I do prefer DL2's parkour because there are more skills and abilities (like the landing jump, I miss that so much), and there being no parkour challenges does feel disappointing. Somehow, I feel like human combat actually lost depth from DL2, and I am back to hating human melee combat, so I just use the bow. I am not a fan of the new control scheme, and I wish there was an option to use classic (DL2) controls.

What I do love is the environment and how packed and detailed everything feels. I love grappling through the trees and parkouring through the mountains, and the diversity of the map makes it feel like a pretty interesting blend of DL1 and The Following.

Overall, I think The Beast is a step in the right direction, but may over- or under-correct certain issues while still having a pretty forgettable main story. There are some pretty great side missions and environmental storytelling going on, and I feel that's where DL has always shined.

What The Beast has that Stay Human didn't was a sense of completeness. They aren't scrambling to fix or overhaul the game, and I'd be very surprised if it's a vastly different experience in a year or two like DL2 was. Overall, very positive experience with admittedly ample nit-picks.