AMBITIOUS. RGG had a full vision for this video game. In a lot of ways, I saw it. Unfortunately, there are too many key mechanics and moments that obscure the experience from being truly great.

The plot is very likely the best one I've played so far. It sits right next to 0. The overarching story is incredible, and the way it comes together in the last couple chapters of Kiryu and the Finale are just breathtaking. The emotional highs surrounding the main female lead are executed perfectly. I have next to no notes, and the ending (and end credits scene!) have me extremely excited for what is to come.

Combat in this game is actually quite fun - or at least it's quite fun when the enemies aren't chain grabbing you like you're stuck in the melee marth match from hell. But each character has a really fun moveset that feels unique. I wish each character had more time to build up their skill tree without binging substories, but I get why it's this way. I also think that each character should be switchable once each is unlocked, but I understand why that wouldn't work with this narrative.

The game falters in most other departments, to be frank. The substory design is okay, but turns poor without a guide to show where everything is. The 0/Kiwami/Kiwami 2 Substory Tracker has fixed this issue since, but everything should be marked.

Quality of Life in this game is pretty abysmal. Additionally, everything is slow, whether it be combat transitions or just menuing. Speaking of, this system of enemies finding your character in the streets that continued from 3 is absolutely reprehensible.

Overall, I can't hate this game because of its story. However, this game desperately needs a Kiwami with changes that fix it. With it, this could be a masterpiece of video game storytelling.

Really great and inspired game; has standout music and a ton of creativity with the Wonder Flowers. The bosses, like everyone has said, are very lackluster and they stick out in a bad way. The world design is really fun and plays on expectations of typical mario worlds. The game is definitely on the easier side, and the difficulty spikes are more difficult in the wrong way but that's just me. I wish a lot of levels were much longer in some cases as well. But a lot of these are nitpicks for a great game. Could be amazing, but maybe next time.

Awesome, awesome concept, with a pretty mediocre execution. Run speed is too slow in order to match dexterity-based puzzles, while those puzzles are the worst in the game, leading to very tedious and arduous puzzle solving elsewhere in the game. Genuinely a dash or run button would bring this game up a whole point. That being said, this game had plenty of other issues, mainly with its aesthetic and overall emotional attachment, as well as its difficulty. The aesthetic is very pretty to look at, but if I'm being honest, when you say that this game is made by a developer who worked on Limbo and INSIDE, you kinda expect more from the game in its tone. You leave the game feeling satisfied from the puzzles, but without an inch of emotion about the events that transpired from the ending - a far-cry from Playdead's classic games. The difficulty of the game is almost a joke at times, with the first 3 hours being very easy tutorial-like puzzles that ramp up at the last second to be enjoyable right before it ends very anti-climactically with no final boss to speak of. Overall a good game, but with a lot to improve upon in a sequel or DLC.

abysmal, with the most misguided quest and level design in the series. DS1 and Demon's Souls are hard because the enemies are difficult and it relies on the player learning the level in order to breakthrough to the boss or a shortcut. DS2 keeps that tradition but adds the fact that the game is nonsense and it refuses to give you a clear direction to go because it thinks that that is what makes DS a "fun hard." Obviously there are those who enjoy this and I'm glad this is another good entry to y'all but what makes this game hard is not what I find fun about Soulslikes