After the tremendous success of the first game, people expected the world from Dark Souls 2. The game delivered "a" world that despite its qualities, had no chance to meet those crazy expectations. But if you can put aside your initial disappointment and look past the many janky aspects that are part of Dark Souls 2's identity, the adventure it will take you on is absolutely worth it !
Because even at its core, Dark Souls 2 is janky. Not to the point of being game-breaking, but many aspects definitely take a little getting used to.
The first one would be the new mechanics the game tried to implement. There are good ideas, but it's weird that some others made it into the final product. Take adaptability, for exemple. It's a brand new stat that determines how fast you drink Estuses, swap weapons, and how invincible your roll is. Those used to be tied to Agility, so having to level up one more stat just so the gameplay doesn't feel sluggish is annoying. Then you have the concept of Soul Memory (the total number of Souls you've acquired, even if you lost them afterwards), that dictates who you can play with. A flawed system that will pair players who die often with much better ones, and limits the number of potential co-op partners. The concept of reducing your maximum health every time you die was certainly interesting, but it's functionnaly just a double whammy that didn't need to exist. Finally, linking weapon deterioration with the framerate was a bad idea that led to many problems on release. But trying new things was a brave move, so maybe we can forgive the game for its audacity...
The second main feature you'll have to get used to is the hitboxes. Known for being the worst in the series, they'll force you to wait for a clear opening, instead of just winging it. Don't go in too early after a big swing, or you'll get flattened by a weapon that has long stopped moving. You thought you dodged out of the way of that giant hammer that just killed you ? Your character will swear his big toe was still under it... It's the game that decides what the hitbox is, not the animation that comes with it. But you could see that as an extra challenge, so maybe that's something else we can forgive !
The last thing that needs to be mentioned is the lack of cohesion in the world design. Beyond the corridors that lazily link most areas together, some choices were just nonsensical. Reaching the very top of Earthen Peak, and taking an elevator up into the sky... takes you to a castle, surrounded by lava... What ?? Or the fact that the Npc that opens one of the main areas is in a place you only go through once, and is very easy to miss... One more ? How about placing a giant dragon in front of the fog gate of... the "Dragonslayer" ? Are we hoping he never pokes his head out the door ? Or that he's retired, maybe ? Those are just a few examples of Dark Souls 2 prioritizing area variety, at the cost of a world that feels less whole and connected. But variety is good, so how about we let it slide ?
If you've been as forgiving as I have so far, then you'll be able to enjoy all the good that the game has to offer... And there's a lot !
Because if there's a Dark Souls that lets you do absolutely everything, it's this one !
Wielding Wolverine's claws, throwing dragon punches like a Street Fighter character, fighting with two shields as you clap them together or any two weapons for crazy combos, playing around with Ivy's sword whip (or whip-sword ?)... Do you like magic better ? Come to Dark Souls 2, we can spit fire, throw lightning and poison with both hands or create a magic shoryuken Ryu would approve of. There are so many weapons with their own movesets, armor sets with hidden properties, the possibility to dual wield and power stance... You can even infuse weapons for more damage, a bleed effect, poise impact... Not everything is good, but it's just so fun to try and play around with !
Another one of Dark Souls 2's greatest strenghs is probably the size and variety of its locations. They're not as interconnected as before so most shortcuts will only serve within said areas, but they're diverse and filled to the brim with traps and secrets (and traps). The ambiance and the colors are also drastically different from one zone to the next : Never has a Dark Souls been this bright ! The three Dlcs only accentuate that sentiment, as massive expansions that provide a complete change of scenery. They bring new areas, new loot, new enemies and... New bosses.
They may not be the best or the most memorable, but Dark Souls 2 has the most bosses out of all the games in the series. Many of them are variations of "Big dude in armor", but some still stand out : Velstadt, the Ruin Sentinels, Fume Knight or even Sinh... I thought those were really cool ! And instead of gimmicky fights, the game lets you interact with some of the bosses' arenas before fighting them, to have an easier time. Emptying a pool of poison, lighting up torches to see better... This makes careful exploration even more rewarding, and I really liked the concept. And who could forget Mirror Knight, a boss who summons other players, or Ancient Dragon, that requires bringing fire-resistant equipment to avoid a painful runback as you slowly learn the patterns of its devastating attacks ?
Last but not least, it's in Dark Souls 2 that you'll find the best Pvp. The lag is usually acceptable, and allows for some tense fights between players with backstabs that don't come out of nowhere. And if you don't feel like fighting your invader, there's always the option to turn into a pot and watch them run around for a while before disconnecting (that never gets old).
... I'm about to say it ! Dark Souls 2 was always my favorite. When the first one started to show its age and Dark Souls 3 felt too "clean", Dark Souls 2 still had the "good" jank I had learned to like. The game is huge and lets you have fun in so many ways, that for once... I was okay with quantity over consistent quality. I chose to remember the game for what it lets you do, rather than its clunkiness and lack of consistency.
I absolutely loved the experience and I'll give it a [b] 9[/b], because I was willing to look past its many flaws to enjoy it. Will you ?
