No, combat isn’t like that at all. You can sidestep lunging enemies. And god forbid you get stuck in a battle with two or three beasts… they come from all angles! :)
One thing I wish they’d bring back from earlier games - monsters always used to have a munch on your corpse after beating you which was really cool, and rubbed the salt in to an ignoble defeat.
Also given how much the game revolves around exploration, it’d be nice if it tinted the map or something so you could see where you’ve been.
And I do wish it remembered my shield status when I switched back from my ranged weapon.
Other than that, not much to complain about here. Game is pretty much what I’d hoped for.