FromSoftware has never known defeat
Platform: PC/Steam
Elden Ring was released in February 2022 Developed by FromSoftware Inc and Published by Bandai Namco
At this point, FromSoftware has nothing to prove. The Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, Demon Souls, not to mention the best game of 2019, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. To say they have a good track record is a massive understatement, these guys know how to make phenomenal, expertly crafted, challenging games, and have only been improving over time. So when I heard Elden Ring would be their most ambitious and large-scale game to date, I was kind of worried they’d overburden themselves. But of course, here we are, with yet another home run, and inevitable game of the year winner.
Seriously, now that Breath of The Wild 2 Isn’t coming out this year, it seems unlikely this game will have any competition other than God of War: Ragnarok. The size of Elden Ring is almost unbelievable. As the developers have never dabbled in an open-world setting, so we didn’t know how far they were going to take the concept. But as it turns out, the world you look upon in the opening hours is but a fraction of the immense Lands Between. The map doubles in size, and then doubles again, providing hours upon hours of exploration in a world that is jam-packed with catacombs, castles, and abandoned outposts, all spread out across varying regions. From where you begin your journey in a tame grassland, you’ll travel to the nightmarish hellscape of Caelid, to the golden capital of Leyndell afoot the Erdtree, and even venture underground to the stunning Siofra River. The scenery is downright breathtaking and the world is truly a joy to traverse.
For me, an average Souls game takes 40 hours to complete, I spent 70 playing through Sekiro numerous times, yet I logged just under 100 hours in just one playthrough of Elden Ring. And only about 89 of those hours were spent on Malenia, Blade of Miquella.
On the subject of bosses, they always have and always will be the defining feature of any of these games. FromSoftware has been fine-tuning their boss design for years on end now, which is why most of them work very well, it’s when they try something new that sometimes falls flat. The ability to use Torrent, your ghost horse in some boss fights sometimes feels like it could be a strong option, but you’re free to approach the fight in multiple ways (example being the Fire Giant’s first phase). But other times like in the Radahn Fight, it feels like the only way to outrun some of his attacks is to use the horse, which feels unnatural, having to keep jumping on and off your horse. The widely agreed hardest fight in the game, Malenia, is criticised for using a new health stealing mechanic, which in fairness makes the fight a lot harder. I even remember thinking at one point that it would be better without it, however, when looking back, I quite enjoy how it provides small room for error, offering a true challenge. That barely avoidable god-awful, slashing, flurry attack though, I think the fight could have done without.
The boss I certainly struggled with the most, was due to what seems like a large problem a lot of people might experience when playing. I got to the Starscourge Radahn fight early, through a sidequest that allows you to travel across the map. This boss made me very angry, and at first, I thought it was just poorly designed, but after discussing it with other players, it might have been just the fact that I was under-leveled. I’ve heard multiple people tell me they were fine, and it was a normal boss fight for them. But the option to explore half the game at your own pace and choice of where you go seemed to be to my detriment here. It’s a shame too because the build-up of Radahn’s tragic state when you fight him, the event that surrounds it, as well as the cinematic presentation was all absolutely stellar (pun intended).
With the open-world setting providing a few problems, the already understated NPC questlines found in other titles, are even more difficult to pursue. If a single person can complete all optional sidequests without looking up how to progress online I’ll be amazed. It’s a shame too because standout characters like Alexander, The Warrior Jar, and Blaidd excel in both design and character interaction. But only around half the time are you clued in on how to find their next location, which is a shame because players might miss out on memorable moments, such as the Lichdragon Fortissax boss fight which I didn’t even realise was locked behind a questline, I was confused to see that when I reached that boss under 3% of all Steam players had beat it.
With the large scale of the game, there’s a hefty array of unique boss designs, so much so, that when a clone of a boss appears, it isn’t as irritating as past titles, case in point with the Erdtree Avatar. A large cast of enemies and mini-bosses populate the various areas spanning the game. So with the multitude of threats, comes more weapons than ever before. I can’t comment on how all of them play because, to be honest, I mainly stuck with katanas and switched it up a few times. What I can say I tried out though are the Ashes of War, which are additional abilities you can give to specific weapons in the form of stat buffs, heavy attacks, or even ranged magic arrows. These are a welcome new addition, but as you get so many to choose from throughout your travels, some are left in the dirt as others are a lot more powerful and useful in your journey. I guess that’s inevitable in a game with such a wide array of weapons and choices to how you can play. I will say that with the ashes of war, I did find myself switching them for certain boss fights, depending on which made more sense to use.
Another new addition is Spirit Ashes, summonable NPCs, and enemies that will fight for you, in a similar vein to summoning other players from previous titles. These are also found in such a large quantity throughout the game that it’s difficult to try them all. I am of course talking about a single playthrough, so as with weapons and ashes of war, you can try out those you may have neglected in another playthrough if you want. The summonable help was useful in fights like Malekith The Black Blade, where my “spirit archer” distracted the beast enough to get a couple of hits in. While this does feel a bit cheap, it’s a feature in the game, and therefore an intended strategy one could use. I didn’t feel like using it much though as, again, it feels a bit of a cheese move.
The game culminates with what feels like a perfect mixture of both a hammer wielding, combat heavy duel, and a cinematic, large-scale behemoth as the final boss is actually (wait for it…) two bosses?!?!. Now, this isn’t new. Isshin, The Sword Saint, and the Moon Presence are examples of a “second” final boss. But what I feel the final encounter succeeds in, is reminding players of what made FromSoftware successful in the first place, their ability to make boss fights that are both well-designed tests of endurance, as well as grand spectacles that are a sight to behold. Both types are found all throughout Elden Ring, as well as newer concepts that either work well or have the potential to.
For all its shortcomings, Elden Ring is no small feat, it’s an open-world game that (actually) makes use of its scale, as well as a new take on a successful formula from one of the most acclaimed developers working right now. It’s an enjoyable adventure that has enough to keep entertaining for a long long time, and it’s also one of the only recent examples of a game that not only lived up to the hype but surpassed it.
8.5/10