For a while, I was scared of soulslikes, put off by the much advertised difficulty, perhaps afraid to find out whether I was "gud" enough. When I finally tried Nioh, I was absolutely hooked. I moved on to Bloodborne, then Sekiro—playing them to absolute completion, trophies included. I realised the skill required was perfectly attainable by anyone with enough patience. Everything was a matter of taking one's time, studying attack patterns, and learning your tools. There is absolutely nothing else to it.

I could speak about how the open world design turns a carefully designed experience into drudgery, or how Elden Ring feels like a more complex and less interesting version of Bloodborne, or how the thin narrative layer of past From games breaks down almost completely in the spatial sprawl. But I think that would be unfair.

The fact is, I'm sure many people who play Elden Ring as their first or second soulslike will find it absolutely beautiful and entrancing. For me, though, it's just…a slog. Can I defeat this or that enemy? Of course I can, given enough time investment. That's how it worked with similar games in the past, and Elden Ring brings nothing new to the genre besides scale. But what will I get from playing it that previous From games have not yet given me? The only answer I can come up with is: nothing of note.