Elden Ring is an astonishing milestone in gaming. Just like Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Sekiro before it. That's pretty much it and nothing else needs to be said, honestly.
The game isn't perfect, clearly, but it's very hard not to give it the full score, since it managed to fully swallow my life for around 200 hours. It basically made me stop looking at any other game and even threw me back to finish past From Software titles once again.
The graphics and art design is beyond beautiful. The lands between urges you to explore its caves, castles, mountains, underground cities and every other nook and cranny that you can (and sometimes can't) gaze your eyes upon.
Combat system is Dark Souls perfected. Everything works and flows perfectly. It's basically hitbox porn, with great movement freedom and room for improvisation. Every build is viable and the game wants you to try whatever you feel like. And it's not just the jumping that makes a difference. It's your horse and its precise movements, it's your weapon skills, your sorceries and encantations, it's the enemies, your equipment... everything!
Exploration is basically the name of the game here and there are TONS of things for you to venture yourself in at the open world of the Lands Between. It's incredible. I grew tired of open world games, but Elden Ring brought something different to the table. And it's not even anything new, it's just... tasty to relish in. The map is seriously huge and, on top of the "base quest", you can uncover hidden cities, tombs and many other places that WILL MAKE you keep seeking more. It's addictive and quite marvelous to experience.
The lore, in my opinion, is probably the highest peak of the whole package. It's insanely well written (and well voiced) and each puzzle piece fits as you progress through the main story and sidequests. NPCs are memorable, discoveries are rewarding, optional bosses and areas are perfect and the whole story is just highly compeling. George Martin and Miyazaki did a wonderful job of creating this sprawling dark world, filled with mysteries and conundrums to feast upon during your gameplay.
It all feels too good to be true, right? And sort of is, but Elden Rings' cracks start to become more visible as you lenghten your visit in this forsaken land.
The biggest problem I've come accross has to be the repetition of assets. I did have a lot of fun prowling through catacombs and open areas, but by the time I reached the Mountaintop Of the Giants, it started to get to me. And the bosses. One of Sekiro's biggest flaws, for me, was the amount of repeat bosses, even if it made sense in the story. With Elden Ring, this problem is enhanced due to its open world nature. I grew weary of fighting the same bosses over and over, even right towards the end of my journey. I know that these types of things are normal, but it hurts the experience a bit. Not to mention how unbalanced some of them are.
Other problems include how the game kinda requires you to summon spirits, some places look the same, the lack of that classic intertwined level design that From's known for, uncalled for difficulty spikes in weird places, side quests that basically yearn for a guide, among other things.
Again, these flaws were clear, but truly harmless, when you take everything you go through in into consideration. Elden Ring is a true masterpiece and there's no other way around it. Hard not to recommend it, especially if you are a fan of Soulsborne or open world games.
But it makes me wonder: where will the team go after achieving such a high level? Only time will tell, but I can't wait to see what's next.
The game isn't perfect, clearly, but it's very hard not to give it the full score, since it managed to fully swallow my life for around 200 hours. It basically made me stop looking at any other game and even threw me back to finish past From Software titles once again.
The graphics and art design is beyond beautiful. The lands between urges you to explore its caves, castles, mountains, underground cities and every other nook and cranny that you can (and sometimes can't) gaze your eyes upon.
Combat system is Dark Souls perfected. Everything works and flows perfectly. It's basically hitbox porn, with great movement freedom and room for improvisation. Every build is viable and the game wants you to try whatever you feel like. And it's not just the jumping that makes a difference. It's your horse and its precise movements, it's your weapon skills, your sorceries and encantations, it's the enemies, your equipment... everything!
Exploration is basically the name of the game here and there are TONS of things for you to venture yourself in at the open world of the Lands Between. It's incredible. I grew tired of open world games, but Elden Ring brought something different to the table. And it's not even anything new, it's just... tasty to relish in. The map is seriously huge and, on top of the "base quest", you can uncover hidden cities, tombs and many other places that WILL MAKE you keep seeking more. It's addictive and quite marvelous to experience.
The lore, in my opinion, is probably the highest peak of the whole package. It's insanely well written (and well voiced) and each puzzle piece fits as you progress through the main story and sidequests. NPCs are memorable, discoveries are rewarding, optional bosses and areas are perfect and the whole story is just highly compeling. George Martin and Miyazaki did a wonderful job of creating this sprawling dark world, filled with mysteries and conundrums to feast upon during your gameplay.
It all feels too good to be true, right? And sort of is, but Elden Rings' cracks start to become more visible as you lenghten your visit in this forsaken land.
The biggest problem I've come accross has to be the repetition of assets. I did have a lot of fun prowling through catacombs and open areas, but by the time I reached the Mountaintop Of the Giants, it started to get to me. And the bosses. One of Sekiro's biggest flaws, for me, was the amount of repeat bosses, even if it made sense in the story. With Elden Ring, this problem is enhanced due to its open world nature. I grew weary of fighting the same bosses over and over, even right towards the end of my journey. I know that these types of things are normal, but it hurts the experience a bit. Not to mention how unbalanced some of them are.
Other problems include how the game kinda requires you to summon spirits, some places look the same, the lack of that classic intertwined level design that From's known for, uncalled for difficulty spikes in weird places, side quests that basically yearn for a guide, among other things.
Again, these flaws were clear, but truly harmless, when you take everything you go through in into consideration. Elden Ring is a true masterpiece and there's no other way around it. Hard not to recommend it, especially if you are a fan of Soulsborne or open world games.
But it makes me wonder: where will the team go after achieving such a high level? Only time will tell, but I can't wait to see what's next.