one of the better soulslikes, but these games are a balancing act that can easily tip into "fucking mess" and at times this game is really teetering on the edge. there's a recurring feeling (particularly pre-patch) that everything is overtuned - all the bosses hit super hard, they're super aggressive, they're super mobile, and they have shitloads of HP. and there's almost always a phase 2 with a new health bar. even the minibosses are just tediously tanky. it's not inherently super difficult - though it does have elden ring's comically delayed wind-ups - it's just balanced so punishingly that there's almost zero room for error, and that kind of sucks.

i do have some issues with certain aspects of the design (the largest being the skill tree, and what's on it), but most of those would be minor nitpicks if the game gave you a little more leeway on the big fights. there's not much you can do when you hit one of the many brick walls - there's basically nothing to explore, all of the major upgrades are locked behind the game progression, and the NPC specters are rarely helpful. the recent balance patch helped in this regard, but if you thought fromsoft games need an easy mode, or if you rely on summons to get through the tough fights, this game might not be for you.