The release of Dark Souls III in the west today, April 12, has not gone entirely to plan. People on Reddit and in the Steam forums are reporting that the role-playing game is crashing at the very beginning.

In a 103-page Steam thread titled "Put your crashes in here," players explain that the game crashes at the first bonfire. Some are also reporting that the game crashes during character creation, thus blocking them from even starting the game itself.

Given that not everyone's PC is configured the same, the bug is not affecting all players. And as explained by IGN, which first reported on the bug, it's possible the crashes are related to a player's class.

Switching to a Knight and changing the lighting setting to "Low" are two possible, temporary workarounds.

Concerns about the Dark Souls III crash bug have been brought to the attention of publisher Bandai Namco, which recommends you contact the game's support team.

We will have more information on the state of Dark Souls III's PC version as further details become available.

Dark Souls III launched today in the west following its release in Japan last month. GameSpot's Dark Souls III review awarded the sequel 8/10.

"There are several possible endings to Dark Souls III, and although most are anticlimactic, they drive home the loneliness of the paths we took," reviewer Mike Mahardy said.

"The old lords have abandoned their posts, and in the hunt to usurp them, we descend into those dark valleys, and climb those imposing peaks. This is the essence of Dark Souls III: periods of doubt, followed by great reward. The journey may be rocky, but there's a throne waiting at the end."