>>714817393
It's because it feels so connected, even if you have a fairly obvious intended route most of the time.
The reactivity of the world (Firelink Shrine going out for example) is also, while extremely limited, massively impactful. Unlike most games, where you get cosmetic changes or a voice line but no real meaning, the loss feels like a personal attack and truly tragic.
There are a decent number of choices too; I did Four Kings right before the end on my first playthrough even though they're intended to be done much earlier.
The game has a lot of shortcomings, particularly in the unfinished areas and horrendous choices like the forced death and literally everything to do with multiplayer, but overall it is very good and feels cohesive.
>>714817474
I hate this too; the game isn't even hard, much less excessively so. I watched a midwit friend play years ago, and I found out how it got the reputation though. He literally just refused to read. The guy at the start who said go ring the bells? He talked to him, but it was in one ear out the other, and he ran off to die in the Catacombs forever. Elemental weaknesses? Refused to use them. Same with all items really, it was just his weapon and estus. He did the Giants area blind because he didn't want to figure out how to get a light source, and thought skeletons were bullshit because he literally never figured out to use holy damage to stop them from rezzing.
From that perspective, I understand how it could be difficult. Most games you can get away with just never using consumables and hoarding them or selling them, but Dark Souls really encourages you to use them. Things like Homeward Bone, the various ranged weapons for pulling single mobs, and weapon coatings to use an element make the game (in my opinion) on the easy side for an RPG. But without them, there will be certain fights or areas that punish your build pretty severely.
