Have to say I really enjoyed the 1st 10hours ish of the game.  It was fresh and exciting all the way.  I read and watch a few reviews, including the quick look a couple of times (hell the GL is awesome and i'll probably watch it again in the future) so I know exactly what I was getting into and wasn't piss off when I die.  
I didn't die too much actually since I was extremely careful, read and check every message and blood spot.  IMO, that feeling is the best thing about the game.
 
But as the game progress further on, it kind of loses its intensity.  I basically know what I'll be getting into just by the message/blood without checking them.  And the game wasn't hard anymore once I realize I don't need the shield anymore after getting the Tower Guard spell where I can kill anything head on, even all the Bosses with little to no effect.
 
And I have to say, the ending was pretty dissatisfying.

The game doesn't start to get really hard until you have gone through it a few times.. NG+++ (and later) and all worlds at pure black then it's a hard game ;)