To answer a bit of my own question, I've learned in the past few years that the biggest contributing factor to whether I'll like an Action RPG system comes down to whether it has a restrictive mechanic designed to prevent the player from just wailing relentlessly on an enemy. The best version always being a Stamina type mechanic. My biggest gripe with ARPG combat is that they tend to devolve into button mashing nonsense with an occasional use of a dodge roll mechanic to keep you on your toes.

I prefer mechanics being implemented that punish players for being less methodical and going for unrelenting offense. I feel this is why Dark Souls resonated with me so well because the stamina mechanic forces you to be more tactical in combat and overall more strategic in your builds. I played Nier: Automata last year, and while the combat was certainly flashy and character death was common enough to keep you on your toes, I still found the combat to be kind of blah after awhile, generally preferring the bullet hell hacking mini-game over the actual combat. Meanwhile, I later tackled Dark Souls III, and while it's probably the easiest entry in the series, was far more at home and more engaged with the core gameplay mechanics. Beating Emil in Nier was amusing for story reasons, but the fight itself wasn't really a big deal. Finally conquering Darkeater Midir by finding the proper load out that suited my playstyle and ideal for exploiting his weaknesses was far more fulfilling for me.

Hell this idea even worked for me playing through Secret of Mana, which still has my favorite combat in the franchise because the power meter works as I described above. The best way to play being to strike and then back away and stay dodgy while you recharge your strength to go for a full blow, yet attacking relentlessly can also be useful since it does little damage but often stunlocks an enemy long enough for your companions to fully charge their own moves. For a 27 year old game, the combat actually still has quite a bit of depth to it.