I have a somewhat checkered history with FromSoft games.

I started off with Dark Souls. In retrospect, I probably didn’t give it a fair shot. I was perplexed by its arcane difficulty and obtuse design, bouncing off in the middle of the tutorial dungeon. It just didn’t click with me.

Then I tried out Bloodborne. I got a little further this time, finding some degree of pleasure as I mowed through reams of zombie villagers with my sawtooth blade. Then I found the Cleric Beast and he pummeled me into oblivion... over and over and over again. I retreated and turned the game off before I got much farther. This, too, did not click with me.

I gave it one more shot with Elden Ring. I bumbled around for about 10+ hours before finding Magrit, the Fell Omen… and he ground my bones into a fine powder. I felt alienated by the endless praise heaped upon this game. I became a little bitter. I was stymied and flung my controller at the TV. Maybe FromSoft games would NEVER click with me.

Then, based on nothing more than a whim, I gave Bloodborne another shot… and somehow, miraculously, everything fell into place. It finally clicked. I quickly became enthralled with this game, progressing in tiny increments, then in seismic leaps as my skills and familiarity with the combat grew. I slaughtered all of the bosses. I plundered all of its secrets. I rolled credits and wanted more. Against all odds, I had utterly lost myself in this game... and holy fuck, it was a tremendously rewarding experience.

So yeah… I think this is one of my favorite games now. Maybe I should give Elden Ring another chance? I dunno… I’m just glad I finally took the plunge and made it to the other side.

Reviewed on Mar 29, 2023


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