Elden Ring is a grip-testing arcade cabinet, gradually becoming so as a vast sea of content that spikes in its pull away from you to hold on, while remaining utterly static. The first time you play on one of these machines you're presented with what feels like a new experience, and yet the way the game moves along could only lead to frustration.
By these stripped-back ideas these two experiences could be quite similar, but the reason for my frustration with Elden Ring is nothing like one of petty perseverance I would have with a grip-testing game. Elden Ring didn't upset me with an unnecessary abundance of content, reused or reskinned bosses, or the game not fulfilling any preconceived expectations, I was upset realizing its opening to be an elaborate masquerade. A world of several paths you can choose yourself is an idea untapped by Fromsoft since Dark Souls, and while those paths' intertwining nuance was sacrificed, it sounded enticing to have that “go anywhere” approach return for an entry. However, I didn’t think I’d find myself begging for another linear world by my journey’s end. If Sekiro spread itself too thin, Elden Ring’s done it at molecular scale. The open world ruse lends itself well, the overworld appears strikingly different from its contemporaries with a gorgeous mix of starkly colored skies and foliage, yet you walk inside anywhere and you’ve been aesthetically dropped back into a Dark Souls game. Play enough and eventually recognize the overworld doesn’t do the game any favors either.
I can say the first bit of Limgrave felt new to traverse, but the game has nothing else to offer after a point. It’s to an extent where I can also say with certainty you could be dropped at the start in any of the other regions, with level scaling and other progressions adjusted of course, and be similarly enamored. Witness enemied encampments battle it out, hop a gust of wind with Torrent and be taken in by the Erdtree’s gleam, fight a dragon, or take your steed up or down gravestone platforms jutting out of a hillside. These examples are only a fraction of Elden Ring’s attractions and are all present multiple times in multiple regions, with their repeated instances being equally uninteresting as you’re given one way to approach each obstacle. Approach anything whenever you want, but the “why” and “how” were left out to dry. Perhaps it was made to be this way to assure the player can experience them at least once and won’t miss out, but if missing anything was of concern then having an open world at all should be reconsidered. Either way, these once-special encounters are done so frequently that it’s surely chalked up to laziness. Exceptions exist of course, the temple-like levels you can find in the catacombs made them some of the most fun to figure out and were varied enough, despite their copy and paste interior design.
The height of my enjoyment with Elden Ring was in its legacy dungeons, though it mostly had to do with the way you move around these setpieces – Stormveil Castle, Leyndell, and Crumbling Farum Azula being of note. Even so, it’s clear some intricacy in these areas was put to the wayside. It’s unfortunate the reward for making it through them are such dull bosses. In fact, it seems all the worst tropes of Fromsoft’s boss design have sprung to the helm of this title. Even further delayed telegraphing, longer multi-hit attacks, areas of effect where you can only rely on the invincibility frames of the roll, exclusively flat arenas, ridiculous second phases, etc. You'd have a hard time finding a main boss in this game that isn't supplemented with two or more of these traits.
Elden Ring doesn’t want to be anything more than its label, it’s close to nothing. At least I got to be mystified for a few hours before seeing that.
By these stripped-back ideas these two experiences could be quite similar, but the reason for my frustration with Elden Ring is nothing like one of petty perseverance I would have with a grip-testing game. Elden Ring didn't upset me with an unnecessary abundance of content, reused or reskinned bosses, or the game not fulfilling any preconceived expectations, I was upset realizing its opening to be an elaborate masquerade. A world of several paths you can choose yourself is an idea untapped by Fromsoft since Dark Souls, and while those paths' intertwining nuance was sacrificed, it sounded enticing to have that “go anywhere” approach return for an entry. However, I didn’t think I’d find myself begging for another linear world by my journey’s end. If Sekiro spread itself too thin, Elden Ring’s done it at molecular scale. The open world ruse lends itself well, the overworld appears strikingly different from its contemporaries with a gorgeous mix of starkly colored skies and foliage, yet you walk inside anywhere and you’ve been aesthetically dropped back into a Dark Souls game. Play enough and eventually recognize the overworld doesn’t do the game any favors either.
I can say the first bit of Limgrave felt new to traverse, but the game has nothing else to offer after a point. It’s to an extent where I can also say with certainty you could be dropped at the start in any of the other regions, with level scaling and other progressions adjusted of course, and be similarly enamored. Witness enemied encampments battle it out, hop a gust of wind with Torrent and be taken in by the Erdtree’s gleam, fight a dragon, or take your steed up or down gravestone platforms jutting out of a hillside. These examples are only a fraction of Elden Ring’s attractions and are all present multiple times in multiple regions, with their repeated instances being equally uninteresting as you’re given one way to approach each obstacle. Approach anything whenever you want, but the “why” and “how” were left out to dry. Perhaps it was made to be this way to assure the player can experience them at least once and won’t miss out, but if missing anything was of concern then having an open world at all should be reconsidered. Either way, these once-special encounters are done so frequently that it’s surely chalked up to laziness. Exceptions exist of course, the temple-like levels you can find in the catacombs made them some of the most fun to figure out and were varied enough, despite their copy and paste interior design.
The height of my enjoyment with Elden Ring was in its legacy dungeons, though it mostly had to do with the way you move around these setpieces – Stormveil Castle, Leyndell, and Crumbling Farum Azula being of note. Even so, it’s clear some intricacy in these areas was put to the wayside. It’s unfortunate the reward for making it through them are such dull bosses. In fact, it seems all the worst tropes of Fromsoft’s boss design have sprung to the helm of this title. Even further delayed telegraphing, longer multi-hit attacks, areas of effect where you can only rely on the invincibility frames of the roll, exclusively flat arenas, ridiculous second phases, etc. You'd have a hard time finding a main boss in this game that isn't supplemented with two or more of these traits.
Elden Ring doesn’t want to be anything more than its label, it’s close to nothing. At least I got to be mystified for a few hours before seeing that.
wagyubeef
2 years ago