Elden Ring - Review
This is it! This is the big one! An accumulation of all FromSoftware’s Souls-like games… well, at least that’s what it feels like. When FromSoftware first teased us for their upcoming Elden Ring game during E3 2019, fans lost their minds and wanted more. But as per Miyazaki and his team, they went radio silent for a very long time, making FromSoftware’s acolytes hollow. Fast forward to Summer Game Fest 2021 when Geoff Keighley broke out of gamer prison and finally presented their full trailer… fans were amazed with what they saw… but that also came with negative views on a very hyped game.
So… this review is a little more personal for me due to my journey with FromSoftware games, from absolutely hating Bloodborne and leaving it after 2 hours of play time… to attempting Sekiro… taking a break for 9 months after multiple destroyed controllers, all the way to having a lightbulb moment and being able to complete it and revisiting Bloodborne. And from that point on, completing the Dark Souls series and Demon’s Souls, and having the opportunity to get hands-on experience on the Elden Ring Closed Network Test. As you can tell, it’s been a long journey and transformation. One that has impacted me dearly and changed the way I play games, which also has its negatives as playing the average AAA game such as the ever-hyped Horizon Forbidden West doesn’t necessarily cut it anymore. Now the question that lies upon us is “does Elden Ring actually meet the hype?” Keep reading, and you’ll know by the end of this article.
Now, before we get into gameplay and the crux of this review, from a high level and my interpretation of the narrative, the Lands Between was once ruled by Queen Markia. Due to war and events that took place, the Elden Ring was shattered, which Queen Markia’s offsprings who are demigods had taken each shard, known as the Great Runes, for themselves who have now been corrupted by their newfound strength. Each demigod rules over a specific area across the Lands Between, which leads back to you… the Tarnished. Those who were banished and forced to live a soulless life… neither dead nor living. The Tarnished are called back through the Guidance of Grace to retrieve these Great Runes to piece together the Elden Ring, and therefore becoming… the Elden Lord. Does this sound somewhat familiar? That’s because, to me anyways, it’s similar to Dark Souls 3 as an overarching source of the protagonist's motivation to battle ‘lords’, or in this instance, demigods.
Elden Ring feels as though it’s a combination of all previous Souls-like games created by Miyazaki. From the unique and clever level designs, the gameplay management with endurance and learning when to attack and when to defend, all the way to taking Sekiro’s ability to jump. There are a lot of moments where you’ll easily see familiarity from FromSoftware’s previous games such as certain areas that look and feel creepy enough to give you goosebumps and remind you of Bloodborne’s mutated and dilapidated villages all the way to familiar and/or similar characters… not that it’s carried the same character over, but a nice little nod to their previous games.
The game is so overwhelming due to its size and world. Not only that, but it’s not as simple and linear as FromSoftware’s previous Souls games. Imagine GTA, but in a Dark Souls universe… so much that there have been times where I’ve felt lost as to what to do or where to go. At one point, I strategically attempted to complete certain areas in a methodical way (left to right) ... but due to its vastness, you get lost and end up opening other areas of the map. Which is another thing… my initial thought was that Elden Ring was fairly big in terms of the clouded/blacked out areas of the world map. **Potential spoiler warning**, upon finding map fragments, the actual world map expanded in terms of ‘adding’ onto it opposed to just revealing the hidden or blacked out areas. This experience happened to me multiple times… just when you think it’s big enough, it expands even more. So, to say that the Lands Between is huge is understatement. On the negative side of finding map fragments to add and reveal your world map is unfortunately a little too easy as there’s a small indicator to where these fragments are once, you’re in the vicinity of it. This would potentially give players, such as myself who let my curiosity get the better of me, the opportunity to make a straight beeline towards the fragments just to reveal the area for you to explore without the anxiety of not knowing what’s in the area. This does unfortunately hinder the feeling of complete exploration a little.
It’s also no secret that you’re able to ride on horse-back as seen through the promotional trailers. Riding Torrent lets you traverse the Lands Between with ease due to its double jump reach as well as it’s speed. It truly makes running through the map and exploring fun. The only downside to this is defeating enemies and mini bosses on Torrent are a little too easy as you’re able to constantly run past and swipe at them, making you a harder target to hit. And sure, this means it takes a lot more time, but it also does deter away from the challenging battles of Souls games. And if you’re too lazy to ride from one side of the colossal map to the other, there’s always the option of fast travel via Elden Ring’s version of bonfires named Sites of Lost Grace, so long as you’ve interacted with it.
As previously stated, Elden Ring has kept a lot of FromSoftware’s best features, functions and gameplay and merged them together. From Sites of Lost Grace checkpoints to the ever-familiar RPG stats and builds you’re able to tinker around with by upgrading, and similarly with the weapons you can purchase from merchants or find. Why try and change something when it has worked well for FromSoftware’s Souls series. And similarly, to Dark Souls 3, they’ve kept the ability to replenish HP (health) or FP (magic) by keeping 2 flasks, in which you can manage where to distribute the number of uses, with the addition of a Flask of Wondrous Physick, letting you customize its usage depending on what crystals tears you add.
Castles and points of interests known as ‘legacy dungeons’ as they’re known to be called, are huge with no mini maps to help you navigate where you’re going. And though you do feel lost, the feeling of exploration with FromSoftware’s brilliant level designs shines here... intertwining and taking your lost routes back to familiar places and rooms you’ve passed. There are ‘smaller dungeons’ that are scattered through the world, which you either stumble across, or find statue guides which show you a rough direction which encourage you to look for and explore the area.
The addition of crafting is available so long as you’ve purchased the ‘crafting kit’ from a merchant. This is available early on in the game and lets you create consumables that help your journey from healing your ailment to making small weapons such as throwable daggers or upgrading some arrows and bolts. So long as you’re purchasing “cookbooks” from Merchants, or finding them in treasure chests that are scattered across the map.
Lastly, one thing that a Souls game is known for is the high-risk of losing your hoarded currency which you would use to level up your character. The currency in Elden Ring are ‘Runes’… in which it is just as easy to lose them. So… Elden Ring really does have the DNA of FromSoftware’s Souls-like games to the point where there’s even a Firelink Shrine type location called the Table of Lost Grace. Depending on if you’re a Miyazaki fan, you’ll either love the fact that they’ve held true to all its predecessors and merged the best parts while adding a little more or think it’s a complete waste of time with no innovation. One thing for certain is the size of this game is massive, but also letting players choose what path they’d like to take. I’ve definitely been side-tracked and lost as to what I was supposed to be doing, leaving me feeling like they’ve moved away from their linear story-based games. There have also been moments when two different types of enemies are just fighting each other in the open, which all the more makes this open world more immersive.
Elden Ring is quite gorgeous with the details it shows visually, such as blood splatters on various surfaces and textures after a fight, through to the way the animations are executed when using magic, or the simple way a torch illuminates the room or hallway. I feel that Elden Ring, or even FromSoftware’s previous game on the PS5, Demon’s Souls, were underrated for its graphics and visual art. The movement of time from day to night (and vice versa) is represented really well as there were moments while exploring which I noticed shadows moving past which had been casted by a nearby cliff’s edge, castle ruins and any other surroundings. And being able to run around and walk up to an edge just to view the grand layout of the Lands Between is stunning. Especially at night-time when the Erdtrees are illuminating a golden glow, or when it starts to shed its leaves at times, giving you a slight buffer, which encourages you to take enemies on. FromSoftware has created a fantastic balance of gameplay that feels timeless, as well as evolving to today’s standard in visuals, which is something to definitely experience.
Miyazaki’s way of storytelling has never been direct in my opinion. Items still have descriptions if you’re after details in the narrative, and for the most part, any interaction with NPCs may come across a little vague and confusing at first. However, as per usual, you have to keep in mind that FromSoftware games are always a slow burn which you have to read between the lines at times. The narrative is slowly revealed to you over your journey and experience.
If you’re a fan of everything Miyazaki’s done in the past, then trust that you’ll definitely enjoy this game as it feels like a nonlinear Dark Souls-esque game. It really does feel as though FromSoftware has taken all the little details, gameplay, environments, level designs that had worked well from their previous game and created a true vast open world to explore. As per Miyazaki’s Souls-like games, it’s really about the journey and experience of overcoming hardship, opposed to soul-les big explosive scenes like in a Michael Bay film. The question is, are you ready to explore the Lands Between? If you’ve never played a Souls-like game before, this is the one to start your journey on.
The Score
9.5
Review code provided by Bandai Namco
The Pros
+An accumulation of the best parts of Souls games
+Made a little easier for new players to the Souls genre
+Huge open world map to explore
The Cons
-The infamous challenging enemies and no difficulty settings may turn players off
-Vague and slow burn narrative might lose people’s attention
-Easier (for the Souls-veteran) in comparison to the Souls series
