Had another session on DS2 last night, I've finally mapped the spaces back out again to the point where I can remember where I have and haven't been before so I can get on with trying to make some progress!
On which note the design of the spaces is much more, to coin a phrase, "dead endy" than I think I've seen in any other Soulslike game. So many times you'll think you're making progress on a fruitful branch of an area and it turns out to be a road to nowhere and you have to go back on yourself. There isn't that same elegant layering and interconnecting of spaces that you get in DS1 which leaves exploration occasionally feeling a little bit more frustrating than it was in that game.
That said I'm still very much enjoying the experience, it's following some similar trends and
patterns to the first game but offering some interesting new riffs on them which is cool.
Highlight of last nights session was taking down The Last Giant first try. Not sure if this guy is supposed to be more formidable, or whether I've perhaps come to him later than expected, but he didn't exactly put up much of a fight!