Loved this one, probably my second favourite Fromsoft game so far after Sekiro but I haven't played Bloodborne yet.
The game basically fixes everything I found annoying from DS1. The combat is quicker, but infinitely more fair and there's a lot less gank. The areas aren't always as visually interesting as those in the first game but the level design is leagues above; I loved almost every area and the challenging areas were actually fun this time around, rather than being tedious.
The balancing, progression, and pacing of the game are all second to none and making your way through all the areas felt like an epic journey. There's a lot of really creative areas like Irythill and the Farron swamp is actually pretty fun compared to typical poison areas.
Most importantly though, the bosses are some of the best in the genre. Bosses like the Soul of Cinder, Pontiff Sulveyn, and the Nameless King are so well put together that they feel like events. Almost every boss feels like a challenge and beating some of the later ones feels like a genuine achievement. I loved the bosses so much in this that I beat all of the optional ones as well as all of the bosses within both of the DLCs.
The DLCs are the only part I really have any gripes with. The Ringed City is almost perfect, I loved it and Midir and Gael are some of the best boss fights ever. Ashes of Ariandel, however, felt a little redundant. The snowfield area is the only area in the game I thought was a bit lazily put together. Once it gets to the town with all the bird people though it becomes pretty good - but then it's pretty much over. All of this is kinda made up for in the fact that Sister Friede might be my favourite boss out of the DS games.
Overall, this is pretty much the best experience I've had with a game in a long time. I couldn't tell you what the hell happened in terms of the story but I got to use a sword that was longer than me to kill gods. 9/10.
The game basically fixes everything I found annoying from DS1. The combat is quicker, but infinitely more fair and there's a lot less gank. The areas aren't always as visually interesting as those in the first game but the level design is leagues above; I loved almost every area and the challenging areas were actually fun this time around, rather than being tedious.
The balancing, progression, and pacing of the game are all second to none and making your way through all the areas felt like an epic journey. There's a lot of really creative areas like Irythill and the Farron swamp is actually pretty fun compared to typical poison areas.
Most importantly though, the bosses are some of the best in the genre. Bosses like the Soul of Cinder, Pontiff Sulveyn, and the Nameless King are so well put together that they feel like events. Almost every boss feels like a challenge and beating some of the later ones feels like a genuine achievement. I loved the bosses so much in this that I beat all of the optional ones as well as all of the bosses within both of the DLCs.
The DLCs are the only part I really have any gripes with. The Ringed City is almost perfect, I loved it and Midir and Gael are some of the best boss fights ever. Ashes of Ariandel, however, felt a little redundant. The snowfield area is the only area in the game I thought was a bit lazily put together. Once it gets to the town with all the bird people though it becomes pretty good - but then it's pretty much over. All of this is kinda made up for in the fact that Sister Friede might be my favourite boss out of the DS games.
Overall, this is pretty much the best experience I've had with a game in a long time. I couldn't tell you what the hell happened in terms of the story but I got to use a sword that was longer than me to kill gods. 9/10.