Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin Review (Poofbomb)
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, and by extension, the original Dark Souls II, are very divisive games in the acclaimed Dark Souls series. Some fans love the game, while others despise it as the worst in the entire franchise. I'll try to give my own opinion of the game here, the good as well as the bad, as this game has many of both. Lets start with listing the good points of Dark Souls II. (Keep in mind that this Scholar of the First Sin Edition is essentially the Definitive Edition, come wrapped up with all the DLC as well as new enemy and item placement, as well as a new NPC/Boss. As such, I'll mostly refer to this as just DS2, as they're by and large the same)
-Dark Souls II has a large amount of player choice in weapon and armor variety. Some would go so far as the game having the best "Fashion Souls", as in the coolest looking gear.
-Powerstancing, the ability to duel wield weapons, is unique to this entry in the Souls series, and is often loved as a fun addition to combat
-The lore and world are interesting in their own way, having the classic DS mystique and intrigue. The lore of the game's setting of Drangleic may not be as grandiose as DSI, but it is solid in relation. I like to think of this game as a sort of side adventure in the world of DS, rather than a truly direct sequel to DSI.
-The game has some awesome and cinematic moments, and despite its over half a decade age, still looks solid.
-The PvP, while slow and methodical, is some of the best in the series, i'd say (and the PvP arena method isn't locked behind DLC like in DS3)
Now for the bad...
-With the invincibility of a player's rolls tied to a stat (Adaptability) the game's combat is clunk as all heck. You need about 27 ADP in this game to have the same amount of I-Frames as in DS1. With no sure way of knowing just how effective a player's roll would be at any time, the devs had to guess. This, I think, lends to the game having a reputation for bad hitboxes. "A player *might* have this good a roll, so lets make the enemy hits *this* quick/tracking" In addition, having to sink levels into the ADP stat just to get a decent amount of roll I-Frames is annoying. Sure the game compensates by having a relatively low soul requirement per level, being the game where levels come pretty easy and you'll be like level 150 by end game, but still. No excuse for the system that seems to ruin combat in a way.
-The hollowing system, while thematically apt, as it shows the player character weakening from each death until fully losing all hope and sense of self, is BS. You lose 10% of max HP up to a -50% debuff. This is very discouraging for players, especially new ones (this was my first DS game) as it punishes mistakes very harshly.
-The map design is sometimes nonsensical and frustrating, with enemy swarms like in Iron Keep and its 20 enemies in between you and the boss.
-The sheer amount of bosses in the game is both a pro and con. There is over 40! While some are very solid and even amazing, many are kind of mediocre and just feel like powered up normal enemies or minibosses. You can cut a good chunk of the bosses and not lose much.
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin is, despite its myriad flaws, a solid experience. Being the "easiest Dark Souls game" makes it a fair introduction to the series. Its fun and challenging in just as many ways as it is frustrating and annoying. Some say DS2 is a bad DS game, but a good game, and while I would not go that far, I would still say there are many ways the game could have been better. The concept art and early trailers show how ambitious the game was, though sadly much of that ambition was cut during development. Add onto the fact that the main man behind the Souls series was occupied with a different game, it leaves this one feeling...unfulfilled. Good, but could be better.
Now onto the DLC. Since this review is already pretty long, I'll keep it short. Keep in mind that Dark Souls II's DLC is often regarded as some of the best content on the series.
-Crown of the Sunken King: Poison level made into a goddamn DLC experience. Awesome set up and mostly very good bosses that include a toxic dragon, evil witch, and....a gank fight.
-Crown of the Old Iron King: The fire themed DLC is sort of metroidvania in that it requires backtracking and searching for keys and alternate ways around. Contains two of the hardest and coolest bosses in the game and a dud, including a rouge knight, the god of anime, and a boss reskin.
-Crown of the ivory King: This ice themed DLC is a cool (pun intended) end to Dark Souls II content. Full of interesting mechanics and BS Sonic porcupine enemies. Exemplary Dark Souls II content right there. The bosses include a sometimes invisible ice tiger, an epic fight against the corrupted titular king, and a boss reskin.
Overall, I give Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin an 8/10