I must admit, this was the first game I ever played that was designed for an (relatively) older audience. It changed the way I understood media and even the concept of fiction as a whole.

Before I played this game, the only entry in the series I had played was the original The Legend of Zelda. As a child, I enjoyed the experience, but much preferred the exciting zaniness of Mario Galaxy. When I picked up Twilight Princess, primarily for the chance at picking up a darker video game, I was astounded. The scale of this world and the stakes of its stories, combined with enjoyable characters, culminated in an experience that I did not know was possible. I was hooked, not just to Zelda, or to video games, but any and all forms of art.

As an adult, I understand this game is not perfect. It suffers especially from a rough beginning and repeated tutorialization. But I still hold this as the definitive Zelda experience. Some of the best dungeons, characters, bosses, and items in franchise history. A story that is not nearly as dark as it sometimes wishes to be, but still endearing enough to be enjoyed by all ages. Not too mention a fantastic score who's only rival to date is Skyward Sword's powerful orchestra.

I will never tire of watching Link and Epona ride through a sun-soaked Hyrule Field.

Elden Ring provides one of the most complete video gaming experiences available on the market. Gameplay, aesthetics, lore, practically everything is firing on all cylinders at all times.

The level of replay ability provided by its simple but diverse character building system is immense. Every player will get something totally different out of it on their first playthrough, and half the fun is finding out what ludicrous build your friends have developed.

From an art design standpoint, few games match up. It somehow feels as though every single point in the worldspace was designed to evoke the sensation of viewing a painting. The world is eminently readable, providing the player a clear sense of direction at all times without resorting to many intrusive UI elements. The art itself is familiar to those familiar with From Software, but in this entry seems to have taken on a more baroque appearance, focusing so much on detail and clarity.

All of the improvements to gameplay are greatly appreciated. The ability to jump, guard counter, and ashes of war increase the depth of each encounter greatly.

The game struggles somewhat with boss design. While by and large most bosses are wonderfully designed (and indeed, many are among the greatest Fromsoft have ever designed, Malenia included) repetitious reuse of bosses, and, to an equal extent, the dungeons they are found in, dampen the enjoyment of these fights.

While the game lacks a main story, instead, as per previous Fromsoft works, there are multiple stories that play out over elaborate quest lines. These stories range from beautiful to boring, and unfortunately the best of these ended up being cut from the game. That being said the implied story is so massive and so hidden that I find it almost more intriguing than a traditional narrative.

Overall this game is easily the pinnacle of From Software, which itself is a seemingly impossible accolade for a studio that rarely releases even mediocre titles.

Almost certainly the most accessible masterpiece of gaming when coming from any other medium.

This standard pedagogy of game design education emphasizes the importance of gameplay over all other elements. “Gameplay is king” as they say. Likely a holdover from the idea of the camera-stylo which itself was a holdover from written literature. It’s not true for film and it isn’t for games.

This games serves, to me, as one of the greatest proofs of this. A slow, methodical, exploration of an ensemble of characters, no game has ever come closer to capturing the power of a well-curated gallery. An experience designed to be meditated on and replayed many times over. A masterful combination of aesthetic brilliance and rich story crafting. If it fails to entertain at any point, it is of little importance, there is much more here than just entertainment.