This game is a masterpiece. The lore, the setting, the pace, the replay ability, I can't think of any other title that made me enjoy keep trying harder to succeed as this game has. FROM Software at its absolutely best in this one.
Having played the Otogi series in the Xbox, a game that is set in a feudal Japan, however with magic elements, I already knew the developer could deliver an action packed game with great story and replay value, but boy...they outdid everyone else. The attention to detail is just crazy! Every level is filled with little details that expand your knowledge little by little about the world, but the main difference that sets this apart from every other game ever made, is that you have no tutorial, game manual, or someone guiding you around. From the beginning, you are challenged to overcome enemies far bigger and stronger than you, while you are totally unprepared. This may sound cruel, but it will make sense further ahead.
The lore is deep enough to make any LOTR or Star Wars fans envy. From start to finish, you are always challenged to overcome the fear of lost, to discover, and to (try) to succeed. People say that this game is hard, but that is not the point. Life is hard, you have to study, work, cook, take care of yourself all awhile remembering to pay your taxes and bills. They kinda of had this in mind while developing this game, because you have to micromanage a lot of goals in order to succeed, just like in life. This game is supposed to make you be careful each step of the way, because you never know what's coming. I believe it's the first game I played that made me feel this way, if you don't take it serious, it's gonna crush you, like an ant fighting a bear.
Storytelling is done through exploration. It is a open world game, but that doesn't mean you can wander anywhere anytime. Every single part of the world is interconnected, but where you need to go at a given time, the game will not easily tell you. You have to figure out. Every item has a description. The loading screens show a random item description from the game, and along the way you meet NPCs, who could or could not help you, just like in any other game, but in here, they have a much deeper meaning. What makes this game so special, is that you must be ready to die. You are going to, a lot, no doubt in that. But then, try to come up with a new strategy, try another way, go another way, so that you may overcome the obstacle. Just like when you started your career, or were learning how to ride a bicycle. Learn from your mistakes, when you fall, get up, and try not to fall again. You suffer a hard penalty for dying in the game, as in life, when you fail.
The multiplayer aspect is so innovative. Instead of having a pretty screen for matchmaking, or sending invites to your friends, it does it in the most interesting way, taking out a lot of control from your hands. You'll find different people along the way to help you out, never to see them again, or you find invaders to kick your ass while you least expect them, just like in life. It's so random, but so rewarding, it never ceases to amaze me.
If you are tired of these games that take your hand like you were a toddler, and guide you through the adventure, this is the game for you. You start butt naked, and what you do along the way is entirely up to you, no one is helping, unless you ask them to, at the right moment, at the right place. I can't think of a better metaphor for life itself. This game is it.
10/10 game, So much fun!!! Take a lesson from it and live your life seriously, and play it seriously, just like you live. You're not regretting it, I promise.