holy shit

this game is the type of experience you could show to an english teacher / poetry class, and they would go to great lengths studying the significance of each individual talisman or weapon. its a game that requires genuine abstract thinking and interpretation to get anything out of the plot. each boss fight is a unique experience that can feel extremely heavy depending on the backstory or lore significance of each boss. the difficulty perfectly lines up with the lore. you're supposed to be vulnerable and unimportant, only gaining power by persevering. also, somehow, fromsoftware was able to make the combat just as deep as the story. on the surface its simple. normal attack, strong attack, block, parry, dodge, and roll. but certain items and spells can benefit at specific times during fights and knowing when to use these items an their importance is half of the combat, especially near the end of the game.

this is fromsoftwares magnum opus. their masterpiece. they will likely never top this game (although bloodborne came pretty damn close. hallelujah.