of co-directors Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura. Now he's back at the helm, and will hopefully give this game that extra creative spark many felt was missing from Dark Souls 2.

During the runup to E3 2015, there were going around about Dark Souls 3 thanks to some leaked images and poorly timed Tweets. At Microsoft's E3 press conference, we finally got the definite word that, yes, Dark Souls 3 is a thing that exists and, yes, it's coming to current-gen hardware. However, there was one more surprise in store for Souls fans, tucked away in the game's European press release:

"But above all, we are blessed to have such a supportive and loving community," stated Herve Hoerdt, Vice President of Marketing Digital at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe, "and we are happy to dedicate this final episode to them!" The phrasing "final episode" certainly doesn't bode well for the future of the Souls series, but then again Bloodborne has demonstrated the demand for this style of game is going away anytime soon.

Not much is known about the story of Dark Souls 3, other than a few cryptic hints director Hidetaka Miyazaki offered up at E3 2015. According to him, Dark Souls 3 will take place during the apocalypse, with some nonspecific threat looming large over the lives of its denizens. Considering the Souls series has always been one of death and melancholy, a doomsday scenario feels almost like a given.

Miyazaki also went on to confirm that the series' hallmarks - a large, sprawling world; punishing difficulty; and unique online features - will all be making a return in this next outing, however no other details were forthcoming. It was basically another way of saying, 'Yes, we're aware of why people like these games, and we're going to do more of that.'

While details on the setting and story were scarce, one area Miyazaki was happy to expound upon was combat; specifically, weapon arts. Each class of weapon in Dark Souls 3 will have its own unique ability to use in combat. For example, the longsword can perform a sweeping strike that bypasses an opponent's shield, while the scimitars can be duel-wielded to unlock a spinning attack that hits multiple opponents.

Miyazaki explained these extra flourishes were added to give players more variety in combat, as well as to make the less-popular weapons more attractive to players. In addition to swords, bows, and all other forms of martial weapons, Miyazaki also mentioned the game's magic system will receive a similar treatment. Details on that treatment were, of course, not forthcoming.