Elden Ring [PlayStation 5] | REVIEW

After years of hype and intrigue, Elden Ring is finally in the hands of gamers worldwide, bringing with it the kind of gruelling fantasy adventure that the team at FromSoftware are so fondly known for. And let’s put this out there immediately: this is the best game that they’ve ever released. The fierce boss fights that’ll push your skills to their limit, the beautiful yet haunting open-world that spreads well across the horizon, the daunting tale of a world facing a struggle – it has everything you could want from a FromSoftware release, but expands upon the formula with a grander sense of scale and quality.

Check out a gallery of screenshots down below:

As expected, Elden Ring’s narrative is full of mystery, with players expected to discover a lot of the details themselves by interacting with NPCs or simply uncovering secrets from within the vast landscape. Thankfully, it’s a lot less obtuse than previous efforts from FromSoftware, so it’s easier to follow events and understand more about the lore of the Land Between in which the game is set.

Players take on the role of someone known as a Tarnished, who are souls that were previously banished from the Lands Between but make a return in order to recover pieces of the now shattered Elden Ring. Unfortunately, the pieces of the ring are spread amongst vicious bosses that players will have to vanquish, but with the reward of being the Elder Lord at stake there’s more than enough incentive to battle through.

That’s putting it in a nutshell really, with plenty of intricacy and detail to be found across the narrative. Better yet, there are NPCs and side quests that delve further into the lore of the world, giving players a greater understanding of not only the Elden Ring but also the Lands Between. Players who appreciate narrative depth will certainly be satisfied, especially since the lore itself is genuinely captivating and brings plenty of intrigue. It’s definitely the most invested I’ve been in a FromSoftware narrative, though the fact that Elden Ring’s storytelling is more straight-forward probably helps.

“Whilst it bears the hallmarks of its predecessors, it’s the things that Elden Ring does differently that make it so special.”

Whilst the narrative offers plenty to keep players engrossed in the epic adventure, it’s within the gameplay that Elden Ring truly shines. Anyone who has played a Souls game before will get a basic understanding of the experience almost immediately: you’ll make a character built around a specific class, venture across a land full of traps and deadly enemies, earn an experience point-based currency to improve your stats (this time known as runes), battle ferocious bosses that’ll often easily thump you in just a couple of hits, and then you’ll die… a lot. It’s a tried-and-tested formula that might not actually sound that alluring on paper, but believe me, it makes for one of the most rewarding gameplay loops that you’ll find in any video game.

Whilst it bears the hallmarks of its predecessors, it’s the things that Elden Ring does differently that make it so special. For one, exploration feels more significant this time around, with the Lands Between a huge open-world that the player can explore as they please. You can literally pick a direction and ride there on your horse and just see what happens, with plenty to encounter along the way to keep you wholly invested in the journey. It could be an optional dungeon to explore, a nasty boss that you’re under-levelled for, an NPC that’ll teach you some new spells, or even the PERFECT place to grind some runes and level up – it’s the sense of discovery that comes with exploration that makes it so rewarding and it’s unlike anything players would have seen in the more linear worlds found in previous releases. It’s worth noting that the fast-travel system is intuitive and very useful too, ensuring it’s less of a dangerous trudge to venture back and forth once you’ve established points of interest around the map.

It’s also a treat that the world itself just so happens to be wondrous to gaze upon. With the natural beauty of the Lands Between and the enchanting vistas that grace it, the overwhelming and haunting architecture of its medieval-style buildings, and the more… disturbing sights that you’ll stumble across, it’s hard not to be left in awe of Elden Ring’s world. You’ll never quite know what you’re going to come across next as you venture across the land and it adds to the glowing mystique of exploration. Add to that the day-and-night cycle as well as the varying weather effects, and you’ll quickly find that the Lands Between feel like one of the most wondrous worlds you can explore in any video game.

“With the natural beauty of the Lands Between and the enchanting vistas that grace it, the overwhelming and haunting architecture of its medieval-style buildings, and the more… disturbing sights that you’ll stumble across, it’s hard not to be left in awe of Elden Ring’s world.”

I had a whole lot of love for the open-world and the sense of freedom it gave me when exploring, but it does come with one caveat: it’s hard to tell where exactly you should be going. Whilst Elden Ring does give players some guidance to lead them through the story, there were SO many occasions where I’d spend hours travelling across an area only to realise I was severely under-levelled and going to get punished with death after death after death for my efforts. Of course, it’s easy enough to walk away and simply head in another direction, but the natural difficulty of the game can make it hard to differentiate a place where you’re MEANT to be as opposed to one that you need to come back to later. There can be a fine line between patience and perseverance when playing the game, even for the more experienced Souls players out there.

Still, it didn’t stop me from having a blast when exploring, with the satisfaction of hitting areas that you can handle or that bring with them splendid rewards always outweighing the frustration of heading somewhere you just shouldn’t be yet. Just know this: there’s no shame in using a game progress route if you do get a little overwhelmed, especially during the early hours of the game where Elden Ring can really kick your ass. In fact, I’d even recommend checking out a beginner’s guide online – there are so many essential things in the game that players could EASILY miss out on if they don’t visit the right place or speak to the right NPC, so it’s nice to be in the know beforehand.

Or you could just tackle the challenge head on and learn the hard way. Believe it or not, the struggle of ignorance can feel even MORE satisfying that knowing exactly where you need to go at times, and it actually leans heavier into Elden Ring’s strengths. Just do what you what you need to do to enjoy the game, no pressure.

Check out a gallery of screenshots down below:

Combat feels as satisfying as ever in Elden Ring, whether that’s when fighting one of the many minions roaming the world or facing off against a gigantic beast in a boss battle. As always, even the most insignificant of foes can kill you swiftly if you’re ill-prepared, with finesse and strategy playing a heavy role in almost every encounter (or at least until you’re powerful enough to take out foes in a couple of hits). There’s room for flexibility in builds too, with players able to fight up close and personal with a myriad of melee weaponry, take down enemies from afar with bows, or even use magic to vanquish their foes. As mentioned earlier, it’s just like you’d expect from any other Souls release, with the stylish flair of battle complemented by the varied enemy design to ensure that each showdown is thrilling. It also has some of the best and most creative boss battles I’ve seen in ANY FromSoftware game, which is a real treat seeing as the bosses are always the highlight for me.

There are other new features implemented within combat to ensure it feels more fleshed out and varied too, such as jumping (this might sound simple but is an absolute game changer in some encounters), mounted attacks, the Ashes of War that can modify your equipment, as well as a bigger dependence on stealth where it’s easier to sneak by enemies or land brutal back attacks. There are also Great Runes players can unlock that can give massive boosts in combat, and whilst they can’t be used freely without cost, they can be one hell of a game-changer during the game’s more trickier encounters. Add to that all of the little intricacies that appeared in previous titles such as weapon upgrades, parries and dodge rolls, and the various weapon types on offer, and it’s easy to see that combat in Elden Ring is more robust than anything else that came before it.

I haven’t even touched upon the multiplayer, with players able to summon in help (or alternatively get invaded and killed if unlucky). It can make life easier during some showdowns, especially when facing formidable odds, whilst those who work together efficiently can often overcome challenges that they wouldn’t have been prepared for alone. Rather play solo but with a little helping hand? You’re in luck there too, with players able to summon all sorts of different creatures and allies to help out when in a fix, with it also possible to upgrade these to make them more powerful. Not only does this help make Elden Ring easier than other FromSoftware titles thanks to the extra assists, but the satisfaction of unlocking new summons feels super rewarding – especially since they all bring something a little different to the fray.

“As always, even the most insignificant of foes can kill you swiftly if you’re ill-prepared, with finesse and strategy playing a heavy role in almost every encounter (or at least until you’re powerful enough to take out foes in a couple of hits).”

I’ve adored playing through Elden Ring and loved just about every aspect of the game – there’s so much I haven’t even touched upon, with so many different ideas introduced to the experience to make it FromSoftware’s most unique release yet. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the technical issues that have hindered my experience so far, with things like drops in frame rate, texture pop-in, and even a surprising amount of loading times making the game feel technically flawed. There’s nothing game-breaking by any stretch of the imagination, but when it can’t even stick to a 60fps frame rate on the game’s performance mode, it’s hard not to feel a little disappointed. Of course, these are issues I expect to see fixed in time and they didn’t hinder the gameplay at all… they just felt like a bit of a nuisance that shouldn’t have been there.

Developer: FromSoftware
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
Website: https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/elden-ring/elden-ring