This game had me in a chokehold for the past 4 months so I feel the need to type up a proper review. (Note: This is my first souls game)
When I started this game I wasn't feeling it. The combat didn't grip me. Attacks felt clunky and slow, inputs didn't seem to hit right, and the actual traversal of the map was sometimes downright frustrating. I spent 4 hours on the first boss and close to 30 deaths trying to escape Stormveil castle and felt like it wasn't going to get better.
It did.
For whatever reason, I kept playing, to see whether the game was actually at fault or if it was my unwillingness to try and venture into new territory. There's a lot I didn't know about this game and had to look up constantly as I went along, which I thought would cheapen the experience but it only heightened it for me.
There's so much to love about this game, it's truly an adventure and it's given me a sense of satisfaction in that which no other game has given me. Bosses feel rewarding, the area design is beautiful. It's singlehandedly been the most immersive experience that I'm not sure I'll be able to get anywhere else.
This game doesn't come without its faults, though. The late game in particular has a severe lack of content. Graces, catacombs, and caves seem to be very sparse as you progress. The reuse of bosses (while some of them, like the Erdtree Avatars, are fitting) gets quite annoying and honestly feels very lazy. The catacombs, while some contain very unique and memorable puzzles and experiences, on the outside still feel very copy and paste. I think the game just set out to be as big as it possibly could be, even if the developers couldn't fill up all that empty space.
With all that being said though, there is so much to love about this game that all of these issues don't bother me. There's still so much to explore and do in this game that you could feasibly spend 100+ hours on just early game content alone. Sidequests are fun and plentiful. The legacy dungeons are great, and all the side areas (the Eternal City especially) are so stunningly beautiful that I question why they're even side content in the first place. There's so many creative and bombastic weapons, spells and summons for you to collect. There's so many different builds and ways to play that it really is for anybody. The game can be as difficult or as simple as you want it to be. The options are truly endless, and all of this makes up for the 10 Burial Watchdogs and 200 skeletons and imps that plague some of the more repetitive regions. The main bosses, including the optional ones like Mohg and Malenia have very fun and interesting movesets that, while frustrating at first, become entertaining to study and eventually master.
I loved this game, and I encourage anyone who's had a similar experience to me, where they tried to get into the game but just couldn't to try again. Look up anything that's stumped you and don't be afraid to change up how you're playing.
Favorite Bosses: Mohg, Maliketh, Radahn
Favorite Areas: Nokron, Raya Lucaria, Haligtree, Moonlight Altar
When I started this game I wasn't feeling it. The combat didn't grip me. Attacks felt clunky and slow, inputs didn't seem to hit right, and the actual traversal of the map was sometimes downright frustrating. I spent 4 hours on the first boss and close to 30 deaths trying to escape Stormveil castle and felt like it wasn't going to get better.
It did.
For whatever reason, I kept playing, to see whether the game was actually at fault or if it was my unwillingness to try and venture into new territory. There's a lot I didn't know about this game and had to look up constantly as I went along, which I thought would cheapen the experience but it only heightened it for me.
There's so much to love about this game, it's truly an adventure and it's given me a sense of satisfaction in that which no other game has given me. Bosses feel rewarding, the area design is beautiful. It's singlehandedly been the most immersive experience that I'm not sure I'll be able to get anywhere else.
This game doesn't come without its faults, though. The late game in particular has a severe lack of content. Graces, catacombs, and caves seem to be very sparse as you progress. The reuse of bosses (while some of them, like the Erdtree Avatars, are fitting) gets quite annoying and honestly feels very lazy. The catacombs, while some contain very unique and memorable puzzles and experiences, on the outside still feel very copy and paste. I think the game just set out to be as big as it possibly could be, even if the developers couldn't fill up all that empty space.
With all that being said though, there is so much to love about this game that all of these issues don't bother me. There's still so much to explore and do in this game that you could feasibly spend 100+ hours on just early game content alone. Sidequests are fun and plentiful. The legacy dungeons are great, and all the side areas (the Eternal City especially) are so stunningly beautiful that I question why they're even side content in the first place. There's so many creative and bombastic weapons, spells and summons for you to collect. There's so many different builds and ways to play that it really is for anybody. The game can be as difficult or as simple as you want it to be. The options are truly endless, and all of this makes up for the 10 Burial Watchdogs and 200 skeletons and imps that plague some of the more repetitive regions. The main bosses, including the optional ones like Mohg and Malenia have very fun and interesting movesets that, while frustrating at first, become entertaining to study and eventually master.
I loved this game, and I encourage anyone who's had a similar experience to me, where they tried to get into the game but just couldn't to try again. Look up anything that's stumped you and don't be afraid to change up how you're playing.
Favorite Bosses: Mohg, Maliketh, Radahn
Favorite Areas: Nokron, Raya Lucaria, Haligtree, Moonlight Altar