Elden Ring Review

"Open World Dark Souls"

Campaign

February 23, 2022 at 11:11pm
By Jason Stettner

There’s something strangely alluring about the world of Elden Ring. It’s open, completely free for travel and just a rather dreary venture through forgotten lands. You’re given no particular guidance, minimal cutscene moments and it’s a world that you can tackle in any which way you please. For some, this can be daunting whereas for others it’s a rather thrilling premise. Now, this is essentially just open world Dark Souls.

So keep in mind that the difficulty is brutal and it won’t be for everyone. They have adjusted things to make it easier, yet at the same time I still would have liked some options for easier accessibility. I spent a lot of time grinding so that I could eventually beat a boss. Even then, every so often I’d crack an hour at a boss battling it to go and grind some more.

That’s not exactly fun for me, at the same time I’m trying to take an approach where I do accept that this difficulty style is for a specific type of audience. It’s about keeping an open mind to this sort of thing, at the same time I see no reason in why it can’t be more open for a larger audience. I know others may have some sort of different thought on this, and that’s fine.

So with that, just keep in mind that the game is grueling or quite grindy. I would have also liked a tad more of a focus on story; though as veterans of Dark Souls will know, most of the narrative unfolds as you explore. It’s a lot more about the experience, and what you see that really tells your story in the game.

You’ll visit creepy caves fighting monstrous shadows, take on absolutely massive dragons or even attempt to get into a guarded chapel to learn more of what’s going on. It’s vast, it feels almost endless and it’s the type of experience that you could spend countless hours playing. I’m quite serious with that, tens of hours if not well over a hundred hours. You may even replay different setups.

If I had more time to throw into the game prior to writing, I probably would have as it really does seem to make me want to keep exploring. I’ve tried to see as much of it as possible using a very distinct guide from the developer for reference of where to go and it’s just insanely impressive what they’ve produced here. It’s like an endless Dark Souls experience which can be perfect, if that’s your sort of thing.

Gameplay

As you may imagine it’s a game of stamina, very precise timing and a bit of luck. This was an aspect that at times I’d struggle with as bosses had a real level of unpredictability to them. So for me it was about leveling, getting my skills set and then using an array of extra assists to help. The astral wolves were my closest friends, that tight pack really did save my life at times.

That’s a neat aspect about the experience, that you can setup and adjust to whatever sort of build you want. In the long term I’m sure we’ll see many different tactics being deployed and made available to those experiencing the game then. You can go with magic at say a distance, go in personally with the sword or even take advantage of other mechanics to get the job done while only approaching when needed.

You’ll be able to improve a variety of skills as you level using the runes. When you die runes are left in a spot, you must collect them again or they’ll fade away upon a secondary death prior to their gathering. You will be able to become stronger in terms of health, attack or stamina to name a few areas. You of course get to pick what you put these levels into. Similarly you can improve weapons, tactics abilities and do some crafting as well.

The mechanics aren’t necessarily deep, but varied and decently plentiful. I definitely felt like I needed to power level to tackle challenges, and over time certain bosses became easier through this process but there may be a lot of grinding needed to get to that point. You will also face many unique bosses, each with their own challenge. Some are found deep in super spooky and deadly tombs whereas others are just present in the above lands.

Even secondary smaller enemies may come across as deadly. I will say that the variety of foes was impressively plentiful with many variations and rather grotesque forms to come across. There’s a certain level of beauty, and wonder to this world as well. From water drenched grasslands to really blood red soaked skies there are many massive areas to visit.

You’re able to essentially visit any of them at any time which is neat. You’re not locked to an area, having freedom to face off against something else if you’re having problems in one spot. The fast travel system between grace points was particularly splendid, decently fast and convenient for use. I was amazed by just how many distinct biomes there were, from open plains to beaches to fantasy lands and some insane gothic inspired castle spots.

It was quite wondrous to take in. It’s got such a neat aesthetic to it all. Now, on Xbox Series X I wasn’t totally pleased by the performance. No matter which mode you go with there are some performance issues present. My TV’s game mode helped a lot, but when I turned that off to record I noticed it got even worse in spots.

This was as of the 1.01 update which was noted for reviews, I briefly tried 1.02 as well which dropped about an hour prior to my review embargo time. The experience was similar for both of them. We’re getting targets of 60fps which is great, but neither the quality or performance mode smoothly hit that. While visually grand and pleasant to take in, the bumps in performance were not. The HDR implantation is nice here, thought I’d mention that.

Multiplayer
Some cooperative summoning elements are present, as are invasions. Settings within the game’s menus are present to adjust these if you’re not the biggest fan of what they offer. In-game splatters and written signs are present like with other Dark Souls titles.

The Conclusion

Elden Ring is a brutally unforgiving game, from its difficulty to the dreary tones it presents and at the same it’s quite wondrous to take in being a strangely addicting offering. This experience won’t be for everyone, as I’m trying to write this review for many different types of individuals that are interested in what it has to offer.

For those that are fans of the Dark Souls series you’ll find this to quite possibly be the ultimate culmination of those games. The freedom of exploration where every nook and cranny is filled with a possible monster to take on. For those that have had issues with the difficulty level in the past, there are new ways to tackle problems but don’t expect it to be anything easier for you to play. I want to make that quite clear in case it’s painted in a light that makes it quite accessible.

It’s grueling to where you need extreme patience over hours to take on certain bosses, or to a level of where you must grind to be able to do so. I really did enjoy what I played, despite at times finding it less fun due to some enemies. I even now, as of the time of writing have a desire to keep exploring and seeking out new things to see.

I helped a pot from a hole, kept listening to my ASMRist assistance for new bits of what’s going on and of course faced off against some just straight obscene sights. It’s a game of grueling difficulty, and for some perhaps the ultimate challenge that they’ve been waiting for. I hope they clean up the performance for the Xbox Series consoles, as at that point we’re hitting near perfection for what this type of hardcore game has to offer. Good luck with your adventure, a glorious one it will likely be if you take on the quest for the ring!

Read our Sekiro Shadows Die Twice Review
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Elden Ring Review on Xbox Series X
Review Code Provided by 47

Rating Overall: 9.3