3/5 ★ – Jimtheschoolgirl's review of DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin.

A baffling mixed bag. The environments look great, the Majula music is lovely, there's a lot of variation in items and weapons and magic so you can really play as whoever you like, plus you can re-spec later in the game. It's got some fantastic ideas and mechanics, and the lore and NPCs are solid. BUT Bosses are mostly disappointing and forgettable, names of items and bosses and even some general text feels vague and/or placeholder, The Pursuer just...stops pursuing at some point, boss music anticlimactically cuts out on victory or defeat, combat is oddly impactless, there's way too many instances of being stunlocked to death by six identical guys, and lots of the "intended" strats for difficult areas are tedious and make you feel like you're cheesing. I really enjoyed the first half of the game, but it eventually starts to wear thin and peter out, and somehow continues for aaaaages in that limp state. The game itself goes hollow, and maybe that's the point, but it's just not fun. Still, if you're into these types of games in general, it's worth it a go.