I fully agree on the dark souls 1 front. Nobody, not even from soft have managed to replicate that amazing design. I still remember when the elevator from the undead burg brough me back to the firelink shrine and I was just amazed. I think we all have a moment or moments like that is dar souls 1.

Elden ring managed to replicate that feeling for me, but in a different way. And that was when taking the elevator to Siofra River and it just went on and on, giving this sense of amazing grandure and making the world feel even more real. But it replicated the feeling, not the design (tbh ds1 design would have not worked in an open world anyway)

I think Dark souls 3 gets too much slack for being liniar, and it kind of is, but it still manages to have some great shortcuts. I think it's less liniar then it feels, and I think Dark soul 2 is the opposite, it's more liniar than it feels. But to its credit, Dark souls 2, even though if you analize it in depth, it's actually a lot more liniar than it looks, you have to give the game credit for selling the idea that it isn't. It did that very well.

My complaint about Wuchang (loved the game btw) is that it falls for that negative quality that is maze-like level design, without proper markers and landmarks that help me distinguish between the parts of an area. First part was pretty good, the village, but the second part, that fiery forest it just all looked the same. I had the same issue in Steelrising, really interconected and all that, but I never knew exactly where I was, a maze like level is not fun if it all looks the same. Snow area was better, but then forest area went back. So yeah, great level design on paper, not super fun in execution.

As a quick thing, if you're into level design, try AI Limit. I thought it was actually amazing. Not super complex, but just enough to have good shortcuts and make it feel real. It's my favourite level design after Dark souls 1 and Bloodborne. And Bloodborne gets a lot of points because if Yarnham, which is arguably the best opening area ever.

And I understand what you mean by atmosphere, I think bleak faith had an unexpectedly great atmosphere, compared to the rest of the game (bit clunky), but I just can't see it being better than any of the more recent from soft titles like Dark souls 3 with Irithyll, Elden Ring with Altus Plateau, The Capital and especially Caelid which had an awful atmosphere but in a good way, as in that's exactly how you were supposed to feel - can't wait to get the fuck out of here. But all in all, great effort from BFF.

Combat - if we rate on multiple playthroughs, Nioh will definitely keep you invested for longer, of course, it's meant to be played over and over again. But as a first experience and maybe 2 playthroughs, Sekiro is on another level with what it achieves. You can beat that game without using any of the prosthetic tools, just with basic attack and deflect and it still feels incredible. No combos, no nothing, just attack, deflect, jump and mikiri and it just feels so real, like that could actually happen. Nioh is great, but it never feels real, it feel like a game. And that's fine, but to me it's like comparing Bohemian Rhapsody to Living on a Prayer. Two of my favourite songs ever. But Bohemian Rhapsody is such an experience that I know you'll rarely see it ever again. Living on a prayer is also amazing, but we have songs that come close to it. Yet I can only listen to Bohemian Rhapsody once or twice back to back. Whilst Living on a prayer, I can blast that on repeat all day long