Elden Ring

Elden Ring has quickly become 2022's greatest pop-cultural phenomenon; in these unpredictable times it's games like this (let alone immersive narrative experiences) that give us new appreciation for fantasy storytelling as a whole.

Elden Ring has everything: horseback travel, fast-travel, interesting characters encouraging you to keep digging into the world to know more about its history, punchy swordplay, scale and scope to remember, and boss-battles that leave you feeling extra fulfilled when you've won after God-knows-how-many-attempts. The fantasy genre has always been ripe for video games to explore thanks to their emphasis on exploration and overcoming challenges, and Elden Ring feels like it's a summation of everything JRR Tolkien, George RR Martin (obviously), Zelda, Skyrim and the Souls games (Bloodborne too) to make up an experience that's something else.

This is an example of gaming and storytelling coming hand-in-hand where the progression of the player progresses the story in turn. Elden Ring is challenging yet rewarding, expansive yet not too overwhelming in its scope, hard yet adaptable, and fun yet immersive that the world ceases to be fake in the eyes (and minds) of the player.

Elden Ring gets 5/5 stars. It's a great time to be had for gamers everywhere.

*First time souls player that always plays RPGs on easy easy mode FYI*

When you first get into the world, you are surrounded by beauty and will be overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the world... and the danger at every corner. There is so much variety in this game. I recommend you avoid spoilers for bosses/areas as best you can, each new area is jaw dropping, and the deeper into the game you get, the better it becomes.

You start in Limgrave, a large and beautiful area. The first part of the game leading up to the first big boss is a fantastic introduction to the mechanics and cycle of frustration/elation that Elden Ring is. Virtually everywhere you look, you can go, and that can be daunting or exciting depending on the player. But exploring everything is so worth it. After moving on from the first two area's/bosses, you will start to see the curtains pulled on the truly next-level moments and environments the game has to offer.

You will love the sense of adventure, character building, and challenge that the beginning of the game offers, but prepare yourself for the bar to be continually raised as you get deeper into the game with SIGNIFICANTLY cooler areas, bosses, and story paths to take as you go on.

I've played nearly 50 hours in less than 2 weeks, something no other game has even come close to moving me to do. I could praise the combat, the character customization, the lore you pick up in pieces, but for me what makes Elden Ring so incredible is the landscapes you find yourselves in, the feeling of discovering something magical, and the unlimited potential to go anywhere, do anything, and find your own unique experience.

For a spoiler free journey, I recommend starting off with a youtube guide on what to do as a beginner, then after defeating each main boss (where cutscenes play), look up spoiler free suggestions at what to do after *insert boss name* so you don't get overwhelmed by choice, and have an idea of what areas will not be soul crushing based on your level. Check out "getcheddar" on youtube when you are looking for these hints.

I know the massive appeal for Souls games is their complexity, and I even understand why people enjoy this. I'll be honest, for me, it's mostly the same. I love that I actually have to work at getting better at the game and learning a boss's moves instead of just spamming them to death, but there's one thing I don't love. It's what made me rate it with a 9 instead of a 10.

I don't like how there's no quest log. You basically just have to either memorize every encounter with a questgiver, or do the quest immediately and even then, you still have to pay very close attention to know what to do. This is something I could've done without. I understand the mindset of Souls fans. I know people love this, but as someone who's new to FromSoftware games, it's a bit annoying.

I think they've done a really good job at welcoming newcomers to the SoulsBorne games with Elden Ring, but what would have made it perfect is to give us an option to toggle objectives and quest logs on or off. That way, the Souls fanbase would be pleased as well as the newcomers like me, who want to complete everything. This map and game is huge and overwhelming enough without constantly having to look things up on my phone.

That's really the only problem I have with the game though. The combat, the aesthetic, the music, world/boss design and weapon/gear design are all top notch. This game is definitely going to be a GOTY contender!

What can I say. Mr. Miyazaki does what he is good at (I mean the genre). And rightly so, a person should do what he has no equal in. I'm not a fan of video games, I'm more of a film critic than a gamer. But one day a friend gave me four discs, one was written Bloodborne. I completely began to live the game Bloodborne, after that I studied All the games in the Souls series. Elden Ring is waiting for the same thing, I don't want to throw on and praise this next * MASTERPIECE. (No matter what you draw beautiful pictures in front of you in advance) I'll just say that my rating is 10 out of 10. That's it. This game should be for everyone who looks to the future. Good luck and enjoy your game...

We don't want anymore hand holdy games. This is what we have all been waiting for. Done with Assassin's Creed and Far Cry's "honey-do-list" style of game maps. Old and boring. Elden ring is by far the most amazing game I've ever played. Truly open world and free roaming. They've also implemented so many ease of life things with making the game very challenging. Mind blowing. If they release DLC or add on to it I will be stoked. High-Five guys you nailed it! My only couple critiques are, too much crafting stuff, even though you can get by without all of it. Also could use some more Katanas, bows and weapons for the Samauri. Been rocking his starting weapon for quite some time lol.