Until we get to a point of physics-based dynamic damage modeling (which is still a ways off for action adventure), there will be concessions made and certain idiosyncrasies regarding how accurately and nuanced this type of gameplay can be implemented.
Well, the comparison I will always bring up here, given the overall layers of similarity is Monster Hunter.
In Monster Hunter (and predating Dark Souls 1 for most of these)
- Attacks do varying levels of damage based on the motion and posture of both parties, including how much each one will react (although you typically lose "fights" as that goes because that thing weighs like 2 tons)
- Different parts of the enemy (even the small ones) are reactive to different types of damage and weapons, or even angles of attack (IE some tails are not armoured below, but are armoured on side/top, requiring you to aim a strike precisely) (Yes I know dragons in Souls take more damage on their heads)
- A big one, enemies also have actual stamina and can't be spam machines. Furthermore stamina is affected by the above two points in relevant ways (you can also use exhaust status effect weapons as available, but its built into calculations by any attack)
- Speaking of statuses, there are actual statuses other then 7 varieties of Damage over Time.
- Key attacks can specifically be countered by precise targeting (not just timing) of relevant parts, most commonly seen with trips during charges
- Damaging different parts and components of anatomy will change the enemy behaviour and also affect the overall strength of attacks.
- Enemies are actually bound by physics. A heavy attack can not do a 190 degree turn midswing, or start and stall an attack while still doing full damage, or change direciton mid-air. I'd give a bit of leeway to Souls/ER for this because magic is a thing, but it became a trend in Dark Souls 2 and onward. And it even appleis to basic humans who just turn as if they were on a rotating pedestal to do it while ground based.
I've leave out the broader concepts of weapons and diverse movesets, but Souls is also lacking in that department. Every weapon effectively boils down to "heavy thing" "light thing" "thing+shield". On the rarest of occasions an enemy will take more damage because you plonket it with a Club instead of a sword, but usually as a very shallow gimmick (Crystarian), and all the weapons intereact with identical timed windows of oppurtunity rather then angles of attack.
I can even flip over to my other "hot take, this game is kind of bland" game in Breath of the Wild, where the combat can include mixups with bombs and physics powers and everything else (or older Zeldas where you mixed in hookshots and so on)
The post you linked is what I expect to see in Path of Exile, not a game with active action gameplay. Hell, we can take that particular style of building and drop it into Warframe which manages to have similar build nonsense while again having an active combat system including parkour maneuvers, anatomy based damage, physics based damage (admittedly, only on some abilities, not generally on guns) combos, lifts, trips, parries, counter-grab meleeing, and usable gunplay in the middle of it (Warframes general problem is that theres basically no actual need to engage with its action mechanics, because the have a bad habit of making the only things that are a threat immune to most of that)
Souls seems quite content to stick in its "You attack me, I dodge/block/parry then hit you back" repeat ad nauseum and for the most part you don't even need to move if you know the timing other then when they throw in a boss that likes to flip across the arena every other move.
