Rate top gamesThis is a hard to recommend game that has a superbly well designed and surprisingly zen open world - a far fetch from its contemporary “Ubisoft open world games”.
With regard to combat, it’s Dark Souls turned up to 11: the player character is consistently outreached, outsped, outdamaged, outmaneuvered and outnumbered by enemies, which gets incredibly frustrating. Also, because enemies are so difficult, it’s unclear if you’re losing to them because you haven’t learned their behaviour properly yet or because you’re still underleveled. This led me to explore more in previous areas, which in turn caused me to be overleveld for the boss fights, which were then disappointingly easy, while they should have been a highlight.
There are some very cool moments, the game looks amazing (do keep in mind that it’s primarily a last-gen game, though), the music can be incredibly good and, like I said, the open world is among the best out there. However, for me, the negatives outweigh the positives and I’m not necessarily looking forward to a future From Software game, even though Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro are among my favourite games.
With regard to combat, it’s Dark Souls turned up to 11: the player character is consistently outreached, outsped, outdamaged, outmaneuvered and outnumbered by enemies, which gets incredibly frustrating. Also, because enemies are so difficult, it’s unclear if you’re losing to them because you haven’t learned their behaviour properly yet or because you’re still underleveled. This led me to explore more in previous areas, which in turn caused me to be overleveld for the boss fights, which were then disappointingly easy, while they should have been a highlight.
There are some very cool moments, the game looks amazing (do keep in mind that it’s primarily a last-gen game, though), the music can be incredibly good and, like I said, the open world is among the best out there. However, for me, the negatives outweigh the positives and I’m not necessarily looking forward to a future From Software game, even though Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro are among my favourite games.
Other reviews25
I fell in love with dark souls 1 (and fromsoft as a whole) during the development of Elden ring, so much of my adoration is not exclusive to this game necessarily, but I truly adore this game
They somehow managed to purify the essence of dark souls so much it works even in a partially open world game, and simultaneously stripped out so much of what makes games of this genre tedious and painful that doesn't aid my enjoyment, such as the the Stake of Marika's allowing quick repeats of boss fights with less time between attempts
no game is perfect, and I certainly have gripes with the bland filler catacombs and cookie cutter boss types in the afterthought that is most of the underground linear dungeons, but they are so unobtrusive that they don't takeaway particularly much if you're not obsessed with arbitrary 100% mindsets
You certainly can't fault them for padding in terms of lack of content though, I have played extensively many runs including challenge runs and randomised runs and yet haven't beaten (or even reached) some of the major amazing bosses, which really shows the sheer breadth of this one-of-a-kind game
It's hard to say what my favourite boss is but Maliketh is truly where I felt I had my git gud moment, and absolutely adored Radagon and his phase 2's combo encouraging perfecting phase 1 to a finely sharpened point
This game is a strong contention to be my favourite game of all time, and I implore anyone to give it a true go, as I think it's their most accessible game yet to experience the feeling that nobody does quite like fromsoft
They somehow managed to purify the essence of dark souls so much it works even in a partially open world game, and simultaneously stripped out so much of what makes games of this genre tedious and painful that doesn't aid my enjoyment, such as the the Stake of Marika's allowing quick repeats of boss fights with less time between attempts
no game is perfect, and I certainly have gripes with the bland filler catacombs and cookie cutter boss types in the afterthought that is most of the underground linear dungeons, but they are so unobtrusive that they don't takeaway particularly much if you're not obsessed with arbitrary 100% mindsets
You certainly can't fault them for padding in terms of lack of content though, I have played extensively many runs including challenge runs and randomised runs and yet haven't beaten (or even reached) some of the major amazing bosses, which really shows the sheer breadth of this one-of-a-kind game
It's hard to say what my favourite boss is but Maliketh is truly where I felt I had my git gud moment, and absolutely adored Radagon and his phase 2's combo encouraging perfecting phase 1 to a finely sharpened point
This game is a strong contention to be my favourite game of all time, and I implore anyone to give it a true go, as I think it's their most accessible game yet to experience the feeling that nobody does quite like fromsoft
«Blew my mind»
«Can’t stop playing»
I grow bored of most games after 10 or 20 hours. But these games ... I finished after 102 hours and explored nearly everything. I enjoyed every minute of it right up until the end.
Date Completed: 2023-06-05
Playtime: 102h
Enjoyment: 10/10
Recommendation: So good
what should i saw except that its one of the best games ever created till date
«Blew my mind»
«Constantly dying and enjoy it»
One of the greatest open worlds ever created combined with some of the best tried and tested combat in all of gaming.
«Blew my mind»
«Can’t stop playing»
I'll be honest. I played with an "easy" mode mod on PC and the game was fantastic. I don't really have time to git gud but with the mod, i was able to experience the game and awe in its graphically beauty.
300h on this game and I still cannot get enough, hoping for a DLC soon!
«Blew my mind»
«Can’t stop playing»
Pure, unadulterated adventure in a challenging world of awe-inspiring moments, devious puzzles, and fantastical treasure.
This game is a masterclass in evoking feeling in its players: the dread of facing down a seemingly-impossible foe, the desperation of splashing through a rot-infested lake, trying to find safe harbor, the elation of puzzling out an ancient catacomb and finding a powerful talisman at the end. These feelings are what make gaming great as an entertainment medium, and Elden Ring capitalizes on this strength.
Elden Ring is unabashedly 'not a movie'; a criticism that could be leveled at other games where all the drama is packed into hours of cutscenes. Here, the drama is in the timing of a dodge, the unsheathing of a sword, the opening of a door to the darkness beyond.
For me, when a game delivers so solidly on its aspirations, its faults fade into the background, yet it's worth discussing those that were commonly encountered. Frustrations come out in the quest design, with sparse details and complicated sequencing that feels at odds with the game's open-world design. The large and dramatic bosses that are signature moments in the journey can be hard to track / see as you get close, and camera management becomes more of an issue than it should be.
Yet, for each of these issues, there are countless compelling and memorable moments waiting to be experienced. Do not let these elements deter you from spending time, at your own pace, with this world. It's large, and packed with adventures, so don't feel like you need to burn through it. At 150 hours (and still not quite done!), it's been a comforting go-to in between diversions, and a play session almost always ends with satisfying progression.
A lovely, thoughtful, artistic punch in the face. I adore it!
This game is a masterclass in evoking feeling in its players: the dread of facing down a seemingly-impossible foe, the desperation of splashing through a rot-infested lake, trying to find safe harbor, the elation of puzzling out an ancient catacomb and finding a powerful talisman at the end. These feelings are what make gaming great as an entertainment medium, and Elden Ring capitalizes on this strength.
Elden Ring is unabashedly 'not a movie'; a criticism that could be leveled at other games where all the drama is packed into hours of cutscenes. Here, the drama is in the timing of a dodge, the unsheathing of a sword, the opening of a door to the darkness beyond.
For me, when a game delivers so solidly on its aspirations, its faults fade into the background, yet it's worth discussing those that were commonly encountered. Frustrations come out in the quest design, with sparse details and complicated sequencing that feels at odds with the game's open-world design. The large and dramatic bosses that are signature moments in the journey can be hard to track / see as you get close, and camera management becomes more of an issue than it should be.
Yet, for each of these issues, there are countless compelling and memorable moments waiting to be experienced. Do not let these elements deter you from spending time, at your own pace, with this world. It's large, and packed with adventures, so don't feel like you need to burn through it. At 150 hours (and still not quite done!), it's been a comforting go-to in between diversions, and a play session almost always ends with satisfying progression.
A lovely, thoughtful, artistic punch in the face. I adore it!