I played a bit of the open beta and… I don't know. I'm not really convinced.
Combat does feel improved compared to the first game, but I still see a lot of issues. Enemies kind of float around weirdly and there's still no real "weight" to the hits. Parrying also feels way too generous.
I'm not a fan of how the world is split into zones, with extra challenges stuffed inside them. For me, in soulslikes, it's not just combat – it's also great level design and a cohesive world: shortcuts, hidden paths, connections between different areas/biomes. I don't feel any of that here. The world just feels very segmented and disjointed.
Even the "bonfires" having additional challenges feels like a weird design choice, especially since each one only has like 2–3 enemies anyway. I'm not a fan of that kind of filler content.
Bosses… honestly I couldn't even tell if those were meant to be bosses. They looked like regular mobs from other games with just a bigger health bar slapped on. Pretty generic designs overall. Maybe it gets better later on.
The main hub is an awful corridor where everything looks the same, so it's really easy to get lost.
I also don't like these "memories of a past life" sections you're forced to go through. I just want to play a souls game, not a narrative-heavy experience. Overall there's way too much dialogue for this genre imo.
On the plus side: optimization is solid - it runs really well. But honestly the visuals don't impress either: low-res textures, not much detail, and that heavy bloom can be eye-burning at times. Sometimes it's too dark, sometimes too bright.
They did improve a lot compared to the first game, but is it enough? In my opinion, no. Zero hype from me right now, and I'd rather play Lords of the Fallen 2 than this. Might just try MS2 on Game Pass instead.