I really like this game. It's punishing but boy is it rewarding. I never played Demon Souls so this is my first "Souls" experience. (Lets just pretend the GFWL and DSfix stuff never happened, it runs great)
Going through this blind the first time, it was literally one of the most nerve racking and scary games I've ever played (scary in the sense of losing everything you've earned thus far in a single instance.)
What I really enjoyed about it was that it feels similar to how rogue-likes are played but within a over-arching game. Every death you learn something new. The game never feels like it cheating you. It's always telling you to be more patient, more cautious and punishing you when you fail to heed to the lessons you hopefully learned.
The in depth lore that has to be searched for and interpreted has pros and cons. I personally found the digging to be well worth it. You could say that it could use a minimap but I would argue that having to remember the maps, item locations, and enemy traps are what gives it the essence of "Souls".
I continue to mess around and play with diffirent character builds. Very satisfying experience.