I find myself looking to append my review after 50 hours playing this game. Initially I have an overall positive view of the game and highly recommended it based on the tight fight mechanics, artistic level design and superb story line that is very profound despite being low on narration and scripting. All of these views still hold true but I have to say this is my favorite game of the year and have had it reflected as such with this years nominations.

I found the game very difficult initially but nothing felt cheap or unmanageable. Rather, I had to "git gud." The good news is I did get a lot better, but I am no where NEAR as good as I'd like to be! Whilst the game can be beat in an hour or so, which is what some people complain of, it is absolutely not a fair way to critique this masterpiece.

No one I know could pick this game up and just have the competence to complete the game without practice. I'd recommend playing on disciple and then trying student to continue to practice if disciple is too difficult. This game is VERY challenging but amazingly rewarding after you continue to make progress in a very similar fashion that Souls games offer. I would honestly say that it would be extremely rare to buy the game and finish it on disciple in under 15-20 hours of play. Perhaps one could on Student difficulty. While I can already hear the "OmG I finished the game in X time" the stats say another story. Only 9% of players have finished the game on any difficulty under 25 years old and around 16% under the age of 50. The average person doesn't finish the game. As the game rewards practice, you will likely find a lot of satisfaction seeing your practice pay off as that's what I found and continue to find true. Ultimately I would like to finish this game on Master Difficulty at age 20. I didn't even think I would be able to finish any level at age 20 when I first started!

The combat is very dialed in, there are numerous ways to approach your enemies and take them on. The graphics are nothing ground breaking but the artistic design, colouring, lay out all are congruent with the story and vibe of the game. One more response to the people that would complain the story is short, those complaints don't factor into the arena mode that offers a TON of content in addition to the story with their own objectives. As I am 48 hours into the game I have only scratched the surface of the DLC as I have been waiting until I had a good grasp of the main story complete.

Overall, I think this was one of the biggest gaming surprises I have had in the past few years and recommend this game at full price or on sale. 10/10 for me.

I find myself looking to append my review after 50 hours playing this game. Initially I have an overall positive view of the game and highly recommended it based on the tight fight mechanics, artistic level design and superb story line that is very profound despite being low on narration and scripting. All of these views still hold true but I have to say this is my favorite game of the year and have had it reflected as such with this years nominations. I found the game very difficult initially but nothing felt cheap or unmanageable. Rather, I had to "git gud." The good news is I did get a lot better, but I am no where NEAR as good as I'd like to be! Whilst the game can be beat in an hour or so, which is what some people complain of, it is absolutely not a fair way to critique this masterpiece. No one I know could pick this game up and just have the competence to complete the game without practice. I'd recommend playing on disciple and then trying student to continue to practice if disciple is too difficult. This game is VERY challenging but amazingly rewarding after you continue to make progress in a very similar fashion that Souls games offer. I would honestly say that it would be extremely rare to buy the game and finish it on disciple in under 15-20 hours of play. Perhaps one could on Student difficulty. While I can already hear the "OmG I finished the game in X time" the stats say another story. Only 9% of players have finished the game on any difficulty under 25 years old and around 16% under the age of 50. The average person doesn't finish the game. As the game rewards practice, you will likely find a lot of satisfaction seeing your practice pay off as that's what I found and continue to find true. Ultimately I would like to finish this game on Master Difficulty at age 20. I didn't even think I would be able to finish any level at age 20 when I first started! The combat is very dialed in, there are numerous ways to approach your enemies and take them on. The graphics are nothing ground breaking but the artistic design, colouring, lay out all are congruent with the story and vibe of the game. One more response to the people that would complain the story is short, those complaints don't factor into the arena mode that offers a TON of content in addition to the story with their own objectives. As I am 48 hours into the game I have only scratched the surface of the DLC as I have been waiting until I had a good grasp of the main story complete. Overall, I think this was one of the biggest gaming surprises I have had in the past few years and recommend this game at full price or on sale. 10/10 for me.