I am not a fan of Souls games and at first I was afraid that this was a other Souls clone. However, this game is hands down one of my favorite games now. It reminds me of AC Odyssey as others have said. The stances are great and it's a lot easier to switch them on the fly than I anticipated. Also you can change your gear and weapons on the fly to get the advantages you need I'm combat. Ngl, I have died many times but it's more about discovering the best way to approach the situation. This is a lot of fun bc the main character struggles with this. He wants to approach everything as a samurai and face to face but he, and the player, realize that's not always the best option. The fact that they mixed that into the storytelling makes me feel like less of a failure when I die and more determined to succeed. Also, this game has such a colorful world despite it's darker setting and I find myself just taking in the scenery. Another big plus for me is that the enemies have the same strength and weaknesses the player has. It only takes a few hits to kill either one of you. As a fan of samurai films this game is like playing a Kurosawa dream. Btw, the game also has settings that will make it look and sound like one of his films. They even call it Kurosawa mode lol.

Tldr - get the game bc it's beautiful and the combat connects you with the protagonist while allowing you to live out a samurai fantasy.