A new preview of "Dark Souls 3" is providing a closer look at what longtime fans and players can expect from the latest installment of the franchise.

According to a preview from gaming website, The Koalition, much of "Dark Souls 3" will be familiar and new at the same time.

Starting with the familiar elements first, just as in earlier "Dark Souls" games, players will need to utilize their swords and shields effectively in battle if they have any hope to survive. Just like before, players will need to pay close attention to the exact movements and patterns that their enemies may take and react to them carefully if they are to have any chance of making it through the encounter alive.

Similar to earlier "Dark Souls" titles, it will be rare that players actually get to take on opponents one by one; but there is a new mechanic that will at least help make these group encounters easier. Players can now dodge more quickly in "Dark Souls 3," a feature that was previously available; and working that into how a player does battle could make a big difference.

Another and probably the most significant new wrinkle added to "Dark Souls 3" is the Battle Arts feature. This new offering enables players to obtain special attacks and abilities as they make their way through the game, thus allowing them to try out their own preferred style of fighting in "Dark Souls 3."

In related news, "Dark Souls" publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment's head of global marketing Atsuo Yoshimura has said that rumors of an exclusive partnership forming between From Software and Microsoft are false, according to Segment Next.

Those rumors began popping up in part because From Software has made more than a few appearances onstage during Microsoft's press conferences, but those incidences reportedly mean nothing.