Elden Ring plays like a FromSoftware greatest hits compilation. This open-world, action-focused RPG is rooted in grim, Dark Souls-esque fantasy, but the game incorporates elements from all the Souls games to date, including Bloodborne and Sekiro. The result is a masterful experience that features melee and magic systems with a staggering number of RPG class builds, and horseback exploration that feels smooth, natural, and intuitive—a first for a Souls game. Unfortunately, this $59.99 PC game also suffers from intrusive frame stuttering. This can be a potential deterrent, or even an outright deal breaker. It’s a shame, because were it not for this issue and a few minor quibbles, Elden Ring would be a must-own title.
Dark Fantasy Souls
Elden Ring is a Souls game, through and through. For the uninitiated, FromSoftware’s Souls games are action-RPGs with simple controls, brutally challenging combat, dark fantasy story elements and visuals, and a notorious corpse run mechanic that requires you to physically collect the valuable experience you lose whenever you die. Elden Ring takes elements from many FromSoftware-developed RPGs, as it features Dark Souls' sword and sorcery, Bloodborne's speedy movement and nightmarish imagery, and Sekiro's defense-heavy mechanics and jump-oriented action. It’s the culmination of everything FromSoftware has developed, married to a staggeringly massive open world that's dense with secrets, dungeons, and threats.
A Sprawling Fantasy World
Every Souls game gets love in Elden Ring, even the black sheep of the series, Dark Souls II. In fact, Elden Ring feels like the realization of everything Dark Souls II promised it would be when it was first revealed. It features a grandiose story, a sprawling and highly detailed world, superb lighting elements, and spectacular visuals and vistas. Dark Souls II had fleeting glimmers of that inspirational vision in places like the Dragon Aerie and the Shrine of Amana, but all too often the game world felt generic and even nonsensical.
In Elden Ring, every zone has the same spectacular flair and evocative wonderment as the Dragon Aerie in Dark Souls II. From the lighting and shadows to the mist hanging over highlands, Elden Ring looks awesome in the most literal sense. Jaw-dropping monuments and fantasy architecture add to the graphical splendor, too. On the whole, Elden Ring is easily the most visually impressive game that FromSoftware's produced.
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