DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin

Dark Souls 2 is considered the worst of the Dark Souls trilogy, but IMO the game is full of experimentation rather than being bad per se. For instance, you can duel wield / power stance weapons and have unique move sets when wielding different weapon types. Torches have more uses than just lighting the immediate area. There is a mechanism to replay a specific area at a higher difficulty level if you choose. Other experiments are less successful such as a new stat that must be leveled up to give a larger dodge window and increase the speed of drinking your flask. Weapon repairability is a liability now. Damage is dependent on how much of your weapon intercepts the hit box and also if the weapon touches a wall along the way. Still, too much experimentation leads to weird consequences. If you reload an area and kill the same enemy on each reload, they will eventually be permanently dead (assuming you don't use a couple other game mechanics like joining a specific covenant). While it may be easier for runbacks to boss fights, enemies permanently dying limit the leveling potential. It is a distinct change in the gameplay loop compared to the other Dark Souls games. Overall the game is worth playing at least once, but the first half of the game is rough. Many areas are corridors with very limited branching. Early to mid game bosses are mostly forgettable. The world interconnectivity makes no sense in some parts. Still, by the endgame and most importantly the DLC, the future of Dark Souls 3 and later Elden Ring can be seen over the horizon. Far more interesting boss fights and level design. Bosses speed up and have move sets which are closer to future Fromsoft games.