Please note that I have played the full version released on PS5(EU) and did not participate in the BETA test. In addition, I have finished all FromSoftware games up to Ng+6/7 since Demon Souls, therefore I consider myself somewhat of an expert in the series. (UPDATED : I finished the game 3x up to NG+2)
After a long awaited couple of years, FromSoft has done it again. It created another masterpiece, and this time they took all their prior experience and really exceeded everyone's expectations. Many were worried that FromSoft lacked experience with Openworld games, oh boy were they wrong. This open world feels epic. I seriously feel as if I am participating in a massive, epic journey of gigantic proportions.
The story is very confusing and has to be assembled here and there by bits and pieces. I still don't really know what is going on in that world. If you played any Fromsoft game, you will quickly recognize their signature menus, combat, customization and vague character dialogues.
The game follows the same formula as previous titles. You are a " Chosen one" who has the task of saving the world. You will be assisted by a guide who will help you in achieving this! The game is brutal at times, especially at the beginning. FromSoft games are meant to torture the player until he gets good enough to surpass all challenges!
If you are looking for an easy game. This is not for you! The combat is punishing but very rewarding. If you die, its your fault. The game is fair, as fair as a game can be.
Kudos! to FromSoft for releasing a Finished game upon launch!
The Story 9/10
The player is going to learn about the world of Elden Ring from item description, dialogues and occasional cutscenes which is barely scratching the surface.
The game is more complicated than Game of Thrones. Probably because JR Martin wrote it. He really outdid himself. I am still in the dark as to some of the lore. People will be assembling the bits and pieces for years to come. Once it's done, I can't wait for the movie!
The Graphics 8/10
The graphics are great, however they are a step-down from Demon Souls. Don't get me wrong, the game looks gorgeous!. However, another open world game was launched a week before Elden Ring. This game was Horizon - Forbidden West which outclassed Elden Ring in terms of graphics however having finished that game as well, I don't think it is as deep and detailed as Eden ring is. I think most of the budget went into making the core , quests and playability of the game. Horizon Forbidden west was an exact clone of the original, but with better graphics, whilst FromSoft really tried to create a newly groundbreaking experience.
The Soundtrack: 8/10
A great soundtrack, however I found FromSoft's previous titles to have more memorable songs! Yuka Kitamura is simply a musical genius. So far none of the songs have caught my ear except the main title theme. I hope that with time I will learn to appreciate the songs more. I don't doubt her ability for a second!
The Gameplay 10/10
The good old Dark Souls formula, with a better polish! Move, Dodge, block look for an opening and die!
Prepare to Die! A LOT!
Honorable Mention: Thanks for adding a horse, it virtually changes the way you can approach certain fights. In my opinion a very smart move!
The Overall experience 10/10
If you want to live a massive epic Journey. Look no further.. There is no better and more complete game on the market.
The replayability 15/10
This game has so much to explore, potential builds and ways of beating the game that people will be discovering new stuff half a decade after the game's release. Mark my words!
What was inspired from prior games:
- Inspired from Sekiro:
-The jumping ( However jump attacks feel useless)
-Horse riding
-The Stealth Mechanics
-Final Blows
- Inspired from Dark souls 2:
- Hit boxes (you get hit after the animation completes)
- Pharos Lockstones which are called Stonesword keys
- The landscape
- So many items and consumables.. not as neat, tidy and concise as DS1 or DS3.
- Inspired from Dark Souls 3:
- The graphics and overall gameplay mechanics (Items,item customizing, NPCs, your main HUB)
- The bosses
- Telegraphed and Delayed hits. Bosses often hold their attack for an extra second before landing a hit which makes it confusingly hard to dodge. ( Storm King)
- Inspired from Bloodborne:
- The monsters ( Crows, beasts and other monstrosities)
- HP Lovecraft architectures and landscapes in some areas.. (There is an entire Blood borne red continent)
- Ranging from Bloody skies to pale moonlight.
- Enemies falling on their knees ready for a Visceral Attacks/ Finishers
What I found disappointing:
Quantity over quality:
I feel as if they focused on adding loads of bosses without thinking about the quality of the bosses. The bosses feel generic copies of their common enemy counterparts. Where is my "Lord of Cinder" Or " Isshin Sword Saint" memorable fight? The Final boss was okay, but I found it boring and a disappointment. I barely remember any of the bosses as memorable.
New Game + Is the same game without anything new:
Everything is exactly the same. No new enemies, sudden invasions or new items. Its the same old game.
No way of guessing where to go without a guide:
Since the game is so big and includes an entire underground section which isn't even connected. How can you figure out that you need to find a portal at the coast of the 2nd continent in order to get there? I think that a person trying to figure out where to go by himself would waste hundreds of hours unnecessarily. At least Dark souls wasn't so hectic in trying to figure out where to go. There is no way a person would know to look for a portal in random location A just to access random location B. At least add waypoints to the map.
Lots of talking, but no journal or clear waypoints as to where to go:
You meet NPC A who tells you lore A and how it connects to lore B, and you need to vaguely do X to be able to access Y. At least put a journal, so we can solve it without having to physically get a notebook or put a permanent waypoint on the map.
It's very difficult to know where to go because the map is so huge. For the first time when playing FromSoft games, have I found myself doing more side quests in order to stumble accidentally into my main quest. The graces are technically showing you where to go, but it still does not provide any specific direction as to what is possible and what is meant to be. After hours of grinding you eventually figure it out, but I have found myself experimenting a lot at times, which for some could be confusing. The game is so massive and loaded with gear that it's hard to wrap your head around all the possibilities which include " Crafting, Ashes of War, smiting stones and their various uses, Flask upgrades". It's a lot of content thrown at you in a single shot, without ever breaking it down into chunks.
Unbalanced items. Some items are OP(overpowered) whilst others are useless.
The problem with this game is how some spells are literally 1 shot boss killers, whilst others are completely useless. In PVE except a few sorceries, most of them are useless. In PVP, faith is overpowered and unbalanced (especially scarlet rot incantations). I beat the game using a bleed build, which actually took chunks of the bosses hp in a few hits. Please balance the game!
The Graphics:
- The graphics are pretty much improved DS3 graphics. Demon Souls (Remaster) was released with such jaw dropping graphics, in comparison, Elden Ring looks outdated. Don't get me wrong, the graphics are still great, but it simply seems odd to move backwards in terms of eye candy scenery, especially after what Demon Souls had delivered. I was hoping to see those beautiful bluepoint graphics. However, I guess that with such a huge game, it would have been Graphic-Card Melting to implement the same textures as Demon Souls.
The Soundtrack
It lacks those ear-catching memorable FromSoft Musical hits: ( Perhaps with time I will learn to appreciate it more)
The soundtrack is not as memorable as DS1,2,3 or Bloodborne. The main theme is great, however I have barely found myself remembering any of the other soundtracks.
- Gehrman's Theme/ Ludwig or The Cleric Beast from Bloodborne
- Ds1 Nameless Song/ Gwen's theme / Firelink Shrine
- Ds2 Majula/ Longing
- Ds3 intro/ Epilogue / Sister Friede / Firelink Shrine / Final Battle
Bugs
Some minor problems ( Subject to change: This may be fixed or updated in the future)
- Input lag - The rolling feels delayed by half a second, which is catastrophic if you are trying to take on bosses with sheer skill.
- The performance vs Quality mode is somewhat lacking... I hope they fix it soon. The quality mode really reduces FPS by a chunk and this is on a PS5 ( a new gen console)
- Hit boxes reminiscent of Dark Souls 2 at times. You clearly evaded the attack, but still take a hit. This is very obvious when fighting huge bosses with massive move sets like the Erd Trees. I am a master at rolling and evading, and I could pretty much do a boss with fists at SL1 in any other games, however in Elden Ring due to those bugs, I have found myself unable to time the rolls and not get hit.
- Jump attacks seem to have disappeared from the game. Perhaps I was using the wrong weapon? In Ds1 you could jump from a cliff onto enemies with a brutal slam attack. I haven't been able to replicate it in Elden Ring.