I beat DS1 for the first time back in January and I pretty much immediately picked this one up because I enjoyed 1 so much and I was far from disappointed!

Many people say they really don't like DS2 and I guess I can kinda understand why, but even with it's flaws, I still think it was a phenomenal game. In DS1 I opted for a simple sword and shield build; in DS2 I tried a combat wizard (magic and sword) and it was far more enjoyable.

The combat and overall game mechanics pretty much all felt familiar to DS1 which was appreciated, with a few key differences:

1. Death is punished with a small tick taken from your overall health meter (can be mitigated with a ring and restored with humanity).
2. You do not start with 5 Estus, only 1. You find more throughout the game.
3. Weapons now have durability and will need repaired if you use them too much before resting at a bonfire.
4. There are a few additional stats that do different things for your character, such as Adaptability (ADP).
5. You can enchant weapons with different elements (such as fire, lightning, magic, poison, etc).

I personally didn't feel like any of these took away from the game and I actually had a much easier time beating this one than I did with the first game. Maybe I was overpowered, but I just genuinely enjoyed exploring so much that I ended up with a ton of souls and equipment upgrades from looking around.

The NPCs and bosses are both lovable and hate-able depending on who you ask, but memorable either way. Many iconic enemies and characters make a return, such as the mimics and frogs, even the birds you can trade items with. Any time I felt overwhelmed the game typically gave me the opportunity to summon a helpful NPC. Still tons of very cool fashion-souls drip to choose from, lots of insanely cool weapons and upgrades. You can even reset your stat points a few times if you want, which I did, and appreciated greatly!

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed DS2 and have very little I can think of that I genuinely did not like. I am so excited to experience DS3 and if you're considering getting this one, please do! It's worth it!