The reviews present a divided sentiment towards Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin. Many players praise its visual design and extensive content, and highlight its unique lore and replayability. Its mechanics and strategic combat receive mixed reactions, with some enjoying the deliberate gameplay and others discomforted by its different pace and adaptability requirements. However, there is a strong criticism of its sluggish mechanics, poor hit detection, and overwhelming enemy placements, seen by many as artificially difficult. Despite these divided opinions, the game is considered a worthwhile addition for fans of the genre willing to forgive certain flaws for a fresh experience.
Positive Points
Many players found the game immersive with beautiful and varied environments. Areas like Majula, Dragon Shrine, and others received praise for their visual design.The game is appreciated for its unique and deep lore, with a story that players felt was more personal and focused on identity and the self compared to other entries.There is significant appreciation for the quantity and diversity of content, including numerous bosses, vast environments, and significant replayability features such as NG+ variations and Bonfire Ascetics.The character build variety is highly praised, offering extensive player customization in terms of weapons, spells, and classes.Despite criticisms, some players enjoyed the different mechanics like adaptability and felt they fit the game's intended challenges well.Negative Points
Common criticisms include the game's clunky and slow mechanics, particularly the reliance on the adaptability (ADP) stat affecting dodge rolls and speed of healing.The game's difficulty was often described as artificial due to excessive enemy placement and absurd encounters, which frustrated many players.Some players found the boss designs to be underwhelming, with many bosses feeling like standard enemies with larger health pools or recycled designs.There were complaints about confusing level design, lack of world cohesion, and poor connectivity between areas.Critics highlighted issues with inconsistent hitboxes, heavy reliance on soul memory for multiplayer, and bad AI pathing.Mixed Points
Although some enjoyed the game's deliberate pace and strategic combat, others were negatively impacted by what they saw as cumbersome controls and movement.The game's charm and unique ambiance were a positive for some, but others felt the differences made it feel disconnected from the rest of the Souls series.While many appreciated the game's depth and experimental features, others believed these aspects detracted from a cohesive gameplay experience.Common Themes
There are mixed perceptions of the DS2's deviation from other Souls games; some appreciate its uniqueness, while others feel it lacks the polish and design cohesiveness of its predecessors.The visual and audio presentation, especially elements like Majula's music, is typically highlighted as a strong aspect of the game.Updated 5/2/2025, 7:09:46 PM UTC
