I don't really get the appeal of this game outside of the setting and lore. I know it's a beast hunting game, but the bosses just felt like the worst archetype of Souls bosses over and over, mostly just thrashing around and being generally awkward to read, and the constant screeching is not even slightly fun to listen to when you're stuck on a boss. Not to mention the runbacks are genuinely as bad as Dark Souls 1 if not worse.

Reverting to DeS style consumable heals was also a gross decision, and keeping your heals topped up in the early game is a miserable experience.

There are some cool bosses though. I was stuck on Amelia for a few hours, but I can see her appeal. Gascoigne and Gehrman are cool duel fights, but unfortunately I just wanted the game to be done with by the time I got to Gehrman so I was never going to appreciate him as much as I would have.

Didn't do the DLC but really cannot be arsed tbh