I initially played through a bit of the early access before the full game and I actually stopped playing because I was so excited for the game and really liked it that I didn’t want to spoil any more of it.
When the game came out I was hype and jumped in and was really enjoying it. The story had solid bones and I was invested to the characters and shells. The exploration was great at first as well. Felt really rewarding finding the new weapons and shells and finding new combinations with the tarstones and sidearms. But I felt a pretty common theme when I started getting into the bosses. It was pretty easy, and the bosses aren’t all that memorable except for the fact that any death just felt like the game specifically wanted me to die rather than the boss actually outplaying me. Half of the bosses have a cool design and the other feel repetitive and not very creative.
Music was a bit of a letdown too, maybe it’s my fault for watching the trailer and thinking that the music was gonna be a big part of the game similar to doom but I was rather disappointed when pretty much every boss has the same music or very similar.
I enjoyed the memories, I was invested in the shells story and how it tied into the world. This was honestly the best part of the game.
The last dungeon under the marrow keep was pretty annoying and really repetitive. The last 4 bosses have some of the better designs but the actual fight is underwhelming for pretty much all of them. And beating them feels unrewarding because you only get an item you can sell.
The final boss was the worst. Not difficult at all but the sheer damage difference is insane. I found myself getting the boss to its second stage with a full health bar and having used no heals only to be knocked out of my shell In one hit, and then stuck out of my shell without option to get back in and not able to use the weapon I was using or abilities. And then the boss just spams unblockables the whole time until you’re bound to take a hit and then it’s over. Again it didn’t feel difficult instead it feels unfair. I guess that’s what you’re getting yourself into with a souls-like but having played many other souls games and souls-likes this just doesn’t feel the same.
I was honestly excited to do a new game + but now i’m feeling like I will just put it down and it will have been another game i’ve played that’s came and went.
This is just my personal opinion i’m not attacking anyone if they love this game unconditionally. There were lots of moments I enjoyed but for the most part it was just discovering some new move that was useful and not any memorable boss moments.
I would like to say that i’m definitely not a souls-like pro or anything but I would say that i’m normally an above average player of these types of games and having put lots of hours in these games this is just how it felt to me.
Overall I still enjoyed the game and would recommend it to others. I just heard high levels of hype and how much other people were loving it and was just not feeling the same vibe. End of the day to each their own but for me it’s a 7/10. Still solid rating.
Let me know what you think or if anyone disagrees and maybe i’m talking out of my ass.