Tries to mimic the souls formula without understanding the nuances. Fake artificial difficulty coupled with many poor design choices and clunky execution of combat mechanics (like advancing forward in every hit). The world is interesting artistically but your frustration will overshadow the sense of wonder. And too many godamn enemies in poorly planned positions only to trap the player instead of creating strategic opportunities.
Stagger is broken, balance non existent and upgrades feel useless. In short, fails in almost every aspect that defines this genre.
The good: World. Presentation, Some cool ideas like wither damage, player created checkpoints and the ranged and spell attacks.
Overall too much talent and potential wasted. Play lies of P instead