Over the past 4 months or so I have been running through the FromSoft library and I thought, "What the hell, lets do this again." I was itching for more souls content, plus, I have to prepare a character for Shadow of the Erd Tree, right?

I have very mixed-feelings about my first time playing Elden Ring. The first half of my play-through (roughly, Limgrave through the Capital)

~~~REVIEW UNDER CONSTRUCTION~~~~

Have you ever tried to draw a hand or face? You try and try and it comes out seeming...off?

"It just doesn't look right..."

This is the problem with realism in art: we have hands, and we see hundreds of faces everyday. We know what they're supposed to look like, so we're more critical of their accuracy and the way they're illustrated.

Lies of P is a good game. It is extremely close to the quality of a FromSoft Souls-Borne game, and, if you squint your eyes juuuust right, it might seem like one. However, upon closer inspection, we've seen this painting before, and with tighter precision.

The combat of Lies of P is good. The level design is good. The characters are good. The voice actors are good. The lore is good. The enemy variety is good. And, the bosses are good.

But, with realism comes comparison. We know what it's supposed to look like, and, "Something just feels off..."

Elden Ring opened me up to the formula, atmosphere and story-telling of Miyazaki and the Dark Souls series. The original Dark Souls deepened the roots previously planted in Elden RIng through its purposeful level design and clearly defined sense of place. Dark Souls 3 had the BOSSES and I found myself engrossed by their unique mechanics and personalities.

I wish there was some sort of boss-rush mode akin to Hollow Knight's pantheon, because I desperately want to revisit some of these fights at different soul-levels and with alternative builds to see how the challenge varies. Also, and this leads into one of my criticisms of Dark Souls 3, I am so desperate for a boss-rush mode because I do not want to revisit 90% of the games locations ever again.

There was just simply not enough variety in environments for a game in it's third installment. In many ways, Dark Souls 3 levels feel like a Greatest Hits album where the only tracks are Undead Burg, Undead Parish, and the Depths. There are highlights littered in the blight. Irithyll of the Boreal Valley is one of my favorite levels in the entire Souls series; it's GORGEOUS. And yet, even as I write this, I wonder if it's initial view was really that breathe-taking or if I was just completely starved for something that wasn't somber stone walls and damp dark caves.

The repetitive environments are made worse by lackluster level design that is a stark step back from the interconnected locations in the original Dark Souls. The locations in the original Dark Souls displayed a clear intentionality, and established a deep sense of place that is completely lost in Dark Souls 3. I think this is at least partially due to the decision to make the hub location Firelink Shrine separate from the main level-structure of the world. The consequence of this choice is exacerbated by the ability to immediately fast-travel to any ignited bonfire from the start of the game. A player doesn't need to familiarize themselves in the happenings of Lothric when there is option to freely warp to any location at any time. These two choices alienate the player from the world they occupy, and allow for less precision when designing the levels. This was such a bummer for me.

I feel bittersweet about Dark Souls 3. I really feel like it has my absolute favorite bosses from the series, but I can not bring myself to play through it's sterile series of levels again.

I will never forgot losing my complete, grown-adult mind after beating Gael as my friends watched on. I can't and won't remember 90% of the levels I trekked through to get there.

"Man, I can not believe this game exists." Elden Ring was my first FromSoft-Souls game, and I remember saying this out loud when I experienced the underworld literally open up as I went down the Siofra River Well elevator. I was blown away by the scope. The sheer amount of content at the player's fingertips.

"I can not believe this exists" I found myself saying again as I experienced the interconnected environments of Dark Souls. I have never observed such intent and purpose with exploration. Every space feels unique and singular from one another. Players are rewarded for their curiosity with new enemies, new areas, new items, new weapons, shortcuts, and a sense of adventure.

I could talk on and on and on about the combat choreography, the acclaimed bosses, the perfect-pacing, the weapon variety, but I feel like they all stem from the philosophy delivered through these immersive environments: give them choice, give them freedom, peak their curiosity, and reward their attention.

Thanks for the good games, FromSoft, and for the effort you make to create worlds we enjoy getting lost in.

Full Disclosure: I played this game with a guide to help get me from dungeon-to-dungeon. Once I was in the dungeons, I would just minimize the guide and play until I got sufficiently frustrated bombing random walls. Without the guide, I probably would have never finished this game.

With that out of the way, this game was SO FUN. Your control of Link is perfect, and traversing the map is intuitive and quick (after spending some time with it.) The enemies were relatively fair, and telegraphed their moves enough to allow you to gain some mastery fighting them. The bosses were straight-forward, but still challenging at times. The various weapons/upgrades you discover keep combat fresh, and the UI is quick enough to make swapping not a headache.

Overall, I was just extremely impressed with this game. I can't believe how much of the foundation for future LoZ games was laid in this game. While this game is beyond obtuse with it's hiding of dungeon locations, with a guide this game was one of my favorite experiences in a while. Looking forward to the rest of the Legend of Zelda games to see how they evolve and change.