Received my copy this morning, thought I would share a few spoiler free impressions. I love the Souls games, and this game is somewhat (to very) similar, so I am judging in comparison, since you can sense the appreciation of those games from the creators of LOTF..
Gameplay is nice. Its a little faster than Souls, smoother perhaps (than the PS3 versions for sure). So far I'm only using weapons, no magic, but the dodge mechanic works well and you have to make use of correct timing otherwise you will take some big hits. I'd kind of say it sits somewhere in between Souls and Bloodborne. It feels a touch more accessible, but only a small amount. You obviously have a shield in this game but skillful players wont always need it, but you will need your dodge in that case. Its good here, it immediately feels comparable on some levels to a From game. Its good, if you like Souls, you'll like this. Something that I really like, because this might help those not so fond of the Souls games, is that the evasion and fighting mechanics are explained to the player in a tutorial section at the beginning of the game in the midst of a fight. This is good as it will put everybody on an equal footing right at the start. Also, just want to say, world destruction is better than Souls and the Bloodborne demo. I'm just saying! I like to smash things up.
Presentation is good. I wasn't a fan of the art style when watching videos, but I've instantly taken a liking to it while playing. For some reason Mordor/Diablo/Souls seems to stick as an overall feel to what I am seeing on the screen. Its not a bad thing for me, I like it now that I am playing it. While playing it feels more like Souls, its the cut scenes that give me the Mordor/Diablo feel. The menu system is great, reminds me of Diablo on PS4, never tried the PC version so I don't know if it is different there. There is a Lore section thrown in, nice touch but I don't have much in there for now - definitely something to keep an eye on. The graphics are good, easy to see its a next gen only game, they've done a good job here, mist effects, seems to have AF (ha). It looks and feels fluid in motion. I know a big thing that people noticed from videos was screen tearing and it is here, but not as evident as shown in the videos we have seen. I'd say half as evident. I don't think its bad enough to serve as a serious distraction to the game, as the gameplay itself is really fun so far. I have no patch applied as there is none yet, but hopefully one will come for this issue. Something worth noting, but, I seem to notice it a little more in cramped areas rather than open ones. I feel the need to repeat, its not as bad as the videos, it was made to seem worse by the captures in my opinion. What I am seeing will not ruin the game.
Overall thoughts. I will play this to completion, something I rarely do these days. I can tell already that this game will be fun throughout. I see it as a homage to the Souls games. Gameplay wise, some will actually prefer this. You can tell the game has been lovingly created, something I don't always notice or pay attention to in the games, but the way the devs have spoken of the game and the audience they hope to build for it, they have presented a game that is worthy of your time. Its really fun because it plays well, is a challenge, has nice gameplay mechanics and sounds fantastic. I really recommend it based on the short time I've spent on it so far.
For those on the fence, please take this as a recommendation to buy the game. If you are a Souls fan like me, its a game that you can feel grateful for and a game worth supporting. I'm saying its not a game you want to let drop in price before you purchase, its worthy of your full retail monies
If anybody has any questions about the game please feel free. I wasn't expecting to receive it today, it was a nice surprise. I'm sure plenty of others will have the game from today onwards, I hope people have bought it. If not, I'd like to think that people will support this game as it has plenty going for it and a real solid addition to my collection. I think it may turn out to be my favorite PS4 game so far.
