Developer Respawn Entertainment

Publisher Electronic Arts

Format PC, PS4, Xbox One (tested)

Release Out now

So then, ? Or – apologies in advance – ? Not quite. Sure, the FromSoft DNA runs deep in ’s veins. It’s there in the meditation spots, the brief save havens where you can rest, unlock new skills and restore your stock of healing items, respawning local enemies in the process. It’s there in the level design, where complex corkscrews of maps become a little simpler to navigate using shortcuts. And it’s in the combat, where enemies hit hard, patience and persistence win the day and receiving a fatal blow means dropping your recent winnings. But it’s not FromSoftware’s 2011 classic that most comes to mind as we work through . Rather, it’s its sequel. While it is not without its moments of majestic beauty, for much of its runtime is a flatly lit, blandly textured game with character models that would have looked out of date a decade ago. And we can’t remember the last time we played a game.