Right off the bat, I'll admit that I have not finished the game, so if that means you don't care what I say then I totally understand. However, I've played enough of this game to tell you several things that are readily apparent by the second hour of this game.

1. This game was not play tested at all. There are bosses that weren't thought out and enemy placement (mostly in terms of quantity) that looks like they just copy and pasted the same enemy in a similar radius and called it a day. It makes the difficulty have less of a "get good" approach, and more of a "♥♥♥♥ you" approach.

2. It's not nearly as good as ANY other souls game. If you want an older, "classic" kind of Souls-Like, play the first one; it is leagues better than this and it's not even close.

3. Some mechanics and design choices are flaccid and confusingly thrown in. The more you die, the less overall health you have so you get punished for adapting to the difficulty thrown at you. Health is usually regenerated by Life Gems (think blood vials), but they are so dirt-cheap at the shop that you will always have health and it makes the levels way too easy sometimes. Also - maybe this is just a me thing - illusionary walls have to be found by pressing the activate button??? Why? I have to hug every wall and press E in the most random of places. It seems intuitive until you realize that the fake walls are never hinted at or look conspicuous, you just have to guess.

I honestly have much more to say, but since I haven't finished the game, I think I've said quite enough. I'm just going to end by saying the level design of this game is a bit dookie poo poo. There are some cool vistas here and there (Majula), but the overall design is so linear, so basic looking and maze-like at times, that I need to backtrack to remember where I am. It's just not that good, and there are better Souls-Like games that you could be playing instead of this one. I wish I was enjoying it as much as the avid fans do, but it just isn't worth the time to play.

Right off the bat, I'll admit that I have not finished the game, so if that means you don't care what I say then I totally understand. However, I've played enough of this game to tell you several things that are readily apparent by the second hour of this game. 1. This game was not play tested at all. There are bosses that weren't thought out and enemy placement (mostly in terms of quantity) that looks like they just copy and pasted the same enemy in a similar radius and called it a day. It makes the difficulty have less of a "get good" approach, and more of a "fuck you" approach. 2. It's not nearly as good as ANY other souls game. If you want an older, "classic" kind of Souls-Like, play the first one; it is leagues better than this and it's not even close. 3. Some mechanics and design choices are flaccid and confusingly thrown in. The more you die, the less overall health you have so you get punished for adapting to the difficulty thrown at you. Health is usually regenerated by Life Gems (think blood vials), but they are so dirt-cheap at the shop that you will always have health and it makes the levels way too easy sometimes. Also - maybe this is just a me thing - illusionary walls have to be found by pressing the activate button??? Why? I have to hug every wall and press E in the most random of places. It seems intuitive until you realize that the fake walls are never hinted at or look conspicuous, you just have to guess. I honestly have much more to say, but since I haven't finished the game, I think I've said quite enough. I'm just going to end by saying the level design of this game is a bit dookie poo poo. There are some cool vistas here and there (Majula), but the overall design is so linear, so basic looking and maze-like at times, that I need to backtrack to remember where I am. It's just not that good, and there are better Souls-Like games that you could be playing instead of this one. I wish I was enjoying it as much as the avid fans do, but it just isn't worth the time to play.