Elden Ring Review: A Masterpiece of Open World Design and Combat

20/09/2024

Elden Ring Review: A Masterpiece of Open World Design and Combat. In the 87 hours it took me to beat Elden Ring, I experienced a whirlwind of emotions. From rage when facing its most difficult challenges, to the thrill of triumph when overcoming them, and even sadness from the amount of experience points lost during some of the most grueling boss encounters FromSoftware has ever crafted. But more than anything, I was in constant awe. The game’s breathtaking visuals, massive world, terrifying enemies, and nearly endless rewards for exploration create an unforgettable gaming experience. With Elden Ring, FromSoftware not only builds upon the foundations laid by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild but also intertwines its signature Dark Souls elements to deliver a groundbreaking open-world action RPG.

Elden Ring thrusts you into a mysterious, massive world known as The Lands Between. You play as a “Tarnished,” a being blessed by grace, driven by a singular goal: to become an Elden Lord. This lofty ambition is made all the more daunting by the fact that the world’s intricacies are left largely unexplained. There is no in-game journal, and details about the world, its lore, and the characters you encounter are sparse and hard to grasp on a first playthrough. However, it’s the organic discovery of this story that draws players in. From George R.R. Martin’s influence on the world’s scenario to the many side stories you can encounter, Elden Ring offers a deeply immersive narrative that requires players to actively piece it together. The mysteries, lore, and characters are all part of the fascinating puzzle.

Freedom and Exploration: A New Benchmark in Open-World Design

Freedom is the essence of Elden Ring. From the moment you step foot in Limgrave, the first region of The Lands Between, you are free to explore in any direction. Unlike traditional open-world games, Elden Ring doesn’t hold your hand with quest markers or objectives. Instead, it invites you to follow your instincts and curiosity. Whether you’re delving into mini dungeons, fighting optional bosses, or stumbling upon hidden regions meant for higher-level players, the world is yours to discover.

What sets Elden Ring apart from other open-world games is its refusal to scale enemies to your level. Venturing into a new area too early means you will encounter significantly stronger foes, making risk and reward an integral part of exploration. The intricate connectivity of its regions and the hidden paths between them make each discovery feel like an earned victory. Unlike many open-world titles where exploration can become routine, every corner of Elden Ring holds a new challenge or reward. This sense of the unknown keeps the game consistently engaging throughout its lengthy playtime.

Organic Storytelling: NPCs and Side Quests

In Elden Ring, you’ll meet an array of memorable NPCs who contribute to the game’s organic storytelling. Unlike many games where NPCs are marked with "!" on the map, Elden Ring leaves you to find these characters naturally, based on your own exploration. These NPCs have their own motives, agendas, and personal stories that can be deeply influenced by your decisions. There’s no quest log to keep track of these side stories, which makes it easy to lose track of certain plots. However, the lack of hand-holding feels refreshing, as it allows for a sense of discovery. Characters reappear in different parts of the world, progressing in their journeys just as you do in yours.

While the overarching plot might be difficult to follow without supplemental lore videos or guides, the personal stories of the characters you meet along the way kept me thoroughly invested. For players who miss certain threads, New Game+ offers an incentive to revisit them.

Combat: Familiar, Yet Evolved

As expected from a FromSoftware game, combat in Elden Ring is challenging and rewarding. Veterans of the Dark Souls series will find familiar mechanics but with plenty of new twists that make combat more dynamic. One significant addition is the Ashes of War system, which lets you customize your weapon’s affinity and skills by equipping special abilities. This flexibility allows players to experiment with a variety of playstyles and build unique combinations to suit their preferences.

The ability to summon creatures adds another layer of depth to combat. You can call upon an array of spirits to aid you in battle, each offering unique advantages in different situations. Additionally, stealth mechanics and horseback combat introduce further options for dealing with enemies, making the game’s combat systems some of the most robust and flexible in the genre.

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Bosses: A Test of Skill and Patience

The bosses in Elden Ring are some of the most awe-inspiring and challenging in any FromSoftware game. Many bosses come with two or even three phases, and some have mechanics that will test even the most seasoned players. Yet, for every punishing encounter, there’s an overwhelming sense of satisfaction when you finally defeat a boss. Whether it’s a larger-than-life dragon or an agile, spellcasting adversary, the variety in boss design keeps the experience fresh.

Of course, the freedom to walk away from a tough boss and explore elsewhere is a crucial part of Elden Ring’s philosophy. If you’re struggling, there’s always something else to do, whether that’s leveling up, exploring new regions, or completing side quests. This alleviates some of the frustration that can come from being stuck on a single encounter and ensures that progress is always within reach.

Open-World Brilliance: A Step Beyond Breath of the Wild

Many have compared Elden Ring to Breath of the Wild, and for good reason. Both games emphasize open-world exploration where the player is largely left to their own devices. However, Elden Ring goes a step further by keeping players in a constant state of surprise. While Breath of the Wild follows predictable patterns with its shrines and puzzles, Elden Ring offers endless moments of unexpected encounters. Whether it's being ambushed by a dragon at a lake, discovering a dungeon while simply exploring, or finding an entire new region after a long elevator ride, the game continuously rewards curiosity in ways that other open-world games do not.

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Legacy Dungeons: Soulslike Level Design at Its Finest

Despite its vast open world, Elden Ring doesn’t abandon the linear level design that Dark Souls fans have come to love. The game is filled with "Legacy Dungeons," which are enormous, interconnected areas packed with traps, secrets, and incredibly difficult enemies. These dungeons hark back to the best levels of previous Souls games, combining environmental storytelling, intricate paths, and rewarding exploration. If these dungeons were stitched together into one experience, they could easily stand as their own game, reminiscent of a hypothetical Dark Souls 4.

Visuals and Audio: A Hauntingly Beautiful World

The sheer beauty of The Lands Between cannot be overstated. From the majestic Erdtree that looms over the world to the haunting beauty of the game’s darker, more sinister regions, Elden Ring is a visual masterpiece. Each region is unique and visually distinct, with sprawling landscapes that convey a sense of history and mystery. The attention to detail in the design of the world is staggering, and there are moments when the game’s visuals left me speechless.

Complementing the visuals is the atmospheric soundtrack, which shifts seamlessly between tranquil exploration music and bombastic battle themes. The score helps to elevate the emotional weight of encounters, making boss fights feel even more epic and exploration more immersive.

Freddy Farel