Hi Nonnie,
that makes me so happy to hear! I hope you're enjoying the setting and story so far. The first is notorious for being a bit rocky in parts, and the fighting definitely takes some getting used to, but I found that with time - just like Henry - you're getting more used to it and better in anticipating the mechanics!
The second definitely builds on a similar principle, but they streamlined parts of the combat into a smoother, somewhat simplified/more intuitive variant. What I do like is that more complex combinations are fun to learn, but not a must to survive. I'm doing mostly fine with a rudimentary fighting style that's building a lot on dodging and riposte 500 hours into the game(which imo did get better, as you can now dodge with the help of a button rather than by timed motions alone.), simply because recalling combinations proves a little too tedious for my playstyle. And Meisterhau definitely gives you an advantage in both games.
Skills are relatively the same, although the perks themselves are easier to gain, but it's also been a hot minute since I played the first, so it's harder for me to recall.
The good thing - and also quite unique I feel - is the fact that you're not necessarily forced to fight all the time, so sometimes running is just the better option, especially against a group of foes (which is *definitely* harder in the first than the second game).
One thing I definitely forgot in the first game was returning to captain Bernard after that first initial tutorial and boy did I miss out on learning some fundamentals, so in case you haven't done that either yet, make sure to give the man at least a second visit!
I hope you'll navigate your way through and grow more familiar with it in your time playing, it's so worth it for the story and characters alone✨
Cheers!