Yes, everything in DS3 feels like a “fatroll” to me compared to Bloodborne. Like I’m playing BB while wrapped in cotton candy. Still, I’ve only resorted to the shield against knights so I can try (badly) for parries.
Circling back around to lore, I love the feel of BB quite a bit, but it also feels like they wanted to include a lot more than they should have, ideas-wise, and it makes kind of a mess in the end. Like, the whole thing with the Vilebloods and the Child of Blood? What was that? I’ve delved into it a little bit, and it honestly seems like something they wanted to do more with, but in the end decided not to but left it in anyway, so it’s this big, flapping loose end.
EDIT: This is fun: https://old.reddit.com/r/bloodborne/comments/8a0byn/theory_the_moon_presence_is_the_hero_of_bloodborne/dwwhvy5/?st=jy0jj3q9&sh=d8474682