By Dimitris Kolias,
Elden Ring is the latest title in FromSoft’s roster of games. These games, or as they are called Souls games, named after the first one published, Demon’s Souls, are renowned for their aesthetic, obscure lore, and at times crushing difficulty. Elden Ring is no different. It has been described as an open-world Dark Souls and in many ways, this description is spot on. Especially during a player’s first play-through, when there is no road map and recognizable points of reference, the encounters in the open world feel unexpected yet organic. In general, first-time players will find it easier to immerse themselves in the game’s world and its story, both of which, when at their best, are exquisite even if they can overstay their welcome at certain points.
As a side note, before writing this review I spent around 150h playing Elden Ring, and even though I have not yet completed it 100% I feel I have experienced it enough to have seen most of what it has to offer.
In the subsequent, I will refer to the story/lore of Elden Ring, the gameplay/open world, and the graphical quality. I will try not to overhype an admittedly very good game, while also not underplaying its few, but glaring flaws…
The story
The story of the game starts simply. You are tarnished, this game’s version of undead, and you are recalled to the Lands Between, where the game takes place, by Queen Marika, the local god, she wants you to mend the Elden Ring by collecting its fragments, called runes, scattered across the land in order to become Elden Lord. Note that most of these concepts, Elden Ring/Lord’s Runes, etc., are not immediately explained and they will not be for hours in-game. At this point, I should highlight that story-wise Elden Ring moves in two different gears. First of we have the background story. Things that happen before the game starts. This part of the lore is co-written by George R. R. Martin, the author of A song of Ice and Fire. His influence in the game is nearly impossible to miss. Plot points like the dynamics and politics of the royal family, betrayals, and assassinations bear the seal of Martin’s particular take on the fantasy genre. Even here where the story involves gods, demi-gods, and other all-powerful beings, he manages to keep the story grounded and strangely realistic and relatable, in other words, easy to immerse yourself in.
On the other hand, we have the story that takes place after the game starts. Here, FromSoft’s and Hidetaka Miyazaki’s now classic brilliance clearly shows. Following the recipe of their previous games, you are once again cast in a world far past its prime, and through visual storytelling, item descriptions, and some, sparse, well-placed dialogue you are asked to piece together a complex, branching narrative, using your own interpretations to fill in the gaps.
This method of storytelling works great with From’s games since the players can engage with the story at their own pace. You can try to understand everything that has and will happen to the world, or you can just have fun playing a game with near-addictive combat mechanics.
Gameplay and the open world
This brings us to the next section, gameplay and the open world. The gameplay in Elden Ring is similar to the other Souls games. You have three main resources Health, Mana, and Stamina. In combat, you can use melee weapons, magic, or a mix of both. The main difference between Elden Ring and previous titles is the existence of a dedicated jump button and a horse, both help you to better traverse the open world.
The existence of an open world this time around has affected the game’s difficulty as well. One of the very first things players see after the tutorial section of the game is a roaming boss enemy called The Tree Sentinel. This enemy, at the start of the game, deals way more damage to you than the opposite, so you the player are left with two choices, either fight or run. Both options are correct, you can either fight the Sentinel until you are good enough to win or you can go explore and come back a lot stronger later. In other words, you have the in-game freedom to engage with the content however you please. This is a “lesson” that persists throughout the game. It is this freedom of choice that makes the game as difficult or as easy as you want. The open world in itself is, mostly, breathtaking. The art direction they chose is top notch and the world feels lived in and real. It would not be a surprise if Elden Ring’s open world was used as a golden standard for the genre as was Breath of the Wild before it.
On the other hand, after playing the game for a while you can see where the lands failed to meet their potential. The side dungeons scattered in the world start to feel repetitive and pointless. The same repetition and asset reuse plague the late-game bosses and enemy encounter as well. This kind of repetition and the occasional “empty” space in the overworld speak of a game in need of more development time.
Graphics and soundtrack
In the final section, we will delve into the graphics and soundtrack of Elden Ring. Elden Ring does not have photorealistic graphics and this is not a bad thing. The artwork is heavily stylized to FromSoft’s particular brand and they, mostly, nailed it. In many places, the game feels like walking in an actual painting. At the same time, the movement of the characters is fluid and feels natural, both in and out of combat, barring, of course, the occasional and unavoidable bug or glitch. The soundtrack for the most part is spot on, with some pieces more memorable than others.
Verdict
Elden Ring will probably be Game of the Year, and it rightly deserves the title. It is an ambitious, albeit flawed, masterpiece, and I would suggest to anyone with any preference for a mostly single-player experience to try it out for themselves.
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