Recent reviews by Often Ponders

I've avidly avoided the souls-like genre and, unfortunately, this game has reinforced my apprehension. I am uncertain whether to direct blame to the developers or the game reviewers I follow but I feel the lacking performance and game play were under-played and overstated, respectively.

I tried to love what I could grasp through stuttering but I find, like the souls-like tag implies, it's close to it's inspiration but only in part - leaving something wanting. Small things about the game amassing into a pile of distaste that I truly wish wasn't there - I was truly excited for this game and I'm disappointed with the turn out. It feels like a really cool tech demo, especially the alternate world - awesome but doesn't deliver beyond the initial spectacle.

I hope my refund is approved just as I hope to hear news of patches and updates in the future touching the game up - though I fear my gripes with the "feel" of the game play fundamentals may keep me away. I think the game is a big step and hope it's mechanics inspire those who can implement them better.

Pros:
Great graphics for game of its time.
Fun gun-play/combat.
Good soundtrack.
Great story, well paced, drove some good gut punches and knew when to pluck the heart strings.
Game difficulty feels fair; good balance of forgiving and punishing mistakes.
Checkpoint system is great; losing progress is nigh impossible.
Great character development.
Skill system was simple but added a sense of progression.
Weapon upgrades felt tangible and really impacted weapons performance.
Collectibles never felt forced on player but rewarded them by providing insight into history of people, places, and even the relationships between characters.

Cons:
Hit boxes for certain ledges can either lead to a tragic death by falling or player jumping elsewhere.
Encountered bug at final boss fight where character froze; however reloading checkpoint solved problem.
The game felt short despite collecting everything and completing all challenges; took me roughly 12-13 hours (left running on several occasion thus the 14 hours or so "played").
Acquiring weapon parts felt random, not gameplay impeding, more of a personal note.
Many optional tombs felt short often being one puzzle that could be solved with ease.

Conclusion:
Overall I would recommend this game for anyone looking for a good story to get lost in; also, my advice is to take it slow and enjoy the game. The game is definitely about quality over quantity.