'Elden Ring' Is A Damn Masterpiece

I'm writing this having not even gotten close to finishing the game yet, just for the record, and this is one of the positives.

You see, Elden Ring, the latest game from Dark Souls/Bloodborne/Sekiro studio From Software (it's essentially Dark Souls 4, in spirit) is DENSE. Unlike typical open world games (*cough* UBISOFT) that offer you massive sandboxes and cluttered user interfaces, that are thin on the ground with content, Elden Ring sets you free to explore a massive map that is also packed with things to do, and as a result I don't believe I'm anywhere near the final boss after almost 30 hours of time in the game.

I could probably just leave the review at that and call it a day because you know everything you need to know; Elden Ring is a Dark Souls successor set in a massive, beautiful open world, that has an astounding amount of stuff to do, but I really want to talk about what makes this particular entry in the Souls series so special.

For starters, this is easily the most accessible Souls game ever released, while also likely being the most difficult. With new mechanics such as the guard counter, mounted combat, more varied magics, and spirit summoning (allowing you to summon various ghostly companions mid-fight), this entry gives you multiple options to experience the game at your desired difficulty level (we'll talk more about these later). This is a great thing, not just because it feels like there's more player agency than ever before, but because some of this game's bosses are HARD as SHIT.

Take it from a veteran souls player, I'm no stranger to difficult bosses. I've taken on Slave Knight Gael, The Dancer, The Orphan of Kos, and so many more on NG++ and few of them have given me as much difficulty as some of the bosses I've fought so far in Elden Ring. These guys hit hard, move fast, and aggressively punish mistakes, and I'm loving every second of them. Every boss keeps you on your toes, and no two bosses play exactly the same way. Even bosses that seem similar to other fights in the game will surprise you with a twist and send you packing if you let your guard down. On top of the always amazing boss design, modern technology has clearly given FromSoft free reign to let their imaginations run wild; while SoulsBorne boss arena's can never be said to have been boring, the vistas, cutscenes, bosses, and boss arenas in this game are nothing short of breathtaking.

Which brings me to my next point: the visuals and the world. This game is drop dead gorgeous, both in in its cinematics and its in-game graphics. Souls games have never looked bad, but their visual style was that of a bleak, corrupt, or dying world. Elden Ring's Lands Between offer up some of the most beautiful fantasy vistas I've ever witnessed, even in the areas where the land is dying or corrupted. The imagination and creativity that's gone into every aspect of the world is amazing. While some of the classic fantasy staples are present (dragons, ogres, etc.), you've never seen a fantasy setting quite like Elden Ring.

Now let's really talk about gameplay. To put it in a nutshell, it's Dark Souls with a few extra mechanics and a fully open world that allow for more player choice in how they approach combat encounters. Old standby's such as healing flasks, weapon coatings, upgrade materials, and soul-collecting are still at the core of the game (with different names), and they've included a few touches from Sekiro as well in the new stealth and jumping mechanics. Brand new mechanics include various summons that allow you to bring NPC companions to aid you in combat, guard counters that grant you a powerful, staggering attack after a successful block, and mounted combat for when you need to cover ground quickly (excellent for boss fights with lots of smaller enemies). Most surprising is how well the open world fits the formula; I was concerned that a fully open world would cause mass confusion when paired with Dark Souls infamous lack of obvious direction. Fortunately, this has been alleviated by 1) making pretty much every part of the map interesting to explore so you never feel like you're wasting time and 2) giving just enough detail on the world map to give you a general idea of where you should be going at any given moment. All of these new additions have been woven seamlessly into the classic Souls foundation, and fit the series like a glove.

One of the downsides of Elden Ring being such an accessible title is that a lot of people who aren't used to playing SoulsBorne games are going to try it, and likely hate it, but I'm here to tell any newcomers to the series: This game, like other souls games before it, rewards perseverance. It's not so much about inherent skill, it's about learning as you go, and it's gonna help you along the way, so don't give up. Souls games are often lauded for their difficulty, which is fair, but one thing I don't hear often enough is how well these games prepare you for that difficulty, and Elden Ring is no exception. These games aren't hard for the sake of it, it gives you all of the tools you need to succeed, it wants you to get better and will reward you for putting in effort. For example, let's take a look at the early combat progression of this particular title:

1st) In proper Souls fashion, the game throws you into a boss fight you are in no way equipped to win at first. This is a crash course in learning dodges, stamina management, and attack timing, but you are meant to die here. You have to accept that you're going to die a lot in this game. This death takes you to the actual start area, and from there...

2nd) Fight enemies that don't really hit back very much so you can learn the basics of how attacking works, blocking, and managing stamina.

3rd) Moving forward, you run into enemies with slightly more advanced mechanics. They attack more aggressively, block more frequently, and have combo moves that can easily kill you if you aren't careful. This is where the player will start to learn how to manage crowds with varied enemy types, and gets used to more advanced tactics like guard countering and backstabs, and likely where newer players will experience their first death in the open world.

4th) Once these slightly more difficult enemies have been mastered, you move on to a location where you learn to deal with ranged foes that you must either elude or quickly dispatch, and where you'll fight your first large enemy. Now the player learns the intricacies and importance of dodge rolling to avoid attacks that are too strong to block. This will be essential moving forward, and will likely be the players first major roadblock, but with a bit of patience (patience is key in these games, Souls games will brutally punish you for being rash), you move forward with even more knowledge of how to survive this world.

5th) You are now allowed to level your skills up, and if you look around a bit, you'll receive your first summon (Souls games reward you for exploring). You've experienced a few hard enemies and now the game is going to start giving you more options to fight them, as well as let you start defining your playstyle. Things are starting to come together now.

6th) After a small journey where you'll now fight mixtures of all of the above enemy types, you happen upon your first actual story boss, and he's tough. He's extremely tough, and you're going to die a lot. But with an iron will, mastery of the skills you've learned in the area leading up to this, and, if you so choose, a little jolly cooperation (help from your friends), you'll eventually down your first great enemy, and it's an incredibly rewarding experience. This is the SoulsBorne gameplay loop: [Discover -> explore], [struggle -> analyze], [triumph -> grow stronger], repeat.

Elden Ring is a landmark RPG, and a remarkable feat of game design. Likely the best SoulsBorne game to date (we'll see how it stacks up to Bloodborne when it's all said and done), and an easy contender for game of the year just two weeks into its release, I really can't recommend this one highly enough. From Software is known for their highly polished, punishing, exciting, and imaginative games, and Elden Ring is the culmination of everything they've built in previous titles. A true masterwork, that sets the bar impossibly high for open world games.

5/5.