TL;DR, it's a fantastic single-player experience hindered by online systems that have not evolved to fit the scale and freedom that this game provides.

A decently solid game that's fantastic when playing solo. Partial reintroduction of mechanics from Dark Souls 2—like power stance with weapons of the same type—and new mechanics like guard counters make the combat feel more varied and enjoyable. The open world gives you a sense of freedom and exploration as you go through it, able to discover mines and structures to go through while still having a clear path through the game by the graces' markers.


It's also horrible nightmare to even interact with in cooperative play; the soulsborne co-op mechanics don't function well (or at all) within a significantly more open environment, despite the prevalence of summoning items and the summoning stones within the game.

The act of summoning another player instantly puts you at risk of being invaded by other players (as you can't get invaded normally in solo without a special item). These invaders are almost always built for PvP, whereas those who choose to focus on cooperative play aren't geared for PvP engagements. This makes fights awfully one-sided, unable to be corrected even when you've got the White Cipher Ring, as the hunters summoned that way spawn a fair distance away, never giving them enough time to intercept invaders and protect the host.

[b]TL;DR, it's a fantastic single-player experience hindered by online systems that have not evolved to fit the scale and freedom that this game provides.[/b] A decently solid game that's fantastic when playing solo. Partial reintroduction of mechanics from Dark Souls 2—like power stance with weapons of the same type—and new mechanics like guard counters make the combat feel more varied and enjoyable. The open world gives you a sense of freedom and exploration as you go through it, able to discover mines and structures to go through while still having a clear path through the game by the graces' markers. [i]It's also horrible nightmare to even interact with in cooperative play[/i]; the soulsborne co-op mechanics don't function well (or at all) within a significantly more open environment, despite the prevalence of summoning items and the summoning stones within the game. The act of summoning another player instantly puts you at risk of being invaded by other players (as you can't get invaded normally in solo without a special item). These invaders are almost always built for PvP, whereas those who choose to focus on cooperative play aren't geared for PvP engagements. This makes fights awfully one-sided, unable to be corrected even when you've got the White Cipher Ring, as the hunters summoned that way spawn a fair distance away, never giving them enough time to intercept invaders and protect the host.