Medieval fantasy RPG greatness, its hard on you because it loves you.
Its an adventure hack and slash game that requires patience and a tactical mindset. Bloodlust button mashing will get you nowhere but sent back to the start of the level. Even with patience, you are still very likely to die..... a lot. Death is something you will experience a lot.
When you die you get sent back to the beginning of the level, all enemies respawn, and lose your souls (Which are used to level up, buy and upgrade weapons, etc.). You must fight your way back to where you were to get to your bloodstain. Touch it to get your souls back. Though it may seem unfair, it teaches you that you need to be cautious if you want to succeed.
But surviving isn't as hard as it sounds. Watch your enemy, time your attacks, always heal, and being properly equipped will make things a lot easier. Taking on a fire demo with fire spells will get you nowhere. Take on the same fire demon with magic gear and the results will be much different. You can also write messages from a pre-set list of options, warning of traps ahead or advising others on what kind of weapons to use on the next baddie.
You buy level-ups, each level costs more but you can put that point anywhere for the same price. 10,000 souls can get your strength up to 40, or could get your magic up to 12. If you know what you want to spec in, this system makes it easier to do so.
Enemy types range from easy dreglings, to murderous knights, to flying manta rays and katana wielding skeletons. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses which you will need to exploit if you want to get past them alive.
Assuming you are alive. When you die, you become a soul. As a soul, you have less health, but stronger attacks and are quieter when moving. As a soul, you can set down a blue sign to aid another player, or use a black stone to invade and try to kill another player. If you succeed in either, you get your body back and get back to full health.
If you decide to help another player, you get to join them in their quest to kill a demon. Killing demons is the major objective in this game. Demons range from a blob with goons you have to kill, to a giant spider, to a blind guy, and many more. All of which can be dangerous if you approach them the wrong way. Using sneaky hit and runs on the blind guy will make it easy, but if you go all out on him he will kill you.
All in all this is a very addictive tactical RPG that is not for the easily frustrated. Accept that you will be killed, and you will go far and will be playing this game for many months.