Overall just a very good souls-like that stands toe to toe with some of the stuff FromSoft makes. It has a familiar feel to Souls games made by FromSoft but retains its own identity with some new mechanics mixed in to keep it interesting. Incredible level design, soundtrack, and boss designs are the biggest things that stand out to me. The combination of dodging, parrying, mechanical arms, fable arts, and fatal attacks make the combat very engaging and almost free flowing because you have so many options to approach a fight. The story narrative is also much more clear cut and easier to follow than it’s predecessors, which I think works extremely well for the game.

The criticisms I have are few and far in between. Boss run backs, albeit minimal, are still run backs and are frustrating if you have to run an unnecessarily long distance and maybe kill an enemy or two along the way, especially for the harder two phase boss fights. Some of the level designs choices just hurt my brain, like the parts where you have to fight enemies on rafters and if you get staggered and fall off, you either insta die or have to make the climb all the way back up. And they did this like 3 times. And finally, the game is very linear, which is not necessarily a bad thing (and I would argue it works well for this game), but I would’ve liked to see more out branching optional areas with optional bosses.

It gets a solid 9/10. Definitely a must play if you are a fan of the genre. Tiers above something like Mortal Shell, Lords of the Fallen and Thymesia.

This game holds a special place in my heart that not a lot of games do. Although it does feel aged, playing it again makes me realize that this does in fact hold up to a lot of games today. Interconnected levels, good boss design (obligatory Bed of Chaos hate), and just the overall feeling of exploration makes this game stand out to its contemporaries. Between the three Dark Souls games in the series, this one stands out the most in how differently it plays. Amazing game that started it all for me.

Along with the Ringed City DLC, probably the greatest conclusion to a game series I've ever played. It's got the best boss design, weapons, and DLC in the entire trilogy with some callbacks from the previous two games lumped in. Even the poison swamp level in this game is surprisingly enjoyable.

The only criticism I have with this game was how bad the first 1/4 of this game was. You weren't really challenged as a player until maybe Abyss Watchers but even then if you were a veteran of the Souls series, it didn't take you more than five tries. I also think 100% achievements for this game is awful because of covenant grinding lol I do not recommend 100%ing this game.

If Elden Ring didn't exist I would've told you this is the best game FromSoft has made. The greatest combat system I've ever played in a game to this day because of the amount of sword techniques + shinobi prosthetics you can mix and match together to make combat extremely engaging outside of the usually dodge and wait for an opening gameplay that we are used to seeing. This game demands that you learn the basic mechanics down to a subconscious level similar to breathing. You will be VIOLENTLY skill checked throughout various points in the game. The final boss is the most perfect culmination of every single mechanic and skill you've learned and you had better hope you've mastered them to even stand a chance against Glock Saint Isshin. This game is simultaneously the easiest and the hardest FromSoft game I've played.

I'm still surprised by how underrated this game is. You pilot a 3 story Lockheed-Martin sponsored death machine that strafes at sound barrier breaking speeds against other mechs of similar stature. It is hell yeah core at its finest.

I was still surprised at some of the difficulty spikes despite it being a FromSoft game. You can zip around and feel like a god on the same level where you fight a boss that dog walks you for half an hour until you change your build. Speaking of builds, there's so much part and build variety in this game, although some parts/weapons are going to be better than others (looking at double shotguns pre nerf). I also think it's really sick that some bosses are locked behind new game cycles. Despite this it's still a fairly short game with 50 hours total playtime. Definitely a hidden gem in FromSoft's incredible portfolio of games.

The story about the worst road trip of all time.

A disclaimer for this game: If you are expecting a true continuation of Darkest Dungeon 1, you are going to be disappointed. Go play the Black Reliquary mod instead.

That being said, it is a totally different game from its previous installment which in my opinion, isn't totally a bad thing. There are some positive changes to combat such as debuffs still kind of being RNG, but they can be controlled more easily since they created a sort of "token" system for buffs and debuffs. I also like that you are able to create synergies with party members that like each other. The opposite also applies, in which you have party members that hate each other which can be run ending. The new roguelite format feels less punishing for losing characters than the first game (but that's what made DD1 fun...).

What I would describe this game in general is a more refined and streamlined Darkest Dungeon experience (As controversial as that may be). There's less micro managey mechanics and more of a focus on min-maxing your current run. I like this game as someone who's played over 400 hours on DD1. I think it's grossly overhated.