Yeah, I'm playing on "hard" or whatever as well. I think I've got the hang of it now though. I avoid the hard lock-on and don't go for the full three hit combo any more. Instead I just use the camera to soft lock onto and swing at whoever is closest. Makes it look like you're playing W1 if things go well. The animations look great too as you go from swinging forward to stabbing backward. However, I still get greedy once I have someone singled out and promply pay for it.
One thing that's a bit of a bummer right now is that enemies are leached very agressively. They simply do not chase you. Good to know while you're still learning, but I've already cheesed my way through a group of bandits that way. They will just run in circles or stand still near the edge of whatever invisible wall traps them. If there are no archers you can just stare at them holding their dicks while you stuff your stomach with raw meat and queue up the next spell.
Also, Criri is insanely powerful. I went from flailing waif to unstoppable death machine. No wonder she doesn't have any spells.
