I'm glad this series has finally achieved the popularity it deserved, but perhaps this has also been its undoing, as every unconventional, but interesting feature from Demon's and Dark Souls has been stripped out for mainstream appeal, and though this did not begin with Elden Ring, it is the clearest departure towards "popcorn shounen anime" and embracing high octane action the series was never built for, additionally exposing a lack of innovation on FromSoft's part. Yes, many bosses and areas are reused, the game balance is ridiculously off the mark, delayed attack timings are abused to the point of predictable conformity, warping makes exploration gutless, and the NPCs are far less interesting than previous Souls, but what really bothers me is that Elden Ring represents all this series has lost - what once made it unique. This is no longer a game with consequences for player choice, or one where you must use your brain. It's a game where you press the roll button at the right time.