This is very hard for me to write about things in this game my feelings are all over the place it's hard for me to accurately write something about it that will sound unbiased. I have played a lot of these types of games and I will say that none have a presentation like this game. Riding around on your horse seeing the landscape it's all cool the music I think is one of the things I think that's also really improved from other titles. The restrictions on powerstancing as well as weapon arts doing damage and being worth a damn is another. However, enemy and boss design seems to have taken a massive step back in terms of challenge, fairness, and fun if you're playing solo with no spirits. If you're summoning spirits at every opportunity you should be fine as the aggro from the boss ping pongs back and forth gives you time to heal but it seems that doing it solo would just be a pain in the ass. Some bosses can animation cancel and have can extend their hits after a successful dodge effectively punishing you for playing well. Another issue is some of the recycled content. Some bosses early are just reskinned enemies with a big health bar this also did happen in bloodborne but that was more due to how chalice dungeons worked here it's more prevalent. Especially some like falling star beast. Near the end of the game, most of the things you're faced against have major HP bloat even with my weapons at their max it felt like I wasn't doing enough damage. There are major issues with this game and that's not going into the actual performance issues, or how the engine being stretched to its limit I think is causing some of the actions to be queued a second later which feels like input lag. It's not a bad game but if you've played DS3 or Bloodborne all the issues those games had feel amplified here. Armor is still just as useless enemies are hyper-aggressive but you're not at bloodborne speed to counter it. I keep hoping that fromsoft makes a game where the challenge is tied to you being on equal terms with the enemy and sekiro seemed a step in the right direction. the game asks you to learn its combat system and adapt and in doing so you get a slick tight action game. Here is much more feels like the game is asking you to use everything to your advantage and while yes the basic gameplay is solid it's a souls game it always will be summoning spirits and taking turns sharing aggro doesn't feel as fun as the soul of cinder, kalameet, or Sir alonne. I can tell though this will either get a sequel or something from is making massive amounts of money on this I would hope this would be the end as it feels like Miyazaki and the team want to make an action game and i just hope that's what they do I think they shouldn't put out another one of these if only because it feels like they want to switch entirely. People who started with this game will enjoy it and I'm happy for them I wish I could enjoy it more.

The tale this game tells with a girl with a desperate need for approval and how her only coping mechanisms are online approval from strangers and numbers is honestly quite realistic and relevant, especially now. I don't think this story could have been told in any other format and this is what I hope video games can be something that's relevant not only for now but in the future. People will use this game for all sorts of arguments for and against streamer culture and vtubers but its main message is just fucking go outside.
This game is my game of the year regardless of how good some others might be when they finally release this one is the one I'll hold in the highest regard and my hope is that it stays niche. Legitimately one of the best surprises to come out this year and I eagerly await more from nyarla and ohisashiburi