Elden Ring Reviews
It may sound reductive, but Elden Ring is a fourth mainline Dark Souls title in all but name. The game’s open-world structure feels very organic - there aren’t lists of activities with checkboxes that players need to cross off. The Lands Between is filled with visually stunning locations and deadly enemies to ensure that the perilous journey to become the Elden Lord is at least pretty to look at. While Elden Ring stumbles a bit in some areas, it still has all the hallmarks of what makes FromSoftware’s games so enticing: it’s fun, challenging, and rewarding.
What makes Elden Ring work is a deep understanding of both what players like about the games and what makes the setting different. It should immediately feel different, yet the same, making for a wonderful experience. Some might be put off by the more accessible nature, at least initially, though it does a good job of offering this without taking away from what makes the experience special. You’ll still struggle, die, make another mistake, die, get to the boss and then die again. Just instead of putting people off, it encourages using the awareness to your advantage. For these reasons, along with the wonderful cutscenes that touch on a fascinating narrative and delightful scenery, it’s easy to recommend Elden Ring.
Elden Ring is a masterpiece of a title, with only a few minor issues. The co-op summon system is a pain, and mounted combat doesn’t always feel the best. Other than that this game is staggeringly good in every single area. It does for open-world games what people claimed Breath of the Wild did. Every part of the experience is elevated by an insane attention to detail. Few games have ever left me feeling so enthralled for the entirety of my playtime. Whether you’re going it solo or with a friend Elden Ring is one guaranteed to be one hell of a time.
It appears there may be an endless number of things to do in Elden Ring and that's fine by me. I never want it to end.
Elden Ring feels like the culmination of everything FromSoftware has been building upon with each of their games. Unfortunately, some severe performance issues hamper what’s easily one of their best games yet.
Elden Ring surpasses all expectations, eliminates all doubts that we had and surprises more than any other soulsborne game so far. If you can live with rare repetitive bossfights and enemy appearances due to the open world design, you'll get the most extensive and exciting game FromSoftware has created so far.
Review in German | Read full review
If FromSoftware was The Fellowship of The Ring, then Elden Ring is Mt Doom; the terminus of an epic journey spanning over a decade. It consolidates all the acclaimed Japanese studio's ideas into one cohesive and brilliant package. Its art design, lore, and world design are arguably the studio's most inspired work to date. And considering these are the folks that created Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, this is high praise indeed. Elden Ring's open-world design is almost puritan in its purpose, reflecting the single-mindedness behind all the previous Souls games.
Elden Ring is the logical evolution in the trademark souls formula, borrowing the best features from previous titles and blending them into a finely-tuned mix of intense combat and high-pressure precision. While veterans will surely enjoy the punishment that comes with it, newcomers are treated to what could arguably be one of FromSoftware's more approachable titles to get into. The Lands Between is vast and full of danger at every turn but heavily encourages exploration, offering handsome rewards for those who choose to face the dangers head-on. Capped off by a beautiful open-world brimming with mind-blowing monster and level design, Elden Ring easily rises to the hype and exceeds expectations.