Bright open spaces transform into dark, unkempt dungeons with instantaneous transitions into these new environments. The design of the world and its various corners and dungeons is impeccable, enticing and daunting.
Taking full advantage of the open world in Elden Ring, with its extremely (albeit grittier) Breath of the Wild feel, I began trekking to various corners of the explorable zone in the test before opting to follow the “beaten path”. Landing on the Bloody Wolf was a real bonus to my enjoyment of the game, as I felt comfortable in my abilities and employed them to relatively good effect versus more complex class choices. There is not a HUGE range of difference between classes, but it is well worthwhile playing around until you find the one that suits your playstyle. Finally, the more traditional Warrior seemed to be a frequent pick by co-op partners fast-moving and quick striking with a lot of your classic rolling employed as a powerful technique. The penultimate choice is the Champion, a formidable combatant with awesome area control abilities. The Bloody Wolf, my ultimate class of choice, combine a big heavy sword with a workable shield which saved my soul more than once when ranged enemies or groups of foes were concerned. Prophets bump up the spell factor a step further and can be a great asset at range as proven by many allies I called in for aid. I didn’t get on with these folks, but I can see their merits for more able combatants. Enchanted Knights, whom I tried out first, unite close combat with ranged spells to control enemies throughout the fight. Part of the problem appeared to be that my choice of the class did not suit me well, and after restarting with another I realised how crucial a comfortable playstyle was for succeeding in this game.
Then, like me, you are liable to be destroyed by a large, golden armour-clad opponent riding a horse towards you with extreme prejudice…Ī couple of hours after having been dropped into the deep end, things began to feel more familiar. A few vague comments from rude NPC bystanders and a flurry of large glowing trees are the only signposts that you enter the world with. Certainly, in this test at least, there was very little introduction to the world or its story. Those more in tune with the wider FromSoft meta may find this more familiar than I, but I spent a good deal of time trying to work out what things meant or did, as well as what this world was all about. Boy, is there a lot of learning though! Elden Ring has complex lore and terminology behind items, activities and everything in between.
The ability to call for assistance from peers, to explore the vast world at your will and to avoid some dangers rather than being stuck before them through hours of attempted battles made the whole experience feel more free and allowed me to take my time and learn the laws of the world. There are several key steps forward in this game that take it beyond a brutal death fest, though. Truly, Elden Ring is challenging in line with its predecessors. Jumping in, however, I realise now that I couldn’t have been more wrong. Persistent death despite my best effort has never been my bread and butter, and honestly, Elden Ring looked like it was going to be more of the same.
Unlike my peers, though, I have never fallen in love with, nor have I overly enjoyed, the painful experiences of Dark Souls or Bloodborne. Years of hype and limited but enticing teases had caught my interest like everyone else. Recently, I had an opportunity to dive headfirst into Elden Ring from a somewhat unique perspective.