I've bounced off it for the time being.  

Found it intriguing but having JUST come off Dark Souls on Switch, with the game being so similar (ie identical controls and systems, but the response and timing is a little different) it mostly just made me want to play DS a little more.

That coupled with just getting Throne Breaker on PC, Game Pass being super generous (Ashen, Mutant Year Zero & Below released WITHIN A WEEK OF EACH OTHER) + smashing Smash Bros at lunch time, it might be a good idea to put some distance between playing Dark Souls and Ashen, will appreciate it a bit more early next year I'm sure.

From what I did play, I didn't go much on a scary looking cave spider I came across in a cave.  Usually I'm fine with video game spiders but this one looked a bit too huntsman-ish for my liking.

haha

Well if any animals deserve to be voice acted by a middle aged nonses, it's those little pricks

I thought I did a write up on this last night but it must have escaped my mind.

Did that boss, another couple of side missions and have now unlocked some stuff. I'm enjoying it, love the world (but hate them spiders) and find myself thinking about it during the day.

It's still a bit rough around the edges, but nowt to put me off. I've got issues with the swimming/drowning thing and how it fights against the game which encourages you to explore. Not being able to swim coupled with a leap which easily out reaches your max swim distance, with a dash of tantalisingly placed loot is a recipe for load screens.

For a laugh I tried putting settings to high. Boom. Still solid 60fps. Game is now as it should be. Very very good.

Combat could do with some nuance.

No idea what else they did.

I played a few hours of this earlier and i'm not sure what to make of it. 

I don't know if the RPG elements improve the rudimentary melee combat, but there is a noticeable delay on every roll, dodge, or swing. And not in a purposeful: "ooh you have to be preemptive" way, it just feels really laggy. Most encounters i cheesed with a 2H swing-to-win weapon knocking down enemies willy-nilly.

I'm struggling to think of reasons to go back, especially because i despise forced AI companions. Balance your game for 1 player, fuck this "revive me bullshit!"

Turn off AI completely? That sounds great, but to be honest, he's been doing all the damage! Getting "stuck in" is a fuckin shit-show and you'll come away with half a health bar at best. 

Compared to the Souls standard dating back to Demons, the lock-on and close quarters combat feels clumsy (and seriously laggy - i press B twice by accident, and 2 seconds later i get a pathetic double-roll and no stamina).

The lack of lunge or dash moves makes a hit & run play-style redundant. And early game when resources and health potions etc are scarce, you should play like a rat! 

What you end up with, is strafing around the edge of the skirmish and heavy R2-ing a huge mace, which sends those cunts flying. Its not pretty and its not filling me with confidence. The combat system isn't refined or nuanced enough for my liking.

I'd like to be proven wrong (Below already did that this week), but i'm pretty sure its wearing it Souls skin as best it can, but if the combat is not tight and varied, based on numerous weapon types etc, then it falls flat on its arse for me.

Yeah, all fair.

Have you unlocked "perks" yet? Basically, you can start to focus on what you want, more stamina more health etc. I'll be fucked if I can remember what they're actually called.

It doesn't turn it into the second coming, but buffing stamina etc starts to open things up a little.

Ok, despite everything that curtis said standing, I just had an hour long run into one of the major dungeons, and there's just something about this game. 

I emplore any of you playing on bone to get together and co-op it up. 

I'm pretty sure co-oping one of these major dungeons in co-op has the potential to be an all time gaming highlight for someone.

I fucking shat myself through this one, and it was amazing. So glad the patch got the framerate sorted too, because this is stunning.

Really, really enjoying this. That is all.

Started this tonight.

Unconvinced thus far, for the reasons Curtis gives mainly.  But likely to plough on.  Kinda wondered  off down south and now can't obviously get back to the rest of the quests though ;-/ hopefully I'm just being dumb.  One of the stones there is a 

I'm nearly done. 

Up to what is surely final boss.

I suspect there's clear NG+ things coming. I also suspect there's alt endings depending on some things, but can't be sure.

It's not actually a super long game. I mean, I've pumped good hours into it, but I don't think it'd be possible, unless you were a complete mentalist, to do an 80 hr normal run. Gotta be a 20ish maybe 25ish average finish time. And probably doable in something silly if you know what to do.

Issue being that I'm not sure the systems have enough going on to make for multiple plays being as inviting as DS.

(That said, I stand by a few of the major areas being some of the best atmosphere I've had in a game for a very very long time.)

Had a good sesh on this last night - got to the next slice of map, unlocking along the way. Also got me which made the boys fairly easy to smash first time.

Had my first lost souls soon after though #ragequit

Still not completely convinced by it, combat is definitely less graceful than souls, but it was impressively moody playing through the grey ash bit, so I'm definitely intrigued enough to crack on and see what lies ahead

Haven't really worked out the artefact & crafting jazz. The talismans I have available are all a bit shite.

I really wanna play this game but at 60fps it's one of two games that has my laptop temps going through the roof. 85 degrees on CPU lol