I'm just gonna start this with the biggest negatives that I have, so they're out of the way. First, damage should be a flat number. In a souls game, I shouldn't have fights go different because I rolled low for my attacks, it throws the groove off, and just kinda messes with pacing.
Second, a lack of poise really hurts. Nothing hits harder than a charge attack being cancelled at the last possible second due to an errant blow. And with how jittery bosses can be, it happens somewhat frequently.
Third, the game is kind of stylized around this invisible stagger meter. It fills on parries and just damage, and once filled a charge attack (or some throwables) will put the boss in a downed state where you can do a prompted visceral attack. That's kind of cool, what isn't cool though is bosses faking you out with them. Whether that be cleansing themself of the effect, or having attacks that come out prior to being staggered.
Fourth, and this one is more personal. The amount of multiphase bosses is just a bit much. Especially with how damage spongy some of the first phases can be. I never kept track, but I don't think I ever spent more than 10 attempts at a boss, but they just didn't feel great and I can imagine them being a pain point for others.
Fifth, wake up rolls are locked behind a skill tree. That's just such an odd choice.
So, plot wise it's pretty apparent where the story is going. And that's ok, it's nothing new or special, but it isn't outright bad either. The logic the game gives for going point to point works, and there's never moments where I just didn't understand why we were at the location we were.
The choices you come across (often just lie or tell the truth) don't really feel like there's any weight behind them. Things just kind of move on regardless of your options.
The 11th chapter is just egregious on the quantity and quality of enemies it throws at you. And it's actually the first zone that I just chose to ignore and run through on my first visit.
Stylistically it's a pretty setting, with quite a few varied enemies. Although the carcass enemies slowly get integrated into the puppets and really knock the visuals down in my opinion.
Second, a lack of poise really hurts. Nothing hits harder than a charge attack being cancelled at the last possible second due to an errant blow. And with how jittery bosses can be, it happens somewhat frequently.
Third, the game is kind of stylized around this invisible stagger meter. It fills on parries and just damage, and once filled a charge attack (or some throwables) will put the boss in a downed state where you can do a prompted visceral attack. That's kind of cool, what isn't cool though is bosses faking you out with them. Whether that be cleansing themself of the effect, or having attacks that come out prior to being staggered.
Fourth, and this one is more personal. The amount of multiphase bosses is just a bit much. Especially with how damage spongy some of the first phases can be. I never kept track, but I don't think I ever spent more than 10 attempts at a boss, but they just didn't feel great and I can imagine them being a pain point for others.
Fifth, wake up rolls are locked behind a skill tree. That's just such an odd choice.
So, plot wise it's pretty apparent where the story is going. And that's ok, it's nothing new or special, but it isn't outright bad either. The logic the game gives for going point to point works, and there's never moments where I just didn't understand why we were at the location we were.
The choices you come across (often just lie or tell the truth) don't really feel like there's any weight behind them. Things just kind of move on regardless of your options.
The 11th chapter is just egregious on the quantity and quality of enemies it throws at you. And it's actually the first zone that I just chose to ignore and run through on my first visit.
Stylistically it's a pretty setting, with quite a few varied enemies. Although the carcass enemies slowly get integrated into the puppets and really knock the visuals down in my opinion.