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7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 5812 Ratings

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  1. Mar 24, 2022
    7
    I've written an elaborate and long review explaining why this game is an 8/10 even without the optimizations issues, but this site sucks and has completely deleted my review.. so trust
  2. Mar 13, 2022
    7
    Great looking game as always, visually stunning. Sound and music also great. New crafting option is a welcome addition, same with boss checkpoints.

    The meta of the game seems to be to anger the player by any means necessary and really they just do this without reprieve, using every dirty trick in the book. Example, there is a new Lobster mob that can shoot at you with pinpoint accuracy
    Great looking game as always, visually stunning. Sound and music also great. New crafting option is a welcome addition, same with boss checkpoints.

    The meta of the game seems to be to anger the player by any means necessary and really they just do this without reprieve, using every dirty trick in the book. Example, there is a new Lobster mob that can shoot at you with pinpoint accuracy from miles away, taking out nearly half your HP with one shot. I've had enough of that nonsense. It's cute but it doesn't serve a purpose other than to be a nuisance when you're exploring.

    Noteworthy combat encounters are rare, Dungeons are few and far between, even fewer of them containing items of value. I was mostly sad to find out that it lacked the sense of accomplishment i felt in Dark Souls after beating a boss. I killed nearly all of the Lords and i just felt bored.

    Control mapping is weak on PC, can get really confusing in time sensitive situations. I don't like playing with a controller but it really was made for consoles in mind, so instead of using a button per action sometimes you'll have to combine two. Latency is also weird sometimes, like the commands activate late or not at all.

    Most infuriating though, it's filled to the brim with hackers and it hasn't even been two weeks since it came out. FS still tone-deaf to the pleas of the community.

    My advice is get it after the hype dies down, or after it gets a few well deserved patches.
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  3. Apr 22, 2022
    7
    + souls combat with all the bells and whistles
    + many viable builds despite the meme ones being popular
    + best graphics yet in the series and great character creator + lots of content to play through, 100+ hours is the norm + the catacomb level design is surprisingly creative and fun for dungeon lovers like myself ----- - Worst boss and enemy combat design. Blatant Input reading,
    + souls combat with all the bells and whistles
    + many viable builds despite the meme ones being popular
    + best graphics yet in the series and great character creator
    + lots of content to play through, 100+ hours is the norm
    + the catacomb level design is surprisingly creative and fun for dungeon lovers like myself
    -----
    - Worst boss and enemy combat design. Blatant Input reading, delayed attacks, endless boss combos and unnecessarily short punish windows. Whether easy or hard, it's simply never satisfying to defeat an enemy.
    - Heavy asset reuse. Every cave and landmark is exactly like all the other ones in their category. Every catacomb, cave and ruin looks exactly the same. Most bosses and enemies are reused too.
    - Terrible storyline. Hard to process main plot with an abstract, irrelevant twist (Radagon & Marika), and npc quests that always reward the player with utterly depressing and futile outcomes. It feels better to NOT do them!
    - The open world is really just for looks. It's a wasteland with points of interest, generic caves, catacombs and ruins with mostly useless loot. Combat is all you really have to look forward to. Try not to miss radiant quests from Bethesda. At least those were better than nothing.
    - Uncreative armor design and lack of variety for gear. A lot of sets are thematically redundant or look alike, when they don't look plain disappointing.
    - Weapon and spell variety really makes sense in NG+ only. At a first playthrough you'll be likely stuck to the same couple spells and weapons due to the upgrade system and the best ones being confined to late game.
    - The damage scaling can be harsh unless you're told to stack VIT and defense bonuses early on, and even then it's not pleasant to die immediately to every couple rats you failed to notice in time.
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  4. Mar 9, 2022
    7
    Its awesome amazing flawless, until it trys to load a new material or spell effect and it stutters like a... insert derogatory thingu, and there is a capped FR and no ultrawide support (thank god for flawless widescreen). FIx these and easy GOTY.
  5. Feb 27, 2022
    7
    60 fps with drops on 5600X/6700XT, no V-Sync in setting, no ultrawide support. Graphic like Dark Soul 3. Yeah, if you are on hype train and love DS games, you will probably love this one too. But poor optimation, only 60 fps lock, ugly graphic, fps drops, bugs, crashes, problems with Xbox controller, horrible menu and settings. Shader quality doesnt work (it did nothing), same issue with60 fps with drops on 5600X/6700XT, no V-Sync in setting, no ultrawide support. Graphic like Dark Soul 3. Yeah, if you are on hype train and love DS games, you will probably love this one too. But poor optimation, only 60 fps lock, ugly graphic, fps drops, bugs, crashes, problems with Xbox controller, horrible menu and settings. Shader quality doesnt work (it did nothing), same issue with Auto-detect best rendering setting. Half of the changes like grass quality do virtually nothing.

    I asked for a refund. It makes no sense. From Software **** on the PC again. The game can be great, but if I have to rate the PC port, forget about it. 60 fps with graphics at least 6 years outdated, non-functional graphics settings. If you have a PS5, you may enjoy it more on the console. It's a horrible experience here. And as for the game itself. It's "just" another Soul game. Nothing more, nothing less. But it's definitely not a game of the century, as some are trying to suggest.
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  6. Mar 9, 2022
    7
    Where can we give feedback on issue for "Quality of Life" improvements for Elden Ring on PC, the Camera issues and Target Locking problems from making the Mouse both of the analog control sticks, PLEASE this is driving a lot of us crazy with constant uncontrollable lock switching and more key binding options, like actually being able to bind Maps to M FFS!
  7. Mar 27, 2022
    7
    Early game: 6 out of 10
    Mid game: 10 out of 10
    Late game: 2 out of 10 Overall fun but scales horribly. Plus you need a guide for everything, typical from soft.
  8. Mar 13, 2022
    7
    Decent game but really not deserving of the 10s. A nice map that you can barely stop to appreciate due to being 1-shot by some enemy if you stand still.
    Some of the most awkward one-sided dialogue in a game where your character has no voice.
    A wide variety of skills and weapons that have no in-game explanation of what they do. One of the worst cameras on recent memory. It's another Souls
    Decent game but really not deserving of the 10s. A nice map that you can barely stop to appreciate due to being 1-shot by some enemy if you stand still.
    Some of the most awkward one-sided dialogue in a game where your character has no voice.
    A wide variety of skills and weapons that have no in-game explanation of what they do.
    One of the worst cameras on recent memory.
    It's another Souls game, take it or leave it.
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  9. Aug 20, 2022
    7
    It's basically Dark Souls 4, with slightly above average open-world mechanics. I enjoy it but would say that there is some obvious recycling from previous titles and even within the game itself. A smaller, more consciously designed world might have been better.

    Also, the PC release is just unapologetically bad in terms of bugs and performance. UPDATE: I finished the game and most of
    It's basically Dark Souls 4, with slightly above average open-world mechanics. I enjoy it but would say that there is some obvious recycling from previous titles and even within the game itself. A smaller, more consciously designed world might have been better.

    Also, the PC release is just unapologetically bad in terms of bugs and performance.

    UPDATE: I finished the game and most of the bugs have been ironed out since then. My opinions on the world size and recycling of ideas definitely still stand though. It's a bit sad as From Software clearly put a lot of work into the game, but they bit off more than they can chew.
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  10. Dec 1, 2022
    7
    Elden ring is Assassins Creed: Valhalla of souls games, bland. Finished it 3 times, got platinum trophy and I have no interest to play it anymore unlike previous Fromsoft games. PvP is straight up bad, netcode is terrible, lore is meh, bosses are mostly meh or reskins of previous cool bosses, performance is bad, there are bugs and glitches everywhere and balancing in this game was made byElden ring is Assassins Creed: Valhalla of souls games, bland. Finished it 3 times, got platinum trophy and I have no interest to play it anymore unlike previous Fromsoft games. PvP is straight up bad, netcode is terrible, lore is meh, bosses are mostly meh or reskins of previous cool bosses, performance is bad, there are bugs and glitches everywhere and balancing in this game was made by disabled chimpanzee. Expand
  11. Oct 15, 2022
    7
    Overhyped and overrated. After milking dry the Demon's Souls formula for 13 years, From Software has created a Frankenstein's monster by slapping together a whole bunch of elements from other games, without perfecting any of them, while using a severely outdated game engine. They have combined combat mechanics from Sekiro and of course the Souls games, but it feels neither as fast-pacedOverhyped and overrated. After milking dry the Demon's Souls formula for 13 years, From Software has created a Frankenstein's monster by slapping together a whole bunch of elements from other games, without perfecting any of them, while using a severely outdated game engine. They have combined combat mechanics from Sekiro and of course the Souls games, but it feels neither as fast-paced and dynamic as Sekiro, nor as "strategic", punishing and claustrophobic as Souls. The difficulty stems from lazy and unfair enemy combos, as well as new enemy movesets that are simply frustrating and annoying. "One boss is too easy? Just put two of them into the same room then! Add a cheap area-of-effect move to every large enemy, as well as a thrust attack with insane range, with infinite stamina of course!".
    The open world was obviously created in BotW's image, except that it's much less beautiful, much less lively, much less fun to explore and navigate. From a technical standpoint, the game is a disaster.

    From Soft have rested on their laurels for too long and fell behind big time. Time to catch up before they go the way of Bethesda. That's unlikely though, seeing how the deluded fan cultists have turned this game into perhaps the most overrated title of all time. Next up: Elden Ring 2, with the same clunky gameplay mechanics, same outdated graphics, same lore and no plot to speak of.
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  12. Aug 24, 2022
    7
    First things first it's 2020 and i still have to use the Flawless Wide Screen to get ultrawide support which could lead to a ban because of anti-cheat won't allow any third-party fixes.
    the second thing the stuttering is unbelievable it's supposed to be a game that need precise movement but when it stops for a second or two, you're dead.
    third thing the performance are so bad in some
    First things first it's 2020 and i still have to use the Flawless Wide Screen to get ultrawide support which could lead to a ban because of anti-cheat won't allow any third-party fixes.
    the second thing the stuttering is unbelievable it's supposed to be a game that need precise movement but when it stops for a second or two, you're dead.
    third thing the performance are so bad in some area's that led to frame drops and it's not because of my specs i have 2070 super and tried to lower all the graphic setting but it's still the same.
    the fourth thing keyboard layout why the hell they didn't implant that in the game before releasing it it's confusing as hell to see press Y every damn time.
    lastly bugs the game has its fair share of bugs like enemy's can hit you while you're behind a wall, the AI of your summons sometimes act dumb, you can get stuck under some large enemy, the high which can you jump from isn't the same in the open world and the dungeon's, lastly good luck trying to hit an animal without the lock on mechanics.

    the game isn't bad it's enjoyable when it's playable but not at this time wait for them to release bug and performance issue then go for it otherwise, you're stuck playing it in a **** state.
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  13. Feb 28, 2022
    7
    Good game - IF YOUR A SOULS FAN
    Great graphics
    Feels very open and free world Nice horse mechanics The game is overrated. It just is. For Souls fans tho. I get it,it get it. Its a huge improvement and the game have alot of qualities. But overrated ?? HELL YES! And of course "Git gudd" is the only argument that fans will throw at you for not liking it. It just is not a game for
    Good game - IF YOUR A SOULS FAN
    Great graphics
    Feels very open and free world
    Nice horse mechanics

    The game is overrated. It just is. For Souls fans tho. I get it,it get it. Its a huge improvement and the game have alot of qualities. But overrated ?? HELL YES! And of course "Git gudd" is the only argument that fans will throw at you for not liking it. It just is not a game for everyone OK? And lets face it,there is basicly NO story. It is Breath of the wild with a more mature setting and alot higher difficulty. For many this sounds AMAZING. For me - Not so much. I feel games like Red Dead Redemption 2 or The Last of us 2 are better games than this.
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  14. Mar 21, 2022
    7
    Ставлю 7 баллов.
    Минус три балла за такие вещи:
    -1 балл за то, что нельзя кастомизировать тело полностью(включая грудь и ягодицы персонажа). Хотя в интернете писали(рекламировали фейк), что в игре очень глубокая кастомизация персонажа. -1 балл за то, что игра легче предшественников(возможно, мое субъективное мнение). -1 балл за всякие недочеты. Где-то объекты через текстуры проходят,
    Ставлю 7 баллов.
    Минус три балла за такие вещи:
    -1 балл за то, что нельзя кастомизировать тело полностью(включая грудь и ягодицы персонажа). Хотя в интернете писали(рекламировали фейк), что в игре очень глубокая кастомизация персонажа.
    -1 балл за то, что игра легче предшественников(возможно, мое субъективное мнение).
    -1 балл за всякие недочеты. Где-то объекты через текстуры проходят, где-то FPS проседает. Где-то игра ориентирована на геймпад. Графика со времен выхода PS4 не изменилась, а это 2013 года. Графика на уровне старой Dark Souls 3, только спецэффектов добавили.
    Итог - Игра отличная, любителям точно зайдет. Намёк на игру года)))
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  15. Mar 12, 2022
    7
    A really great game. But even a great game like this has lots of issues, and these issues ruin your whole experience.
  16. Feb 26, 2022
    7
    Honestly, graphic is not amazing, just compare with the Witcher 3 that is older.
    Gameplay and physic, witcher 3 is better
    This one is still like other the games of this company, cant understand why people bolded this game as a big WWOOOWW
    I refunded from the steam!
  17. May 7, 2022
    7
    you will get bored before you actually beat it cause game starts recycling enemies and assets
  18. Mar 4, 2022
    7
    Começou bem bugado mas está melhorando com as atualizações, é um optimo game mesmo assim.
  19. Aug 9, 2022
    7
    Yeah, Miyazaki and From starting to eats their own tail. I mean it's still a great game, but stylistics it's just another dark fantasy, with fallen kings, heroes and that stuff we saw million timies in other Souls games, and the gameplay is really nothing new or fresh in this formula. Bringing open world to dusty mechanics doesn't make a new game guys. It is shame, because Sekrio showsYeah, Miyazaki and From starting to eats their own tail. I mean it's still a great game, but stylistics it's just another dark fantasy, with fallen kings, heroes and that stuff we saw million timies in other Souls games, and the gameplay is really nothing new or fresh in this formula. Bringing open world to dusty mechanics doesn't make a new game guys. It is shame, because Sekrio shows that this team have fresh ideas to improve gameplay. But this is just one big step backwards. Expand
  20. Jul 25, 2022
    7
    Before the GOW5 I would give this game GOTY 2022, cause it was an amazing experience for gaming community, considering this is still one of the most selling games 5 months after its release. It has good skill-based gameplay, some really amusing and imaginative locations and bosses, yet it lacks narrative and story, which made me take a break in my playthrough for a while. The balancing atBefore the GOW5 I would give this game GOTY 2022, cause it was an amazing experience for gaming community, considering this is still one of the most selling games 5 months after its release. It has good skill-based gameplay, some really amusing and imaginative locations and bosses, yet it lacks narrative and story, which made me take a break in my playthrough for a while. The balancing at this game is really something which should have been taken more seriously, because some bosses are just not fun at all for their stupidly high difficulty. And you also can't ignore numerous bugs and glitches which may be annoying at some times.

    The open world for this game is something which is working not that well, however it has something for you to explore. Considering Ubisoft-like open-world games, Elden Ring makes you feel like you are actually discovering something new, which you are not forced to explore.

    Nevertheless, it is still the best game of 2022 for me and it deserves this hype and attention
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  21. Feb 27, 2022
    7
    Lots of performance issues, it makes the game feel off compared to the console versions.
  22. Jan 14, 2023
    7
    In summary, I would like to say that it is a good game. No more, but also no less. The character animations look wooden like 10 years ago. The graphics engine is outdated. 16:9 only via external flawless widescreen tool and 60 FPS lock. Weak. The game itself is exhausting and demanding. It's not fun, a feat of strength to get through. A lot of running, horizontally and vertically. ThankIn summary, I would like to say that it is a good game. No more, but also no less. The character animations look wooden like 10 years ago. The graphics engine is outdated. 16:9 only via external flawless widescreen tool and 60 FPS lock. Weak. The game itself is exhausting and demanding. It's not fun, a feat of strength to get through. A lot of running, horizontally and vertically. Thank goodness I had help from the Eurogamer.de walkthrough, otherwise I would probably still have been searching next year. The side quests are garbage. The main story is irrelevant. But the cool thing are all the bosses, the battle system, the control with gamepad (GREAT!), finding new armor pieces and leveling up is great. The crafting is completely superfluous. All in all a good game. 80 percent. No more, no less. Expand
  23. Feb 28, 2022
    7
    -No arabic language -Bad performance -Drop frames -Crashes -60 frame cap -Bad graphics +great gameplay +Good story +Graet open world
  24. Apr 26, 2022
    7
    I'm aware that most people that gave this game a 10/10 are fanboys all the way. It's just not reasonable, even more, if you played the games that came this month alone (Sifu, Horizon) u just can't nail a 10/10 on this game, is unfair for the rest of the developers that put a lot of effort into their products. Sifu had way smoother gameplay and animations and Horizon feels like it is 5I'm aware that most people that gave this game a 10/10 are fanboys all the way. It's just not reasonable, even more, if you played the games that came this month alone (Sifu, Horizon) u just can't nail a 10/10 on this game, is unfair for the rest of the developers that put a lot of effort into their products. Sifu had way smoother gameplay and animations and Horizon feels like it is 5 years in advance in terms of visuals, the difference is gigantic. So what I think the game did good and bad:

    Good:
    + World design
    + Exploration
    + Art design
    + Variety of enemies in the world
    + And let's say the level design

    Bad:
    - Graphics (textures, lighting, shadows, etc, feels like a 2014 title, not 2022 one)
    - Mocap, lip-sync (insanely bad for a AAA developer)
    - Story (super generic, vague, diluted, the dialogs and characters are super cringe)
    - Clunky controls
    - Animations
    - Sound effects (again super generic)
    - 60Hz cap?? in 2022?
    - Optimization, stuttering (for pc at least and for now, maybe it will be fixed with a patch)
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  25. Nov 4, 2022
    7
    Equipo: i7, 8GB RAM DDR4, GTX 1050 2GB, SSD. 1900x1080 (Medio/Alto).
    Rendimiento: Bastante bueno y fluido a excepción de las zonas más exigentes donde se dieron puntuales caídas a 20 fps (sólo en calidad alta).
    Horas en completar la primera partida: 50 horas. Dificultad: Es al mismo tiempo el más fácil y el más difícil de todos los juegos de From Software. Incluye zonas de dificultad
    Equipo: i7, 8GB RAM DDR4, GTX 1050 2GB, SSD. 1900x1080 (Medio/Alto).
    Rendimiento: Bastante bueno y fluido a excepción de las zonas más exigentes donde se dieron puntuales caídas a 20 fps (sólo en calidad alta).
    Horas en completar la primera partida: 50 horas.
    Dificultad: Es al mismo tiempo el más fácil y el más difícil de todos los juegos de From Software. Incluye zonas de dificultad irrisoria frente a enemigos absurdamente difíciles e injustos (Comparado con los estándares de From Software).
    Bugs y Fallos: En toda la partida sólo encontré un fallo cuando el caballo se quedó atascado en un sitio. En 50 horas el juego se salió al escritorio un total de 15 o 20 veces (Situaciones al azar. Ninguna acción en concreto provocaba errores. Seguramente problema del PC). El error más común era que el caballo y algunos enemigos se volvían invisibles en algunos momentos. No muy molesto y nunca con jefes o enemigos únicos.

    Elden Ring coge toda la experiencia acumulada por From Software hasta la fecha y lo combina en un juego titánico con guiños e inspiración tomados de los juegos anteriores de la compañía. Al que más se parece en mecánicas y desarrollo del PJ, a mi modo de ver, es a DS3.

    Sin embargo, más es menos en este caso. El vasto mundo se hace abrumador y pesado por momentos y al estar tan lleno de contenido pierde la épica única de los juegos anteriores. En Elden Ring no encontraremos enemigos capaces de dejar huella como Father Gascoigne, Lady Butterfly o Sister Friede. Por el contrario Elden Ring incluye enemigos difíciles pero planos: barras de vida enormes, daño absurdo, demasiados ataques ineludibles, de área o capaces de matar de un golpe; cualidades que a mi modo de ver no hacen un buen combate. En Sekiro, por ejemplo, los combates eran endiabladamente difíciles pero a la vez brindaban un duelo justo donde lo único que influía era la habilidad del jugador. Elden Ring sin embargo está plagado de muertes injustas y absurdas incluso para el mundo al que nos tiene acostumbrados Miyazaki.

    Se recomienda su compra: Sí, incluso por 40 o 50 euros pero matizando que antes de comprar Elden Ring considero que DS3, Sekiro o Bloodborne son mejores inversiones en caso de no haberlos jugado con anterioridad.

    Por último para aquellos que encontréis los juegos de FS muy difíciles o queráis trastear y probar diferentes personajes o armas siempre podéis utilizar WeMod y Cheat Engine (IMPORTANTE: Nunca uses cheats o mods en una partida real de un juego de From Software o serás baneado. Si utilizas herramientas de modificación o trucos crea siempre una partida nueva, haz un backup de tus saves antiguas y juega siempre offline. Antes de regresar al online elimina todos los datos guardados sobre las partidas modificadas. De esta manera no incurriremos en una infracción y mantendremos el juego limpio de trampas y ventajas en la comunidad online).
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  26. Apr 11, 2022
    7
    Its the same game fromsoft was done 6 times before. But not even the best combat of the bunch, because in this one you need to use the lock on like a scrub since most enemies have broken hitboxes and animations to the point of just hitting you through walls, unlike Dark Souls 2 where you could play the whole thing without it.

    The graphics are good but the vegetation and skybox feels
    Its the same game fromsoft was done 6 times before. But not even the best combat of the bunch, because in this one you need to use the lock on like a scrub since most enemies have broken hitboxes and animations to the point of just hitting you through walls, unlike Dark Souls 2 where you could play the whole thing without it.

    The graphics are good but the vegetation and skybox feels dated, the open spaces are a good change and the map is HUGE, everything else is just another coat of paint on a good game that can feel tired if you arent in the mood.

    Doesnt supports ultrawide resolutions natively, thats unacceptable, the PC community has to finish the porting for lazy devs like this, its has occasional stutters and even crashes but very rarely.

    Its definetly my favorite game of the franchise so far but its held back by the complete lack of innovation in the combat, like gore and damage models, being able to move sideways without the stupid lock on, being able to free aim while playing as a mage or an archer, they did something way back with Demon Souls and never tried making it better.
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  27. May 13, 2023
    7
    Un très bon jeu qui s'appuie sur un open world solide, avec un design des zones qui réussit systématiquement à créer un effet wahou !
    Pour moi, c'est ça plus grande force, l'envie d'en découvrir toujours plus en voyageant d'un point A à un point B est toujours récompensé, et ceux de manière créative la plupart du temps, bravo.
    Voilà, sinon le combat system est horrible, non pas à cause
    Un très bon jeu qui s'appuie sur un open world solide, avec un design des zones qui réussit systématiquement à créer un effet wahou !
    Pour moi, c'est ça plus grande force, l'envie d'en découvrir toujours plus en voyageant d'un point A à un point B est toujours récompensé, et ceux de manière créative la plupart du temps, bravo.

    Voilà, sinon le combat system est horrible, non pas à cause de la difficulté qui est assez équilibrée, voir "facile" du moment où l'on ne fait que les boss. Mais à cause des behaviors de la plupart des **** (apparemment le mot pe tit est censuré) ennemis qui sont illisibles aux possibles, certe il y a de la quantité, mais la qualité en empathie malheureusement...
    Autre point noir, la caméra. L'un de mes pires ennemis sur Elden Ring et je n'oserais même pas parler du Targeting system qui zoom au possible de sorte que l'on ne puisse plus voir ce qu'il se passe derrière notre personnage, ou encore la sélection des ennemis un peu hasardeuse qui m'a tué plus d'une fois...

    En bref, c'est un excellent jeu très immersif, mais qui possède malgré tout selon moi de gros défauts qui sortent souvent le joueur du flow de manière injustifié et bien brutal.
    Très créatif et plein de surprise, il n'aurait pas manqué grand-chose pour que ce titre me séduise.

    Le moins n'étant pas toujours l'ennemi du mieux, la qualité est malheureusement manquante sur bien des aspects...

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A very good game that relies on a solid open world, with a design of the areas that systematically manages to create a wow effect!
    For me, that's its greatest strength, the desire to discover more and more while travelling from point A to point B is always rewarded, and most of the time in a creative way, well done.

    So, otherwise the combat system is horrible, not because of the difficulty which is quite balanced, or even "easy" as long as you only do the bosses. But because of the behaviors of most of the "small" enemies that are unreadable , sure there is quantity, but quality in empathy unfortunately...
    Another point, the camera behavior. One of my worst enemies on Elden Ring, and I wouldn't even dare to talk about the targeting system that zooms in so much that you can't see what's going on behind your character, or the random enemy selection that killed me more than once...

    To conclude, it's an excellent and immersive game, but it still has, in my opinion, big flaws that often take the player out of the flow in an unjustified and very brutal way.
    Very creative and full of surprises, there would not have been much missing for this title to seduce me.

    Less is not always the enemy of better, but unfortunately quality is lacking in many aspects...
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  28. Mar 23, 2022
    7
    267 hours played to date. 1200 hours in DS3. 600 hours in DS2. Maybe like 200 in DSr/PTDE.

    E: Update: In 250 hours I have had one co-op where I actually ran an entire 30 minute map clearing session without disconnect. This is a historic first. The multiplayer matchmaking is really bad with rampant disconnects. I am directly connected with 1000 down myself. Over 200 hours in and well,
    267 hours played to date. 1200 hours in DS3. 600 hours in DS2. Maybe like 200 in DSr/PTDE.

    E: Update: In 250 hours I have had one co-op where I actually ran an entire 30 minute map clearing session without disconnect. This is a historic first. The multiplayer matchmaking is really bad with rampant disconnects. I am directly connected with 1000 down myself.

    Over 200 hours in and well, this is probably one of the worst overall experiences I have had with the Souls genre. Context for this review, I have historically put over 500 hours into FS Souls games, as a result, I am looking at Elden Ring as a "1000 hour" game to replace Dark Souls 3. The one constant FS Souls genre had was every game improved the MP aspect, here it takes a huge step back.

    If the question is, "Will I get my money value out of this game" the answer for you is "Yes". Get it, but remember, if you do this game has forced co-op invasions so you will deal with people coming into your game to kill you. Also, please understand, they will be rather well geared because they are always fighting groups on invasions. If you are looking for something to peacefully play with your friends, I highly recommend Nioh 2.

    FromSoftware seemed to go out of their way to make this game as rewarding and accessible as possible and in doing so, I believe they may have over stepped their bounds of what was once a well designed, concise, and impactful journey. The result is a convoluted mess of confusion, missed events, recycled bosses and field enemies, and gank mechanics that just make everything feel so bland.

    Outside of this, the game takes a few serious set backs.

    You can no longer be invaded solo, unless you use an item which removes the cool down timer for invasions. So you are invaded non-stop. The traditional souls experience is completely lost.

    You can either pvp solo or play solo, but not both. This makes the entire game feel very lonely, furthermore, most invaders are now focusing on the cheapest builds possible because every invasion is 3 people waiting for them.

    The invasive multiplayer interaction, which I mostly play souls games for is no longer there as a solo player. You either have to summon co-op players, which ruin your experience of the game, trivializing content, or be forced to run massive quantities of land on foot just to be invaded.

    This effectively ruins the game for me as the traditional souls experience is no longer there, despite the fact they could have allowed solo invasions in dungeons.

    The irony of this is they left in the "hunter" group that hunt "red invaders" except it's never used because hosts don't use the item since there is no need as invasions are co-op only. Even if they did it would just be 4 people versus 1 under leveled invader. So people who are new to the game and the mechanic are just not going to bother and it's really hurting the active invading pool. As it stands solo, I am invaded by the same few repeat people in whatever bracket I click my solo invasion item on. They usually die enough that they just stop invading me or leave my game.

    What FS should have done is allowed solo invasions, automatically spawned a blue covenant hunter next to the player on a red invasion. This way, they could have alleviated the loneliness and provided the host a phantom who seeks player vs. player and is likely properly geared and tuned for it. They could have taken this a step further by allowing hunters to invade the invader's world as in DS2.

    No auto invade areas? Where are the bell bros, the Aldrich Faithful, the Rat men? Another lost opportunity to use hunters to better the hosts and broaden their horizons.

    Long term value is lost here.

    There was so much opportunity to carry on the improvements made to MP over the years. Instead... We get this.

    Co-op people are not happy because they are always invaded despite just wanting to play with friends. Invaders are not happy because every invasion is a really tough match up. Solo hosts get no pvp anymore, unless they use an item where they can only pvp.

    No one wins.
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  29. Mar 10, 2022
    7
    This game could have been perfect.

    Before I start I want to say that I have thousands of hours on Fromsoft games and that they are my favorite games, and also that the 7/10 is score is not influenced by the bad PC performance, not in the slightest. All of my problems with this game arise from the place that matters.. Design. I could write a 5000 word essay about the flaws of this
    This game could have been perfect.

    Before I start I want to say that I have thousands of hours on Fromsoft games and that they are my favorite games, and also that the 7/10 is score is not influenced by the bad PC performance, not in the slightest. All of my problems with this game arise from the place that matters.. Design.

    I could write a 5000 word essay about the flaws of this game and everything that brings it down, but that's too much commitment for a single game especially after an 82 hour playthrough.

    I'm splitting this review into two parts, questing and bosses.

    In short; the quests are random and there is no way for the player to tell what an NPC wants them to do or where they might have headed to without looking online or asking around. I spend 3 hours looking for Millencent's new location after I gave up and asked on r/EldenRing. Turns out she's supposed to be in the Alteus Plateau in Erdtree Gazing hill. How in the seven am I supposed to know that? Same thing with Ranni, I visited Ranni's Rise before killing Radhan and she wasn't there so I assumed that's all what the area had to offer, which obviously, is not the case. It feels like a King's Quest game more than a Souls game.

    For the bosses, there isn't much to say. I can name 5 bosses that are probably the best boss fights of any game, Period. HOWEVER, it seems like Fromsoft got lazy after making the first quarter of the game and started copy pasting bosses all around the world. Often even repeating the DS2 sin where they end up putting two entirely different, independent and pretty tough previous bosses in the same non-optional boss fight because?

    Frankly this game has frustrated me to the point of which I can't even write a proper review/rant it. I'm done with it and I don't think i'll ever be playing it again.

    tl;dr : Sould you play it? YES. Is it the most flawed Fromsoft game? Yes, unfortunately
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  30. Mar 3, 2022
    7
    While I am not a stranger to difficult games, I've never took a dive into the souls-like genre. Elden Ring has therefore been my first proper look at this style of game, straight from the developers that made the genre flourish. Now, with 24 hours of play time, I'm ready to lay down some thoughts and provide a rating, though this could potentially change later if my feelings change.

    Open
    While I am not a stranger to difficult games, I've never took a dive into the souls-like genre. Elden Ring has therefore been my first proper look at this style of game, straight from the developers that made the genre flourish. Now, with 24 hours of play time, I'm ready to lay down some thoughts and provide a rating, though this could potentially change later if my feelings change.

    Open World almost feels like a dirty word these days, and many people struggle to find big open maps engaging. I feel that Elden Ring really experiences both highs and lows from the open world it adopted; it can lead to some incredible moments at times, but can equally leave the game feeling like it lacks compelling content at other times.

    Combat in Elden Ring is generally fun, with a good range of options to approach a battle from, although sometimes you might press a button and have to wait a while before your character decides to act on it which can lead to you getting hit. Bosses in the game are mostly good fights, with many of them teaching you important skills or lessons for later in the game, although a couple of bosses feel like they were not very well thought out. The music... well I don't remember any of it sadly, though when it is used it feels like it fits a situation well.

    Many people have complained about the optimisation on PC. I'm not sure why - my PC isn't the best, and some parts I'm using are the bare minimum for the game to run, but I've only suffered minor dips to framerate which doesn't bother me at all.

    My whole experience with Elden Ring has been overall positive, but full of problems big and small. I've only encountered one bug where I got stuck while on the horse and died 20 seconds later. Regardless, I think it's difficult to say if I would recommend the game. If you're interested in the genre, give it a shot. If you aren't then it's most likely best to steer clear.

    Edit: after beating the game, I don't want to change my score at all. I feel that, as the game progressed, other strengths and weaknesses were revealed to me. While I believe the open world structure definitely excelled at tugging on my sense of discovery, I also think that it resulted in me missing a large amount of potentially brilliant content. Along with this, I feel that the game would do well to adopt some potential tips or accessibility options for newer players or those who struggle with these sorts of games. This would help to make sure that even if the game remains difficult, a player is never truly stuck.
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Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 60 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 60
  2. Negative: 0 out of 60
  1. Aug 29, 2022
    70
    Elden Ring is an experience that will not be forgotten in a hurry. It's a tremendous, hulking, massive achievement but because it is tremendous, hulking and massive, it is one that comes with many caveats. The shelves in CeX and conversations with people who stopped playing at Stormveil castle can certainly attest to some of those caveats. Much like any FromSoftware title, it's not going to be for everybody, but paradoxically it is one of their hardest and one of their most accessible to date. It offers huge value in one package, and perhaps is a little too much value, only becoming clearer when nearing the endgame. Don't be mistaken by the criticism, though. This is a phenomenal achievement with a moment-to-moment that is incredibly engaging and immersive. No doubt it will be deserving of the end-of-year accolades it will inevitably receive. One pushes through Elden Ring as one pushes through life, with all the highs and the lows that it brings.
  2. Apr 28, 2022
    82
    Elden Ring is massive, sometimes to its detriment. A thorough walkthrough might take up more than 100 hours to complete, and at some point it becomes clear that From Software did not have enough manpower to produce that much unique content. Still, it remains incredibly addictive even after those 100 hours pass…
  3. Apr 14, 2022
    90
    It’s hard to review Elden Ring without being comparative; that’s because Elden Ring is an evolutionary step, not a revolutionary one, and one can’t help but see how it’s built on what came before. Here is a massive undertaking of a game, not for the sake of chasing trends but as the natural progression of the style the company has been fostering for over a decade. It’s amazing how smoothly the transition to open world was and how much of the Souls identity is still present. In the short time since its release, it has already left a cultural mark, no doubt a result of the game’s increased approachability. Even after sifting past all the hype and grandiosity, there’s still an excellent game left and Elden Ring is a clear showcase of FromSoftware’s outstanding expertise in the field. Elden Ring really is just that good.