Completed the game tonight and it was awesome. I am really impressed by the overall quality of the experience, seeing that this is a first game.
The story was actually much better than I would have guessed, with a lot of storylines for NPCs to discover. The world is also great and the environment were much more varied that I also expected. There is still some re-use, but it is actually pretty clever.
Level-design was fantastic from the beginning to the end, with a very high point in the middle of the game (where the game throws at you a massive region with a very complex layout, you will understand when you get there).
Character builds are varied with lots of possibilities and strategies for the bosses. There is a lot of room for experimentation and that's great.
The game felt a bit easier than the Dark Souls games. I find that it was perfect for me, challenging but not stupid. I managed to beat each boss in a couple attempts, and honestly that's good for me. There were a couple bosses were I had to work a bit more, so it's okay. Not frustrating, not too easy.
I got the best ending without following a guide. The game is very well made and I felt what I needed to do to get this ending. Clever game-design.
The game also has a lot of quality of life features that make traversal a lot easier, like the path that is memorized on the map, items and enemies that appear on the map as well, and the companion that talks about the things around you. Very useful. The companion AI is also great, never falling in the pits, always very aggressive, and trying to revive you every time it can. Great great AI. The enemies are fine, the AI is good enough to offer a challenge, stupid enough to keep it fun. Enemies have a lot of attacks and combos, this is a good point as it forces the player to memorize and get better at dodging/parrying.
Visually the game looked very good on One X, and was smooth most of the time. I like how the character is incorporated in all the cut-scenes, this creates some good immersion. Soundtrack was also top quality.
Honestly, there isn't much negative to say about the game. I was pleasantly surprised and it is a runner for my GOTY.