As of writing, I have not finished this game. I have almost 200 hours in it across a handful of builds, but I have never hit the credits. I have never fought the final boss nor have I entered their domain. That is largely because Elden Ring is a game that, while great, is also difficult to keep my attention. It has a sense of wonder which both excites and repels me. From the variety of builds, the different possible routes, and all of the potential endings, I always find myself distant from the game after about the third act.
This most recent play through I am accompanied with a travel companion; someone who has became an Elden Lord twice before and decided she wanted to become one once again. Utilizing the Seemless co-op mod, I have experienced great joy yet also great pain. Because like the numerous endings to the narrative, this game has multiple triumphs and failures.
One notable triumph is the scale of the game. It is truly breathtaking how much went into this game. Every area is beautiful and plentiful, and I have not even seen every area! I am not usually a fan of open world games; with a few exceptions, I typically lose interest before I can expend the energy to complete a main story. I always wanted to see the last cutscene of the game and it looks like I will be seeing it rather soon as my cooperative escapades has motivated me enough to finally finish a run. While there are hundreds of weapons and spells that I could distract me from finalizing a build. this time I chose an early game powerhouse and have powered through most of the game with the power of bleed and the bloodhound's flip of death. Still, there is one major complaint that dampens my otherwise positive experience with the game: the third act.
Elden Ring's third act is not fun. I know many gamers take pride in beating difficult content and exploring horrifying landscapes, and sometimes I am one of these people. I have completed Bloodborne numerous times and would happily do so again, especially if the fabled PC port ever comes out. However, Elden Ring's third act is not well designed. Several bad elements of previous games plague the final act. The mountain is not my friend, and the bosses held amongst its cliffs struggle to feel fair when compared to bosses of other games and even previous Elden Ring bosses.
Currently my friend and I are trapped in the rotted corner Melania once slumbered. I wish she stayed asleep. She does not feel like a boss designed with fun in mind. Instead, she feels like a brag boss. The kind of boss that players fight not for enjoyment but to prove they can handle it. Her leech-like healing does not blend well with her swift swings and monstrous damage values. Even an exploitation of her low poise and bleed resistance has led to futile attempts now spanning hours of gameplay. To some this may should like a true test of skill, patience, and mastery of a game. To me, it feels like valueless work; an assignment a teacher provides because he thinks his class should be hard but does not understand how to develop proper tests for the subject so he instead crafts duties which aim to make students drop out or fail. Like a student who cannot pass a needlessly hard class, I feel like I have learned nothing from this boss I want to beat her, and I want to be a major reason she was defeated. But what reward will I get. Satisfaction or relief? It is an challenge worth pursuing or just a strain on the limited gaming dexterity my fragile fingers have left.
I recognize I am not very good at games. I am not great at many things, but gaming is the one thing that I struggle with but often keep pushing in an endeavor to seek new thrills and traverse previously unthinkable thresholds. Elden Ring, as good as it can be, simply does not feel worth it. Maybe I am just losing tolerance as I age; I have similar opinions to other games which in the past may have been wondrous experiences. Now I am jaded and tired, and throwing myself at a boss is a gaming chore so tedious it makes the gacha model of constant grinding seem like an innovative way of play.
I will reassess and write more as I continue to play. I plan on finishing my seemless run, picking up and completing a previous run, and I am considering testing out the convergence mod as its new features intrigue me. Yet I also question if I should instead explore another game, one which better respects my time and treats me as a thrill seeker rather than a challenge runner.
This most recent play through I am accompanied with a travel companion; someone who has became an Elden Lord twice before and decided she wanted to become one once again. Utilizing the Seemless co-op mod, I have experienced great joy yet also great pain. Because like the numerous endings to the narrative, this game has multiple triumphs and failures.
One notable triumph is the scale of the game. It is truly breathtaking how much went into this game. Every area is beautiful and plentiful, and I have not even seen every area! I am not usually a fan of open world games; with a few exceptions, I typically lose interest before I can expend the energy to complete a main story. I always wanted to see the last cutscene of the game and it looks like I will be seeing it rather soon as my cooperative escapades has motivated me enough to finally finish a run. While there are hundreds of weapons and spells that I could distract me from finalizing a build. this time I chose an early game powerhouse and have powered through most of the game with the power of bleed and the bloodhound's flip of death. Still, there is one major complaint that dampens my otherwise positive experience with the game: the third act.
Elden Ring's third act is not fun. I know many gamers take pride in beating difficult content and exploring horrifying landscapes, and sometimes I am one of these people. I have completed Bloodborne numerous times and would happily do so again, especially if the fabled PC port ever comes out. However, Elden Ring's third act is not well designed. Several bad elements of previous games plague the final act. The mountain is not my friend, and the bosses held amongst its cliffs struggle to feel fair when compared to bosses of other games and even previous Elden Ring bosses.
Currently my friend and I are trapped in the rotted corner Melania once slumbered. I wish she stayed asleep. She does not feel like a boss designed with fun in mind. Instead, she feels like a brag boss. The kind of boss that players fight not for enjoyment but to prove they can handle it. Her leech-like healing does not blend well with her swift swings and monstrous damage values. Even an exploitation of her low poise and bleed resistance has led to futile attempts now spanning hours of gameplay. To some this may should like a true test of skill, patience, and mastery of a game. To me, it feels like valueless work; an assignment a teacher provides because he thinks his class should be hard but does not understand how to develop proper tests for the subject so he instead crafts duties which aim to make students drop out or fail. Like a student who cannot pass a needlessly hard class, I feel like I have learned nothing from this boss I want to beat her, and I want to be a major reason she was defeated. But what reward will I get. Satisfaction or relief? It is an challenge worth pursuing or just a strain on the limited gaming dexterity my fragile fingers have left.
I recognize I am not very good at games. I am not great at many things, but gaming is the one thing that I struggle with but often keep pushing in an endeavor to seek new thrills and traverse previously unthinkable thresholds. Elden Ring, as good as it can be, simply does not feel worth it. Maybe I am just losing tolerance as I age; I have similar opinions to other games which in the past may have been wondrous experiences. Now I am jaded and tired, and throwing myself at a boss is a gaming chore so tedious it makes the gacha model of constant grinding seem like an innovative way of play.
I will reassess and write more as I continue to play. I plan on finishing my seemless run, picking up and completing a previous run, and I am considering testing out the convergence mod as its new features intrigue me. Yet I also question if I should instead explore another game, one which better respects my time and treats me as a thrill seeker rather than a challenge runner.