Finished the game last night - definitely my favorite souls game now.
Probably because this turned out to be very much true. By the end I was over-leveled and the boss fights were pretty forgiving, especially with a +5 Blessed Mirdan hammer.
Game was gorgeous, the unflattering screenshots and comparisons above are all cheap shots when viewed in game on a 4k HDR TV. Honestly just jaw dropping, so much of it looked like a high resolution matte painting except you could actually visit and interact with the scenes.
Normally every time I play a console game I wish I could play it on the PC. Given the fast load times and 4k graphics… I am not seeing how a PC could improve things which has to be a first for me.