Second time around. I still think the themes are solid. The palpable sense of hopelessness, the NPCs, the sense of degradation that leads really nicely into DS3, it's all here. However, I noticed all of the cracks so much more this time around. I noticed the poor areas, the underwhelming bosses, the frustrating combat, the absurd difficulty spike of the DLC, and the lack of cohesion. It's really disappointing that it's SO much clearer when things aren't fresh. It still has some cool things. It's still a fine game. I just don't think I'll play it ever again.

um jogasso que recebe criticas injustas e descabidas muitas vezes. Porem é importante destacar que ele tem mecanicas ultrapassadas e ruins que quem pensou definitivamente errou feio, alem disso os bosses (que é o carro chefe do jogo) nao sao feitos com tanta maestria (e nem perto disso) como os de DS1 e Demon Souls. E pra finalizar, eles fazem o jogo ser dificil alem do necessario (acredito que seja pela fama do primeiro jogo de ser o mais dificil da historia) e criam areas e inimigos que deveriam ser prestigiados mas sao só odiados e entediantes pela forçacao de barra que fizeram pra ser dificil. Nao é melhor que o primeiro da trilogia, mas nao é ruim como dizem, é muito bom na verdade, porem o Goat Miyazaki nao estava presente diretamente na produçao do jogo, e quem conhece o trabalho dele sabe como ele faz jogos e quem jogou esse jogo sabe como as mãos magicas dele fizeram falta no game

This is easily the most divisive game From has ever made. You either love it or hate it and I definitely love it more than I hate it. While ADP is a atrocious stat since it's required for your dodge roll to do anything, it's very easy to invest points into it in the early game since DS2 has a lot of bosses you can get more souls from. A couple hitboxes are a bit questionable but you can say the same for the original DS. The lore and atmosphere of this game is incredible and a lot of the design decisions ended up carrying the rest of the series. It has lot's of incredible weapons and some phenomenal bosses within the DLC's like Sir Alonne and Fume Knight. DS2 is definitely a bit over hated but I understand why some wouldn't enjoy the slower pace of combat and certain design decisions. If you want a fun mix up of the souls formula, give this one a try.

Full disclosure I played this with the DS2LightingEngine mod which MASSIVELY improves visuals. It makes the lighting superior to even Dark Souls III and adds wonderful contrast and color to nearly every area of the game.

Against all odds, I ended up loving this more than Dark Souls. It's got such funky ideas, which fascinated and enamored me. Loved the torch being a must for some areas. Loved the stress I got from managing a balance between my stock of effigies and my curse status. And maybe most of all, I loved this game's irreverence for its predecessor. There's barely anything familiar here beyond fundamental design. The world is sprawling, introducing an awesome sense of scale. The tone is extremely grim, with everyone resigning themselves to the coming age of dark. It's a messy game, but what a beautiful mess it is. I can really see how this game was a major influence on the design of Elden Ring, for the better.

Level design: 5\10;
Gráfico: 9\10;
Gameplay: 8\10;
Diversificação: 8\10;
Trilha: 10\10;
História: 10\10;
Fator replay: ?\10;
Motivo de não zerar: Não me agradou, mas vou tentar de novo um dia.

If I had been a massive fan of Dark Souls on that fateful day in 2014 and played this game after all those exciting trailers, I would've been utterly fucking disappointed. With a less coherent world, combat that feels sluggish to play through and bosses that are mostly a snoozefest, Dark Souls 2 is a massive downgrade to the now iconic Dark Souls. The encounter design in this title is downright villainous (in a bad way), but I've heard that one got a lot worse in the version I just replayed.

There is, however, a decent game under all that disappointment. The lore is pretty cool even though it's been presented in a vastly inferior way to its predecessors, there are a wealth of weapons and items to find that spice up combat a decent bit, with some of the best animations in the series. The visuals can be breathtaking at times with harsh sunsets and rainy nights filling the backdrop with atmosphere and intensity (some of the time). Sadly this game just doesn't capture the feel of that adventure in Lordran the first time around, or even the trek through Boletaria in a vastly inferior game. There is something missing in the magic here, something that I'm sure can be explained in the development hell it seemed to go through before release. Despite being a disappointment, I do think this game gets more hate than it deserves. It does push new ideas forward with confidence, some which fail miserably but some which take shape and become staples of the series that are still used today.

After playing this game again for the first time in 6 years I can actually say that I might revisit it again at some point - I might even do the dlcs that people rave on about when discussing DS2.