Elden Ring is far and away one of the best games of all time, something I do not say lightly or often. It iterates on the Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro legacy in a way that genuinely combines the content of 2 or 3 of those games into a single, massive package.
The gameplay is roughly 80% Dark Souls, 20% Sekiro. This means that there are elements of Sekiro, like being able to jump, that are carried over, but the speed of Sekiro is traded for the slower, more methodical pace of Dark Souls (Dark Souls III being the closest point of comparison).
That’s not a bad thing necessarily. Where this game improves upon the formula is the degree of openness that permeates its every design choice. In a typical Souls-style game, the player has a handful of options available at any given time.
In Elden Ring, the choices feel nearly endless. The starting area is massive. All roads lead to a big castle that you can see as soon as you enter the world from the tutorial area, but how you get there and when you get there are completely at your discretion.
You also choose a starting class, but after a few hours, it’s easy enough to start putting skill points into other paths and to effectively change your class. This was true of Dark Souls and it’s even more true now because of additional equippable items you can find in the world which help amplify aspects of your character, like giving a sword magical properties.
You also get a horse early in the game, and the horse is fun to ride. It lacks realistic physics, which makes for a more video game/arcadey experience overall. The horse aids exploration with its ability to double-jump.
The most significant goal in this game is to explore. It is rewarding, fun, and satisfying. Unlike so many open world games where you can go anywhere, the world of Elden Ring is crafted with such depth.
There is something to discover around virtually every corner of the map. My final observation on the gameplay side is that no one should be discouraged from playing this on the grounds that these games are “too hard” or unfair.
They are not unfair. If you are struggling against a boss, you can summon help from another player online. If you are really up against a wall, you can usually just go do something else in the world, which will help you level up.
By the time you get back, you can probably beat the boss that tripped you up the first time. The main boss of the first story dungeon is very challenging, but if you take some time to explore and do other things, when you return to him a few hours later, he isn’t hard at all.
Fromsoft has wisely granted players fast travel from the start, so warping around the world is easy and beneficial. The visuals are solid, particularly on PS5. I haven’t had any performance issues at all after 2 weeks and many, many hours of game time.
They aren’t as detailed as something like Ratchet & Clank or even Last of Us II on PS4, but they work perfectly for this game. The audio is also phenomenal, especially the sound effects. If there is anything I’d criticize, it’s that in all my hours of playtime, none of the music stood out to me.
It’s standard fantasy fare, the Game of Thrones / Lord of the Rings-inspired sweeping string, orchestra, and choral music that is nice background and amplifies boss encounters, but it isn’t memorable like some of the music from previous Fromsoft games.
None of my minor criticisms detract from Elden Ring in the slightest. This is a 10/10 masterpiece. It is a crowning achievement in Fromsoft’s already glowing legacy. While it may have a higher barrier to entry at first due to its challenge, this is simultaneously the most accessible Fromsoft game of this type due to the openness of its design.
It is also content-rich to an unparalleled degree, even among its open world peers like Grand Theft Auto V, Horizon, and Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I strongly, highly recommend it.