Pathologic is the poster boy for “best games that you should not play.”

When pointing out the capacity for games as a medium to be art it’s an easy example. Even with its limitation Pathologic invokes an incredible atmosphere with some truly inspired storytelling. But that’s the exact problem, you need to buy into those limitations going in.

Because of how well it accomplishes what it sets out to be I’m happy to give Pathologic a 4.5/5, because I can’t think of what I’d change without taking something away from the experience of his game. However the game itself is so incredibly hard to go into without going in aware of its limitations and the frustrations it will present you with and buying into them completely that I couldn’t justifiably give it a perfect rating.

This is not only the pinnacle of everything From Software has learned over five Soulsborne games but honestly just the gold standard of what an open world game should be. The Lands Between are so incredible to explore as well. Everywhere you look something is in the distance to go explore, and between where you are and where you're going is an array of catacombs, caves, and more to stop and explore. Everything you do results in some new piece of equipment and even if it isn't something you're interested in there will be something else to find as soon as you return to exploring.
Personally what really captures me in Elden Ring is build diversity. Not only is their so much equipment to use but much of it can be easily acquired on subsequent playthroughs. The entire open world is really just available from the start so if you want to go grab that cool sword you weren't able to use on your last character you can just go get it. This is something I've done several times before settling on a character for my second playthrough.
I really love this game a lot, and I'll be impressed if anything really manages to stand against it this decade.