Introduction
Basic information
Developer: FromSoftware
Full name: Elden Ring
Release date: 2022
Released on: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox series, Steam.
Cross play: no
Genre: Souls-like, open-world, RPG.
Additional information: I played this game on the PlayStation 5 with a PlayStation 4 Disc.
Initial thoughts
When Elden Ring was first announced, I was excited. The idea of a vast, interconnected world built upon the foundations of Dark Souls was tantalizing. With George R. R. Martin contributing to the lore, expectations were sky-high. However, from the moment I started playing, it became clear that the game was struggling to find its identity. The familiar Souls-like elements were present, but the open-world design felt disjointed and confusing. Instead of being captivated by the adventure, I found myself frequently lost and frustrated.
Story and setting
Plot overview
Set in the fantastical realm of the Lands Between, Elden Ring attempts to weave a complex narrative around the restoration of the Elden Ring. Unfortunately, the story is muddled and confusing, with fragmented lore and cryptic dialogues that do little to engage players, unlike previous games. The plot feels more like an afterthought, serving as a thin veneer over a fundamentally flawed game.
World building and immersion
While the world of Elden Ring is visually striking, it ultimately feels empty and disjointed. The various biomes, though distinct in appearance, lack the cohesion and interconnectedness of the meticulously crafted worlds seen in previous FromSoftware titles. The vastness of the world often leads to aimless wandering, with no clear sense of direction or purpose.
Character development
Character development is as shallow as ever. The leveling system and customization options are present, but they fail to add any real depth to the experience unlike previous games. There’s no meaningful narrative progression or character arcs, leaving players to fumble through a series of disconnected and uninspiring quests.
Emotional impact
The game’s emotional impact is minimal. The thrill of discovery and the satisfaction of overcoming difficult challenges are overshadowed by frustration and confusion. The game fails to evoke the same sense of accomplishment and connection that defined the Dark Souls series. I also saw now NPC’s that you would get emotionally invested in. Like the dude that said, praise the sun!
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with a 3.5.
Unlike previous Dark Souls games where lore was scattered and engaged with the player, this game fails to do just that. All the story seems to be about, is being lost in this world.
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
Elden Ring tries to expand on the familiar Souls-like mechanics with new features such as horseback combat and crafting. However, these additions feel tacked on and poorly integrated. The combat, while still challenging, lacks the tightness and precision of previous FromSoftware games. The crafting system is a pale imitation of more established RPGs, adding unnecessary complexity without meaningful payoff.
Difficulty and balance
The game’s difficulty is poorly balanced. Early game enemies are laughably easy, while bosses are brutally overpowered. This imbalance is compounded by the lack of clear guidance on where to go and whom to fight first, leading to frequent and frustrating deaths.
The difficulty spikes feel arbitrary and unfair, rather than a natural progression of challenge. In previous Dark Souls games, it was clear whom to fight, and losing meant upping your game, your skills, and overcoming that hurdle, no matter the cost. In this game, I am not even sure if who I am fighting, is the boss who I should be fighting.Â
Pacing of the game
The pacing is a mess. The open-world design, while ambitious, results in long stretches of monotonous travel and aimless exploration. The lack of clear objectives and the constant need to consult external guides for progression disrupt the flow and diminish the sense of immersion.
Innovation and uniqueness
Despite claims of innovation, Elden Ring does little to stand out. The new mechanics, such as alchemy and crafting, feel borrowed from other games and are poorly executed. Instead of enhancing the experience, they add layers of unnecessary complexity and detract from the core gameplay that made the Dark Souls series great.
Controls and user interface
The controls are functional but unremarkable. The user interface, though clean, is cluttered with a myriad of items and crafting components that are difficult to manage. The lack of in-game guidance makes navigation cumbersome and frustrating. Despite previous games making it all feel natural as it flowed together into one amazing game. The mechanics seem to work against each other instead of co-operating.
Microtransactions
Microtransactions available: No
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with a 3.0.
This might just be the worst overhyped game I have ever played.
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
The game’s graphics are one of its few redeeming qualities. The art direction is impressive, with detailed environments and striking visual design. However, the beauty of the world is skin-deep, masking the game’s fundamental flaws. And most of the world is empty, and not in a good way.
Technical performances
Performance is generally stable, but occasional frame rate drops and minor technical issues persist. These problems, while not game-breaking, further detract from the overall experience.
Environment and design uniqueness
While each region is visually distinct, the environments lack the cohesion and interconnectivity of previous FromSoftware titles. The open world often feels empty and lifeless, with long stretches of barren landscapes and sparse points of interest. Not even monsters for long stretches, or easy monsters, followed by powerful monsters, but not in a good cohesive way.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 5.0.
The open world is empty, there are not enough points of interest, it all feels meaningless.
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The music is atmospheric but forgettable. It fails to leave a lasting impression and does little to enhance the overall experience. The score lacks the emotional weight and impact of previous FromSoftware soundtracks.
Sound effects quality
Sound effects are adequate but unremarkable. They provide basic audio feedback for actions but lack the depth and richness needed to create a truly immersive experience. This seems like a huge step back from say, Dark Souls 3.
Voice Acting
The voice acting is competent but uninspired. Characters deliver their lines with the requisite gravitas, but the dialogue itself is often cryptic and unengaging, contributing little to the overall narrative. The weight behind the words, like in other Dark Souls games, is just not there in Elden Ring.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with a 5.5.
This could have been great, but instead it was lackluster.
Multiplayer components
Online gameplay experience
Elden Ring includes traditional Souls-like multiplayer features, such as cooperative play and PvP invasions. However, these elements feel underdeveloped and poorly integrated into the larger game. The online experience is plagued by connectivity issues and lacks the polish and refinement of previous titles.
Community interaction is limited to forums and online guides, which are often necessary to navigate the game’s confusing design. Developer support is decent, but regular updates and patches do little to address the game’s core issues.
Rating
I rated the multiplayer components with a 3.5.
You need to check the online forums to even know what to do in your game. Summoning felt awesome in previous games, now, you can just summon people who solo the bosses for you with overpowered gear, instead of them being on your level and having an epic fight. This is not fun at all, PVP is broken as well, nine out of ten times, you stand no chance.
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
The game offers a substantial amount of content, but much of it feels like filler. The sprawling open world is filled with repetitive tasks and uninspired side quests that do little to enhance the overall experience. I guess, if you don’t mind checking guides every two minutes, it can be fun with some replay value.
Extra Content
A new DLC has just dropped, but I don’t intend to play it, or even test it out. But, yes, there is extra content in the form of DLC.
Replay value
Replay value is limited. The game’s high difficulty and extensive customization options might appeal to hardcore fans, but the lack of clear objectives and meaningful progression diminish the incentive to replay.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Elden Ring with a 4.0.
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
I am not going to write this section for this review.
Comparisons
Compared to the Dark Souls series, Elden Ring is a significant step backward. The game’s open-world design and new mechanics fail to capture the magic and coherence of its predecessors. Fans of Dark Souls will likely find Elden Ring a disappointing and frustrating experience. New players, who have never experienced Dark Souls might enjoy it.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
One of the few memorable moments was the initial discovery of a hidden area, but this quickly turned to frustration as I realized how necessary external guides were to make any real progress in this area. The game’s reliance on cryptic clues and aimless exploration made it more frustrating than enjoyable.
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Elden Ring, I give it a personal rating of 1.
This might just be the worst Dark Souls game I have ever played, and it feels like wasted money that I bought this on the PS4.
Last words
Pros
- Impressive art direction and visuals
- Traditional Souls-like combat mechanics
Cons
- Disjointed and confusing world
- Poor difficulty balance
- Lack of clear objectives and progression
- Uninspired new mechanics
- Reliance on external guides
- Empty and lifeless open world
- Overpowered bosses with weak regular enemies
- Tedious and repetitive crafting system
- Frustratingly cryptic storytelling
- Unnecessary complexity without meaningful payoff
- Aimless wandering without clear direction
- Shallow character development with no meaningful arcs
Overall, Elden Ring is a prime example of a game that fails to live up to its hype. While it offers moments of visual splendor and traditional combat mechanics, these are overshadowed by poor design choices, confusing progression, and uninspired new features. Fans of the Dark Souls series may find some enjoyment, but the game’s numerous flaws make it a largely disappointing experience.
Final Rating
4
Please let me know what you think of Elden Ring in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
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Silentrets
I don't know other functions but you must upgrade your buff so you can beat boss for easily.
Sreyam47
Tbh i felt like this too. I got this from a giveaway I won and was super excited due to it's hype. But as soon as I load it in my pc, I couldn't understand a single thing....I played it for like 30mins and never played after. It might be great for some type of gamers but for me Skyrim is better than it (even if elden ring has better visuals)
supersven
I did not like a single thing they did with this entry. It just does not click well with gameplay mechanics.
rezonono
It doesn't look like an easy game, but I'll certainly give it a go one of these days.
Delicious Bacon
"Reliance on external guides"
Hmm, that sounds like an old-school type of RPG game. But old-school games weren't THAT big in size I guess. Old School Runescape is huge, though.
I might see that as an advantage, unless it's super struggling to find out the correct path.
Alamar
yes i remember many great games which had to used with external guides for a complete gameplay, i like things like civilopedia in civilization etc. where you have a guide ingame itself (but to be honest even in civ game guide was much not complete, no detailed info about how system trade worked, for example with rivers and many such things.
I personaly like complex games so i understand some of them must be used with guides, on my Amiga times, such guides were sold with original games (like from Microprose) and packed beautifuly, yea good old times ;))
supersven
Well, I do not mind using an external guide, but having to use it for every step you take in the game is a bit overkill.
fano23
They have made some good changes from Dark Souls games, but things that could be confusing before can be more confusing now
Twigas_Hobbes
I like this one. The mythical stuff and to find out about the don't-understand-anything of the beginning is part of the fun to discover what's behind anything.
FranckCastle
Dang... That is quite a "brutal" review. But hey, not as much as the game itself! 😛
I know the game is hard, but never tried it myself. Lots of my friends *love* it, but they're FromSoftware fans so might be biased. Have you tried playing it in co-op?
supersven
I don't mind hard games, or challenges at all. But this was neither, this was just poorly executed.
Vibe
As someone unfamiliar to the Soulslike subgenre, this review was very informative 🙂
Alamar
Thanks for gameplay review, often AAA games look fantastic on screens and graphics are super with all that marketing but with gameplay it may be other story. But i'm a little suprised still for so bad rating because reviews on steam are very positive. Interesting review, not played much dark souls genre and it won't be for sure the first game to try given the rating 😉
But how you would rate it if game was in genre walking simulator and exploration? ;)) Ok lets go to video.
Nicole
I tried to play Elden Ring since I absolutely love RPG/Open World/Adventure games but it was far too difficult and frustrating for me... I also felt very lost and didn't want to spend hours reading up on how to play the game in online guides, cause that does take away from the joy of trying things out on your own... Another unneccessary and pretty impactful annoyance is how there's no accessibility options to make the text size bigger, it was so small I had a pretty hard time focusing. I felt like I was torturing myself instead of having fun in an adventure like I would have loved to... It requires someone with a lot of patience and perseverance that's for sure! It also didn't run very well on the Steam Deck for me and looked quite bad, but it's been a while so I would like to try again, if some things have been fixed on there I may be able to learn and enjoy this game!
supersven
I hate small fonts! The frustrating part was that there was no real feeling of being in a connected world.
long shade
Good review! Didn't played it yet, but wow... Personally I could do with overpowered bosses(maybe), but it would be really frustrating not knowing where to go, what to do next.
supersven
It is indeed frustrating not knowing where to go next. I don't mind overpowered bosses, I do want to know if it is the right boss I am trying to kill....
Twigas_Hobbes
Right now Elden Ring is in pause mode.... there is a certain boss which beat me up every time... needed a break, but sooner or later I will beat him up :thumbs_up:
supersven
I am glad at least you sort of enjoy this game!
Myr
I'm a bit surprised by this rather negative review because my cousin has been telling me for months how good the game isn't supposed to be and how awesome the DLC isn't. I haven't tried it myself yet because unfortunately I'm a bit of a Soulslike noob.
supersven
You should try Dark Souls 1, it is a good game to hone your skills, as for this game, open world destroys the souls-like feeling of it.