Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a masterpiece. That’s not a word I throw around lightly, and I’m not talking about the hyperbolic sense of the word that tends to proliferate online. No, I mean it in a very specific and literal sense: FromSoftware’s fantasy JRPG is a masterpiece in the same way Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and even the original Tenchu are masterpieces. It is a towering achievement in game design, with a scope and scale that dwarfs almost everything else in its genre.
Admittedly, that’s partly because FromSoft has never really done anything in the genre before. Elden Ring is the developer’s first Open-world game, and while it shares a lot with the likes of Dark Souls, it’s a very different beast. Whereas the Souls games are narrow and linear by design, Elden Ring’s sprawling environments are so large that you rarely feel hemmed in. Sure, you can’t go everywhere at the start, but the game’s deceptive map size means that the second you get the chance to wander off you feel like you’re venturing into a whole new world.
It’s an enchanting place, too. The game’s art direction, style, and imaginative landscapes combine to create a world that’s both instantly appealing and impossible to take your eyes off. I’ve seen players on streams and Youtube videos stop in their tracks and gawp at Elden Ring’s vistas, often with an audible ‘wow’ escaping their lips. I’ve done the same countless times, from the glistening lakes of Liurnia to the nightmarish depths of the Boneyards. Elden Ring’s environments will be stuck in my head for a long time.
That might sound like hyperbole, but I’m not the only one saying it. Despite the game’s punishing difficulty, there’s an undeniable sense that Elden Ring is a special game for many players. I’ve seen a lot of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and even Sekiro praise in the wake of Elden Ring’s release, and that’s no accident. The game’s challenging nature creates a unique relationship between you, the player, and the world around you. You can’t help but feel a sense of wonder and respect in the face of Elden Ring’s brutal enemies, but you also feel like you’re constantly pushing against something, testing your limits and uncovering the world’s secrets.
Elden Ring is also home to some excellent boss fights, which I’ve written about elsewhere on PC Game Spotlight. But I’ll reiterate here that it’s a developer at the top of its game. Each of Elden Ring’s major fights is a masterclass in escalation, with new mechanics and surprises being added at a steady clip. Despite the variety, there’s a sense of cohesion to each fight that makes it feel like a part of a greater whole, and each one is memorable in its own way.
Some players who came to Elden Ring from the Souls games are excited by the prospect of the return of Armored Core after Elden Ring’s DLC. I’m less interested in that, but I can understand why it’s an enticing prospect, given how good Elden Ring’s combat is. It’s certainly a lot of fun – far more than I was expecting, in fact. There are plenty of options for players who favour different playstyles, and I’m happy to admit that I spent the first half of my playthrough as a heavy-hitting Gladiator before switching to the speedy Assassin.
Regardless of how you choose to fight, Elden Ring’s challenges are always engaging. That’s in part because of the meticulous world design, which ensures that each area feels distinct while also serving the needs of the overall story. There’s an overarching theme to the environments in Elden Ring, and it’s not just the locations themselves – their atmosphere and mood are carefully curated too. There’s a sense of wonder in Elden Ring, but it’s balanced with an air of mystique and unease that’s reminiscent of the best moments in Bloodborne.
That’s part of what makes Elden Ring less relentlessly bleak than its spiritual predecessors, though I suspect some will accuse me of being blind to that fact. To me, Elden Ring’s world is full of colour and vibrancy, which is reflected in the increasingly fantastical designs of its enemies and environments. If you’re looking for an example of this, just watch the opening cutscene of the game, which is easily one of the most stunning moments in gaming this year.
That’s not to say Elden Ring is all sunshine and rainbows. It still contains plenty of FromSoft’s trademark tense and stressful moments, and it’s as challenging as ever. Some players lose interest once they hit the endgame and feel like there’s nothing left to do. Others find the game too frustrating, and that’s a sentiment I can sympathise with.
For me, Elden Ring is the best game I’ve ever played. That’s a statement that can be difficult to process unless you’ve had time to process it yourself, but I hope that explains why I’m so confident in writing it.
