It's pretty easy to see why this game got the reputation it did as a lousy sequel. Ultimately speaking, yeah it's weak. Animations, combat mechanics, visuals, music, world design, and just about everything else feel undercooked. I don't know specifics on this game's development but I have heard it was overly ambitious for the target hardware and was retooled by mashing whatever was finished together however they could in time for release.

What I will say is it's serviceable and not overall a bad time. Rather, it frontloads all the worst elements at the very beginning and for the rest of the playthrough feels alright, if a bit unceremonious. There are moments that land though, and I appreciated playing at least one more Souls game that didn't hate me for using a greatsword instead of something faster. But I wouldn't really recommend this game to many people, only those really interested in the franchise who have already played both Dark Souls and Demon's Souls.