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Developed by FromSoftware Inc, Elden Ring is the latest Souls-like game released in early 2022. With the massive amount of near-perfect reviews critics and closed beta testers gave it, Elden Ring exploded in popularity during its release bringing together souls-like veterans and new players to the genre. The game boosted the slow start of this year’s gaming timeline and was considered an absolute masterpiece at its launch.
Elden Ring was nominated for multiple Game of the Year awards and many other categories, making it the most acclaimed game of 2022. In this spoiler-free review, let’s look at how well the Elden Ring holds after almost a year. We will keep away from the story and let you explore the Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin goodness on your own.
Elden Ring continues the traditional design ethos of FromSoftware’s soul-like format. Still, the game feels much less frustrating this time, thanks to the non-linear open-world design and other quality-of-life improvements. In addition, the game came with some new mechanics that seemed to be cut off from previous games, such as camps/checkpoints. And the fantastic open-world integration this time made it uniquely superior to almost all previous soul-like games.
Before its release, Elden Ring was rated outstanding, as it got a 10/10 rating from many media outlets and game critics. However, unlike most games in the last few years, Elden Ring lived up to the hype. This game is the culmination of all learnings from previous souls-like games that FromSoftware developed.
The lead director, Hidetaka Miyasaki, and scriptwriter, George R. R. Martin, gave Elden Ring a solid base for its world-building and story plot. Previous games did not necessarily focus on the plot but on the gameplay. Additionally, the game is set in a dark fantasy world called the Lands in Between. The player is provided with very non-linear gameplay, unlike previous entries in the Souls franchise.
Compared to previous games, Elden Ring has side characters with much more depth and agendas driven by their emotions and ambitions. Straying from the traditional soul-like format, Elden Ring has given more weight to its NPCs with added descriptions, additional dialogues, and cutscenes. In addition, added descriptions on items are no longer obscure, allowing players to enjoy the game’s lore to the fullest.
As with any other soul-like game, the definitive gameplay also takes the spotlight in Elden Ring. FromSoftware delivers an astonishing performance when it comes to Elden Ring’s gameplay that only a few games in recent memory can come close to. The game’s tempo rises and falls smoothly, allowing the player to pace the progression better. Elden Ring has found the sweet spot between open-world gameplay and gated experience, and it is done subtly without tipping off player pacing.
Combat in Elden Ring follows the same soul’s formula but has been improved significantly. Players can go for much more build types, as there are many options to choose from. This also massively impacts the game’s replayability as you can come and try out different builds and progression orders each playthrough. The game contains a variety of enemies, mini-bosses, and bosses, including 165 bosses and 77 unique bosses. Newly introduced mounted combat is as robust as traditional combat and, in some combat encounters, preferred over on-foot combat.
Exploration is also a crucial part of Elden Ring’s gameplay, as the game rewards players well for exploration. The vast Lands in Between has many locations, areas of interest, hidden items, and other sorts of loot. There is also a ton of NPC quests, discoverables, and bosses which are hidden and waiting to be explored. Everything is well laid out throughout Elden Ring’s mesmerizing fantasy world.
And the game is easier than other Souls games in many ways. So if you have found previous Souls games hard, Elden Ring might be the game to hook you on the genre. The game’s overall progression is easier as there are many more checkpoints, the ability to fast travel more freely, and other mechanics to play the game safely. Additions such as skills, spells, summonings, and spirits can also make fights easier. In addition, FromSoftware has adjusted the difficulty beautifully without taking away the fundamentals of the soul-like formula.
The game’s sheer size will keep you engaged for weeks, and the replayability is off the charts. The multiplayer is also much better than previous entries to the series. Elden Ring provides single-player playtime of over 70 hours and explorative playtime of over 100 hours, and a complete playthrough can easily take more than 200 hours.
Elden Ring’s art direction is done beautifully. This game has some of the most detailed and well-designed NPCs and enemies in any modern video game. The world is well-designed, too, with many interesting locations that will make you stop playing and stare at them for a while.
Similarly, the sound quality is also beautifully crafted. Both sound effects, as well as the soundtracks, are an absolute joy to hear. Souls-like games always had great musical masterpieces, and Elden Ring’s official soundtrack is easily at the top of the list.
However, there is one drawback to the game’s visuals. The engine behind the Souls series is outdated, shown in the fidelity of the previous Souls titles. Even though they updated the game engine for Elden Ring, graphics fidelity remains subpar. Additionally, during the release, the game had many issues relating to frame rate as the PC port kept losing frames mid-game. Other than that, the PC port had many bugs and glitches. Fortunately, many patches addressing these bugs and other issues were rolled out and improved the game.
The game is nearly perfect, with all reported bugs and issues addressed completely. Elden Ring is a must-play, whether you are a fan of soul-like games or not. Elden Ring is the best place to start your journey in this hardcore genre if you’re unfamiliar with the Souls franchise or any other similar hardcore game. Are you a fan of this genre?
