“No spoilers here”
For a moment, pretend you’re an examiner marking FromSoftware games.
Get that red biro ready.
“Tried jumping, didn’t work”, you might pop byDark Souls.
“Nothing but grief here”, you mark byBloodborne.
“Time for crab”, you scribble across each one in a mad frenzy.
You are so tired of the crabs.
They aren’t the most encouraging games, to say the least.
WhatElden Ringprovides is an adventure unlike anything else or anyone else’s.
An unmissable jaunt through one of, if not the most impressive open world to date.
“Visions of joy” sums it up nicely.
I went for Hero, because they had stats closely mirroring that of a brainless Yakuza thug.
More adventurous options are available, including battle priests and lithe prisoners.
The game feels like Souls too, from combat to exploration to interacting with NPCs.
In the way your character creaks some double doors open or theduhnnsounds when you pick up glinting loot.
Isn’t it just Dark Souls, but bigger?
No, not at all.
The game borrows from Souls past, sure, but it’s remarkably present.
And that’s an open world that hasn’t buckled under the weight of its ambition.
Instead, it never falters, delivering a mind-bending number of caverns to crack and cathedrals to cleanse.
Choose one, come back to the others later?
That is, if you don’t bump into something else.
Oh, you’ll stumble into a fine assortment of cursed creatures, that’s for sure.
And they carry the Souls baton with their disproportionately long limbs and boiled backs and flowing locks.
Progression lies in razing their homes, stealing their souls, and pushing further into the fog of war.
Each enemy has their place in this world too, though, I’m sure of it.
But that’s part of the allure of a Souls game.
Confusion never leads to frustration, only curiosity.
Encouragement is what sets this game apart from old Souls.
Unlike some other open world games, Elden Ring’s offering is tightly bound by a sense of purpose.
While Elden Ring’s open world is a blast, it’s also a relentless blowtorch to your patience.
So, don’t expect nice little towns bustling with life and cheery shopkeepers and canned cries of laughter.
Get a room."
It’s not just the open world that hits you with plenty of them.
Namely, Ashes Of War.
That’s a LOT of blood.
It’s…surprisingly nice?
If you’d rather rely on a pair of extra hands, Elden Ring has your back.
Later on, there’s a way of making them stronger.
It’s yet another way the game accommodates for solo players who’d like to ease the pressure slightly.
Souls has always been about inching through claustrophobic corridors and bashing your skull against whatever’s in the way.
And Barry would probably peel his hair back and reveal the exact same bruise.
Adventures in past Souls games tend to line up, as you’re all wandering down the same pathways.
But that’s not the case with Elden Ring.
Both of may be five hours in but you’ll be on totally different trajectories.
It is, by far, the most encouraging Souls yet.
