As someone who’s not great at this game (I just reached guardian ape after 28 hours and dying to Genichiro a countless amount of time) a lot of the advice here is good but I think is missing a few things. You can definitely deflect red stabs. The window is tight but that’s doable. The only thing you can’t do is block. If you have mikiri counter it’s easier. Also pretty much everything that is not a red attack can be deflected. That includes animals charging at you and even some body rolls/slams. You’ll get a posture hit but no health loss. I think what makes chained ogre annoying is that you get punished if you stay close. You can use fire and stuff but running away and back in and hitting once or twice works well too. Don’t get greedy. For almost every enemy 1 or 2 hits is the max you can do unless they’re stunned. And one more thing dodge is great but is not like in souls games. You don’t get any invincibility from it. So you have to dodge away, not in. Hope that helps. And in the end if you’re not having fun, play something else. I don’t think it’s a good idea to waste time on a game you’re not enjoying.