Usually when I complete a game I let my thoughts sit for a bit in order to come to a full, unbiased conclusion. But for Elden Ring, my thoughts have been concrete since the second I entered the Altus Plateau - so I can safely say that that this is not only the best souls game I’ve ever played, but the best game I’ve ever played period.
After 95 hours, I became the Elden Lord and concluded the best gaming journey I have ever been through. Sure I still have a few bosses to go and DLC (that’ll only reaffirm the top 1 spot) to look forward to, but the experience from the start of the game all the way to the credits will never be matched.
Elden Ring feels like a culmination of every idea and mechanic put into the Souls series from what I’ve seen so far - topped off with the freedom and exploration of Breath of The Wild. All of this is able to create the best, most alive, and most realistic world in gaming. Elden Rings world is so vibrant and full of life; there is never an empty area or place that feels lacking from the rest. Even the smallest areas will be full of things to do, mini dungeons to complete, and bosses to fight. So much care and effort was put into this world and it really shows when compared to most of the lackluster AAA open world games that are releasing today. It’s a breath of fresh air, one I haven’t gotten since BOTW - it feels really nice to play an open world game to completion without ever feeling tired of repetitive side objectives and exploration that feels auto generated. The world is easily the highlight, but I can’t praise it without mentioning the story and lore written by the humble George R. R Martin. I’m not gonna act like I fully understand the story, but what I do know and gathering from the stuff I don’t even understand, it’s pretty easy to say that the world building here is immaculate and really furthers my take that this is the best world in gaming - and possibly ever. Side quests do not feel like side quests; optional activities that feel restrained and separate from the main story, but instead feel like branches of a much larger story and path. So many memorable characters brought to fruition with stellar voice performances really brings these quests home.
I’ve said my praises about the world and story which are already enough to showcase my love for the game, but I can’t leave out the gameplay. I’ve only beaten Sekiro and Dark Souls 3 + played a bit of Bloodborne, Dark Souls 1, and Demon Souls so I think I have quite the understanding of how the souls series functions from a gameplay standpoint. And because of this understanding, I can gather that Elden Ring is the best rendition of the Souls formula yet. The combat is so unique, so creative, and filled to the brim with possibilities when it comes to builds and how you tackle the game. The difficulty plays a big role in this as well - with Elden Ring being the hardest game I have ever beaten. It’s challenging but fair, and sometimes a little tedious but not very often, so the overall difficulty is super consistent and fun. There were so many bosses in the game that took me what felt like ages, but even then I had a blast learning their patterns and beating them (even if I pussied out a lot and used summons). The sense of accomplishment that comes from the bosses is really something that drives the entire series home for me - it is what makes the games so fun yet in the end is such a small piece of this vast series.
Elden Ring is nothing short of a masterpiece - it is everything you could ever ask for in a game and more. It will easily go down as one of gamings greats and I cannot fathom how far the inevitable DLC will push this agenda.
After 95 hours, I became the Elden Lord and concluded the best gaming journey I have ever been through. Sure I still have a few bosses to go and DLC (that’ll only reaffirm the top 1 spot) to look forward to, but the experience from the start of the game all the way to the credits will never be matched.
Elden Ring feels like a culmination of every idea and mechanic put into the Souls series from what I’ve seen so far - topped off with the freedom and exploration of Breath of The Wild. All of this is able to create the best, most alive, and most realistic world in gaming. Elden Rings world is so vibrant and full of life; there is never an empty area or place that feels lacking from the rest. Even the smallest areas will be full of things to do, mini dungeons to complete, and bosses to fight. So much care and effort was put into this world and it really shows when compared to most of the lackluster AAA open world games that are releasing today. It’s a breath of fresh air, one I haven’t gotten since BOTW - it feels really nice to play an open world game to completion without ever feeling tired of repetitive side objectives and exploration that feels auto generated. The world is easily the highlight, but I can’t praise it without mentioning the story and lore written by the humble George R. R Martin. I’m not gonna act like I fully understand the story, but what I do know and gathering from the stuff I don’t even understand, it’s pretty easy to say that the world building here is immaculate and really furthers my take that this is the best world in gaming - and possibly ever. Side quests do not feel like side quests; optional activities that feel restrained and separate from the main story, but instead feel like branches of a much larger story and path. So many memorable characters brought to fruition with stellar voice performances really brings these quests home.
I’ve said my praises about the world and story which are already enough to showcase my love for the game, but I can’t leave out the gameplay. I’ve only beaten Sekiro and Dark Souls 3 + played a bit of Bloodborne, Dark Souls 1, and Demon Souls so I think I have quite the understanding of how the souls series functions from a gameplay standpoint. And because of this understanding, I can gather that Elden Ring is the best rendition of the Souls formula yet. The combat is so unique, so creative, and filled to the brim with possibilities when it comes to builds and how you tackle the game. The difficulty plays a big role in this as well - with Elden Ring being the hardest game I have ever beaten. It’s challenging but fair, and sometimes a little tedious but not very often, so the overall difficulty is super consistent and fun. There were so many bosses in the game that took me what felt like ages, but even then I had a blast learning their patterns and beating them (even if I pussied out a lot and used summons). The sense of accomplishment that comes from the bosses is really something that drives the entire series home for me - it is what makes the games so fun yet in the end is such a small piece of this vast series.
Elden Ring is nothing short of a masterpiece - it is everything you could ever ask for in a game and more. It will easily go down as one of gamings greats and I cannot fathom how far the inevitable DLC will push this agenda.
AngryExpo
2 years ago