This playthrough (the third one) was awesome till I reached Mountaintops of the Giants. The final legendary dungeons (the Moutaintops, Haligtree, Crumbling Farum Azula, the Mohgwyn Palace) and their respective bosses are some of the worst aspects of the game; specifically because there's no balance at all. I hate the mobs and the bosses in these locations. It's not interesting to fight them. It's just not. Fuckerknights with shields and tons of HP, Wormfaces, non-stoppingly spitting death blight around them, Oracle Envoys casting their bubbles, and basically any other mob with tons of HP. It's NOT engaging to fight them. It's just not. What's worse, the loot in these locations is awful. I only need three talismans from these locs, that's it. I hate magic builds, so I see no point in searching for magic-build talismans, weapons, etc. Therefore, I can't be bragging about one-shooting Malenia with my awesome Azura Comet or whatever.

Also, I don't give a flying fuck about lore. Yeahhh, I tried to understand what was going on, but it's more pointless than, say, trying to be invisible in darkness. The quests, on the other hand, are very well done, to be honest, although I still don't understand what's going on in half of them.

I did pretty well with Fire Giant, Mohg, Gideon, Malekith, and Godfrey, considering this was my first solo walkthrough (god bless seamless coop mod). But Malenia and Radagon? Are you kidding me??? I will stand by my statement, which is that Bed of Chaos from DS1 is the worst boss ever that I fought with. But Malenia and Radagon????? He's [Miyazaki] gotta be kidding me. One hour of my life wasted on Malenia only because it's been almost a year since I last fought with her, and my hands have forgotten how to dodge her Waterfowl Dance attack. This and HP drain, is what makes her "hard". Almost every other move can be easily dodged. You call this balance, bitch??? Nevertheless, Malenia is easier when soloed, so fuck her. The biggest complaint is Radagon, though. This was the first time I soloed him because during the other two playthroughs, I fought with him with my friends, and it was... more comprehensible? I guess that's the word. His moveset is a nightmare. Yesterday, I wasted an hour on him - it was pointless. So I went to bed angry as fuck. The first thing this morning I respeced my stats, changed my sword and talismans, and killed him (and Elden Beast, which is, honestly, easy) on the second try. Hooray for me lmao

Yesterday I was ready to uninstall the game before defeating Radagon, only because the unbalance hurts my intelligence. And it's not worth the time spent. Now... I don't think I want to waste my money on the DLC. Miyazaki does not deserve it. Do you know why? Mark my words, the DLC will be far more difficult than the original game. As per usual with the DLCs in Dark Souls. And I don't want to spend the money on the nerve-wracking bullshit of a DLC.

I complain but still give the damn game a 4 out of 5 stars. I had a great time. The gameplay is the best of all FromSoftware games. It's perfectly smooth, which is like a breath of fresh air after playing DS1-DS2-DS3. It was fun to collect the items and clear the dungeons, up until the final stretch.

There was a time when I adored this game. Well, not specifically the Remastered edition but the "Prepare to Die PC Edition". It was 6 years ago when I beat Gwyn for the first time. Yes, it was practically unplayable on the keyboard/mouse but I was a stubborn motherfucker.

Since then, I replayed the PTD edition a few times. I remember how I beat Manus for the first time, spending a few hours, only because I was going full sorcerer and DLC bosses are all very much immune to magic damage. A few years later the Remastered version was released, which is far more functional. But. With each return to the world of Lordran, my opinion of the game got worse. From the masterpiece to the good to the mediocrity.

Now, I understand why the first DS is held in such a high regard — groundbreaking game design, fundamental gameplay, iconic score, and "unique" storytelling. It is, basically, the better version of Demon's Souls. And I'm sure it is. But for me, after all the years, the game doesn't hold up as well as I hoped it would. There's nothing new I could find on the new playthroughs. I was a STR-knight, I was a DEX-thief, I was an INT-sorcerer, and a pyromancer. There's no difficulty for me here. Every boss (except for Bed of Chaos; I'll return to it a bit later) falls on the first try, be it Asylum Demon, or Manus, Father of the Abyss. I'm not bragging about my skills here, I'm complaining about the simplicity of the game. With that said, "easy bosses" isn't the biggest problem.

I died more from trying to stick to the ground than fighting mobs. This motherfucker Miyazaki must be proud of himself for creating such "wonderful" landscapes and levels. I just hate him for approving it. Why would you make a fuck-knows-how moving bridge in Blight City? Why would you create the whole Hollow location?? What's the point of darkness in Tomb of the Giants??? And with that, there are a few builds worth checking out. Practically every questline is boring. I may be complaining for dumb reasons (as if I'm a casual player), but at least I kill fucking Artorias on my first try. Anyway, these are still not the biggest complaints.

A fucking Bed of Chaos. THE WORST BOSS EVER CREATED. This is my biggest complaint. I may have killed Malenia on my 70-ish try on the first playthrough but at least she has a fucking moveset that is comprehensible, and with every new playthrough it's easier to fight her. Bed of Chaos, on the other hand, is a nightmare. A random, nerve-wracking bullshit of a boss. Fuck anybody who conceived and programmed it, and I mean it.

Apart from my hatred towards the locations, they are undeniably beautiful in their ways and very atmospheric. But it's not the kind of atmosphere I'd cherish. I like the vibes of DS2 and DS3 more.

This was my first walkthrough of this game in 6 years, I guess. This time I completed it with a perfect 100% score. What can I say. Interesting story, works great as a fantasy built on parallels with Alice in Wonderland. But I don't think I buy into "white saviour" myth more than needed.

As for gameplay, it's pretty much decent, although no need for money and exp when I get to the second island. Therefore, there wouldn't be any motivation to collect the collectibles, if I wasn't going for 100%. And the actual collecting process is tedious af. The side quests are all boring shit, including those from the boards. Love the skill and hunting mechanics. Nice weapons. Stealth — not so much, but it was improved in FC4. The only thing I sincerely fucking hated was the wing suit/parachuting, because it's badly programmed, and I died more from trying to land than from the actual gameplay on the hard difficulty.

Also, fantastic score by Tyler Bates and great soundtrack (Make It Bun Dem is a masterpiece) compilation. The summer vibe is unique. This game is meant to be played in July, although I've finished it just now in February. I too need a little bit of summer during winter 😉