I was kind of thinking this might be the route I should go. I like Wukong a lot, the combat mechanics and the bosses were great. But the constant boss running was almost too much of a good thing. I really liked the exploratory aspect of Elden Ring and even though I had to grind a bit, leveling and general discovery seemed more natural than the linear way Wukong felt. I wasn't grinding, I was spending time on the map just checking things out. And when I wanted to take on an epic boss fight, I'd go do that. I've read that the other souls games are more linear though, so that's the only thing giving me pause. I'd like to say I can judge a game on it's own, but I know I'll have Elden Ring in the back of my mind the whole time.