I have to say it's not quite as bad as people make it out to be. Nor is it as "misunderstood," though. No, the bosses are not all just big guys in armor. No, the map design is not awful. But the game is just straight up not fun at points. The handful of good areas in the game (I really like areas like Drangleic Castle, Shaded Woods, and Dragon Aerie/Shrine) pale in comparison to the sheer amount of fucking obnoxious areas (The Gutter, Black Gulch, Iron Keep, Shrine of Amana, No-Man's Wharf, the list goes on). Most areas in this game are too fucking long and flooded with boring ass enemies, making runs back to bosses a major pain (until your 15th time of course! weird mechanic btw).

The bosses are also a real mixed bag. Some are really cool (Flexile Sentry, Smelter Demon, Looking Glass Knight), some are interesting ideas with mixed execution (Executioner's Chariot, Old Iron King, Lost Sinner), some are blatant DS1 rehashes (Belfry Gargoyles, Old Dragonslayer, Royal Rat Authority), and some are just complete fucking ass (Ruin Sentinels, Twin Dragonriders, Skeleton Lords and Royal Rat Vanguard). At the very least, every boss in the game is piss easy, but you'll still have to run back after dying to the horrible hitboxes and i-frames (and yes I did level up adaptability a bunch and they are still bad) and the game just feeling like complete shit most of the time. I just finished playing Demon's Souls before this and this game somehow feels WORSE, like it's in slow motion or something.

It's got its highlights for sure, and some genuinely interesting mechanics and ideas, but most of this game is just a complete chore to play. It's way more bloated than the other games, it's too fucking long for its own good and several areas and bosses could've been removed. It's probably the only game in the franchise that I have no urge to replay.