Elden Ring - Review

"Foul Tarnished, in search of the Elden Ring" – A review of Elden Ring. 

How I wish I loved FromSoftware games. I should, by all rights. I love fantasy, I love a dark aesthetic, and as someone who grew up playing SNES games, I'm no stranger to difficult games. Alas, these games are not for me. It's not that they're bad, it's that I need to get good. Perhaps, though, Elden Ring would be different – maybe this would be the one to finally grab me.

Alas…

Since its release, Elden Ring has rapidly become a landmark title in the genre. The game merges the studio's signature challenging (to me, almost impossible) gameplay with a vast open world, offering an immersive if demanding adventure. FromSoftware, and director Hidetaka Miyazaki, are known for their work on the Souls games, Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but they were not alone on this endeavour when making this game. They in fact collaborated with the author George R. R. Martin, who will seemingly do anything but finish writing his book. (I'm not bitter about this at all).

The story centres around the shattered Elden Ring and the quest to become the Elden Lord in the mysterious Lands Between. You take on the role of the Tarnished, an exile brought back to seek the ring's fragments and restore order. The story unfolds through cryptic dialogue, environmental storytelling and item descriptions, leaving you to explore and piece the plot together yourself.

The open world of Elden Ring is huge, filled with hidden dungeons, intricate castles, and sprawling open areas. Exploration is rewarded, with secrets and challenges lurking in every corner, and you have a mount to explore on this time. Mechanics such as crafting, stealth, and a flexible levelling system offer varied approaches to progression and play style. I must admit, exploring this open world was pretty fun.

Combat in Elden Ring will be both familiar and new to fans of FromSoftware games, as it blends traditional Souls-like mechanics with new features. Players can use a vast array of weapons, experiment with magic spells, and customise their builds to suit preferred tactics. Each encounter demands strategy, timing, and adaptability, rewarding patience and practice over brute force. Button mashing won't save you here.

This is a hard game. There is no getting away from it. Enemies are punishing, bosses need observation and practice to beat, and the idea of an easy mode will have fans of the game laugh in your face. With that said, the open world does mean there's flexibility to your progression, as you can explore areas and move on at your own pace. There are several memorable boss battles, each with unique mechanics and designs, with fights such as Malenia and Starscourge Radahn standing out for their intense difficulty and spectacle.

Elden Ring may not be for me, but that doesn't mean I think it's bad. Quite the opposite – I think this is a remarkable game. It's detailed, full of opportunities to explore, and the exact type of challenging that fans of FromSoftware games tend to love. If you're patient and skilled enough, I am sure you'll love this game. Go beat a boss for me.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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