Story 14/20
Sounds 20/20
Combat 20/20
Gameplay Mechanics 20/20
Learning curve 20/20
94/100
The story is pretty meh however I really enjoyed the characters.
The orchestral music and dramatic themes with combat are well produced. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort to come together and put those pieces together. The sounds of the environment are also really well done. The slashing, monster sounds, and background noises are all really satisfying.
Combat is phenomenal because of the ways you can use your weapons and gear, manipulate the monsters to fight each other, manipulate the environments around you to damage or trap the monster, and using different tactics to down a monster. Tip: Don’t main one specific weapon.
Gameplay mechanics are really awesome and deep. Weapons are fun to learn. Tip: Eat good meals and look at armor bonuses.
The learning curve for this game is a lot of fun but only if you have a lot of patience. It can be extremely satisfying to kill monsters that you have died 10 times from. You need to git gud. You need to master a variety of weapons. I suggest dual blades, bow, and long sword. If you want more of a challenge the charge blade and greatsword are fun too. Any weapon works. Also make sure you utilize all of the combat features and use everything that gives you the upper-hand.
Solid 9.4/10
There’s a reason why it won RPG of the year and nominated for other awards.