2025-05-02 04:49:44

Elden ring was one of the greatest gaming experiences I've had in the past 5 years. I only just now got around to fully enjoying the game. Between the world design, character building, intricate lore, and fantastic bosses I got absolutely sucked in and spat out in pieces. One of my proudest 100%s.

2025-04-30 03:24:03

FromSoftware’s Elden Ring is more than just the studio's most ambitious title—it's a landmark in open-world game design. Seamlessly blending the punishing difficulty of the Souls formula with a massive, mysterious landscape, Elden Ring manages to be both relentlessly challenging and irresistibly inviting.

The Lands Between is hauntingly gorgeous—its golden trees, ruined cathedrals, and rotting swamps all bursting with cryptic lore. George R.R. Martin’s world-building fingerprints are faint but felt, mostly in the game’s ancient dynasties and mythical lineage. Still, it’s Miyazaki’s cryptic narrative style that dominates, forcing players to piece together the plot through environmental clues, item descriptions, and half-whispered dialogue. It’s storytelling through exploration, not exposition.

The addition of a jump button and the spectral steed, Torrent, revolutionize exploration and combat. For the first time in a FromSoftware title, players have real freedom to retreat, regroup, or ride into battle. Yet this freedom doesn’t dilute the tension; Elden Ring remains brutal. Every dungeon, boss, and even casual encounter can end your run in a heartbeat. But it rarely feels unfair—just unforgiving.

Combat builds on the refined mechanics of Dark Souls 3, but offers more flexibility than ever. Whether you’re a heavy-hitting brute, an elusive spellcaster, or a stealthy archer, the game accommodates you. The sheer number of weapons, spells, and Ashes of War allow for deep customization, and the game encourages experimentation rather than punishing it.

The game isn’t perfect. Some late-game areas feel like a spike in difficulty designed more to frustrate than challenge. Also, the reliance on repeated bosses can diminish the sense of discovery in some regions. And while the performance has improved since launch, occasional stutters and pop-in still linger on certain platforms.

Despite minor flaws, Elden Ring is a triumph—an open-world game that respects player intelligence, rewards curiosity, and refuses to hold your hand. It’s not just a great Souls game; it’s one of the most important titles of the decade.

Rating: 9/10

2025-04-24 02:11:45

I wish steam had a better review system for me to express the contradicting feelings I have about this game, although I gave it a thumbs up I really debated if I should've given it a thumbs down instead.

The TL;DR is I recommend this game and I think most will have a blast playing it but I am also personally disappointed in it in some areas like aesthetics, exploration and the bosses although most of the issues are gone in the DLC.


The game has an insane level of self expression, it has so many weapons to choose from and most of them are customisable to fit your build which is really cool, the spells are also more diverse and all of them are usable unlike the previous entries FromSoft worked on and the combat is fluid and satisfying, the only bad thing i can think of is that there is not a good way to tell when an enemy's posture is going to break in game (like there is for the shielding enemies in the form of animations or in Sekiro in the form of a bar), even so it's satisfying because you don't expect it. The game offers plenty of ways to make the game easier and accessible for people who might be intimidated by the difficulty by giving you the ability to summon some spirits to help you or other players that offer you help.


The exploration is great but only on the first playthrough when everything is fresh, the aesthetics of most of the areas to me were interesting for a bit but didn't ultimately stick with me like the previous projects aesthetics did, most of the caves and catacombs felt samey making the only interesting thing about them be the reward instead of it being the exploration in it of itself in combination with the reward, this extends to the random structures around the world, some had cool concepts like showing other caves making the world feel more connected and some have gimmicks connected to the areas they're in but they're by far the minority.

The landscape is mostly flat leaving you pressing dash constantly until you're at the desired destination, there is little verticality and where it's present you can't do much with it like dropping from very high cliffs despite your horse having a double jump that completely negates momentum, I feel if the developers gave you that freedom the game would've benefited from it. Climbing them yourself is also rarely an option, there are some "spirit springs" that launch you in the air but they're rare and ultimately feel hollow since you just push one button and it takes you to the top.
So what you're left with in subsequent playthroughs is a boring traversal method in the form of your horse torrent towards the items and weapons you want to make a build with. There are some really nice views but they're rarer than I wished they'd be.
The best parts of the game are the so called Legacy Dungeons, huge levels full of verticality and different paths for you to follow making going through them more appealing, this is where you also find most of the beautiful views.


Most of the bosses in the dungeons are just enemies you find in the overworld making fighting them unappealing since you fought them a bunch already, again there's some that still feel fresh despite being normal enemies and have gimmicks like hard skin making your weapon bounce if it's one handed or have special weapons, I wish we had more stuff like that than just copy pasted enemies with a boss health bar. Some of the other unique Remembrance bosses are hit or miss for me, some hold their attacks just enough to roll catch you in a way that breaks the immersion for me, it feels forced in a way that leaves a sour taste in my mouth since the older games didn't make use of it to this extent. It feels like the developers focused on how to make the bosses harder for returning players accustomed to the games instead of focusing on making their fights more unique and memorable like Rykard's. That being said, this approach isn't inherently bad by itself and works for more uncanny monsters like Astel.


The Sound design and music are excellent just like all the recent From games although most of the OSTs blend together and some lack identity, there are some undeniable bangers like the title screen song tho.


All in all, I recommend the game and I do think that most people will have a blast playing it.

2025-04-22 22:21:53

Hot take: The copy-pasted bosses really took away from the enjoyment of exploring in this game for me. Despite that, Elden Ring still holds up with the rest of FromSoftware's games, but Dark Souls 3 is still at the top of that list.

A visually stunning game both graphically and from a narrative perspective, the monotone colors captured the state the Lands Between is in and not to mention how it changes once you've progress in the story far enough.

The quests are impossible to find and continue without actively having a guide open, its not an issue to some but it is for majority of people I asked. I just wish that the quests would stop being so obscure and just tell us where to go. having the lore hidden behind some item/random statue description is fine, but the quests should be less cryptic.

The bosses, a few stand out like Godfrey, Radahn, Maliketh and Malenia. but other than that, the others are pretty forgettable, definitely not as good as Dark Soul 3's boss lineup in my opinion.

Still a great game to play in 2025

2025-04-20 08:56:00

This is my first ever FromSoft game.

I was attracted to it because of the open world format, the reviews raving about how full the world is, the breadth of RPG elements, and how exceptionally serious everyone was about avoiding even the smallest spoilers.

Now, I am a pretty thrifty game shopper. And this game does NOT have particularly impressive sales. But I am also VERY appreciative of FromSoft's business practices in this day and age of pay-to-win, cash shops, and content locked behind DLC's, so I shelled out more for this game than I otherwise would have. And I am VERY glad I did!!

You see, if I had picked this game up for 10 bucks or something, I would have given it one good go, decided the "Souls Like" just wasn't for me, uninstalled it and... completely missed out on one of the greatest video games I have ever experienced.

It took me a good three or four "false starts" with this game before my whole mental approach finally began to shift. I ONLY gave it that many chances because I spent so much money on it! lol. But man, I am SO thankful for that fact. Because now that I have begun to truly understand what From was going for in terms of gameplay, atmosphere, story, etc., let me tell you I am IN. Like, fully. It is just. so. good. It is truly so much more than a "game." It is an experience. I know that might sound super cheesy, but it is true.

With each encounter, open door, and turn of a corner, you can feel the passion of those who made this game. They WANT you to experience whatever it is they have planned for you. They WANT you to discover the secrets they have hidden. They WANT you to die, NOT so that you give up in frustration, but exactly so that you can experience the awesome reward of finally overcoming a great challenge and watching yourself improve.

So, if you're new to souls-like games and especially to FromSoft, take it from another newbie: Give it time! Try to meet the game where it's at, don't expect it to come to you. Learn to appreciate it for what it's trying to be, and do your best to resist the temptation to let initial disappointment or disillusionment get in the way of continuing to persevere. You will likely discover that Elden Ring offers you far more than you ever thought, but in a completely different way than you ever could have expected. That was my experience, anyway....

I don't have a lot of time in my schedule to play video games, but when I do, Elden Ring will be my first go-to for a very long time.

2025-04-19 20:56:34

[h1]Comentario Analítico: "Elden Ring"[/h1]

A Dark Souls le critiqué ser una trilogía demasiado reiterativa; mientras que Elden Ring, si bien es evidentemente derivativo, es una propiedad intelectual nueva y tiene el potencial de ser mucho más que un Dark Souls a caballito.

Es imperfecto: Varios jefes reaparecen en múltiples ocasiones, algunos escenarios en la segunda mitad están igual o peor planteados que los peores mapas de Dark Souls 2 (juegazo, por cierto) y algunas magias hacen del juego un paseo por el parque, otra vez.

Pero sus virtudes son mayoría, es un juego cómodo de controlar, el pináculo de la kinestesia de FromSoftware después de Sekiro y el apartado artístico (tanto musical como visual) es un total acierto.

En su estreno, además de ser el único tópico de conversación en Internet por un par de meses, volvió a abrir la discusion respecto a la falta de ingenio en los juegos de mundo abierto de los estudios AAA más convencionales. ¿Vieron esa imagen de lo que sería la interfaz de este juego si hubiese sido desarrollado por Ubisoft? Ahmed Salama (Dev de EA y Ubisoft), Blake Rebouche y Rebecca Fernandez O’Shea (Ambos devs de SONY, la última habiendo sido Quest Designer en Horizon Forbidden West) salieron a quejarse públicamente de lo poco intuitiva que es la experiencia de usuario en Elden Ring, ignorando que no somos pocos quienes nos ahogamos entre tantos mapas repletos de misiones insustanciales y objetivos fácilmente localizables sin un mínimo de compromiso por parte del jugador.

Elden Ring, en cambio, hace del mapa poco más que una herramienta de localización y viaje rápido. Si querés acceder a alguna región en particular, no vas a ver una flecha activamente indicándote el camino ni mucho menos un quest log absurdamente detallado; es el jugador quien debe comprometerse para progresar, y es esta filosofía e interpretación del mundo abierto lo que lo hace tan único.

[b]¿En conclusión?[/b] A los que piden modo fácil hay que auditarles la masa encefálica.

2025-04-16 22:12:57

[h1]I was expecting too much from Elden Ring.[/h1]

The idea of FromSoftware making an open world game was tantalising, and I expected them to innovate not just on their souls mechanics and their general formula, but to innovate the way we perceive open-world games. I was waiting for a new take on the common open world formula that we're so used to by now. But I got none of that, Elden Ring still operates on the same open-world blueprint that was established by many open-world games before it.

The world that we’re given however, is rich and lush, many creatures roam around in it, there are quite a lot of points of interests that are always in our view. It’s very good at giving you the intrinsic motivation to continue exploring as much as you can. There are dungeons to be explored, bosses to be fought, creatures to be slain at every step. Plus the lands between are vast, with each area having its own appeal and atmosphere. And there are ways of completely bypassing certain areas or finding shortcuts to someplace else. I have never felt such strong sense of discovery with any open-world game before.

But being an open-world game, it comes with its own drawbacks, firstly you don’t really have much incentive to slay any of the enemies that roam the open-world, you get almost nothing and just minimal runes for doing so, secondly, since you’re building your character in a specific way, you will come across many interesting items, weapons and ashes of wars which might end up being completely useless to your build. The game certainly tries to balance it out by giving us a choice to respec whenever we want and to change certain aspects of our builds on the fly but I don’t think that’s enough. It does work for the overall replayability of the game, where you’re not exploring anyway and are just doing boss runs, but it could’ve been balanced better in my opinion. Quests are also brought back and this time we get a lot of affable characters we can spend our time with, but their quest-lines can be frustrating to play through. In other Froms’ games, we’re given more linear, metroidvania-esque worlds where questing can be easier since you will go back and forth and come across some characters in one way or another. But with Elden Ring’s massive open-world, it becomes very hard to find characters and continue their quest-lines, especially because you can sometimes completely lock yourself out of some quests by unknowingly proceeding at a certain point in the main game.

Onto the bosses, I found most of the main to be simply amazing. Elden Ring does this thing with it’s bosses where, a lot of them have very off telegraphing on their attacks, which I found to be quite refreshing since before playing this game, I feared that they might’ve just made the bosses even faster, and yes, there are some bosses that do follow that idea unfortunately, but most of the bosses are quite well balanced… well as balanced as they can be for a game like Elden Ring. Sometimes they do go overboard with it, like having [i]Malenia[/i] do her water-fowl dance, which doesn’t even fit the game, it tarnishes the image of an otherwise exceptional boss in my eyes. But such moments are exceptions, not the rule. It’s clear to me that they’ve carefully crafted most of the main boss fights in the game. There are also side bosses, but they can range from boring/terrible to pretty good. These can be found in the dungeons or the over-world.

Speaking of which, the over-world comes with its own set of world bosses, you can find tree sentinels and several elemental dragons spread across the map which offer gear or dragon hearts, for certain spells if you are going for a draconic build. I do wish that they spent more time on refining certain moves for the dragons, most of them are quite same-ey.

We also get a completely new jump button, which might seem like a small thing to get excited about, but after playing through the game multiple times, it’s clear that it’s not just added as a novelty. It adds more depth to the platforming, and even to boss fights, you can completely dodge certain attacks with jumping and not only that, but you can also attack while jumping, getting in that extra damage that you can’t deliver while simply rolling. Jump attacks do more damage too. You’re given a choice, and I think that’s the name of the game here. In Elden Ring, you’re given a lot of choices, a lot of players have already said that Elden Ring is the most accessible game from FromSoftware’s catalogue and I agree, you are given lots of tools, equipment, status effects, summons and even a whole new crafting system to play around with which can make things easier for all kinds of players. Crafting doesn’t seem like a useful aspect in the game, but it has its place. You get to craft tons of items if you have the ingredients for them which may help you overcome that boss fight or help you explore the open world better.

After playing Elden Ring, I realised that I was expecting too much from this game, I expected it to change everything about the open-world formula, and even though I have been quite critical of it, I still believe that it’s still one of the best open-worlds I have ever gotten the chance to explore. There’s a sort of a meditative quality to it, you’re not pushed to do anything, you’re not given a grocery list of chores like many other open-world games do. It’s a huge world and it’s yours to explore at your own leisure, as I mentioned, a game of this type works solely on whether you’re feeling intrinsically motivated to explore it or not. To me, all the issues that I listed are present in all open-world games, I still believe that the open-world formula hasn’t been used to it’s fullest potential yet. I wanted Elden Ring to break out of the that mould and give us an open-world that is truly different, unique, and while it is a unique world with its own rich history, lore and the lush atmosphere that we’re presented with, mechanically, it’s still one of the many open-worlds that we’ve gotten. But even so, I stayed thoroughly enchanted by the lands between, always wanting to go further, always wanting to explore even more. [b]It might not have been what I wanted, but it’s still one of the best games I’ve ever played.[/b]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1245620/ELDEN_RING/

2025-04-08 23:44:46

I love the level of detail in the game; it truly stands out as the best open-world RPG out there. The only thing I dislike is the cut content, especially when it comes to the lore.

2025-04-08 20:48:24

Let me make it clear that I absolutely love this game. The hours I've put into it are the very reason I'm leaving a negative review.

This game in its current state has a huge hacking problem, that needs to be addressed. I spent over 70 hours on a character that got hacked and its save corrupted because of Easy Anti-Cheat workarounds. FromSoft needs to address this ASAP, as there is no way to recover that data.

2025-04-06 17:57:10

Overall, I'm binning the game and moving on because I'm simply not enjoying it enough. I understand that a lot of my complaints apply to the Soulsborne series as a whole, so it seems pretty clear that the series is not for me.

I really like that just about every mob can be a real threat and should be treated as such, and that you really have to be conscious about not letting yourself get surrounded. Some of the special weapon moves can feel really satisfying if pulled off. But that's about the last good thing I have to say about the combat.

Ultimately, I think the controls just feel too jank for what the game demands of you, especially against the bosses. Dodge rolling feels VERY inconsistent, as does whether or not my character will decide to drink their health potion when I press the button. I really hated getting stunlocked by bosses too. I get that part of the challenge is avoiding the initial hit that leads to the combo, but it made me feel helpless, rather than motivating me to improve.

The jank also extends to the exploration. The platforming feels absolutely awful, whether on foot or on horseback. The amount of times where it was literally the intended path to take a risky-looking jump off an innocuous-looking ledge bordered on absurd. It's crazy to me that a game that advertises its open world as including an interesting amount of verticality would contain no climbing mechanics or ways to interact with ledges besides awkwardly running off them. It was equally crazy to me that fast travel was the only way out of the Leonine Misbegotten arena. Actively requiring fast travel because there's no other way to exit an area feels like a violation of the open world promise.

The runes/souls system for levelling up and shopping is of course excellent, though the corpse running mechanic feels like it makes a lot less sense in an open world game as opposed to earlier, linear entries. Nothing discourages exploration like returning to the same area over and over again. I feel that the improvements I got from levelling up were far too granular, and I never really felt any more powerful leaving a Site of Grace because I saw a number increase from 103 to 105.

My final gripe is the way in which information is presented. NPCs speaking in cryptic riddles can be cool for dishing out lore, but I shouldn't be able to accept a quest and have no idea what I've actually been asked to do. I'm sure I won't be the first to complain that there is no quest log, which seems to be a pointlessly stubborn decision for a game of this scale. The menus are horrendous to navigate, and make very little sense. The game does not seem at all interested in teaching you its mechanics either. Most of what I learned was from wikis and Reddit posts, because the game was too obtuse to give me the info I needed.

All of this is a huge shame, because I really wanted to like the game. I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. It feels like this would be an incredible experience for anyone who already loves the Souls series, but it was just too hostile for this hapless first-timer.