it's just much more tasteless then dark souls or even dark souls 3. there are so many areas that feel like they expect you to go in and do a suicide run to trip some persistent switch or otherwise engage with the level in a way that makes it actually manageable your second or third time around. that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world but it is unbelievable that they built soul memory alongside these levels that demand you sacrifice yourself for the sake of progression. areas that you can just walk through like a normal level still love to have encounters that are purely one or two ranged guys pelting you with the worlds most damaging arrows while three knights sprint towards you. the world is so decompressed but all that means is you'll find a key in the iron keep that you need to bring back to the forest of fallen giants and that's what passes for Exploration and Progression Puzzles. the plot is just "damn would it be crazy if everyone you know had alzheimer's???" so many of the weird shortcomings feel unintentional in an extremely naive and innocent way. a bunch of developers who played dark souls 1 and got told "now YOU get to make one" and this is what they came up with. i got to the throne of want im still on the fucking brume tower but i beat the game whatever it's over it's done i really cannot take another second of this.