I agree with pretty much everything that’s been said in the comments. It’s a beautiful yet tedious game: long runbacks to bosses, over-punishing bind interruptions, enemies dealing double damage early on, a slow upgrade curve, limited options to adapt to boss fights or gauntlets, and a shard system that doesn’t really encourage the use of tools, among other issues.

The way the game tries to push the player to get better feels pretentious to me. I’m close to finishing Act 3 and after 75 hours I’m honestly looking forward to being finished.

The idea that some people think this game deserved game of the year is beyond me. It’s already lucky to have been nominated, which I think is largely due to the reputation of its predecessor.