Sands of Aura

It means you can find a base moveset you like and then make choices to augment your playstyle really nicely, instead of a more traditional Souls experience where sometimes the things you want to do with a weapon and what the weapon allows just aren't a realistic match.

Anyways, yes, the combat does have a souls-like feel to it, dodging, which is SUPER smooth, the combat is also super smooth so far..

However, the broader world building you learn about through item descriptions (of course), NPCs, and side quests really flesh it out into something richer and deeper.

Boss battles, meanwhile, are tense and unforgiving affairs, requiring careful timing, memorization of patterns, and quick reflexes.

Sailing your sand ship, or Grainwake, over the shifting grains of quicksand that are slowly swallowing this dying world really hammers home the carefully crafted visuals and art design, with gorgeous desolate ruins and architecture accompanied by a beautiful, haunting soundtrack just beckoning you to explore them.

The soundtrack, composed by Eduardo Lopez, plays a vital role in shaping the emotional core of the game.