Being my first dark souls game back in the day, I do suppose I may be a little biased toward Dark Souls 2. But do hear me out in my saying that this game is possibly one of the most beautiful bad games ever made.
I will not simplify this summary, to do so would discredit the good that came of it. Dark Souls 3 is for all intents and purposes a right and proper sequel mechanically but it's not a good sequel to Dark Souls 2 as much as it is DS1. Drangleic is a strange, cruel, eerie place at the best of times, and it is full of bizarre and nuanced places and creatures from the get-go. Everywhere is memorable for better or worse, No-Man's Wharf has a friendly hollow hidden away that will follow you around and keep you safe (to a degree) from the darkness-lurking abominations further within, to name one prime example. The variety in weaponry is truly staggering, alongside the armor and rings, playing through a single NG of Dark Souls 2 feels much like a tour around the world, for the better I would certainly put it, and much of it will stick with you. Whilst perhaps the enemy placement and the inordinate amount of places gravity will take your life, souls, and sanity leave much to be desired, outside of this every location is a masterpiece - there are hovels, doors, alcoves, places where a game wouldn't normally let you go and then some, not for any particular reason aside from letting you immerse yourself in an actual real world. I may definitely hate some of the level design (Iron Keep Area 2, Black Gulch, Shrine of Amana Area 3, No Man's Wharf, etc.), but I have found myself honestly in love with this world I've been presented and the game it takes place in, the DLC areas are honestly incredible as well as challenging but those two words are probably the most apt for this game.

It doesn't matter how long it has been since I have uninstalled this game or since I've played it, I always find myself coming back to bear this curse, seek souls, and seek the king, lest this land swallow me whole, as it has done so many others.

If Elden Ring lives up to what we've all been hoping for, I shall feel at home again within it's world.

Being my first dark souls game back in the day, I do suppose I may be a little biased toward Dark Souls 2. But do hear me out in my saying that this game is possibly one of the most beautiful bad games ever made. I will not simplify this summary, to do so would discredit the good that came of it. Dark Souls 3 is for all intents and purposes a right and proper sequel mechanically but it's not a good sequel to Dark Souls 2 as much as it is DS1. Drangleic is a strange, cruel, eerie place at the best of times, and it is full of bizarre and nuanced places and creatures from the get-go. Everywhere is memorable for better or worse, No-Man's Wharf has a friendly hollow hidden away that will follow you around and keep you safe (to a degree) from the darkness-lurking abominations further within, to name one prime example. The variety in weaponry is truly staggering, alongside the armor and rings, playing through a single NG of Dark Souls 2 feels much like a tour around the world, for the better I would certainly put it, and much of it will stick with you. Whilst perhaps the enemy placement and the inordinate amount of places gravity will take your life, souls, and sanity leave much to be desired, outside of this every location is a masterpiece - there are hovels, doors, alcoves, places where a game wouldn't normally let you go and then some, not for any particular reason aside from letting you immerse yourself in an actual real world. I may definitely hate some of the level design (Iron Keep Area 2, Black Gulch, Shrine of Amana Area 3, No Man's Wharf, etc.), but I have found myself honestly in love with this world I've been presented and the game it takes place in, the DLC areas are honestly incredible as well as challenging but those two words are probably the most apt for this game. It doesn't matter how long it has been since I have uninstalled this game or since I've played it, I always find myself coming back to bear this curse, seek souls, and seek the king, lest this land swallow me whole, as it has done so many others. If Elden Ring lives up to what we've all been hoping for, I shall feel at home again within it's world.