Not a Game I Recommend to Everyone | Elden Ring Review
An Elden Lord at Last… But at What Cost?
An Elden Lord at Last… But at What Cost?
Unforgiving and brutal combat, mixed with serene vistas, and incredibly satisfying exploration, makes for one of the greatest games of all time… that is, if you’re up to the challenge. NameBrand.
After hearing, seeing, and witnessing praise after praise for ELDEN RING, and its innovations to the ‘Fromsoft formula’ and how it’s the most accessible game their studio’s made to date… I bought it, and started my adventure in ‘The Lands Between’. On completion, I have no regrets buying and playing ELDEN RING, but I can’t say that without mentioning my mixed feelings about it. If you’re on the fence thinking about purchasing it, I’m making this review for you.
ELDEN RING is a game that’s filled with some of my most incredible highs I’ve ever experienced in gaming, but it’s also a game where I’ve experienced some of my most incredible lows in any game. With every victory, I’m reminded of the cartoonish Super Meat Boy amount of deaths that I went through to make it to that point. In the wake of my journey, there also lies piles and piles of the broken bodies of my enemies. This feeling of progression is a huge win and built some major confidence in me as a player, but it still typically comes at the cost of feeling like a no good loser until I finally beat the boss after a myriad of attempts.
I love the environments. I can’t remember the last time I took so many screenshots of places in a game that I just thought were breathtakingly beautiful. Exploring these exceptionally well-themed areas, the catacombs beneath, and even those next to the heavens were jaw dropping and so rewarding to explore. And they’re all coupled with a quite glorious soundtrack to boot. My favorite hours spent in ELDEN RING were done exploring the world, killing low level baddies, and collecting loot. My other favorite hours were doing more of the same… but with a friend in “co-op”, or the closest thing to it in vanilla.
Smashed in-between these serene moments are some seriously hardcore boss fights. All of them somewhat harder than the last, and all of them are the most difficult bosses I’ve ever played against in my entire 20-year career of gaming, set to some of the most intense and fitting music I could ever imagine for their setting. The thing I appreciated the most about ELDEN RING is that, if any of these fights got too difficult, I could just go back to the part I loved most: exploring. Usually along the way, I’d level up some, maybe find a weapon or armor set I could use, and then I could go back to the boss and barely squeak out the win. I will remember this process the most, when looking back on my time with Elden Ring, and I am very happy with these memories.
Unfortunately, however, that gameplay loop is not always guaranteed. Sometimes, you really do have to stomach through a difficult encounter where your adversary(s) WILL kill you in one hit, and you don’t get the chance to leave the area and level up. Some battles, will require you to input your actions perfectly. Others will restrict you from summoning someone or something to help draw the aggro of your foes. And that’s where ELDEN RING kills my psyche with hopelessness. Sure, finally getting that win from the dastardly demon that killed you for the umpteenth time is an incredible feeling, but it’s the hopelessness that precedes that, which really, REALLY, made me boil with hate over certain sections in this game, sometimes upwards of an hour at a time.
It got so bad at points, where I couldn’t learn attack patterns, or juggle multiple bosses, or whatever the case, where I felt like quitting the game for good. But the parts I like are so enjoyable… I can’t quit now. So I’d think about cheating. But ah, there’s an anti-cheat. So I did the next best (worse?) thing… I joined the unofficial ELDEN RING discord and had some level 200 chaps come in my game (when it allowed, when I was having a bad time), and they slaughtered these “problems” for me. Feeling these hopeless feelings robs so much of the good this game extrudes, so I’m glad there are, at the very least, still folks out there that want to help others experience the best ELDEN RING has to offer.
Now, similarly, I’d get very depressed if I ever lost a large amount of runes. Sure, most of the time, it’s only a level or two… but at the same time, it IS a level or two that I’m never getting back. Those moments are beyond disheartening, and killed a part of my soul. Sometimes I’d get them back just to die again in the same spot, and then to backtrack to that spot would take me ten or fifteen minutes. And in the darkest of times, I’d die in the same spot a few more beyond that. Like a monkey with its hand stuck in the jar... You learn to kind of laugh at those moments, honestly.
The other thing you learn to laugh at (and with) is the message system. I don’t think I would have been able to finish this game without the funny memes, helpful tips, tricks, and the lighthearted laughs that I got from the messages written by other Tarnished. Exploring was certainly my favorite part, but honestly? These messages are a close second. I also enjoyed taking part in making helpful messages, and when I found out they healed me when someone appraised them, I was always on the lookout for helpful places that I could leave hints. There were many times my message was appraised, and it would get me out of a bind. Such a fun system.
I loved reading “I want to go home” during sections that were difficult, and you couldn’t fast travel out of. “Here again” was quite reassuring when I was off to fight the boss for the millionth time. The fatherly “Well done” after boss battles felt like pats on the back. “Dog” next to turtles will be something I remember for eternity, and seeing messages referencing Metal Gear Solid (like, “Snake, try stealth” next to tall grass, or “didn’t expect snake” at the top of long ladders) always put me in a good mood no matter what I was doing. Of course, I also will always remember the wise words, “Fort night”, not to mention all the advice I got that started with, “try finger”.
At the end of the day, I really do think that many determined players will love ELDEN RING. I even think those who are on the fence about purchasing it, or those who are new to Fromsoft games, will also enjoy it. But, it’s important to know that this isn’t a cakewalk. It might be an “easier” iteration of a Fromsoft developed title, but that’s because grinding to level up your character is more accessible than ever. These have been one man's thoughts, and I hope if you’re reading this, it’s helped you shape your expectations before buying the game. If you do take the dive, know that you’re jumping into one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, gaming experiences of your life.
Originally published at https://backloggd.com.