I clocked 11 hours now into the game.
Updated feedback.
The combat does improve with more weapons, enchantment & upgrade. I am enjoying it more than at the start. The camera is definitely a problem, especially in very tight areas. A simple solution reduces the number of enemies at tighter areas.
Some checkpoints are still too far apart (thankfully there is normally a checkpoint near boss fight), & it can be bad when you are stuck, either unsure where to go, or stuck at a puzzle. In my opinion, if you are making a single player game, have the option of multiple save files, as well as let people save & restart where they let off. Allow multiple save files actually save developer ass, in case the save file gets corrupted or bugged, players can return to another save or an autosave. I am never a fan of the checkpoint system. To be fair, it saves action you have done like open a gate or solved puzzle, so if you died & restart from a checkpoint, you do not have to redo them again.
Visually, it's decent though at times the game looks like a last gen game, with last gen assets, & PBR(Physical base rendering) barely visible at all. The game was developed in UE4 which default PBR. It seems only the most basic material & texture map (which is plasticish) is applied for most objects. I have a feeling the game was design last gen & polish for current gen. But anyway, it wasn't bad looking, it just wasn't near the polish most AAA game I played recently. Coming back from RDR2, this looks like last gen.
Level design is pretty good so far, with some bonus areas you need to be attentive to the spot. Puzzles are decent, but the game can do a better job to let you know certain areas are not accessible due to lack of tool/weapons/power. Tomb Raider, for instance, let you know when you don't have the tools yet for certain areas. The game is also begging for a map. No need to be super detail, but an overview map of where you are in the world & the location of checkpoints would be nice. Its also often confusing to me, where to go next. The game doesn't provide a single hint. Most areas are linear in nature, but I did have to look at the walkthrough a few time to know where to go next. GOW & Tomb raider solved this issue by a marker on the map, so you have a general direction to go.