There are few games that while playing I thought to myself - why should I stop. I played Elden Ring the week it came out, when there was no information, no guides, no nothing, and it was some of the best single player experience I've had. The feeling of going out into this massive world, exploring and taking on the challenge that Elden Ring provides, is like nothing else. Yes, it is a hard game and there is no easy mode, but it's not soul crushingly difficult as some have described it. It is for the type of person that is willing to fail as many times as it is required to be able to overcome the challenge before them.
Story
I can't say that Elden Ring has a “good” story. In fact, if you rush straight to the end, you will have like 5 conversation by the time the credits roll.
But the lore of this world is incredible. Every item, every crevice is part of this gigantic fantasy world, that calls out to you to keep exploring more and more of it. Whether you will learn it from reading every item description or YouTube is up to you.

Mechanics and gameplay
It is Dark Souls with an open world. Honestly, the basics are pretty easy to understand - attack enemy, dodge roll when they attack. There are some things added to spice up the formula, but I can't say anyone will be left wondering what's what.
The big selling point is the open world, and I can say that From software has done a fine job. It is gigantic, I have 100+ hours and I didn't manage to explore all of it. Also, unlike many other games that have massive open worlds, Elden Ring never got boring. It constantly changes environments, so that it never feels like circling the same place.
You know how this games is supposed to be super hard, well you can circumvent most of it by just exploring. The first boss is intentionally way above your level to encourage you to back away and to become more powerful.

Graphics and artstyle
Elden Ring is absolutely gorgeous. The graphical fidelity technically isn't that good, but the incredible art design of the world and the attention to detail more than makes up for it.
There is a wide amount of color used throughout the different areas, but it always stays in that fantasy feel, so that the immersion is never broken.

Atmosphere/Immersion
In all of my time playing games that allow me to customize my character and make him myself, I have never felt as attached as I did to the character, I made in Elden Ring. The game gives you the feeling that you are a small, insignificant person, that has to carve out their own path in the world if they want to survive.
Immersion is another part that is done very well. There are no big flashy menus, quest markers or even a mini map, this allows the player to feel as if they are actually in this fantasy world.
Soundtrack
Great ost with many great songs, all of which closely follow the setting of the game, so you can expect instrumental somewhat classical in nature music. My favorite is “Roundtable Hold”.

Final Thoughts
All in on strength

Sekiro is such a thoroughly good game that it's had the unfortunate effect of making me like other games less, especially other souls games! The sheer amount of things Sekiro does well is astounding, in terms of combat, traversal, writing, presentation, seriously almost everything. If I was a game designer, I would probably up and quit because Sekiro is a game that exists.

Quite a departure from the series it's compared to, Sekiro takes a considerably more forward approach with its storytelling and linearity, and one that is well appreciated! How this is achieved is through more loveable characters, whereas Sekiro's contemporaries are more concerned with world expansion. Both have their place, but I'm glad Sekiro chose to tell a story about characters, about questioning morals and mulling over important decisions. The world is fucked, and there is a lot of moral questions that your brain forms as you violently slaughter thousands of opponents, but the game is aware of everything it presents to you. Something about lore being shared over a pint of some monkey booze is just special ya know? The diamonds in the rough of this world are things you just want to hold on to, until you realize that they're tainted too. The articulate writing is something that makes characters likeable within even one conversation. I remember even a few lines of dialogue from some very personable street vendors, and the last words of soldiers in a battlefield, ones that could have just as easily had their life taken by you instead of another. Sekiro doesn't shove any one thematic question in your face, it presents you with a small, intimate cast that allows you to question what the right thing to do could possibly be.

I don't think I fully realized how upset I became with other difficult games until I played Sekiro, where my enjoyment to frustration was probably about 95:5. It just... works man. Playing Sekiro is not far from learning a instrument. There isn't a moment in this game where I felt I wasn't actively getting better at it, and it helps that the game is consistently giving you new techniques to add to your fundamentals. Like an instrument, any challenge in the game can be accomplished utilizing your fundamentals, but the personalization of which tools you utilize is what makes the game yours. In the same vein, the rhythm of combat is frighteningly addictive. The timing required to counter enemy attacks always feels achievable despite the complex nature of encounters. Every piece this game tasks you to perform you know you will one day master, and every piece has been crafted to teach the player. There's also very few moments of bullshit in Sekiro. There's no stupid dogs, there's no breaking bridges, there's barely any enemies that completely snipe you, there's just this respect the game kind of has for you. Despite how brutal this game can be, there's plenty of moments in the overworld where the game just lets you take it in. Sekiro punishes laziness, it doesn't punish the player for playing the game. There are very few moments of Sekiro where you feel slighted, there are an abundance of moments where you accomplished. Games of this genre should learn a couple things from Sekiro

Like any game, it has some flaws. There are very few things in your kit that can prepare you for facing even as few as two enemies at a time, which can be frustrating in a game with so many adversaries. Some moments of progression both mandatory and optional feel incredibly random, and the roadmaps to reach certain endings are just absurd. Also, fuck all the apparition enemies that you need a special item to defeat, those bosses genuinely suck.

But the level of consistent quality in the fundamentals of Sekiro is what makes it beautiful. It is simply fun to control Wolf, which makes doing everything engaging and exciting. In the past, when I've completed a Souls game, I pretty much repeat it until I'm sick of it or done everything there is to do, but I never want to risk this game not feeling like a special experience. I didn't feel a minute of my time was wasted in completing Sekiro, and I don't think I ever will. Go play this game.