Dark souls. I haven't finished it yet but this game is definitely making me feel all the things. There is so much to this game that to describe every reason why would be long and spoilery. I'll attempt to describe some of it without ruining the game.
The more I play this game, the more I appreciate it. The world starts off small, in a prison cell. The more I get farther in the game the world continues to get bigger and bigger. Just when I thought I have seen it all is when it opens up even more. The level design is something of a mastercraft that is visually pleasing and aids in the gameplay. I have yet to see a 3d game that flawlessly pulled off the complex shortcut system that is seamless in the landscape as this game does.
The creatures I have fought all feel powerful and contribute to the game in a meaningful manner. Most of them have killed me in a few hits and offer a true threat. This makes me feel powerful in a sense because with each new kill I have done feels like I accomplished something in the game. The neat thing is, even after leveling up multiple levels. The increase in stats tend to be so marginal that the early monsters of the game still can kill me if I am not careful. However, because I know how to kill them, it becomes easier and faster to kill anyways.
There is some moments that I felt really sad. I won't list all the moments but I just defeated the fire world main boss which was pretty sad for reasons. Also, Solaire shared a similar fate. I feel empathy for these creatures even if they are trying to rip me a new face.
In some ways, I feel like I'm playing the game I always wanted to play. It has that N64 feeling that I had when I first played Zelda OoT. Mysterious, engaging world. Fun combat and unique bosses. Collecting all sorts of useful equipment. Not much puzzle solving though. Its a feeling I thought I never would have again. The best part is I've spent 60 hours over the 4 months and I still have to kill 3 of the 4 big bosses before the final boss.
When I'm done, I think I'll play it again and again.