In the 87 hours it took me to conquer Elden Ring, I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. From the frustration of facing its most formidable challenges to the exhilaration of eventual triumph, and the occasional pang of sorrow for the countless experience points lost in my encounters with some of FromSoftware's toughest bosses. However, above all, I was consistently awestruck – by the breathtaking vistas, the vastness of the world, the formidable adversaries, and how Elden Ring consistently rewarded my curiosity with engaging encounters, valuable treasures, and even greater surprises. FromSoftware takes inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and expands on it, crafting a rich, expansive open world centered around freedom and exploration, while seamlessly integrating a full-fledged Dark Souls experience within it. It should come as no surprise that Elden Ring stands as one of the most unforgettable gaming experiences I've ever had
To set the stage, when you first begin, all you know is that you assume the role of a "Tarnished" without any notable reputation, graced by an unknown power, and driven to embark on a journey to The Lands Between, aspiring to become an Elden Lord. The true significance of this title, the methods to achieve it, and the enigma surrounding the colossal, radiant golden tree are all mysteries you must unravel independently. Similar to other FromSoftware titles, the overarching narrative can be challenging to fully grasp during your initial playthrough, primarily because there's no in-game journal to provide reminders about the unfolding events, characters, or distinctive terminology encountered throughout hours of gameplay. The absence of such a feature is regrettable, but I found satisfaction in piecing together the story for myself. I eagerly anticipate enhancing my understanding through the meticulously crafted lore videos that will inevitably emerge from the community in the future.
What truly captivated me were the organic side stories, rather than the grand overarching plot that credits George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones as its scenario writer. FromSoftware wisely adheres to a familiar approach, akin to their previous titles like Souls games, Bloodborne, or Sekiro. You naturally encounter characters while exploring and immersing yourself in the world, becoming entwined in their personal struggles. There are no conspicuous. They are individuals with their own aspirations and objectives, and their narratives evolve in response to your actions or inactions.
I never once experienced the typical open-world fatigue that often arises when my mind becomes overwhelmed by a map.
It was genuinely refreshing in a world as vast as this one, where familiar faces would reappear later, piquing my curiosity about their new experiences and journey progressions. The trade-off, naturally, is that without markers, a quest log, or a journal, it becomes remarkably easy to forget about certain storylines, inadvertently leaving them unresolved by the end. That's regrettable, and I've already experienced disappointment for missing out on stories that some of my colleagues have encountered. However, for me, it was a worthwhile trade-off because even after 87 hours, I never once succumbed to the open-world fatigue that often plagues me when I'm bombarded by a map brimming with unresolved sidequest markers. Plus, any overlooked quests provide extra motivation to dive into New Game+.
The concept of "freedom" underlies every aspect of Elden Ring's design. From the moment you step foot in Limgrave, the initial of many interconnected regions within The Lands Between, you enjoy absolute freedom to explore in any direction you desire. While this isn't a novel idea in the realm of open-world games, the execution here is genuinely remarkable. If you wish, you can embrace the role of an explorer, dedicating hours upon hours to Limgrave, exploring every mini-dungeon, confronting every boss, encountering every NPC, and leveling up to prepare yourself for the challenges ahead. Alternatively, you can follow the guiding Light of Grace, which leads you towards the main storyline and the first significant dungeon. Alternatively, you may uncover a hidden route to a higher-level region, entirely bypassing the initial major dungeon. Who knows, you might even acquire a remarkable weapon in the process.
A few elements distinguish Elden Ring from games like Skyrim that offer a comparable level of openness.
Once again, while not entirely unprecedented, Elden Ring distinguishes itself from games like Skyrim that offer a similar level of openness in several ways. Firstly, Elden Ring doesn't adjust enemy levels to match your own, which means venturing into a later region exposes you to consistently more formidable adversaries, heightening the risk and reward dynamic. Perhaps even more notably, the interconnected nature of its various areas transforms the process of discovering new ones into something more than simply selecting a direction and heading towards it. Limgrave, for instance, has a carefully designed main path leading through Stormveil Castle, and finding a way around it truly evokes the sensation of uncovering a hidden passage or alternate route—a uniquely satisfying experience not often found in most open-world environments I've explored.
In Elden Ring, you'll discover more freedom in approaching combat than in any previous FromSoftware game, thanks to a host of innovative new systems that are expertly implemented. The addition of crouch-walking enhances the viability of stealth, allowing you to sneak past formidable foes or approach them from behind for a devastating critical strike. Moreover, the introduction of horseback combat in expansive, open areas grants increased mobility and the ability to execute attacks from both sides using your right-handed weapon. However, it does come with the trade-off of limiting your ability to dodge larger enemy attacks. You can also craft items on the fly using materials found in the world, ensuring you're well-prepared for any situation that arises. Additionally, the ability to summon a diverse array of creatures to aid you in combat, each possessing unique abilities and situational advantages, significantly enriches your tactical options. Most notably, you have the capacity to equip Ashes of War to your weapons, allowing you to completely alter their affinity and skill sets.
Elden Ring's difficulty took me by surprise, despite being a veteran of the Soulslike genre.
The Ashes of War system effectively amalgamates two elements from previous Souls games – weapon affinities and weapon skills – by converting them into items that can be freely equipped on your weaponry. For instance, imagine I discover a high-quality rapier with a moveset that I adore, but my character build leans towards the Intelligence stat, which means it won't receive the necessary damage bonuses to be an effective weapon. However, if I come across an Art of War that imbues a magic spell onto the weapon, I can equip it and transform the rapier into a magic-infused weapon, thereby granting it Intelligence scaling in addition to the inherent skills of the Ash of War. What's especially appealing is that, should I decide to change my character's build later on, I can retain the same weapon and simply replace the Ash of War with one that suits the new build. Naturally, you'll still need to discover specific items to unlock the various affinities, but this is an exceptionally clever addition that introduces a wealth of diversity in your weapon choices.
The most crucial aspect of Elden Ring's design philosophy, however, is the freedom to step away and pursue other activities when you encounter a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Elden Ring is undeniably challenging, as expected from a FromSoftware game, but its difficulty took me by surprise, even as a seasoned player of the Soulslike genre. I encountered numerous points, including right up to the moment before facing the final boss, where I had unlocked paths to multiple bosses and found myself unable to make progress against any of them. Nevertheless, even when I reached these impasses, there was always another avenue to explore – a region I hadn't thoroughly traversed, an NPC quest I had set aside for later, or a Light of Grace indicator that I had yet to follow. Elden Ring never left me entirely stumped, and every time I ventured into these alternative areas and pursued different paths, I discovered new gear and items, improved my stats, or acquired new spells and skills that eventually provided me with the necessary advantage to overcome a troublesome boss.
It wasn't just the allure of increasing my character's stats that motivated me to explore every nook and cranny of the map; The Lands Between is teeming with wealth, intrigue, and danger around every corner. Many of the strengths of Elden Ring's open world can be directly attributed to the elements that set The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild apart from the multitude of open-world games that preceded it. (Regrettably, the PC version of Elden Ring also inherits some of Breath of the Wild's occasional framerate issues.) It's the same sense of embarking on a journey in a world without explicit guidance, stumbling upon something that ignites your curiosity, taking whatever measures necessary to reach it, and then reaping the rewards for your curiosity.
In Elden Ring, my predictions seldom proved accurate.
The significant contrast lies in the fact that in Breath of the Wild, I could usually anticipate the outcome when I reached one of those distant orange glows. I'd typically solve a puzzle, uncover a shrine, solve another puzzle, and likely obtain a valuable temporary weapon and a spirit orb. It's not to diminish Breath of the Wild's greatness – it was fantastic, but this pattern gradually became somewhat routine long before the game concluded. In Elden Ring, on the other hand, my expectations were rarely met. I'd approach a lake and suddenly face a surprise dragon ambush, follow a river expecting to gather some basic crafting materials only to stumble upon a dungeon teeming with foes and traps, venture into a cave and be unexpectedly attacked by mischievous goblins, or step onto what appeared to be an unimposing elevator only to realize it continuously descended further and further... until eventually, I found myself in one of its many breathtaking new regions.
Moreover, each of these small adventures gratifies your curiosity with valuable returns. Whether it's a fresh weapon, a new Ash of War, a valuable consumable, a new summonable creature, a new spell, or a new NPC to engage with, the range of valuable rewards ensures I was never left disappointed by my findings, regardless of the effort invested.
I was never let down by my reward, regardless of the effort I put into it.
FromSoftware makes all of this exceptionally user-friendly thanks to several unusually accommodating features. These include a generous fast-travel system with numerous points scattered across the map, a marker system that enables you to place markers on the map for NPCs, boss locations, out-of-reach treasures, materials, and more, and a swift spectral horse named Torrent that facilitates rapid traversal, along with effortless mounting and dismounting to suit your needs.
But what's truly remarkable about Elden Ring is that, amidst its brilliant open-world design, it also features a handful of Legacy Dungeons that harken back to the 'wide linear' level design Souls fans have grown accustomed to. These dungeons encompass vast castles, formidable forts, opulent manors, subterranean labyrinths, and more, each brimming with hidden areas, formidable bosses, and interconnected paths linked by one-way shortcut doors. If these dungeons were assembled together without the backdrop of an open world, they could easily stand alone as Dark Souls 4.
In summary, Elden Ring's open-world exploration sets a new benchmark. It consistently delivers excitement, rewards, and numerous moments that left me exclaiming 'Wow' in a variety of ways.
It offers continuous excitement, abundant rewards, and countless moments that left me exclaiming, 'Wow!
When it comes to combat, Elden Ring aligns most closely with Dark Souls 3 in comparison to other titles in FromSoftware's arsenal of action-RPGs. It is characterized by weighty attacks, meticulous stamina management, and a slightly slower tempo than games such as Bloodborne and Sekiro. The two significant new additions are the ability to execute a guard counter by blocking an attack with your shield and promptly pressing the strong attack button to follow up with a devastating strike, capable of leaving weaker enemies incapacitated. Additionally, there's a new jump attack that introduces a fresh heavy attack option for melee weapon users, useful for stunning enemies and setting them up for a critical hit.
Both of these are excellent additions that provide melee classes with enjoyable new tools. However, for the most part, FromSoftware has embraced the philosophy of 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' Yet, what truly elevates the combat in Elden Ring is its enemy design and diversity. Not only are a considerable number of them truly horrifying (not quite reaching the grotesque levels of Bloodborne, but still a source of serious nightmare fuel), but some of these adversaries are downright ferocious, launching at you with wild swings and combos that seem never-ending and can hit from a considerable distance. Others take a more calculated approach, taking cover behind their shields, patiently waiting for the opportune moment to either parry your attack or strike while you're vulnerable. Then there are those who may seem weak but become formidable threats when they catch you in an ambush, delivering a one-hit kill grab. Many enemies are purposefully designed to punish players who mindlessly spam the dodge-roll button, which makes Elden Ring a challenging game. However, it's a rewarding type of difficulty; one that places less emphasis on lightning-fast reflexes (though they certainly help) and more on learning, adapting, and discerning the vulnerabilities within an enemy's attack patterns. Deciphering these cues and capitalizing on each opening is a substantial part of what makes these games so immensely enjoyable.
And then, of course, there are the bosses. I won't delve into spoilers, but there are a few among them that rank as some of the most visually and mechanically astounding creations FromSoftware has ever produced. As for some of the later ones, they came close to pushing the boundaries of what I would consider fair and reasonable. This was especially true when dealing with life-restoring second phases following already grueling first phases, or engaging in two or three-against-one handicap battles. However, as previously mentioned, any obstacles I encountered became conquerable once I chose to step away and return with increased strength.
Conclusion
It is no exaggeration to state that Elden Ring stands as FromSoftware's most extensive and ambitious game to date, and this ambition has more than justified itself. After dedicating 87 hours filled with challenges, surprises, and some of the toughest battles I've ever faced, there are still unconquered bosses, concealed secrets, missed sidequests, numerous weapons, spells, and skills I've yet to utilize. All of this is in addition to the PVP and cooperative play aspects that I've barely explored. Throughout this journey, while the core elements of combat haven't seen drastic changes, the vast array of ingeniously designed foes and the formidable yet conquerable bosses have elevated the combat to new heights. Even with numerous unexplored threads on my initial playthrough (which I'm certain won't be my last), what I experienced easily ranks among the finest open-world games I've ever encountered. Similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring is destined to be remembered as a game that propelled its genre forward.