How restrictive and streamlined is world traverse in the game? Can you use the hook to move around freely anywhere you want or its application is limited only to specific places designed for that (like it clinging only to special points on constructs)? And how is the combat like that of Dark Souls? Are there ways of tackling enemies apart from using close combat weapons exclusively, for example by using special damaging devices, thrown/ranged weapons, various consumables, magic etc?
The hook only works on specific points but they are thrown almost everywhere so you'll be flying like a monkey for the whole duration of the game. The world gives you a fair amount of ways to tackle areas and you can explore multiple paths from the beginning of the game. It also works on a few specific boss type enemies and can be used when they're in an indecisive, unmoving state, allowing you to close the gap and stunning them slightly for free hits.
Mind you, exploration isn't this game forte, unless you're particularly dumb nothing aside from mini-bosses or bosses will kill you since you can always deaggro in an instant by flying around with the hook. You don't even die from falls into the void if you're at full hp. Tension is non existent in the game outside of boss fights. Idols (bonfire) are dime dozen.
The combat is parry focused but still has a souls like feel to it because of how the input queue works with that engine. They removed stamina management but then it's not like there wasn't a souls that almost removed it (is there anyone who worried about stamina in Dark Souls 3? so much regen, so little cost of dodge rolls) You can do a few action cancel like on your first r1 but overall you can feel the lineage compared to other action games. Your main weapon is just like any souls katana and will feel a bit frustrating at times for how little range it has because enemies move around so much and the thrust doesn't always work great for that (there's also a boss who actually fucking counters that so heavily you can't use it at all).
You can unlock skills for use with your katana, and they feel like Dark Souls 3 weapon arts. They're highly situational and most are a bit useless, they all (well, the ones I tried) have long windups making them a tough sell in chaotic situation like multiple enemies or when you don't know a boss moveset and need to be able to react to attacks. They can be useful against enemies/bosses you already know well but you won't be using that stuff for much of your first experience with the game.
As for tools/ranged weapon etc, they're all classified under "shinobi prosthetic tools" and they're like Bloodborne's magic and guns : they all use the same resource, Spirit Emblems, which act like BB's bullets (there's even an item early game gained from a boss that allows you to trade health for emblems, just like BB's blood bullets). You can flame enemies, use a spinning shield, throw shurikens, have a thrusting or cleaving spear, use an axe, teleport when attacked, turn around enemies, distract them with sound and set them on fire, stun enemies with firecrackers and a few other uses for these, like situational axe for breaking shield.
They're consistently useful throughout the game although their usefulness can be an either overpowered or useless type of situation. Firecrackers can stunlock a few specific enemies continuously, which I believe isn't intended since beasts, which are supposed to be the weakest against those things, won't be stunlocked and have a timer for between uses (need to wait like 15 seconds before you can use for stun again).
You also have skills that extend the ability to use those tools further, like having quick close the gap move slash attack after throwing a shuriken. Personally I found that to be mostly useless because it leaves you open for retaliation on boss fights and often didn't close enough gap to begin with.
It may be a departure from souls games but at the core the lineage really shows, and much of those prosthetics work like some weapons you may have had before. Heck, flaming enemies is like using black flame but now giving a burn effect, and the upgraded version is like a firesurge.
It's very very soulsy but with the spastic meter cranked to 11 and enemy tracking to 12, so now you have to constantly do perfect parries, perfect evasion etc and there's very little room for mistakes.
The camera is also very much souls lineage and is not suited for that type of game. I don't even use lock on much in souls games but here considering how much enemies move around you really need it.. except that it often breaks and stops working. Oh, the boss moved around a tiny micro pillar, you almost broke line of sight now you lose lock on and he's rushing toward you, good luck. And let's not even talk about what happens with the camera in these games when your character is backed to a wall..
