Elden Ring manages to sidestep most of the issues associated with open world games with its diverse assortment of enemies, bosses, weapons, spells and NPCs.
Experience both texture and long-term engagement through its challenging combat system and expansive world, all on your terms.
Gameplay
Players familiar with From Software games will immediately recognize its intoxicating, intuitive gameplay. After customising their perfect character, players use weapons and spells to do damage in the fierce combat environment. Most enemies can be dispatched in just a couple of hits while bosses require careful dodging tactics combined with satisfying slow-mo projectile attacks in order to beat.
Elden Ring strives to be more accessible than previous From games, with tutorial pop-ups and quality-of-life features like faster healing and easier health management. However, the game still presents harsh challenges, with numerous foes that could kill newcomers posing a formidable challenge to them; progress being hindered early by near impossible bosses; as well as its tendency for telegraphed critical paths that often prove lethal.
FromSoftware has created an open world that feels expansive, creating the feeling of being disoriented within it. Landscapes are filled with remnants from long-gone civilizations ranging from towering statues to crumbling fortifications; ancient architecture and unsettling music create an unnerving ambience of faded grandeur, giving rise to a feeling of foreboding dread even when most dangers are absent from sight.
Mounted combat is the game-changer here, offering thrilling getaways and a different rhythm of battle with Torrent as your spectral steed. Riding him gives an added heft and precision to battle, creating the feeling that you’re dragging your sword through midair alongside an enemy before swinging down with satisfyingly heavy hits. Hopping on him makes running around giant or dragon enemies enjoyable; scaling sheer rockfaces together is pure adrenaline!
Elden Ring is an intoxicatingly compelling and challenging game from FromSoftware that stands up well to their legendary lineage. While some might find its tense thrills unappetizing, those who enjoy them will love its relentless gauntlet of punishing combat and deep, multilayered world. Elden Ring stands as an amazing achievement made all the more impressive by its sheer scale.
Story
Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s inaugural attempt at crafting an expansive world, and it proves successful despite some minor flaws. Combat remains heavy-hitting and engaging while there are more fights here than usual (although most can be repeated multiple times in one location). Furthermore, Elden Ring boasts a strong sense of discovery with many dungeons and areas concealing unique secrets.
All this is wrapped up with an impressively captivating tale, from glimpses of mysticism that is typical for From Software games, to powerful entities suffocating their worlds to keep us out – with epic vistas and humorous moments alike. There’s plenty of treasure here for players to uncover: giant tortoises give out history lessons while skeletons that seem straight out of Jason and the Argonauts make appearances too!
As you explore the Lands Between, Graces serve as golden markers to guide your exploration. They lead towards story beats while offering some handholding; however, you still control how far to explore; this represents a refreshing departure from From’s previous games which all took an adversarial approach towards player agency.
Experienced players of Souls or Bloodborne will instantly recognize Elden Ring’s addictive gameplay. Customising characters and gear are major parts of the experience, while mastering its fair and deeply satisfying combat will drive you forward. From’s design ethos is impressive in how they have taken this classic formula and made it feel brand new; without doubt one of this year’s most anticipated titles but if gauntlet-style punishing gameplay isn’t your cup of tea it would be wiser to look elsewhere.
Combat
A classic formula of measured third-person combat against enemies quick to punish foolishness remains as captivating as ever. From wielding blade and shield, swinging something that resembles raw iron or standing back as a mage and firing fireballs at foes to standing back as mage launching fireballs at them – every weapon in your arsenal tests patience and skill equally; once conquering one challenge after another is accomplished the feeling of victory can be immense.
Elden Ring introduces some tweaks to its core gameplay that further enrich and elevate your experience. Climbing aboard your spectral steed, Torrent, adds another dimension of combat by enabling you to circle enemy attacks and counter them more effectively; and its new system that rewards runes for each enemy defeated instead of souls provides strong incentive for efficient battle strategy as these can be used to level up characters more quickly.
Players can select from an impressive array of weapons, ranging from katanas with decent weapon attack speed and scaling to colossal swords with exceptional range and exceptional weapon attack stats scaling that allow you to crush your foes in one or two hits. Furthermore, an extensive variety of magic options exists ranging from chargeable spells that rain down meteors to summoning dragon heads that incinerate foes into flame.
While Elden Ring can be enjoyed solo, cooperative gameplay also presents unique joy. Players can join forces with up to three others online and use items as bridges between areas – creating some of the most satisfying multiplayer experiences from any FromSoftware title!
Overall, Elden Ring is an outstanding entry in the long-running Souls series and an enthusiastic welcome back. Its world is both atmospheric and grand; contrasting the open world with dark manors and dungeons that would fit right in with any Dark Souls game makes for an engaging yet challenging experience that veterans of the genre will likely find satisfying. However, some players may find its difficulty too challenging, yet veteran fans of this genre will find Elden Ring to deliver an engaging challenge that feels both fair and deep – making Elden Ring an engaging challenge that feels both fair and deep.
Open World
Veteran fans of FromSoftware will feel right at home with its familiar combat fundamentals that require managing stamina carefully, anticipating enemies’ attacks, and picking your moment to strike. Each rock-hard enemy you slay and the world’s unexpected surprises stand as testaments to FromSoftware’s design ethos.
Elden Ring expands developer Dreadnaught’s labyrinthine worlds in astonishing ways. However, what sets this game apart is how it encourages exploration instead of simply providing side quests to complete; its world is designed for you to succeed no matter if that means facing down a rock troll that wants nothing but to crush you under its heel.
The world also showcases an immense amount of variety, from crumbling ruins to monstrosities, with developers using smart world design to lead you through new locations by exploiting environmental features. Furthermore, you will encounter several bosses to battle, both large and small, some cleverly created while others could sometimes fall below developer standards when combined together in one battle.
As with other FromSoftware games, Elden Ring can be played cooperatively with up to three other players. While this process can become convoluted (being in certain spots, using items to establish connections, and sticking to certain areas), it can lead to some of the most exciting RPG moments ever!
At first glance, Elden Ring recalls its Dark Souls roots but feels distinct in an indefinable way. Elden Ring’s dedication to design by subtraction and placing player responsibility for charting their path through its world gives an air of defiance against modern open-world gaming’s overcrowdedness; creating a masterpiece of creative and meticulous design that’s certain to leave an impactful mark for years. What really sets it apart though, however, is the feeling of victory each time an enemy falls!