In a quest to eclipse all the great games that came before it, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree finally pushes its mechanical base and engine to its limit. Bosses play like fighting game block-strings and are designed to catch you fucking up somehow. Who would've guessed Demon's Souls controls were never meant to handle these bosses. Rolling is tied to the sprint button, so pressing the button doesn't make you roll, its releasing it that does. Why is rolling a negative edge input? The engine clearly is incapable of handling the bosses as well; constant stuttering and freezing, many many frame drops, and multiple crashes are just a few of the silly quirks I've encountered (None of which I had in the base game). I do not believe this company is capable of another Demon's Souls or Bloodborne at this point. Difficulty sells, and everyone is buying.

Previous games control schemes catered to the combat and the feel of the game. That clunk of DES, DS1, and DS2 gave the fights real weight to them like a medieval clank. The ferocity of Bloodborne fueled the game's themes of transformation from human to something else. Sekiro's parry system allowed the fights to feel like true dances back and forth between 2 skilled fighters. (Not to say these control schemes are necessarily flawless but never problematic). The challenge isn't what I remember from these games, and the "git gud" community fueling this need for harder and harder bosses has finally backfired entirely. I doubt another Father Gascoigne, False King Allant, or Burnt Ivory King will be made. The culture behind these games isn't healthy; both for the people playing them, and the games themselves.

Ignoring the offensive design of some of the bosses; this DLC is filled with mostly fun bosses, cool areas to gawk at, and weapons to collect. I especially enjoyed the abyss stealth section. The aesthetics of the area and the area boss are very well done. Bayle was quite the fun fight alongside Igon's commentary. And the Ancient Ruins were absolutely stunning. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun.

P.S. FUCK PROMISED CONSORT RADAHN AND THAT STUPID FUCKING 3 HIT CROSS SWORD COMBO. WTF????? HOW DID THIS SHIT PASS TESTING????? (before you idiots tell me to get good i beat this bullshit light rolling with that spiky fist weapon and no summons [and my fists whiffed a whole fucking lot]).

In a quest to eclipse all the great games that came before it, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree finally pushes its mechanical base and engine to its limit. Bosses play like fighting game block-strings and are designed to catch you fucking up somehow. Who would've guessed Demon's Souls controls were never meant to handle these bosses. Rolling is tied to the sprint button, so pressing the button doesn't make you roll, its releasing it that does. Why is rolling a negative edge input? The engine clearly is incapable of handling the bosses as well; constant stuttering and freezing, many many frame drops, and multiple crashes are just a few of the silly quirks I've encountered (None of which I had in the base game). I do not believe this company is capable of another Demon's Souls or Bloodborne at this point. Difficulty sells, and everyone is buying.

Previous games control schemes catered to the combat and the feel of the game. That clunk of DES, DS1, and DS2 gave the fights real weight to them like a medieval clank. The ferocity of Bloodborne fueled the game's themes of transformation from human to something else. Sekiro's parry system allowed the fights to feel like true dances back and forth between 2 skilled fighters. (Not to say these control schemes are necessarily flawless but never problematic). The challenge isn't what I remember from these games, and the "git gud" community fueling this need for harder and harder bosses has finally backfired entirely. I doubt another Father Gascoigne, False King Allant, or Burnt Ivory King will be made. The culture behind these games isn't healthy; both for the people playing them, and the games themselves.

Ignoring the offensive design of some of the bosses; this DLC is filled with mostly fun bosses, cool areas to gawk at, and weapons to collect. I especially enjoyed the abyss stealth section. The aesthetics of the area and the area boss are very well done. Bayle was quite the fun fight alongside Igon's commentary. And the Ancient Ruins were absolutely stunning. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun.

P.S. FUCK PROMISED CONSORT RADAHN AND THAT STUPID FUCKING 3 HIT CROSS SWORD COMBO. WTF????? HOW DID THIS SHIT PASS TESTING????? (before you idiots tell me to get good i beat this bullshit light rolling with that spiky fist weapon and no summons [and my fists whiffed a whole fucking lot]).