I only got into the game recently and I have to say, it has to be one of the best tower defense games I've ever played.

It's not exceedingly rare for a mobile game these days to have a good VN-style story, characters and a great soundtrack, but Arknights is certainly one of them and it's near the top of the list. Also, if you don't care for VNs, there's an Arknights anime that directly follows the main story of the game for a more exciting method of consumption.

The game manages to be genuinely challenging, even from early on in the main story. The maps are fun and dynamic, tons of different enemy types, Operator (friendly unit) types, and other game mechanics that constantly mix up the feel of whatever story chapter/event you're doing.

But, it's a gacha, right? So after a little while of playing you just get hard stopped by super tough content that needs exclusive characters? Well, surprisingly no. Nearly everything can be cleared with characters that are either free entirely or easily obtainable through the "recruitment" function, which is the non-gacha way to get characters. The 5 and 6 star characters feel unique and rare, but at the same time I only feel pressured to save up for the ones I actually like in the story or look fun to use.

I've played more than a couple mobile games in my day, and I think if I had to recommend one this would be it. Not just a good mobile game, but a great game.

Being a FROMsoft game, it's pretty much guaranteed to already get at least a 4.5. But Elden Ring definitely earns that last .5.

From the absolutely massive world, impressively balanced build variety, and incredible story, it really doesn't miss many marks all around. Most people in their reviews will tell you they were completely enthralled for a solid 100 hours, and they're not exaggerating in the slightest; as a pretty big souls fan, I did a full 100% (defeating all bosses, exploring all areas, getting all weapons, gear, upgrades, etc.) and I clocked in at 155 hours with just a single playthrough, no NG+ or anything.

Despite open world games often being known for having wide open spaces that are simply filler for running to your next main quest objective and calling it "freedom", Elden Ring completely kicks this stereotype to the curb and packs every nook and cranny of its world with mini dungeons and goodies to find. And the majority of loot isn't even bad to worthless either; so many unique spells, weapons and armor hidden in spots you wouldn't expect, and at the worst, loot might be a consumable item only useful in a specific situation, like a poison cure. But the best part, as with all Souls games, is they don't waste your time with the little stuff; it's all up to you to pick up those poison cures or not. The only thing for sure is that you have to kill bosses, no matter how you do it.

As for the bad? The problems with Elden Ring mostly stem from its similarities to Dark Souls 3. The stored inputs are crazy, sometimes taking button presses from up to 4 or 5 seconds in the past and playing them out at times you don't want them. Elden Ring also has the Dark Souls 3 problem of heavy armor falling off hard in lategame, where most enemy damage is simply a 2 or 3 hit kill regardless of being either built like a brick or wearing beggar rags.

But all in all, the problems are heavily outweighed by the insane experience that is Elden Ring. If you like video games, just do yourself a favor and play it.