is a spectacular backstory to kiryu, majima, and especially nishiki. theres a lot of issues i have with the overall narrative but who gives a shit, i can ignore that with so many gutwrenching scenes and amazing characterization. kuze is genuinely the best character in this franchise and i dont think i would like this game as much without him. theres some weird inconsistencies with kiryu and majima somewhat idolizing and basing themselves on people they really have no reason to but they write around it in a way that at least makes a bit of sense so i can't say i mind.

and remember, real yakuza use a gamepad

“Unlike for films and albums, a 5/5 game for me isn't necessarily perfect or near-perfect. Games are too long, complex, and interactive to sustain brilliance for their entire runtime. My ratings reflect an overall impression, so while Death Stranding has sloppy writing, and New Vegas runs in a poor engine, those games still achieve more than a vast majority of others.”

I wrote that when I set up this account, and I found myself thinking about this many times throughout my 105 hours with Elden Ring. Much of the game is stunning, and its scale is a major contributor. So many times I found myself taken aback, be it up in the mountains or descending giant roots in an enormous underground cave, at how small I felt. The geography is interestingly designed and yet surprisingly compact, full of things to do and see. It truly is an open-world masterpiece in league with Breath of the Wild. However, much like that game, mo’ scale mo’ problems. Issues compound upon each other over the course of a game this large, leading to repeated content, poor scaling, a lack of polish in boss design, and a general sense of fatigue. There are times when the game was total shite and I found myself thinking “is this really a 5/5 though?”. Then I remembered the Pain, Lost Izalith, Dark Beast Ganon, and much more. Then I remembered the other 95% of the game. Yeah, it''s a masterpiece. Few games have pulled me in like this, and fewer yet have floored me as frequently. Even when it’s dropping the ball in some major way, it’s often nailing something at the same time, be that a thematic, visual, musical or gameplay element.

Here's the thing though. I think the problem is us, to an extent, or at least myself. What are the odds that a player actually finds all 4 Deathbirds by themselves? Pretty low, I would think. But with Souls games, I’m an all-bosses-er, and so when I approached the endgame I made liberal use of guides to defeat them all, along with another 161 encounters which produced a healthbar at the bottom of my screen. By then our weird winged friends had lost their lustre, but is that the game’s fault? Sure, some repeats are poorly considered, but perhaps this isn’t a game where you’re supposed to see it all. Most players might just find one or two deathbirds, and that will feel more special given both the lower frequency and the surprise.

As much as I loved this game, I’m not sure I want another like it from From. A sequel, sure, but one as large as this? I don’t think that’s necessary at all. A tighter experience would be appreciated. The best caves in Elden Ring are the ones that emerge elsewhere – maybe I don’t need a boss at the end of all of these, but rather something that makes the cave feel meaningfully connected to the geography of the world. A smaller world, with more consistently considered content, connected in ways that are more interesting… Elden Ring is already well above its contemporaries, yet I feel like we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible.