It can’t be overstated how much of my time has gone into Elden Ring. I truly believed that Breath of the Wild was the best open world in a game until I got my hands on FromSoftware’s highly anticipated blockbuster. In more ways than one, I would go as far as to say that Elden Ring is the only successor to Breath of the Wild until now purely from a design standpoint. I think the industry has always strived for true realism and immersion when it comes to an open world. That goal has become muddied over the years of back-loaded open worlds that follow design trends which feel, at best, like padding and at worst, a complete and utter slog to get through. I’m looking at you Assassin Creed’s towers.
It’s impressive when AI is implemented into a game that’s so advanced it can probably offer you the upcoming DLC if you haven’t purchased it yet, and I see myself enjoying some of those games as well, but Elden Ring has proven something to me that I needed to realize for a really long time: If you put enough love, thought, and effort into a game, pulling out all the stops and squeeze every last drop of Level Design Brain Juice into your creation, I can say with utter confidence that this game is going to be seen as one of the best gaming experiences of the past ten years.
I remember having a conversation with a friend in which they said something along the lines of, “This game is going to change gaming forever.” A statement that reeked of gamer brain wrapped in RGB LED strips that default to red for some reason. As a huge fan of FromSoft’s work and as someone who loves video games so much that it’s my primary hobby and interest, I disagreed. I disagreed thinking that sure, this game is probably gonna bang, but is it going to do anything new and different that’ll change the gaming landscape and flip it on its head? No.
I think about what my friend said in a different light now, and while time will tell if he was right, I think we just needed a game that truly immersed the player. Slapped them right in the middle of a huge open world and that’s it. Figure this shit out on your own and let’s hope you find even a fraction of the secrets carefully laid out here. People are loving it. It reminds me of when Skyrim first came out where the buzz around it was electric.
The reception that Elden Ring has brought people not familiar with the Souls games into it has shown that maybe we are heading in the right direction, and if we stray from that path then it was pretty nice to stop and take in the view. FromSoftware did Elden Ring their way, no one else’s, and that’s something you don’t see often in the AAA space.
I don’t think I’m gonna say anything about the contents of the game itself in this review. It doesn’t seem right. The world is yours to explore and get lost in. I suggest you do that. Just be careful, FromSoft hasn’t lost their touch yet, and they’re gonna try their damndest to surprise you.
Enjoy, brave Tarnished!