I took the course in 2018 and can say it was my favourite CS course I've taken. It's considered "soul destroying", not because it's hard or not fun but because of the sheer amount of hours you have to spend in the lab. Unless you're experienced in the domain or really smart (neither for me), you're probably spending many many hours in the lab almost everyday if you're trying to do well in the course. For me personally, I wouldn't say it was soul destroying and I'd say the skills you learn from the course are invaluable.