Elden Ring Review
Elden Ring appears to carry the familiar essence of Dark Souls, but if you approach it with the mindset of a mere sequel, I believe you will be disappointed with this masterpiece. Don't get me wrong, it's simply because FromSoftware wants Elden Ring to transcend the shadow of the Souls series, and it's clear that their intention is to create Elden Ring with its own unique path. Therefore, FromSoftware has achieved this in a way that couldn't be more perfect.
Honestly, the thought of Elden Ring being created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin still leaves me stunned; it's a collaboration no one saw coming, truly one of a kind. One is the mastermind behind the success of the Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice series. The other is the author of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels, later adapted into the globally renowned "Game of Thrones" series. Two geniuses of the dark fantasy genre coming together, what more could we possibly hope for?
Elden Ring is set in a world known as "The Realm of the Lands Between," a time after the destruction of the Elden Ring. However, its fragments, the Great Runes, have now become corrupted and are in the hands of the descendants of a Goddess, Queen Marika the Eternal. With the power of The Great Runes at their disposal, they divide the "Lands Between" among themselves to rule. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, one who was exiled from "the Lands Between" in the past after the Elden Ring's destruction. Deprived of the Elden Ring's once-held power, players are summoned back to this land with a mission to roam the land, searching for all the Great Runes to restore the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord.
"The Lands Between" is composed of six expansive main regions with diverse terrains for players to freely explore. There will be a multitude of dungeons, enemies, and various NPCs for players to delve deeper into the history and characters of this world. Additionally, there is a separate area called the "Table of the Lost Grace," which serves a function similar to Dark Souls' Firelink Shrine and can be visited during the later stages of the game.
Director Hidetaka Miyazaki's aspiration for Elden Ring is for players to experience it as a standalone work with no ties to the Dark Souls franchise. After 25 hours of gameplay, I feel that this concept has been realized. However, it's challenging to make others feel the same way. I also can't blame anyone for considering it a sequel to Dark Souls because Elden Ring's core gameplay has been carried over almost identically from Dark Souls with some refinements and innovations.
For those who are already familiar with the combat mechanics and character development in Dark Souls, adapting to Elden Ring won't be too difficult. Because the mechanics from Dark Souls have been preserved, both its strengths and weaknesses are retained.
Players are given ample options to tailor their playstyle. For instance, I wanted a close combat-oriented, well-balanced character that could dodge effectively and time attacks correctly. So, I chose a sword and shield, and allocated points into Vigor, Endurance, and Strength. However, I also encountered players who focused on pure magic builds, long-range weapons like bows, or even summoning sorceries to aid them in battle.
Players have the freedom not only to shape their character's playstyle but also their appearance. Character customization options have been greatly expanded to allow players to create a character they'll be pleased to accompany throughout their adventures in The Lands Between.
Crafting is available, allowing players to use collected materials to create various items to aid them in combat. Although I didn't make the most of this mechanic, it remains a great way to encourage player exploration.
Overall, Elden Ring maintains a connection to the Dark Souls series in its core gameplay while offering enough new elements to be appreciated as a distinct experience.
In addition, players can also discover "Ash of War" items. Bringing these to the blacksmith at the "Table of Lost Grace" can help you modify the special skills and quality of weapons you desire.
Now, let's delve into some of the new mechanics introduced in Elden Ring. Firstly, there's the stealth combat mechanism. This isn't entirely new, as Stealth Combat was also present in Sekiro, and Elden Ring was developed in parallel with Sekiro, so it's not surprising that FromSoftware decided to incorporate this into the game. Players can utilize tall grass or change stances to approach enemies stealthily and unleash powerful attacks from behind. This mechanic will provide a certain advantage in various situations.
The second novelty is mounted combat. The horses in Elden Ring are genuinely useful as they become your primary means of transportation, enabling you to explore many places on the map quickly. They also allow you to reach locations that would be difficult to access on foot or by running. However, when it comes to mounted combat, I feel that FromSoftware still needs to make significant improvements because it often feels more inconvenient than advantageous. It's quite challenging to land hits on enemies, the damage per second (DPS) is not high, and it's easy to get knocked off the horse. So, in most cases, I would prefer to dismount and engage in traditional combat.
And what's the hallmark of the Souls series? Yes, the bosses. So, how are the bosses in Elden Ring? They can be both challenging and easy. You'll encounter monstrous creatures that can defeat you in just two hits, but you may also encounter ones you'll find yourself saying, "this is too easy." Their diverse designs and unique attack patterns keep the excitement alive, and I've never felt monotonous during this journey. That's why I don't feel frustrated when I can't defeat them right away. If you've been through the grueling experiences of Dark Souls, rest assured, there's still plenty of challenge in Elden Ring, and the difficulty level hasn't diminished, even though the publisher may have claimed that everything was designed to reduce player frustration; the level of challenge remains intact.
Elden Ring's approach to gameplay is markedly different from all of FromSoftware's previous titles. Players start with a mandatory 15-minute introductory stage, serving as a tutorial. Upon completing it, players are set free to explore wherever they wish. However, alongside this newfound freedom, players are not given specific objectives or clear guidance on where to go, what to find, or what to do. Unlike many contemporary open-world games, Elden Ring lacks a questline that acts as a compass for players.
In Dark Souls, for instance, the world consists of discrete interconnected areas, allowing players to access one area after completing another in a somewhat structured manner. Elden Ring, however, doesn't follow this pattern. It immerses players into an open world without any guidance, which can feel both advantageous and disadvantageous depending on your mindset when you begin playing.
I'll start with the disadvantages first. Elden Ring's goal is to reach six major locations corresponding to six main bosses and defeat them. On the surface, this may seem straightforward. However, once you are placed in the world without any clues on how to reach these "key locations," everything becomes a matter of self-discovery. The lock-and-key mechanism applies to these locations as well. During my playthrough, I encountered an NPC who provided information about one of these crucial locations. However, upon arriving, I found the entrance sealed by a type of seal, and I had to locate an item to unlock it. The problem was, I had no idea where to find the item.
You're essentially required to wander through the vast world of The Lands Between in search of it, without any specific hints. This can easily lead to player frustration due to the lack of clear milestones in the game's completion. The absence of guidance caused me some trouble during my playthrough. After completing two challenging offbeat dungeons, I returned to the starting area to see if I had missed something. That's when I realized I had skipped the entire tutorial area of the game. It was only much later that I discovered I could unlock the crafting mechanism by purchasing a Crafting Kit or by visiting a specific Site of Graces to meet Melina and unlock the Level Up function, eventually obtaining the Torrent horse. Knowing these things earlier would have made those optional dungeons much easier to tackle. While this is a hallmark of the Souls series, applying it to an open-world game can present challenges for players.
The game world in Elden Ring is vast and diverse, comprising multiple layers and numerous optional sub-areas, each featuring a Boss for players to defeat and reap rewards from. FromSoftware's bosses are notorious for their difficulty, and while defeating them can be satisfying, the practicality of the items obtained from them may not always justify the time and effort invested. This can make players feel like their time and effort have been somewhat wasted. The absence of clear objectives can reduce motivation, making it difficult for players to stay engaged and fully enjoy the game.
However, when you approach Elden Ring differently, treating it as a conventional open-world game, your experience can be significantly enhanced. The primary goal is no longer solely about completing tasks to finish the game, but rather the satisfaction of exploring the game's world. Elden Ring is designed to encourage players to explore and discover every nook and cranny of an incredibly vast map, rather than prioritizing game completion like Dark Souls.
From this perspective, Elden Ring offers all the elements needed to captivate players. It successfully avoids the pitfall that many open-world games fall into, where the world is too vast and lacks compelling content to keep players engaged. Exploring various dungeons, conversing with NPCs to uncover their stories, venturing into different areas to learn more about the world, challenging oneself against a plethora of formidable foes, and much more are all part of the experience.
Player punishment has been significantly reduced in Elden Ring compared to previous titles, resulting in a less tense gameplay experience. In addition to allowing respawning at save points, players now have the well-placed Stakes of Marika statues that make it easier to recover lost Runes. The damage taken from falling from heights has also been greatly reduced, and players can now jump, serving a more substantial purpose in exploring the game's terrain. Although I didn't find the jump button particularly useful during combat segments, it does enhance the exploration aspect of the game. Elden Ring also introduces a day/night cycle, during which unique events may occur.
Finally, I want to emphasize the various online modes in Elden Ring. The game maximizes online connectivity to provide players with diverse experiences. You can invade someone else's world to hunt them down, or when struggling with a challenging boss, or simply when you want a few minutes of leisurely exploration with friends, you can summon another player to your world for various activities without any disruptions. This truly fosters the Soulsborne community, as players now have the opportunity to enjoy the game they love together.
First and foremost, I want to assert that "Elden Ring" is the highest-quality visual and artistic product, surpassing all previous titles, including "Dark Souls 3," "Bloodborne," and "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice." FromSoftware's strength has always been its art design, as they consistently leverage visual elements to convey the game's atmosphere. Personally, I was a great admirer of Bloodborne's dark and gothic horror Victorian setting, and the closest relative to Elden Ring is undoubtedly Dark Souls with its grimdark fantasy theme. Through visuals alone, emotions can be stirred in the beholder.
What I found most regrettable about the visual aspects of Dark Souls 3 was the limitation of the graphic engine, which couldn't fully showcase the game's breathtaking visual elements. Particularly in moments like when you first arrive at Irithyll of the Boreal Valley or The Ringed City, the designs were beautiful and grand, but I couldn't help but feel that they fell short of the level of perfection required. In Elden Ring, FromSoftware has left me in awe of what they have achieved. I cannot express my astonishment upon stepping out of the starting area. I couldn't believe that FromSoftware could provide me with such an extraordinary visual experience.
There are many places in Elden Ring that will leave you in awe due to their beauty, especially the region of Siofra. OMG, what is this, a path to paradise, perhaps? Its beauty truly cannot be adequately described in words. Therefore, I don't want to spoil the experience for you by revealing where these magnificent locations are, but trust me, once you set foot in these lands, you won't want to let go.
This beauty owes a great deal to the improvements made in graphics engine development to optimize what the visual design team aims to convey. This includes character designs and level design. It's all about bringing the imaginative vision of author George R.R. Martin to life for the audience.
Character and enemy animations have also become much smoother to enhance the gameplay experience. What's even more astonishing is that with all these graphics improvements, the game still runs smoothly on mid-range PCs, maintaining a stable 60 frames per second at High settings on a moderately powerful PC. On the PS5, it runs smoothly, although it doesn't consistently maintain 60 frames per second in some complex scenes, there is no noticeable lag or stutter.
Bugs and crashes are not entirely absent from the game, but they are very rare. These issues primarily occur on the PC version, while the PS5 version remains mostly bug-free.
In terms of sound, I've never considered FromSoftware's products on par with other companies like Capcom, Square Enix, or even Naughty Dog. The sound quality in Elden Ring this time around hasn't seen significant improvements and still falls within the same range as their previous titles. There are still outstanding background tracks composed by Yuka Kitamura, effectively conveying the situations they accompany. However, other aspects of sound, including voice acting performances and sound effects, still feel somewhat stiff and lacking the level of realism required for a blockbuster production of Elden Ring's scale.
VERDICT
FromSoftware has played their strongest hand in their extensive game development history, delivering the gaming community an exceptional experience with Elden Ring. Despite some notable weaknesses, I'm confident that this is a product that will captivate the gaming world and become a new landmark in the contemporary gaming industry.