@Top10au - after not reading the manga for 3 or 4 years, I've recently done a re-read of the whole thing up to volume 40. It's amazing how consistent the story is, and I don't mind the little diversions (Like the plight of the whores at the refugee camp under the tower, or Farnese's goal of becoming a mage).
But it does seem to have undergone a slight shift in tone. Like... After Guts' party gets on Roderick's ship, there's a significant less amount of... well, what Berserk's kinda famous for (Violence tinged with sexuality). Or brutal killing of bystanders. Heck, Guts even rescues some random sailor from a tentacle's maw. And the scene where Rakharas (or w/e the shadow-demon's name is) is on fire and dousing himself with the blood of some horses? 10 Years ago, that little girl would have gotten ripped in half, so the demon could douse the flames with her blood, no question about it.
Of course, Miura is getting older, so the taste for violence is somewhat diminished, but it is quite noticable. Nothing wrong with that, people change over time (While I'm not against violence, I do find that it's no longer the most important part of a story, as opposed to when I was younger).