Elden Ring reviews 2023 || Elden ring review || Elden ring

 Elden Ring. offers rewarding gameplay, a cohesive setting and gripping lore. Some of the open-world systems feel clunkier than they should, though.

Introduction:

Elden Ring presents a game filled with contradictions. It entices players with a vast and captivating world to discover, only to impose penalties when deviating from the main storyline. It provides subtle indications of the next step, yet progressing on the essential path can prove challenging if you haven't thoroughly explored the surrounding regions. While it aims to be more approachable compared to previous titles from the same developer, it introduces significant obstacles at the beginning. Long-time fans of the series anticipate the familiar experience, while newcomers might struggle even more to immerse themselves in this game compared to previous Souls entries

Elden Ring Gameplay

While it's relatively simple to define Elden Ring, capturing the precise gameplay experience proves more challenging. At its core, Elden Ring is an action-oriented role-playing game set in an expansive open world. Players have the freedom to design their own unique character and embark on a journey of exploration, encountering both ordinary adversaries and formidable bosses throughout. The game offers opportunities to uncover new items and gear, enhance attributes to excel in close-quarters combat, long-range attacks, or magical abilities. Additionally, players can traverse the vast dark-fantasy realm known as the Lands Between, riding on horseback to discover distant and mysterious locations.

If you have prior experience with games like Souls or Bloodborne, the gameplay mechanics of Elden Ring will feel remarkably familiar. The process of creating a character tailored to your preferences by allocating attributes and enhancing equipment is an integral aspect of the game. However, the essence of the experience lies in honing your skills in the exhilarating and perilous combat encounters. Mastery of the combat system, which is both gratifying and treacherous, constitutes another significant component of the gameplay.

 Elden Ring offers a deeply challenging experience. Most enemies possess the capability to eliminate you swiftly with just a few strikes, while bosses often require only one or two successful hits to defeat you. The adversaries in the game exhibit diverse tactics, such as frontal assaults, surprise attacks from concealed positions, emerging from the ground, or launching aerial assaults from above. Healing options are limited, and all actions, whether it be melee attacks, magical projectiles, or evasive dodges, lack instantaneous execution.

However, on the flip side, mastering the combat mechanics within Elden Ring provides a sense of fairness and immense satisfaction. While attributes and numerical values certainly influence your success in the game, your personal skills also play a significant role. As you progress, you will naturally enhance both your abilities and statistical progression, thereby improving your chances of overcoming challenges in the game.

Progressing through Elden Ring allows you to enhance your character and acquire fresh equipment using a universal currency known as Runes. These Runes are dropped by every enemy you defeat in the game. However, there is a compelling twist: if you happen to perish, you are granted a single opportunity to reclaim your lost Runes. Should you fail to retrieve them, they are lost forever. This mechanic can undoubtedly be frustrating, but it also serves as a powerful motivator to approach the game with caution and maintain consistent play. The risk of permanently losing valuable resources creates a sense of urgency and heightens the stakes of each encounter.

Nevertheless, Elden Ring can be quite conservative when it comes to dispensing Runes, particularly as enemy difficulty increases. As you progress beyond the initial areas, even thoroughly exploring an entire level often fails to provide enough Runes for a single level-up. This situation becomes doubly frustrating if you happen to perish and lose your hard-earned Runes during your journey. Consequently, this game design compels players to engage in repetitive grinding at dependable Rune locations, which can be seen as a tedious and time-consuming endeavor.

Immersive Exploration and Unveiling Secrets: Elden Ring's Captivating Enclosed Environment

Elden Ring truly excels when it comes to exploring its diverse range of environments, such as castles, dungeons, catacombs, and other enclosed areas. These locations evoke a familiar sense found in Dark Souls games, where players are presented with the task of uncovering hidden paths and shortcuts, while operating within a somewhat confined space. It encourages meticulous searching, rewarding those who exhibit attentiveness by allowing them to discover all that the environment has to offer. By carefully scouring the surroundings, players can unveil every secret and hidden treasure within these intricately designed areas.

However, once you get out into the open world, everything feels just a little less polished. Sites of Grace (safe points, like Bonfires in previous games) sometimes — but not always — point the way to the next plot goal, but where you go beyond that is up to you. Some mini-dungeons and overland areas require considerably higher levels than their nearby narrative counterparts; others are valuable sources of items and experience, which you’ll need for upcoming plot bosses. Expect a lot of trial and error, as well as needless deaths.

You will have the opportunity to extensively explore various parts of the world while riding on a horse, which has its pros and cons. Your trusty horse, Torrent, is swift and capable of performing double jumps, which greatly expands the possibilities for exploration. However, this newfound freedom often leads to situations where you question whether you were meant to venture into certain areas, resulting in frustrating dead ends. Additionally, engaging in combat while mounted is an unexpectedly chaotic experience, characterized by unpredictable hit-and-run tactics rather than the precise and methodical strikes you would employ on foot. While there are a few exhilarating encounters with bosses while on horseback, such as a thrilling pursuit of a fire-breathing dragon across an open field, these instances are rare exceptions rather than the norm.

Certain dungeons within the game are incredibly difficult to locate, and I can't help but question how many players will come across them without the assistance of a walkthrough. Elden Ring's expansive open world teeters between being intriguingly secretive and frustratingly directionless, often leaning a bit too much towards the latter.

The story and setting of Elden Ring offer a captivating and immersive experience:

Renowned speculative fiction author George R.R. Martin has made a significant contribution to the development of Elden Ring's backstory, and his influence is unmistakable. The game's setting, known as the Lands Between, is a remarkably intricate and layered fantasy realm. It is populated by a diverse and complex cast of characters, each with their own motivations and allegiances.

Elden Ring places less emphasis on the intricate details of the plot, as the atmosphere and characters make a more significant impact. However, for those eager to know, the central premise revolves around the Elden Ring, a potent artifact that fractured into four fragments during a destructive conflict known as the Shattering. Following the Shattering, four demigods claimed each piece of the fragmented Elden Ring, but their acquisition corrupted them, twisting their nature. In the game, you assume the role of a Tarnished, an immortal undead warrior capable of vanquishing these demigods. By defeating them, you can reclaim the fragments of the Elden Ring, reshape its power, and ultimately ascend to become an Elden Lord.

Elden Ring breathtaking visuals and a captivating sound design

Elden Ring is a visually stunning game, with its beautiful and captivating aesthetics. From the radiant golden leaves of distant erdtrees to the intricate details of blood-stained rings in armor, the game's visual design leaves a lasting impression. While it may not be the most graphically ambitious title, possibly due to its release spanning two console generations, it compensates with a memorable art style. The enemy designs are appropriately grotesque, and each level features striking architecture that adds to the overall visual appeal. Elden Ring's artistic direction ensures that players are treated to a visually captivating experience throughout their journey.

The sound design is also impressive, featuring powerful music that emphasizes grandeur and intensity during boss battles, while maintaining a subdued atmosphere at other times. The voice acting aligns well with the game's restrained setting, conveying an unsettling vibe. Although Bandai Namco hasn't disclosed the complete voice cast, the actress portraying the villainous Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, delivers an exceptional performance, effectively capturing the character's madness and malevolence.

The verdict for Elden Ring

Elden Ring falls short of being the flawless game that numerous Dark Souls enthusiasts may have anticipated. While incorporating open-world elements into the beloved formula of the series brings forth a handful of impressive moments, it also disperses the game's focus in multiple directions. If Dark Souls can be likened to a finely crafted grandfather clock, then Elden Ring resembles a feature-rich smartwatch: packed with capabilities but lacking some refinement.

However, Elden Ring largely achieves its intended goals. The combination of Dark Souls' signature gameplay and open-world design isn't a flawless union, yet manages to integrate them quite effectively, offering an intriguing world to explore and a multitude of captivating creatures to encounter and battle. It's worth relishing the expansive dungeons while they last because once you venture back into the open field, there can be vast stretches of empty space between each dungeon, which might feel less engaging.