Elden Ring

 PlayStation 5
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12214 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9,064 out of 12214
  2. Mixed: 809 out of 12214
  3. Negative: 2,341 out of 12214
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  1. TruthOfGaming
    Mar 8, 2022
    5
    Where do I begin on this title and the insanely inflated hype around it? Elden Ring is yet another entry to the Souls genre, and this time steps away from the tried and true design of tightly crafted game worlds that Fromsoft usually brings us. Unfortunately, we are left with a bland and lifeless Overworld, connected with obscured dungeons that feel copied straight from Bloodborne'sWhere do I begin on this title and the insanely inflated hype around it? Elden Ring is yet another entry to the Souls genre, and this time steps away from the tried and true design of tightly crafted game worlds that Fromsoft usually brings us. Unfortunately, we are left with a bland and lifeless Overworld, connected with obscured dungeons that feel copied straight from Bloodborne's Chalice Dungeons. There was something missed in translation here, as most open worlds draw you in with a plethora of things to experience, not just empty space between the next thing to kill.
    Speaking of killing, the entire game revolves around removing enemies out of your way. This is the same as every Souls game, but this is supposed to be an open world experience. Imagine just laying a linear game out on top of a big map and calling it "open world" now. With nothing else to do, you will be traveling across large, empty expanses to find another repetitive dungeon, another rehashed enemy, another reskinned boss...with rewards that do not give you incentive to explore. You hit walls where you cannot pass, so you must go try a different route until you are strong enough to do the "intended" route. You will begin to lose steam after the honeymoon phase wears off.

    The bosses get progressively more ridiculous as you move through the game. Instead of opting for a dance of combat like Bloodborne or Sekiro, you will spend the entire battle rolling around, counting on iframes to help scrape you out of a 9-hit combo alive, where each hit of the combo can chunk you for most of your health. Enemies everywhere rely on delay attacks, holding their weapons in the air just until you finish rolling for a cheap kill. Some will defy physics and spin midair to land on you. The whole thing is about being cheesed by enemies or cheesing them by leveling. Even having the strongest physical defense armor in the entire game, plus dumping most of your points into Vigor, you will still be 2 shot by end bosses. Highly disappointing.

    The "open world" is rife with shambling creatures that walk in circles or wait patiently for you to approach and dispatch them. NPC stand around, lifeless in this uninspired world. You cannot track any quests, so unless you have a really good memory, you are expected to play with a journal by your side for notes. The UI used is ugly and over a decade old. Movement is nearly a direct copy from Dark Souls 3, with weapon Arts.

    The biggest crime here, though, is the reviews from Critics. Unanimously overflowing 10/10 review from nearly every gaming company out there. For a continuation of pretty niche type of game, the how is unreal. Especially when NOTHING here is revolutionary, inventive, or deserving of the word "masterpiece." At best it is bait to get people to buy Elden Ring, only to be highly disappointed after the refund return window has closed.

    Lastly, the hype of George RR Martin to sell the game! This is just using a name to sell your product. You can replace entire words with phrases from Dark Souls. Point of Lost Grace = Bonfire.

    Watch reviews (not 10/10 "critic" reviews, but actual USER reviews), check out some gameplay. Read reddit posts that are not biased towards it being great. Don't just jump on a train taking gaming in the wrong direction.    … Expand
  2. jacko6299
    Feb 28, 2022
    6
    Am I the only sane person without mob mentality left?
    Man I don't know what is warranting these high scores, I've never seen so many misleading review scores in my entire life. There's no story really, just esoteric lore peppered around. While the open world can be visually interesting from a aesthetic point of view at times, the open world can feel boring, empty lots of space and no    Am I the only sane person without mob mentality left?
    Man I don't know what is warranting these high scores, I've never seen so many misleading review scores in my entire life. There's no story really, just esoteric lore peppered around. While the open world can be visually interesting from a aesthetic point of view at times, the open world can feel boring, empty lots of space and no real incentive to fight a lot of the monsters. So the BOTW comparisons is laughable and Skyrim! lol i cant even... The game isn't bad its just 100% more of the same, don't let these people fool you about the magic of "discovering the open world" That this is straight up dark souls 4. same look, same feel same outdated graphics and same gameplay. You fight monsters in sometimes interesting fantasy settings, with extremely difficult combat. But 10s!! no!    … Expand
  3. anoncritic
    Mar 5, 2022
    6
    After years of success, which each entry into fromsoftwares legacy, Elden Ring was hyped to be the pinnacle of the Souls experience. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t live up to the hype. It feels like a step back from the progress sekiro and Bloodbourne made. The open world is bland, empty and boring. Finding reasons to continue playing the game gets more and more difficult as time goes on.After years of success, which each entry into fromsoftwares legacy, Elden Ring was hyped to be the pinnacle of the Souls experience. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t live up to the hype. It feels like a step back from the progress sekiro and Bloodbourne made. The open world is bland, empty and boring. Finding reasons to continue playing the game gets more and more difficult as time goes on. It is nowhere near FromSofts best entry, arguable being their worst. It feels like open world dark souls 1. A major step back. Completely disappointing. Rampant with performance issues and bugs. I could not see myself recommending this game to anyone.… Expand
  4. RowanBlack
    Mar 1, 2022
    5
    Very pretty but after a while you feel the world is silent and alone, often feeling like a fantasy MMO with no other people playing. It's not that the game is bad just the world while surprising at times is often very quiet. It also seems to be a large map of "lets see what's over there and can I kill it?" I'm not sure what exactly is says about a game that the community is moreVery pretty but after a while you feel the world is silent and alone, often feeling like a fantasy MMO with no other people playing. It's not that the game is bad just the world while surprising at times is often very quiet. It also seems to be a large map of "lets see what's over there and can I kill it?" I'm not sure what exactly is says about a game that the community is more concerned with finding leveling exploit spots than discussing the game it's self. If you like a constant string of challenging combat this will be for you. Everyone else? It's okay to explorers their is a lot to see. Anyone who likes a game to give you an explanation of how things work and where things are...you will not find that.… Expand
  5. cacwhere
    Mar 2, 2022
    5
    It's far from a masterpiece.

    Outdated graphics, poor optimization, simply not that great. I'd like to see reviews from journalists that aren't huge FS fans. This is a disgrace.
  6. Kryss_Everson
    Mar 12, 2022
    6
    If it's the GOTY, this year would be awful for gaming. It's just a Dark Souls 4 in an open world, nothing more. I you don't like the Dark Souls series and other look alike, you won't like this game too. The open world isn't revolutionary as some people said.
  7. Digital_Malz
    Mar 3, 2022
    5
    Let's break into points:
    1. A boring repetitive empty giant open world. Generic and recycled bosses and enemies;
    2. The same old-style FromSoftware way of telling a story: a boring puzzle that has to be solved through reading hundreds of items descriptions and cryptic conversations with stoned NPCs; 3. Clunky combat system and light-speed bosses from Tekken: rolling through infinite AoE    Let's break into points:
    1. A boring repetitive empty giant open world. Generic and recycled bosses and enemies;
    2. The same old-style FromSoftware way of telling a story: a boring puzzle that has to be solved through reading hundreds of items descriptions and cryptic conversations with stoned NPCs;
    3. Clunky combat system and light-speed bosses from Tekken: rolling through infinite AoE attack combos just to land one or two strikes, repeat;
    4. Few pieces of equipment and terrible drop rates. You kill a boss just to receive some useless material;
    5. Very beautiful art direction, BUT terrible graphics;
    6. Poor performance;
    7. Different from Dark Souls, and the others, Elden Ring is mediocre at building tension. Dark Souls is a game that has you always under pressure, theres is little to no rest. You can only feel safe when you're resting at a bonfire. When you play for the first time, you never know what to expect. Enemies are strategically placed, as well as traps. And they're everywhere, all the time. Elden Ring can't do this. There are long pauses to "commune with nature", because the big empty open world is not threatening. You can see the enemies from distance, and you're never caught by surprise. The way from Ruin A to Ruin B is safe and sound... And once you approach Ruin B, you know "ok, now I'll face some challenge", at this moment, there's no tension, it was ruined by the anticipation. You always know what to expect and when;
    8. Multiplayer is the same old song: dependant on consumable items and limited to smoke walls. FS could have delivered a true multiplayer, but they are too addicted to the same old colorful phantoms paradigma.
    Am I saying the game is not good? No, I'm not. I'm just convicted that Elden Ring is far from being the Eight World Wonder that media wants it to be. Way too far from 97 on Metacritic. In my opinion, the worst among it's siblings.    … Expand
  8. Gothmog94
    Mar 2, 2022
    6
    Its ok but that's all it really is. Its DS3 but with more build customization basically. So if you just want the same old Dark Souls but more content you'll be satisfied. But it isn't nearly as innovative as the press and streamers have made it out to be.

    Cons Combat hasn't taken any steps forward its still L1 Spam or R1 spam no real combos or varied movesets like Nioh has for example.    Its ok but that's all it really is. Its DS3 but with more build customization basically. So if you just want the same old Dark Souls but more content you'll be satisfied. But it isn't nearly as innovative as the press and streamers have made it out to be.

    Cons
    Combat hasn't taken any steps forward its still L1 Spam or R1 spam no real combos or varied movesets like Nioh has for example. Enviromental collision/obstacles is terrible with enemies reaching through whole walls and pillars as it always has been. Frames drop pretty consitently during combat even on framerate mode. But hopefully that'll be a simple patch here soon.

    Not enough boss variety to fill the open world. They use many of the bosses 4 or more times throughout a single playthrough. With one of them being Asylum Demon from DS1. I mean come on we already had to fight him 3 times in that one 11 years ago now another 4 in this game?! Poise still sucks. I don't want broken DS1 poise where everyone havels but there really is no point in heavy armor if even hits that do almost no damage can stagger/stun lock. Pros
    Atmosphere is the best its been for a souls game.
    Actually a decent number of NPCs to meet and have minor roles/quests with
    The new customizable flask is probably the best part/innovation.
    Map & fast travel is an extreme improvement but I can't give them major credit for something that's been a feature in other games since 2005 lol. That should have been a thing already.    … Expand
  9. Handheld_Gamer
    Mar 2, 2022
    6
    Still the souls games are weak from the narrative telling factor.. the world are fantastic however the game its not for all the gamers.. its too hard.. nice to try but its not a fun experience for the beginners..
  10. 2L4V
    Mar 2, 2022
    6
    The frame rate is bad in the performance mode. Rock solid 60 fps is mandatory for such game where your reflex plays first role. I do not understand why you have released it knowing how it works…
  11. Pablo_9648
    Mar 6, 2022
    5
    Definetly the worst game from the soul series, as it even gets to be called a "soul series game" even though it pretends (or was marketed pretending to) be something new and different. It is not. The game is a poor mixture of Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne and Sekiro. It's absolutely generic, as it copies infinite secondary and mini-bosses from the previous games. The game is an eternal liop inDefinetly the worst game from the soul series, as it even gets to be called a "soul series game" even though it pretends (or was marketed pretending to) be something new and different. It is not. The game is a poor mixture of Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne and Sekiro. It's absolutely generic, as it copies infinite secondary and mini-bosses from the previous games. The game is an eternal liop in a poor open word, boring and repetitive, with no plot (contrary to what was sold, using the name of George R. R. Martin). After all that, graphics were far better on Demon Souls. Even still, the game struggles to load scenarios, hardly runs smooth on 60 fps using the performance mode and has a lot of issues. For example, I had one boss, wich was so generic I can't remind his name, being sanding still at his final 10% of life waiting for me to put him out of misery (wich was probably being a part of this game). Never seen such an overrated game. I only recomend it if you are in for some dark souls copied gameplay, wich may be fun. Don't expect more than that.… Expand
  12. themostunclean
    Mar 6, 2022
    6
    First off, I can call myself a Soulsborne veteran at this point. After Bloodborne I went back and played every game since Demon’s Souls and even recently completed the remake. But the formula is getting boring and Elden Ring does literally nothing new outside of being set in a directionless open world. The move to an open world also destroyed everything that was actually fun about theFirst off, I can call myself a Soulsborne veteran at this point. After Bloodborne I went back and played every game since Demon’s Souls and even recently completed the remake. But the formula is getting boring and Elden Ring does literally nothing new outside of being set in a directionless open world. The move to an open world also destroyed everything that was actually fun about the earlier games. Secret shortcuts- almost none. Great rewards for defeating bosses you spent hours defeating- nope but hope you like getting a bunch of useless crafting materials or NOTHING AT ALL.

    The reviewers major outlets chose are mostly Fromsoft veteran fanboys who believe every Souls game is a masterpiece. If you’re a veteran like me and felt the games were getting a bit stale DO NOT BELIEVE the 97 score. This game does nothing revolutionary for Souls games or for open world titles.    … Expand
  13. aligalahan
    Mar 6, 2022
    6
    I own both PC and PS5 versions of the game. For PS5 version i will ignore the technical aspects. To call this game Open World RPG will be huge misleading the gamers. It is not a story driven RPG. The "world" is not lived in. It is not a meaningful representation of any world setting. Best way to explain what it is a Lovecraftian nightmarish realm with bosses and monsters spread around theI own both PC and PS5 versions of the game. For PS5 version i will ignore the technical aspects. To call this game Open World RPG will be huge misleading the gamers. It is not a story driven RPG. The "world" is not lived in. It is not a meaningful representation of any world setting. Best way to explain what it is a Lovecraftian nightmarish realm with bosses and monsters spread around the map. Only meaningful anchors for a human players are the occasional NPCs that are as vendors. They are incredibly out of place, literally and figuratively. So this cannot be the best Open World RPG game ever, since it is neither a open world nor an RPG game. It is a soul game takes place on a open area/field. It is more like a monster fighting arena game with skill progression. It is not something you can compare to Witcher3 or Skyrim etc. Let's get that part straight first since professional media is misleading players who are not familiar with Soul games.

    Defining characteristic of a Soul game is "extremely hard" boss fights. And not its story. Not so surprisingly that is also the case here. There is no meaningful story here, there are tons of obscure and non sensical narrative. Part Japanese translation, part source material. Whatever GRR martin has written (if any), clearly developer just tromped on it and what is left is nonsensical garbage. You will enjoy this game, if primary reason you play the games is challenge and skill progression.

    The game is closer to MMOs than single player open world RPGs. You need to farm a lot in this game to give your character a chance to kill next required boss. It has even same MMO raid zoning type setups in the game.

    Now i know i sound negative. But in reality game is an addictive and good game. It is more like 7 or 8 out of 10. That is if you like the unique genre this game is. Yes there is something like that. It is called "Soul like" games. You die hundreds of times and build the skillset to kill impossibly difficult nightmarish next boss.

    Graphics of the game is closer to Oblivion than Skyrim, much worse than Witcher3, or Red Dead Redemption. It runs on old engine. Developer tried to compensate this by adding "Silmarillion" style majestic light trees, and that is creating an illusion of fantastic setting. graphics are poor. But artistic style is good, with what is available to them developers created an interesting world. I wish they actually put some stories in there to explain the lore behind it.

    Overall it is the best Souls game. but it is no way the best open world RPG where all reviewers are lying about. Be aware before buying. Especially the ones that are not familiar with this genre.

    So how did this game got the 10/10 scores from all professional reviewers. It looks like there is a simple answer. Because unlike other games, only the "soul fanatics" reviewed this game. Why is that? Because game is so so difficult to play and beat in the given time frame for a preview of 1 week, for most media sites, only the Fans of the Soul like games have committed to the review, and result is magnum opus rating, for a not so magnum opus product.

    Now that said, i started to enjoy more and more as i play the game. It is extremely addictive and exploration and character progression aspects are well done. So i am altering my score to 6. I think if you are not uber fan of souls genre, this is more reasonable rating.

    Ultimately IMO Elden ring is not an RPG game, it is an Arcade game with similarities to modern MMOs than popular open world RPGs. Its biggest flaw in my mind it does not have a cohesive story, you can finish this entire game and you wouldnt know what the heck it was about. Every human you encounter in this world, save few NPCs are hostile against you. By definition the world is not immersive, it is an arcade battleground with focus on combat and killing bosses.

    Peace out.    … Expand
  14. chip1980
    Dec 9, 2022
    5
    I feel this game is massively overrated. It looks like a 2012-2013 game in terms of graphics and world design. The world is big, but not as live and open as you thought should be. Lot of linear caves, and areas only accessible by 1 path, and sadly, that goes in favor of the game overall. Certainly this game is a huge improvement over the Souls formula, but when compared outside the SoulsI feel this game is massively overrated. It looks like a 2012-2013 game in terms of graphics and world design. The world is big, but not as live and open as you thought should be. Lot of linear caves, and areas only accessible by 1 path, and sadly, that goes in favor of the game overall. Certainly this game is a huge improvement over the Souls formula, but when compared outside the Souls franchise with other action-RPG-souls-like games at best its mediocre. Only recomended if you like the Souls formula, because it's the only thing it can offer.… Expand
  15. yeastori
    Apr 15, 2023
    6
    Definitely overrated, I just got the Platinum Trophy and just can't for the life of me understand why people think its worth of GOTY. Its good and fun sure but visually aged, and game mechanic is repetitive. Not boring but repetitive. Not worth a buy but maybe a rent or borrow from your friends to try out. Story is really stupid and always nonexistence.
  16. MLG_MAX
    Dec 27, 2022
    5
    I wanted to love this game so much but once I reached the endgame I couldn't bring myself to play it any longer. while there are many things I love about the game I had become so bored of the repetitive bosses and enemies that I couldn't enjoy the game any longer. I was not under leveled nor did I have a crap build I just could not play it any longer I wished i loved the game butI wanted to love this game so much but once I reached the endgame I couldn't bring myself to play it any longer. while there are many things I love about the game I had become so bored of the repetitive bosses and enemies that I couldn't enjoy the game any longer. I was not under leveled nor did I have a crap build I just could not play it any longer I wished i loved the game but truthfully I can not even play it the bosses became so bad and just borderline unfair that even after taking breaks i could no longer progress. I am not just hating on the game and if you enjoyed it im glad but this game for me is unplayable and insanely boring.… Expand
  17. Jackward1
    Nov 20, 2022
    5
    (First of all, I have never played any souls game before Elden ring came out, so my opinions are probably not as reliable as others.) I think that this game is a good game, but it's just repetitive a lot of the time. When I bought this game I was expecting to have a massive world that I could explore and go anywhere that I want. The world is big, but you can not explore it easily, and many(First of all, I have never played any souls game before Elden ring came out, so my opinions are probably not as reliable as others.) I think that this game is a good game, but it's just repetitive a lot of the time. When I bought this game I was expecting to have a massive world that I could explore and go anywhere that I want. The world is big, but you can not explore it easily, and many areas are restricted. In my opinion, I think being able to just go anywhere on the map easily would benefit this game, similar to Zelda. On a positive note, I do think that the gameplay and difficulty are perfect, despite how hard it is. I do think this game definitely has its moments, especially when you are fighting a boss. This game probably has the most variety in terms of enemies and biomes, but a lot of the biomes are just bland and ugly. Another complaint I have is that the weapon/armor system is horrible. There is just way too many weapons that it becomes incredibly overwhelming to choose a good one that fits you. If someone were to ask me if they should buy Elden Ring, I would tell them that it really depends on the type of games that you like to play.… Expand
  18. rp36
    Apr 29, 2023
    7
    The high critic score is a case study in what happens when hype builds for so long. Similarly with all these 10/10 ratings. More and more people simply cannot think for themselves.

    This is arguably the worst soulslike game (better than DS2). The open world is large, but lifeless. The exploration can be good, and really does shine when you come across legacy dungeons, but the open world    The high critic score is a case study in what happens when hype builds for so long. Similarly with all these 10/10 ratings. More and more people simply cannot think for themselves.

    This is arguably the worst soulslike game (better than DS2). The open world is large, but lifeless. The exploration can be good, and really does shine when you come across legacy dungeons, but the open world is such a waste of time. The bosses are a smidge better than those of DS2, but there are so many with so few having high quality. The delayed attacks are so frequent it makes fighting jarring. Not difficult, just jarring and lacking in rhythm.

    I've platinumed Bloodborne, Sekiro, DS3, and DS2 (and completed DeS and DS1)...this is my least favourite by far. Though I can see how on an objective level it's superior to DS2.    … Expand
  19. SirMagicPenguin
    Mar 4, 2022
    7
    This game is brilliant and disappointing at the same time, I feel like a lot of these problems is the symptom of being a open world game. I won't go into technical issues as those could be fixed later on and I want to review the actual game instead of how it looks.

    Most bosses are amazing and fun to fight while others are some of the worst I have ever seen and I'm surprised they made it    This game is brilliant and disappointing at the same time, I feel like a lot of these problems is the symptom of being a open world game. I won't go into technical issues as those could be fixed later on and I want to review the actual game instead of how it looks.

    Most bosses are amazing and fun to fight while others are some of the worst I have ever seen and I'm surprised they made it into the final game. The early boss fights to me seem higher quality and less gimicky/unfair than the later ones and I found fighting them going from fun to incredibly tedious and boring.

    The dungeon design is incredibly frustrating with the way forward being chosen a random it seems, I think this was done to encourage exploration but it just leads to multiple times you run loops around a dungeon while getting very confused it makes me thankful for past souls games level design (mostly). I would say this overall is the worst dungeon design in any modern FromSoft game. A lot of the enemy placement in dungeons feels very spiteful as well, It gets tedious where there is a ambush every corridor or a instant kill trap you would not know is there until you died from it.

    Random enemies normally don't give enough rewards to fight them leading to me just simply running past because I don't feel they are worth my time. I think this is due to the fact there are soo many enemies to fill up the world so they can't give that many rewards to balance the game.

    Enemies also get reused a lot in the later areas leading to them feeling bland and lazy, including bosses. Like once you fought one dragon or Erdtree avatar you've fought them all.
    The map did make me want to explore with landmarks but I often found myself saying "That was it" or "That's disappointing" the map looks more interesting than it actually is to me because I was always getting gear or weapons I will never use.

    The level differences between areas is extreme where one minute your fine next you do next to no damage and get 1 shotted by everything, I think they should of had a gradient as you went further into areas where enemies got stronger the deeper you went instead of a line where a dog from one side is as weak as a pug and the other as strong as a wolf on steroids.

    Fighting bosses you can often tell if your underleveled for them since their health goes up a ton leading to a test run of a boss and realising "Oh I guess I'm too low level". The bosses are doable at lower levels but incredibly tedious to fight since they take ages since the health bosses have is very generous and one mistake and you get one shotted, but also this works in the other way where bosses you missed feel way too easy and die in seconds. This often makes bosses feel like they are stat checkers.

    Getting gear is a mixed bag, The builds you can do are amazing and I like the choice but getting that build is another story. You either have to get lucky with what you find or look up a guide since they are so spread out often leading to you feeling really weak cause you don't have anything decent or synergises well.

    Ashes of war are a good addition and spice up the gameplay is unique ways. Spirit summons are a good feature as well to help out those who need a little extra help. However having as many upgrades as they do for weapons is a little ridiculous and not enough resources drop to give the player much freedom to upgrade loads of weapons to test them out.

    Sorry for the rant but I love the game just like the other souls games but I am not one to sit back and not admit any of it's mistakes because this game makes many mistakes, and ones not learned from past souls games as well.    … Expand
  20. Tr4kt
    Mar 19, 2022
    7
    It's a decent game but not all that strong an effort from From. The graphics are quite lovely. The story is generic. The GUI is atrocious. Any game with out a quit to desktop function in 2022 is suspect. The combat is certainly the weakest of the From games I have played. It relies on copy pasted enemies, and unoptimized boss fights to pad game play time.

    Go Play Dark Souls 1 if you    It's a decent game but not all that strong an effort from From. The graphics are quite lovely. The story is generic. The GUI is atrocious. Any game with out a quit to desktop function in 2022 is suspect. The combat is certainly the weakest of the From games I have played. It relies on copy pasted enemies, and unoptimized boss fights to pad game play time.

    Go Play Dark Souls 1 if you haven't already. its the same game play with a much better map.    … Expand
  21. DracomW
    Mar 19, 2022
    7
    Too many repeated bosses, late game is kinda boring, ashes of war are so weak and pathetic in comparison with unique weapons, performance problems... Ilike a lot in the begining but now is kinda sad, I love Radahn but I hate fighting with the same enemies over and over again
  22. unborn_pro
    Mar 4, 2022
    5
    Copy-Paste, Boring and repetitive gameplay, old graphics and pop in everywhere.
  23. Startainfectio
    Mar 19, 2022
    5
    Fromsoft continues to use archaic mechanics in the name of difficulty while other developers that were inspired to create difficult games because of fromsofts (undeserved) critical reception have seemingly all surpassed them in every aspect of game design from combat to traversal to designing a fun difficulty curve, absolutely not a “must play” for anyone unfamiliar with fromsoft’s pastFromsoft continues to use archaic mechanics in the name of difficulty while other developers that were inspired to create difficult games because of fromsofts (undeserved) critical reception have seemingly all surpassed them in every aspect of game design from combat to traversal to designing a fun difficulty curve, absolutely not a “must play” for anyone unfamiliar with fromsoft’s past games… Expand
  24. Afufu
    Mar 19, 2022
    7
    The first 20 hours were absolute phenomenal. It felt like an amazing open world game, in which you are free from the beginning. But after a while, the gameplay becomes repetitive and boring. All dungeons get frustrating and boring after you already completed some. This game is also unbalanced. You don't even need armor because the bosses will always two shot you. You could spend over anThe first 20 hours were absolute phenomenal. It felt like an amazing open world game, in which you are free from the beginning. But after a while, the gameplay becomes repetitive and boring. All dungeons get frustrating and boring after you already completed some. This game is also unbalanced. You don't even need armor because the bosses will always two shot you. You could spend over an hour trying to complete a dungeon and get nothing as a reward.
    I bet that if this game came out from an unknown publisher it wouldn't get a 96 rating which is way too high. Thus game had the potential to be one of the greatest games ever but after a while, so can see that its just not good enough.    … Expand
  25. Shmecus99
    Mar 19, 2022
    7
    Developers do not know how to balance the game whatsoever. Boss battles are often unfair, and really spammy.
  26. ganisberke
    Mar 23, 2022
    5
    Elden Ring is a totally average game. Don't believe the trolls and the toxic community talk. Many people consider From Software to be the originator of the Souls genre. It actually has its origins in Nihon Falcom. Therefore, according to them, Miyazaki is a messiah. However, Miyazaki and the Souls team is still making the same mistakes.

    Objective problems: -Hitboxes are not good.    Elden Ring is a totally average game. Don't believe the trolls and the toxic community talk. Many people consider From Software to be the originator of the Souls genre. It actually has its origins in Nihon Falcom. Therefore, according to them, Miyazaki is a messiah. However, Miyazaki and the Souls team is still making the same mistakes.

    Objective problems:

    -Hitboxes are not good. There are times when it reminds me of the DS2.
    -Boss designs are very unbalanced. They didn't really work well with many bosses.
    -The game gets too repetitive. Open world exploration is nice, but it gets boring quickly.
    -There seems to be a lot of items, but in the end, a few items are the most useful. The game forces you for make to broken builds. Because some boss designs require it. All builds look alike. For example, more than half of even PvP uses blood builds.
    -Optimization is still not fixed and every update is getting worse.
    -Spells are powerful. Playing spell builds are more advantageous in many ways.
    -Camera angles are not good. It really causes trouble. When the number of enemies is high, you cannot control field of view.
    -Lore quality is definitely a controversial topic. However, it has the same lore in other Souls games. Only their names have changed. George R. R. Martin is just PR work.
    -Enemies are just based on nonstop spawn attacks with endless stamina as like most of bosses.
    -Many of the bosses repeat themselves. Most bosses are either the same or reskin version.
    -The hit feeling is not good. Especially the bosses don't even react properly to your attacks.
    -It has a toxic and cancerous player base.
    -Artificial intelligence problems. A real disaster.
    -It is a headache for some attacks in the game to pass through objects.

    Conclusion:

    This game is not a masterpiece. Not on a new ip. It's just Dark Souls 4 with open world.    … Expand
  27. svensenk86
    Apr 5, 2022
    7
    so finally I managed to jump in Elden Ring, had it already on release day, but Forbidden West and another round of Zero Dawn took time....tough to go into that world when you come out of Horizon, which is much more beautiful, colorful and a driven story based game....so the first hours were really tough and I thought of quitting and putting it aside first, but no, I liked Demon Souls, Iso finally I managed to jump in Elden Ring, had it already on release day, but Forbidden West and another round of Zero Dawn took time....tough to go into that world when you come out of Horizon, which is much more beautiful, colorful and a driven story based game....so the first hours were really tough and I thought of quitting and putting it aside first, but no, I liked Demon Souls, I liked Dark Souls so I waited for that trigger to keep me playing, and there it was, now I am stuck in this world ;) it is all the best from DS3 and Demon Souls...the more you get into that the more you like it! graphic wise it cannot challenge Horizon, not even Zero Dawn, but it still looks pretty good sometimes. the enemies are awesome, Lord of the Rings feeling!
    The best improvements compared to prev Souls games: Refill of the healing drinks during open world travels, fair save points in the encounters, challenging, but fair.
    The worst: No quest log, I don`t know what the idea behind is, but it is impossible to remember every NPC quest...there is no sense at all I find not to have a questlog...for this alone minus 2 points....why do I need to google first what I have to do in castle Morone for example first. the other minus is for the performance on the PS5, in Horizon which is much more detailed and beautiful it is smooth as hot butter, but in Elden Ring I find myself with lags....annoying sometimes.
    All in all great game, but I never would rate it as high as it is in all the magazines. I will be lost in this world for a couple of hours I guess :)    … Expand
  28. dangerfar
    Apr 26, 2023
    6
    I'm frankly pretty surprised how widely acclaimed this game is. The huge world is devoid of anything interesting other than battles, the score is terrible other than a few standout bossfights and in the open world score is often bad enough to become actually grating, and there's nothing resembling the faintest bit of interesting story or lore here as there are no concepts in it fleshed outI'm frankly pretty surprised how widely acclaimed this game is. The huge world is devoid of anything interesting other than battles, the score is terrible other than a few standout bossfights and in the open world score is often bad enough to become actually grating, and there's nothing resembling the faintest bit of interesting story or lore here as there are no concepts in it fleshed out enough or given enough background to be even vaguely compelling.

    The combat, though it is wonderfully varied in the way you can approach it, in practice ends up becoming fairly tedious b/c the game is challenging enough that you don't really have time for experimentation/exploration (unless you can stand a lot of repetition), you just need to optimize a build and some builds (particularly magic) are spammy and repetitive. And again b/c of the annoying repetition that comes with wandering around and dying, you end up having to look things up to get sufficient tools to make meaningfully progress to actually open up the places you can go. Thus having such a large open world becomes fairly meaningless as the joy from exploration is sucked out of it.

    On the one hand the open world and and leveling system with diverse possibilities and the very impressive variety of enemies and environments is very attractive and makes me want to like the game, and has driven me enough to spend some 50 hours with it and at times really enjoy the experience (mostly when I was able to explore without dying constantly and the world was still new). But on the other the above detractors end up adding up to a rather drab experience overall where I feel like I'm running around without much interesting to do. Compared with say Skyrim which has rich possibilities to explore the world outside of combat with a sensational score to go along with it, playing games like this just feel fairly empty.

    But I guess they have a large audience. Sadly it seems I'm just not one of them.    … Expand
  29. SamuraiEdgeplay
    Mar 19, 2022
    7
    Immaculate, well built, and rewards curiosity, but it's unfortunately not fun, overstays its welcome, and seems to get more of a kick torturing you with some fights / mechanics than creating something enjoyable. Far from the perfect game, but too interesting not to experience yourself.
  30. mikas323
    Mar 19, 2022
    6
    Could be the best game ever but the buggy laggy mess destroyed this game to me...lag input is a thing in this game...unplayable game
  31. Forestus
    Mar 8, 2022
    7
    Let me preface this review by saying I am a souls veteran with over 100 hours of play time so far in Elden Ring, and some of what I will talk about may only become apparent later on for those with less time on their hands. This will contain no specific spoilers, but I will be talking about the general flow of the game and specific mechanics.

    Elden Rings best period is it’s first 30    Let me preface this review by saying I am a souls veteran with over 100 hours of play time so far in Elden Ring, and some of what I will talk about may only become apparent later on for those with less time on their hands. This will contain no specific spoilers, but I will be talking about the general flow of the game and specific mechanics.

    Elden Rings best period is it’s first 30 hours of play, which in my opinion is why public reception is so good right now. The first two story bosses in that time are great, the exploration is fresh, and you’re basically still learning how to play the game during that time. Martins touch on the lore is very obvious and builds an interesting fantasy world. There are also many improvements to the combat overall in this game. Having a dedicated jump button and jump attacks feel good. Ashes of war are a great concept merging weapon arts and infusions into one elegant and fun system that allow for a lot of build diversity. Certain boss mechanics that people didn’t like from old games have been incorporated in new, better ways that make them not suck as much.

    Once you’ve explored the first two or three major zones however the game feels stale. The only areas that have that same creative and intricate level design that the souls games had are the major legacy dungeons, and certain entire regions of the world feel mostly empty barring some enemies scattered around. Instead, the game wants you to spend a lot of your time in dungeons grinding optional bosses, runes, and upgrade materials. Elden Ring is not linear and there are dozens if not hundreds of small scale dungeons and caves, but because of that these dungeons are much less interesting than the typical dark souls level. Many dungeon paths are quite literally copied and pasted from other dungeons in the game. They are not the same quality as even minor legacy dungeons, and feel like you’re doing filler content to pad out a zone.

    In typical souls fashion there are not many quest lines, and for Elden Ring that means simply not enough content to flesh out a world this size. The game knows this and tries to give you extra clues to reach its secret areas but it’s not always enough. Important items that would have been creatively hidden throughout a dark souls level now are spread across these similar dungeons all over the map. items that unlock game defining combat systems are entirely missable.

    The existence of mounted combat disrupts the combat mechanics you’ve grown to expect of from software in a bad way. Some world bosses are designed around you fighting them on horseback, but certain attacks from these same bosses are also difficult to avoid on horseback without the ability to dodge roll. This leads to a clunky feeling fight where half of it is slowly trying to position your horse the right way so your short weapon can actually reach the enemy, and the other half is you struggling with the menus to resummon your horse when it asks if you want to consume a flask. When you aren’t fighting bosses the mounted combat makes most other enemies extremely easy to deal with. Despite this, crossing large expanses of the rather empty world still feels tedious because there just isn't enough to do and most enemies are pushovers from horseback.

    There are many games where bosses are hit or miss in the souls series, but at least the vast majority of them are unique and creatively designed. In Elden Ring it’s unbelievably obvious how much more effort was put into main story bosses than dungeon bosses. This is another major part beyond the level design that makes the dungeons feel so boring. As a dark souls player who loves fighting good bosses, this game gives me boss fatigue. You encounter one every 30 minutes of exploration, but the majority of them beyond the first zones are once again, quite literally copied and pasted from previous sections. Great, you killed that boss from that zone 1 dungeon? Now this is zone 3, so here is the same boss but this time it’s two of them. Or now it’s the same boss from before, except he has 1 new move, a new name, and 2x the health.

    This repetition doesn’t leave much excitement for the boss and just makes it feel like a chore, which is this games single biggest flaw. What are you really exploring if you’re seeing the same things over again? I’m not kidding, of the last approximately 10 named enemies that I have killed, only 2 of them were not reused, and I only found them because I’ve been actively trying my best to follow the few story lines I’m being presented with. Forgettable, easy to kill, and basic sometimes cheesy attack patterns. The only reasons they’re remembered are because you have to fight them so many times.

    This leads to an experience where the games main content is decent, but the open world which should be the entire selling point of the game feels monotonous, and is its worst quality.    … Expand
  32. RolandOG
    Mar 13, 2022
    5
    This industry will not fool us all. FromSoftware’s games are designed to slow your progression with cheap difficulty in order to hide the fact it has less content. Less money can go into making the game, but fans line up to hand over the same wad of cash they’d pay for a real 21st century video game because they poor money into advertising with images that teenagers will think looks justThis industry will not fool us all. FromSoftware’s games are designed to slow your progression with cheap difficulty in order to hide the fact it has less content. Less money can go into making the game, but fans line up to hand over the same wad of cash they’d pay for a real 21st century video game because they poor money into advertising with images that teenagers will think looks just so cool. Wow, it’s dark! The GOT dude is involved! Swords and magic! The whole gaming industry and reviewers are on board because there is more profit in it for them. Don’t be a dumb kid, and don’t buy any more of these kinds of games. See it for what it really is. If we keep buying in, these are the only kinds of games we’ll ever get. Do you really want this to be the best there is? 96 metascore, 10/10? When you buy these games, you give them your “yes” vote. The future of gaming is in our hands.… Expand
  33. Blusky
    Mar 1, 2022
    7
    I don't like it there's better games Fromsoftware over hyped! For sure I like Sakiro & Bloodborne & Souls before this.
  34. Belchh
    Mar 6, 2022
    7
    This the perfect version of Dark Souls as far as gameplay is concerned. Lots of systems that didn’t quite work in the previous games now make perfect sense. Exploration is continually rewarded. Boss fights are challenging and just like people wanted them to be.

    The problem is really me, I’m not most people. In fact, I’m downright weird. Which in this case means I actually played these    This the perfect version of Dark Souls as far as gameplay is concerned. Lots of systems that didn’t quite work in the previous games now make perfect sense. Exploration is continually rewarded. Boss fights are challenging and just like people wanted them to be.

    The problem is really me, I’m not most people. In fact, I’m downright weird. Which in this case means I actually played these torturous games – Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro – not for the challenge, but for their worldbuilding, their characters, in short, the stories they had to tell.

    Don’t get me wrong. All of that is still there. But it’s buried underneath dozens of hours of exploration and venturing into mini-dungeons.

    These are, in theory, well-designed. After all, all of them are handcrafted. They aren’t procedurally generated Chalice Dungeons like in Bloodborne. Some of them even have lore significance. But most of them have very little in the way of that upon closer examination.

    Oh, you’ll be amply rewarded for going in and clearing out the baddies. This is not like Breath of the Wild where you get the same orb 100 times. But see, I’m just not the type of person who cares. And that’s where my issue is with this game. Exploring the open world is required so you can level up and defeat the real bosses of the main quest.

    I’d rather not. The ratio of “just another item I won’t use because I already got the Heater Shield and Longsword at the start” to discovery of important locations and encounters with actually interesting characters is about 5:1, being very generous.

    Note that I did not finish this game, and I think that that’s unreasonable to expect of a single human being. But I did put 40 hours into it and reached the capital, thoroughly underleveled. I’m dropping it now, even though it hurts to never see the development of all these characters go anywhere.

    I know that for lots of people, this’ll be a 10/10 experience. Just not for freaks like me, sorry to say. And as you’re probably also one of those, don’t buy this game. It’s not worth it for you. And I know I’m talking to one of you because you actually read my entire thing. Toodles.    … Expand
  35. maxikq
    Apr 23, 2022
    6
    I'm a souls veteran who finished all games multiple times, spent around 1000h in total playing FromSoftware games, 150h in Elden Ring, and I couldn't figure out why there is so much hype about this game which is clearly the worst of all souls-games (besides DS2). Now I think I figured it out.

    FromSoftware told people that Elden Ring is not Dark Souls and it is more accessible to regular    I'm a souls veteran who finished all games multiple times, spent around 1000h in total playing FromSoftware games, 150h in Elden Ring, and I couldn't figure out why there is so much hype about this game which is clearly the worst of all souls-games (besides DS2). Now I think I figured it out.

    FromSoftware told people that Elden Ring is not Dark Souls and it is more accessible to regular players. Both information is a lie obviously because Elden Ring IS Dark Souls 3.5 and IS much more difficult than other souls because of bad boss fights balance, bad locations balance, and unhandled balancing issues caused by open world.

    Therefore, my guess is that people giving 10/10 are mostly new players in the genre who have experienced the souls game for the first time and obviously any souls game will give you this amazing feeling of accomplishment. Even though Elden Ring is the worst of all FromSoftware games in terms of lore, performance, balance, dialogs, and boss design. So they give 10/10 to the game that is different than anything they previously experienced, not knowing that this is not the best the genre offers :).

    Btw. Elden Ring has the worst user reviews score from all souls games on Metacritic.

    I guess soon Elden Ring players will play other FS games like Bloodborne and will realize that Elden Ring is not the best souls game :) then reviews will be updated.    … Expand
  36. digi-
    Mar 8, 2022
    7
    This game is not a masterpiece this game is not a 10 out of 10. The one thing that this game is definitively is overhyped. I have spent about 60 hrs playing and I will say I have enjoyed myself a good majority of that time, but there are a lot of glaring issues that are present in Elden Ring. I understand that some people really did not like the linearity of the souls archetype of games,This game is not a masterpiece this game is not a 10 out of 10. The one thing that this game is definitively is overhyped. I have spent about 60 hrs playing and I will say I have enjoyed myself a good majority of that time, but there are a lot of glaring issues that are present in Elden Ring. I understand that some people really did not like the linearity of the souls archetype of games, and when meeting a hard boss it was more frustrating than fun to beat your head against the wall until something gave. To circumvent that issue they implemented open world which means you can go somewhere else and come back at any given point in time which is cool on paper! This would be fine IF the world itself didn't feel empty for the most part. Sure you have some cool locations scattered throughout the world that are really awesome experiences, but at some point you forgo exploring for just finding the nearest grace and teleporting around because you instinctively realize that there isn't much to do between point A and B unless you consider collecting another erdleaf a grand time. The biggest problem that I personally have with the game is that the sense of achievement is largely dulled when it comes to defeating a hard boss. You fight so many bosses at every twist and turn and sure some of them are harder than others, but they are so littered throughout every point in the game that eventually it just becomes a slog to get through. You want to get to this checkpoint, well here fight this boss first, you want to get to a new area, Well F you take this boss instead! There's no build up no tension it just becomes routine. When you get to a main area with a main boss thats where the game to me really takes over and shines. In those moments I really found myself having a real joy, but sadly due to open world aspect of the game the developers focused on making the world cohesive instead of the experience of being in the actual main areas itself. Overall it's a good game It has some moments that really make you enjoy it all but sadly mired with a rather mediocre open world and plague of bosses that make you feel more tired than exhilarated once defeating them.… Expand
  37. Eclipse4444
    Mar 10, 2022
    7
    An open world game must sacrifice some aspects due to the sheer size of the world they're creating. Unfortunately, much of what made the Dark Souls series so good has been lost or greatly reduced. Intricate, well thought out level design is now rare. Most of the various dungeons, castles, mines, and other environments are pretty straight forward.

    Enemy and boss design seems to have    An open world game must sacrifice some aspects due to the sheer size of the world they're creating. Unfortunately, much of what made the Dark Souls series so good has been lost or greatly reduced. Intricate, well thought out level design is now rare. Most of the various dungeons, castles, mines, and other environments are pretty straight forward.

    Enemy and boss design seems to have suffered as well. Almost every minor boss is fought numerous times, which kills any sort of uniqueness they had.
    Also, it feels like the developers are constantly trying to one up themselves. Every major boss has to have an over the top moveset that does a million damage, particle effects, and soundtrack. I am not asking for an easy mode, but I am asking for some competent game design.

    Overall, it's fine. The first 20 hours are great, but the rest gets tedious. To see such a great developer make a game filled with baffling and outright bad design choice, makes me unable to go above a 7/10.    … Expand
  38. TheRealReal
    Mar 2, 2022
    5
    I’m a regular person playing this game. I’ve never rated a game on this website and I thought I would do so with this one. This is by far the least accessible souls I’ve played out of all the soulstitles. I’ll say the pros. The pros are the visuals, the music throughout the game, the combat system, and more. But bro , the boss battles are so stupidly implemented with one shot mechanics andI’m a regular person playing this game. I’ve never rated a game on this website and I thought I would do so with this one. This is by far the least accessible souls I’ve played out of all the soulstitles. I’ll say the pros. The pros are the visuals, the music throughout the game, the combat system, and more. But bro , the boss battles are so stupidly implemented with one shot mechanics and unavoidable randomized attacks. I’m currently on the last boss, I have completed the game up to that point and I would never recommend this game to a newcomer or a friend trying to get into the series. Even for me somebody who has beaten all the souls games in the past, the bosses on this game are on a different level compared to past souls entries. I would say if you’re playing the game in terms of starting to mid level you’re going to have a great time. But close to endgame types of bosses, you’re going to spend countless hours due to one shot mechanics that even at high vigor will not save you from unless you overlevel which I feel should not be needed for these types of games because it feels cheap. I feel that the difficulty of these late bosses are implemented so poorly that I feel a number of people will give up due to their cheap mechanics. This game is just good at the beginning but late game is so terrible with these fights and I don’t know why they think good gameplay should include one shot mechanics and randomized unavoidable attacks that take so many hours to master.… Expand
  39. Kindlar
    Mar 7, 2022
    7
    I wish I hadn't seen any reviews prior to playing the game, as I think it has left me disappointed.

    The reviews got me to expect a transcendence. Like going from Final Fantasy 6 to 7, or Fallout 2 to 3. What I found was a good game. Better than average to be sure, but not what I was hoping for. I am lacking in fun. Right now the drive to beat it keeping me going, but I am not finding    I wish I hadn't seen any reviews prior to playing the game, as I think it has left me disappointed.

    The reviews got me to expect a transcendence. Like going from Final Fantasy 6 to 7, or Fallout 2 to 3. What I found was a good game. Better than average to be sure, but not what I was hoping for. I am lacking in fun. Right now the drive to beat it keeping me going, but I am not finding myself going, "Wow that was fun." There are many things the game does well, and I think it is fantastic for the souls community, but I think it lack appeal to the non-souls community.

    I don't regret buying it, and I think I will beat it, but if you are on the fence, I may hold off. If you enjoy Souls, you are in for a treat.    … Expand
  40. Nandi
    Mar 21, 2022
    6
    Technically game is not next-gen and uses forced chromatic aberration filter to hide graphical flaws. Lots of texture and mesh pop in, mostly on environments.
    A lot of enemies and bosses are reskins from previous games, same goes for the players character animations. In a lot of cases not only animations but entire models are simply copied from previous games (giant crabs etc).    Technically game is not next-gen and uses forced chromatic aberration filter to hide graphical flaws. Lots of texture and mesh pop in, mostly on environments.
    A lot of enemies and bosses are reskins from previous games, same goes for the players character animations. In a lot of cases not only animations but entire models are simply copied from previous games (giant crabs etc).
    Mechanically game is identical to any soulsborne game, meaning controls (especially for keyboard & mouse) are inconvenient for 2022. UI is horrendous.
    Main bosses are forgettable and the world even tho it is open, feels empty or meaningless. Extremely large MMO buildings and areas - aka. exaggerated just for the sense of awe while inside is usually just an empty box. Soulsbourne cryptic type npcs work in linear games where you will meet them no matter what - these quest types are not fit an open world scenario.
    Music is uninspiring.
    Its an overhyped game with a horrible PC port.    … Expand
  41. ArturoCN20
    Mar 20, 2022
    6
    I dont like it I am sorry. I am not sure where the hype is coming from. Maybe it is just that the ganme is too difficult for me or that I am new to this kind of games.

    10 hours into the game and I dont feel like I know what the h*** I am doing. There is no sense of direction! I am not accomplishing anything! Graphics looked like the remastered version of The Witcher, which was released    I dont like it I am sorry. I am not sure where the hype is coming from. Maybe it is just that the ganme is too difficult for me or that I am new to this kind of games.

    10 hours into the game and I dont feel like I know what the h*** I am doing. There is no sense of direction! I am not accomplishing anything!

    Graphics looked like the remastered version of The Witcher, which was released 10 years ago? My character is not even talking LOL. Maybe thats the design of the game?

    I would like to give it more hours though. Let's see.    … Expand
  42. CJ1197
    Mar 15, 2022
    7
    As an avid FromSoft fan, I must say that this game has not met the hype for me. Many of my fellow SoulsBorne fans are willing to overlook the deficiencies that the game has in its current state, but I am not sure doing so is fair. Like cases should be treated alike, and I wouldn't withhold criticism from another game with performance issues, design flaws, and gameplay weaknesses justAs an avid FromSoft fan, I must say that this game has not met the hype for me. Many of my fellow SoulsBorne fans are willing to overlook the deficiencies that the game has in its current state, but I am not sure doing so is fair. Like cases should be treated alike, and I wouldn't withhold criticism from another game with performance issues, design flaws, and gameplay weaknesses just because of brand loyalty (or in hopes of future updates and improvements that will more fully capitalize on the potential of the formula), so I will not do so here. My critiques can be boiled down to 2 general points (all approbations of the game left unspoken for the sake of brevity). I am reviewing on PS5. Also, I beat the game after 80+ hours of play.

    1. Poor performance and failure to implement next-gen features. I've been playing through RDR2 while playing Elden Ring, and RDR2's graphics are noticeably better than Elden Ring's. I really admire Elden Ring's art direction, and found many in-game vistas quite beautiful, but they should be even more awe inspiring given the capabilities of the PS5. On top of lack luster graphics, the game's performance has been terrible at times. On many occasions, I've had frame rate drops that resulted in the screen, for all intents and purposes, being frozen. On top of that, throughout my entire play through, textures (trees, grass, etc.) wouldn't load in until my character was nearly on top of them. Watching environmental features pop into the screen left and right is really disappointing for a "next-gen" game, and is certainly an immersion breaker. My final complaint on this topic is the lack of haptic feedback implementation for PS5. Playing with a lifeless controller, after experiencing the allure of haptics with other PS5 games, is very disappointing (even RDR2 gives me some rumble here and there).

    2. The open-world and the FromSoft formula is not a seamless fit. This game took me over 80+ hours to complete, and although I have faced greater boss challenges in other souls games, I was more mentally exhausted playing this game than any other FromSoft title. I don't think Elden Ring alters the From formula enough to achieve "masterpiece" status. My 80th hour was not as exciting as my 30th. After that many hours, new and complex areas with concomitant boss challenges become less rewarding and more taxing. By hour 65, I just wanted the game to end. There isn't enough diversity in gameplay to provide enjoyment over such an extended experience. Aesthetic difference between levels didn't make up for that lack of diversity, either. I imagine this complaint would register even more so for new players due to the lack of a strong and compelling narrative. I enjoy the FromSoft approach to narratives, but in a game of this size and scope, players need some sense of story-driven tension woven throughout the experience to keep them engaged. The intermittent narrative tension cobbled around boss encounters hardly suffices. All this to say, I would've enjoyed a smaller and shorter version of this game more than its current version. Its final form just feels bloated. Moreover, I think (emphasis on the tentative nature of this statement) the FromSoft formula works better in the previous iterations than it does here. There was not enough revision of that formula to warrant the immensity of this gaming experience. Challenge becomes chore when the game refuses to end.    … Expand
  43. tmldan
    Mar 18, 2022
    6
    Tons of quality of life issues, performance is poor (tons of FPS drops on any platform), pop-in is all over the place and the world feels pretty empty and co-op is broken, graphical fidelity is also poor for 2022. Why can't from soft just allow people to play together consistently, this isn't 10 years ago where this was acceptable, the network is broken and co-op is just a pain in the ass.Tons of quality of life issues, performance is poor (tons of FPS drops on any platform), pop-in is all over the place and the world feels pretty empty and co-op is broken, graphical fidelity is also poor for 2022. Why can't from soft just allow people to play together consistently, this isn't 10 years ago where this was acceptable, the network is broken and co-op is just a pain in the ass.

    Over the years being a huge souls fan, i've been lenient with From Soft and hoped they would improve upon many things but they refuse particularly because reviewers are too nice to them. They deserve criticism not 10's.

    Anyways, this feels like dark souls 3 but open world, the world is made well but this is not innovative and feels samey.

    I hope From Soft becomes more ambitious rather than just making an open world.    … Expand
  44. Maugaran
    Mar 8, 2022
    7
    Totally overrated but good game. Nice fight system but empty world + trivial npcs. Not special Music.
  45. Sanz_22
    Mar 9, 2022
    5
    1. A boring repetitive empty giant open world. Generic and recycled bosses and enemies;
    2. The same old-style FromSoftware way of telling a story: a boring puzzle that has to be solved through reading hundreds of items descriptions and cryptic conversations with stoned NPCs;
    3. Clunky combat system and light-speed bosses from Tekken: rolling through infinite AoE attack combos just to land    1. A boring repetitive empty giant open world. Generic and recycled bosses and enemies;
    2. The same old-style FromSoftware way of telling a story: a boring puzzle that has to be solved through reading hundreds of items descriptions and cryptic conversations with stoned NPCs;
    3. Clunky combat system and light-speed bosses from Tekken: rolling through infinite AoE attack combos just to land one or two strikes, repeat;
    4. Few pieces of equipment and terrible drop rates. You kill a boss just to receive some useless material;
    5. Very beautiful art direction, BUT terrible graphics;
    6. Poor performance;
    7. Different from Dark Souls, and the others, Elden Ring is mediocre at building tension. Dark Souls is a game that has you always under pressure, theres is little to no rest. You can only feel safe when you're resting at a bonfire. When you play for the first time, you never know what to expect. Enemies are strategically placed, as well as traps. And they're everywhere, all the time. Elden Ring can't do this. There are long pauses to "commune with nature", because the big empty open world is not threatening. You can see the enemies from distance, and you're never caught by surprise. The way from Ruin A to Ruin B is safe and sound... And once you approach Ruin B, you know "ok, now I'll face some challenge", at this moment, there's no tension, it was ruined by the anticipation. You always know what to expect and when;
    8. Multiplayer is the same old song: dependant on consumable items and limited to smoke walls. FS could have delivered a true multiplayer, but they are too addicted to the same old colorful phantoms paradigma.
    Am I saying the game is not good? No, I'm not. I'm just convicted that Elden Ring is far from being the Eight World Wonder that media wants it to be. Way too far from 97 on Metacritic. In my opinion, the worst among it's siblings.    … Expand
  46. Lt_Meow-Meow
    Mar 16, 2022
    6
    This game attempts to marry open-world and souls-like design and tragically fails at both, being lesser than the sum of its parts. There's no incentive to explore unless you're grinding, as the world is too big to be interesting, instead full of copy-pasted environments and enemies, and the only reward for exploration is useless crafting materials and weapons you don't want. The game isThis game attempts to marry open-world and souls-like design and tragically fails at both, being lesser than the sum of its parts. There's no incentive to explore unless you're grinding, as the world is too big to be interesting, instead full of copy-pasted environments and enemies, and the only reward for exploration is useless crafting materials and weapons you don't want. The game is very poorly paced and balanced.

    I could go on for pages, but will spare you with brevity.    … Expand
  47. icedzug
    Mar 6, 2022
    7
    I find this game is much overrated. each from software game before was better. most enemy are just ridiculous or just overpowered, nothing between. Open World is full of Nothing but the same houses, the same trees and the same graveyards. Dungeon design just got worse
  48. vienne
    Mar 1, 2022
    5
    This is basically Dark Souls 3 in an open world.
    All mechanics are the same, i.e. outdated.
    Sekiro was a good step forward: deflections, "hesitation is defeat" and so on - great game, 9-10/10. People had high expectation, Mr. Miyazaki said that ER gotta show good graphics to keep up with Demon's Souls remaster, and he delivered. But graphics and level design are everything this game    This is basically Dark Souls 3 in an open world.
    All mechanics are the same, i.e. outdated.
    Sekiro was a good step forward: deflections, "hesitation is defeat" and so on - great game, 9-10/10.
    People had high expectation, Mr. Miyazaki said that ER gotta show good graphics to keep up with Demon's Souls remaster, and he delivered.
    But graphics and level design are everything this game has to offer, sadly.
    I also suspect that story will unfold in an unexpected and exciting way. But it's hard to just sit there and play when gameplay is exactly what you've experienced 6 years ago.

    Speaking of open world - it simply doesn't work. It's empty, 95% of it is just decoration. It's okay with me, as I said - level design (emphasis on "design") is good. But you find yourself riding a horse 90% of the time trying to explore a world that has little to offer - some loot, various mobs and occasional NPCs, mostly merchants. There are a lot of "bonfires" that connect together a dull emptiness of the game world.

    I rate it 5/10 for labor being done properly but without any imagination regarding game design.

    Horse is overpowered. Just ride in circles + L1/R1     … Expand
  49. Tuetenhenkel
    Mar 3, 2022
    5
    I love Soulslike games, but my expectations for Elden Ring were low from the start. Souls and Open World, does it work? Well, unfortunately not for me.

    What I like about Soulslikes is the intense combat, the danger that can lurk around every corner. In Elden Ring we can already see the opponents from afar, we can easily walk around them and even if they see us, we can flee in a flash    I love Soulslike games, but my expectations for Elden Ring were low from the start. Souls and Open World, does it work? Well, unfortunately not for me.

    What I like about Soulslikes is the intense combat, the danger that can lurk around every corner. In Elden Ring we can already see the opponents from afar, we can easily walk around them and even if they see us, we can flee in a flash with our mount. Only in the dungeons there is a bit of atmosphere, unfortunately they are designed quite repetitive and mostly have bosses that are not worth remembering.

    The open world itself is pretty boring in my opinion, there's a lot of idleness. Sure, you might say now, just ignore the optional areas. But that's not really possible, because every now and then there are more or less useful rewards waiting for you. So like any other Ubisoft game, it often feels like work here too. I scour the entire open world, putting in several hours to MAYBE find a better weapon, armor, or spell. Most of the time, however, it were items that didn't fit my build at all, which only made the disappointment even greater.

    I don't even want to start with crafting. Collect plants and hunt animals to make arrows? This might be fun for the first five minutes, but eventually you just roll your eyes when you run out of arrows. Luckily, you can later buy these from merchants and don't have to waste time farming.

    Elden Ring is not a total disaster. In its core disciplines, it is just as much fun as the previous titles. Only the open world makes the game too easy and fills it with too much idleness and boredom.

    Personally, I would like FromSoftware to go back to the menacing, atmospheric, yet rewardingly explorable and well designed linear levels.

    Oh, and a new setting would be very refreshing, I don't really need a Dark Souls 5.    … Expand
  50. TheGoodGoat
    Feb 27, 2022
    7
    The game is boring. I can appreciate the scale but it literally is a soulsborne game in that you just have to roll around until you can attack. Sekiro is way better in every conceivable way
  51. Ohenoki
    Feb 27, 2022
    6
    There's nothing really new here. It's the same game in a new game world. There's no advancement in the AI that really matters to the game. It's a lifeless world, where there is only combat. The graphics are not up to scratch. Unless you're someone who plays Soulsborne games, then you probably wont like this one either.
  52. Starfey
    Feb 27, 2022
    7
    Metacritic 97? How? Generic and technical 2010. 25h into the game and its super boring and overrated. How can such a old engine perform that bad on new consoles and good pcs?
  53. Heyyoitsmerambo
    Feb 27, 2022
    7
    I don't get the hype behind this game. The whole self torture thing aside it is boring, meh graphics (PS5 4K TV), and poor controls. A 7 may be a little generous.
  54. JohnTomorrow
    Mar 9, 2022
    7
    Elden Ring is a good game, but it has its share of problems. While playing 100+ hours I've experienced some outstanding highs and lows. I don't think its Fromsoftware's best title but I think its worth a play. Random ramblings to follow:

    - art direction is awesome but graphically the engine is really showing its age which is a shame. there is only a single directional light for    Elden Ring is a good game, but it has its share of problems. While playing 100+ hours I've experienced some outstanding highs and lows. I don't think its Fromsoftware's best title but I think its worth a play. Random ramblings to follow:

    - art direction is awesome but graphically the engine is really showing its age which is a shame. there is only a single directional light for shadows (usually the sun) and the lighting model is no where near the bar for todays next gen games

    - speaking about the engine, it suffers from performance problems where frame rate tanks during load ins and poor pop in where you can see things like grass and other details be placed in the world spread out over a few frames

    - design wise the open world mixed with dungeons is a new take which I enjoyed. It was something new. I still prefer the original Dark Souls design as I think it was the purist design but this is something new and I am ok with it.

    - the first half of the game things are exciting and interesting, but like most open world games, things get repetitive after that. it becomes a repeat of the same dungeons, the same bosses over and over. by then your character is also pretty much setup so there is little reason to continue. the story is nonsense so that is not a motivator

    - there are real, real problems with how this design has influenced multiplayer. Coop is fine, but invasions are completely broken. They are essentially 3 vs 1 gank squads where the invader has a near zero chance at winning. To win, the invader needs to rely on cheap tactics, luck, or play against someone not very good at the game. When the invader does win it never feels satisfying. Gone are the intense PVP battles from other titles, or the adrenalin rush when someone invades your game. This game played it very safe when it comes to multiplayer and loses one of the core things that make souls games exciting which is very unfortunate. PVP is also very unbalanced, but I don't think really any of Fromsoftware's titles have been so this is not a shocker. But this one does feel the worst as magic and art of war skills are extremely OP.

    - boss battles are very much a mixed bag. They are better than other titles where you simply try to get behind an enemy and wack its ankles over and over but there are some choices that really do take away from the enjoyment. Every boss has extra delays in the attack animations put in purposely to throw you off. I get it, and I think that is ok for some, but its like that in every fight. Bosses will take to the air in and arial attack and defy gravity for a split second just to make it more difficult. Too much anime for my taste.

    - Combat suffers from a general lack of polish and laziness from Fromsoftware. Enemies will attack straight through walls as if they don't exist. Many times, you might not even be able to see an attack coming because it was through a pillar. Its feels incredibly lazy not to add a line of sight check and creates an unfair bad feeling. Bad feeling moments crops up in many places throughout the game. For example, during one boss fight due to a bug with the character movement code, I kept getting stuck on a tiny step in the environment while trying to run or roll that would allow the boss to kill me (it only takes 1-2 hits from a boss to kill you which is another thing). There is a bunch of jank that should have been found and fixed in QA or by now being how many games Fromsoftware has made in this style by now. The player should feel like they lost due to a mistake they made, not due to lack of polish in the game's systems or a bug. As a game developer myself, I am surprised with how much Fromsoftware can get away with. This is essentially the same combat and physics system they had dating back to the original Demon Souls.

    Anyway, its still a good game but I am slightly disappointed. The sense of scale and exploration is awesome but these issues tarnish a really good game. The mishandling of the PVP design was the nail in the coffin for me. Without a solid PVP design I have little motivation to put in anymore time in to this game.    … Expand
  55. Nepatel
    Mar 1, 2022
    7
    I have been playing since the release date. Initially, I enjoyed exploring the open world; it was thrilling, and I appreciated the creativity. But after some time, it feels lonely and repetitive, and you don't know where to go. And the cherry on top, the same cat boss three times in three different dungeons. Come on from-software have some creativity in different bosses: very confusingI have been playing since the release date. Initially, I enjoyed exploring the open world; it was thrilling, and I appreciated the creativity. But after some time, it feels lonely and repetitive, and you don't know where to go. And the cherry on top, the same cat boss three times in three different dungeons. Come on from-software have some creativity in different bosses: very confusing upgrade mechanics and no information about the recommended level to defeat an enemy or boss.

    The story is fragmented and feels like TLOR modified to encompass into the game—disappointed with G.R.R.M. However, I might finish the game once the guide is available.    … Expand
  56. painava
    Jun 28, 2022
    7
    Obtained platinum trophy in ~170 hours at lvl 192. Not interested in co-op/PvP, played offline.

    The wondrous and massive world of the Lands Between is literally awesome, the lore intriguing and captivating. Exploring the castles and wilderness, caves and catacombs quickly became an addiction. There are some performance issues but I'm not that bothered by them. Still, the performance    Obtained platinum trophy in ~170 hours at lvl 192. Not interested in co-op/PvP, played offline.

    The wondrous and massive world of the Lands Between is literally awesome, the lore intriguing and captivating. Exploring the castles and wilderness, caves and catacombs quickly became an addiction. There are some performance issues but I'm not that bothered by them. Still, the performance isn't anything to write home about. There also aren't any DualSense features on PS5.

    Since Elden Ring has been widely praised, my review focuses on criticism.

    My biggest complaint is that many of the enemies and bosses feel disappointingly unbalanced, which is a big issue when a game centers around combat. A band of towering giants with flaming swords? Who cares, bring it on! But see those rats sniffing about? You better run or die in a ditch. Many basic enemies, like dogs, deal more damage than the bosses. How is that intentional?

    There are bosses that offer a fair and fun challenge, but many (or even the majority) of them are just ridiculous. Either they're too strong, tanky and fast or total pushovers. Who's going to die in two hits, me or the boss? When the hard ones aren't already hard enough they come in pairs (yay...) and the weak ones die to a couple of swings (that's it?).

    When so many of the bosses fall into these two extremities, it means that many of the fights aren't particularly fun nor memorable. They feel repetitive or anticlimactic. The hard bosses are prone to extremely delayed attacks, likely to throw off souls veterans. Their AoE attacks and combos deal massive damage. Even if you survive one with a sliver of HP left, the bosses are often scripted to attack when you heal, so a lot of the challenge boils down to making zero mistakes. Add spirit summons, one of the major additions to the series, to the mix and many of the fights feel like they have almost random odds of victory.

    Many boss fights have clearly been designed with spirit summons (what the gatekeepers refer to as "easy mode") in mind so they're definitely part of the intended gameplay. I still wish more bosses had been designed solely for single-player (no spirit/NPC summons) like in the previous games. I shudder to wonder how big a pain in the ass a spiritless run would be.

    FromSoftware had already perfected the "souls-like boss" in their previous games. Elden Ring proves that these games work better in a more focused and linear setting. Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely enjoying the game (plenty of bosses included), but it doesn't strike me as FromSoft's greatest work yet. The gameplay feels oddly dissatisfying during certain fights.

    A handful of other complaints:
    Considering how vast Elden Ring is, it's baffling how vague and directionless the NPC quests are, to say the least. Trying to figure out where an NPC has moved requires more blind luck than anything else. I don't need the exact location on the map, but I'd prefer a few hints to Fextralife.

    Item/magic quick select feels quite old-fashioned. They should've implemented something more modern (similar to e.g. TLOU or Dishonored). L3 as the sneak/dismount button is frustrating, to put it mildly, but I haven't suffered accidental dismounts since switching L3 and ↓, allowing me to change items easily while walking. The map markers feel lacking, there should be more options or different colors. Can't compare the equipment in the shop menu. Fall damage feels inconsistent. Most items seem almost redundant.

    The best content in Elden Ring are the legacy dungeons, like the Stormveil Castle or the Volcano Manor. The peerless level design makes the exploration so damn satisfying and fun. Character design and art direction are thoroughly superb, even breathtaking at times. Elden Ring has improved many aspects of the "soulsborne experience", but for me, it doesn't reach the heights of Bloodborne, Dark Souls or Sekiro. I would still recommend it to anyone interested in challenging action RPGs and open-world games, however, if the next FromSoft game turns out to be yet another Dark Souls, I'll pass.    … Expand
  57. BarnDogg27
    Apr 24, 2022
    5
    This is not a great game. It’s lifeless - it’s a brutal slog in an empty world. This is a ‘to each their own title.’ Some have it a 10/10, to which I scratch my head.
  58. William_Trigos
    Mar 26, 2022
    7
    I think the press got carried away with the hype of the game.
    It is a good game but it has a VERY improvable performance. Apart from the fact that the dungeons are very repeated, apart from the fact that basic enemies or bosses are repeated more than I would like.

    If this is the level of the game of the year, this is going to be a fairly regular year
  59. bk1
    Mar 6, 2022
    7
    Overrated, DS3 in open world. Horizon FB released the same month makes is more inpressive. Of courses totally different type of game but overall is better prepared.
  60. Binteak
    Mar 13, 2022
    5
    A mix of souls in a open world. A bit bored game, practicaly nothing new, old articulated moves. The artistic design from Miyazaki is so pretty.. And you can use a horse.
  61. ddeerreekk
    Mar 8, 2022
    6
    The world is large, full of surprises, spells are cool, storyline is epic. If it weren't a FromSoftware game, I might give it a 8 or even 9.
    BUT. Elden ring's combat system is a full disaster. After the success of Bloodborne and Sekiro, I can't believe FromSoftware is actually selling this defected, boring and somewhat unendurable combat system.
    Skills are way more powerful than basic    The world is large, full of surprises, spells are cool, storyline is epic. If it weren't a FromSoftware game, I might give it a 8 or even 9.
    BUT. Elden ring's combat system is a full disaster. After the success of Bloodborne and Sekiro, I can't believe FromSoftware is actually selling this defected, boring and somewhat unendurable combat system.

    Skills are way more powerful than basic attacks and eventually melee weapons are nothing different from staffs, they are just skill casters. Weapon movesets don't matter at all because no one will use R1/R2 when L2 has larger range, higher damage and even faster speed. Without those broken skills/spells/ashes, our tarnished is basically nothing different from the ashen one in Souls 3, while the bosses has Bloodborne-level mobility. But with these skills, you can just beat any boss on the first try without even knowing what the boss does. I highly doubt that FromSoftware didn't really test the game thoroughly.

    If FromSoftware really wanted the players to make use of skills in their fights, I am totally fine with that and I think it's a good change. There are a lot of ways to do this, they can let players equip many skills like spells, or merge skills into weapon's movesets, or even just allow players to use left hand weapon skills. Any change on the combat system accommodating the use of skills is good. But FromSoftware didn't change the skill system at all, not even a single bit, instead they just brutally dump in a bunch of overpowered skills and force players to use those skills or else suffer.

    Not to mention how imba some skills are and how many bugs there are causing some weapons to be either OP or not playable at all.

    They showed that they can make a good combat system in Bloodborne and Sekiro, but choose not to in Elden ring. This is what really disappoints me.    … Expand
  62. Delta21216
    Mar 13, 2022
    6
    Please read until the end before getting super pissed I didn’t play a ton of the game but for me personally it’s just meh. The story is pretty much not there, and I don’t think that a games story being “cryptic” is a good thing. The gameplay is fine enough, but it doesn’t really feel like anything that hasn’t been done before. The graphics are honestly really nice and not nearly as bad asPlease read until the end before getting super pissed I didn’t play a ton of the game but for me personally it’s just meh. The story is pretty much not there, and I don’t think that a games story being “cryptic” is a good thing. The gameplay is fine enough, but it doesn’t really feel like anything that hasn’t been done before. The graphics are honestly really nice and not nearly as bad as people say. Of course the world is absolutely beautiful, as is the music. The game is hard but I wasn’t expecting it not to be. It just isn’t my preferred kind of “hard” in a video game. Overall this is a game that can really only truly be enjoyed to its fullest by hardcore souls fans, which I am not. I’m sure it’s an awesome game, that just isn’t for me. Honestly the fault lies more on the marketing/promotion for saying that the game is super accessible, and anyone can get into it, when that really isn’t true.… Expand
  63. whatever220314
    Mar 14, 2022
    7
    It's acceptable. Not bad but could have been much better.
    The game suffers from a lot of filler content. Many dungeons are reminiscent of Chalice Dungeons in Bloodborne, except they have less enemy variety and are shorter.
    Expect to fight the same bosses and see the same assets, over and over again with few, if any variations. The open world is fairly unremarkable. The gameplay itself    It's acceptable. Not bad but could have been much better.
    The game suffers from a lot of filler content. Many dungeons are reminiscent of Chalice Dungeons in Bloodborne, except they have less enemy variety and are shorter.
    Expect to fight the same bosses and see the same assets, over and over again with few, if any variations.
    The open world is fairly unremarkable.
    The gameplay itself is the same as Dark Souls 3, though there is input delay on all platforms that makes the experience less fluid.    … Expand
  64. TootthlessKinch
    Mar 23, 2022
    5
    This is a game that is loves the smell of it’s own farts. It looks great but has poor design and problems that are passed off as difficulty. I get that the game is not for button mashers, but when not in combat there are countless times when button actions do not register. Even in non-boss encounters… this sets you up for boss battles whee your button presses are stacked. Your characterThis is a game that is loves the smell of it’s own farts. It looks great but has poor design and problems that are passed off as difficulty. I get that the game is not for button mashers, but when not in combat there are countless times when button actions do not register. Even in non-boss encounters… this sets you up for boss battles whee your button presses are stacked. Your character will carry out those stacked actions if it’s the MOST important thing in the world, EVEN if you get hit. Also no good world orientation and very basic story… Expand
  65. chevo
    Apr 16, 2022
    7
    I am very mixed about this game. On one had the open world and the story is fantastic, combat feel as amazing as ever and the amount of weapons is insane. The other hand is bosses. Some of the I loved, but the further I got the more annoying they got. I didn't feel good fighting them. Even though you can have a lot of health most bosses just one shot you with some dumb AOE attack.
  66. eilhart
    Apr 21, 2022
    6
    I played all the souls-borne games from Demon's Souls to Dark Souls 3 (except Sekiro) loved (almost) every second of them. So It pains me to say Elden Ring is absolutely overrated.
    Poor enemy design, ton of copy-paste enemies, technical issues, bad performance, bland open-world, terrible balancing of weapons, enemies, stats etc.
    Art style and the world of Lands Between (except Caelid    I played all the souls-borne games from Demon's Souls to Dark Souls 3 (except Sekiro) loved (almost) every second of them. So It pains me to say Elden Ring is absolutely overrated.
    Poor enemy design, ton of copy-paste enemies, technical issues, bad performance, bland open-world, terrible balancing of weapons, enemies, stats etc.
    Art style and the world of Lands Between (except Caelid lol) is breathtakingly gorgeous, soundtrack and (some of the) bosses are also very good, but otherwise this game is lacking in a lot of ways that previous games weren't.
    There's a great game hidden beneath all the issues, but over-hyping and undeserved praise from blind, stubborn people will prevent the game flourishing up to it's potential.    … Expand
  67. Ettepet
    Feb 26, 2022
    5
    Why did this game get so much praise? Mediocre graphics. Very repetitive gameplay, all centered about defeating bosses and dying a lot, in a vague, gloomy world. What is the fun of that? Unless you are an addict gamer, who likes combos and finding weaknesses in foes. There is very little else. GOTY? Bah. You would lose faith in your fellow human beings with some clearly betterWhy did this game get so much praise? Mediocre graphics. Very repetitive gameplay, all centered about defeating bosses and dying a lot, in a vague, gloomy world. What is the fun of that? Unless you are an addict gamer, who likes combos and finding weaknesses in foes. There is very little else. GOTY? Bah. You would lose faith in your fellow human beings with some clearly better games about. And yes, I bought this game, to see what the fuss is all about. And it is: Not a lot.… Expand
  68. adzay
    Mar 15, 2022
    5
    Yeah I enjoyed this game. But I'm not sure I'm playing the same game that people are hyping it up to be.
  69. IIIAHMIII
    Mar 19, 2022
    7
    I finished the game twice and have no clue what the story is, new game plus is a joke. Most bosses feel and look a like with their attacks unlike darksouls 3 where you had a lot of varitiy. The open world works and it also doesn't at the same time. Give me smaller area's over overcomplicated and empty area's any day. A 7 seems fair also melena and the godskin duo are unfair bosses thatI finished the game twice and have no clue what the story is, new game plus is a joke. Most bosses feel and look a like with their attacks unlike darksouls 3 where you had a lot of varitiy. The open world works and it also doesn't at the same time. Give me smaller area's over overcomplicated and empty area's any day. A 7 seems fair also melena and the godskin duo are unfair bosses that need to be redesigned.… Expand
  70. Sioandel
    Mar 15, 2022
    6
    First half of the game is great if not perfect, with challenging but carefully crafted encounters. I believe most people could find some fun playing it for 20-50 hours.

    Then the critic, the second half could drag the rating down to hell. It feels like a change in design direction, in a bad way. The design reminds me of Nioh 1 and Dark Souls 2. Encounters are unfair when everything is hard    First half of the game is great if not perfect, with challenging but carefully crafted encounters. I believe most people could find some fun playing it for 20-50 hours.

    Then the critic, the second half could drag the rating down to hell. It feels like a change in design direction, in a bad way. The design reminds me of Nioh 1 and Dark Souls 2. Encounters are unfair when everything is hard to kill or stagger and could kill you in two hits ,some level design seems like a death of inspiration with mini-bosses everywhere reused as elite enemies and all the "weaker" enemies rather faking death or hiding at the corners. It's not that bad when I look back after finishing the game, but the overall experience was not that enjoyable.    … Expand
  71. Major_Ripoff
    Mar 27, 2022
    5
    Elden Ring is mediocre at best. The perfect reviews are misleading and terribly inaccurate. This game is far from perfect! Elden Ring at its core is not next generation gaming. The graphics are diluted and look more like the product of a PS3 console. Gameplay is weightless in its execution and twitchy at best. The bosses are cheap hitting powerhouses that take way more effort to kill thanElden Ring is mediocre at best. The perfect reviews are misleading and terribly inaccurate. This game is far from perfect! Elden Ring at its core is not next generation gaming. The graphics are diluted and look more like the product of a PS3 console. Gameplay is weightless in its execution and twitchy at best. The bosses are cheap hitting powerhouses that take way more effort to kill than they should. Dying over and over again is not my idea of fun. This is coming from a guy that is on his 8'th playthrough with Bloodborne so I understand what difficulty should be like. There's a difference between hard and cheap! The UI in Elden Ring is counterintuitive and clunky. From Software can learn a thing or two about how to manage your inventory through games like Immortals Fenyx Rising, Horizon and Ghost of Tsushima.
    The only thing that Elden Ring has going for it is the sound. That's pretty much it. Never again will I buy into the hype like I did with Elden Ring. I'd refund the game if I could, but I can't. Do yourself a favor and don't buy into the hype like I did. If this is the direction of From Software with its future releases then it's going to be a hard pass for me.    … Expand
  72. UmberLink
    Mar 21, 2022
    5
    Yet another Souls game. For better or worse, mostly just the same.

    Yep it's a Souls game with a poorly developed open world tacked on, has some repetitive dungeons with minibosses sprinkled around with poor rewards and repeated mechanics. No real advancement to the series, just the same old with a lot of empty, uninteresting (even if pretty) stretches of open world added on. More    Yet another Souls game. For better or worse, mostly just the same.

    Yep it's a Souls game with a poorly developed open world tacked on, has some repetitive dungeons with minibosses sprinkled around with poor rewards and repeated mechanics.

    No real advancement to the series, just the same old with a lot of empty, uninteresting (even if pretty) stretches of open world added on.

    More troll cheese from the devs, some baffling unbalanced bosses, etc.

    If you liked the previous entries in the de facto serial franchise.. you might like this one... just don't expect anything beyond what came before.

    The worst part is that this is a full price, supposedly AAA, game and the graphics look like they're from 7 years ago, the PC performance is inexcusably bad and LOCKED TO 60 FPS. The menus are still a mess to navigate.

    If this weren't by FromSoft people would be **** on it left and right and raging at the company for releasing an half baked product. Alas, sheeps will baa and follow the herd

    Underwhelming    … Expand
  73. Xroud
    Mar 19, 2022
    7
    It's a good game, but it has a ton of issues. The bosses, the visuals the atmosphere are all great as usual, very distinct very interesting, combat is fun as always, the rpg elements are expanded greatly and there are some great quality of life improvements as well.

    But the open world is a huge miss in my experience it's great in theory and sometimes it really WOWs you, but it's also    It's a good game, but it has a ton of issues. The bosses, the visuals the atmosphere are all great as usual, very distinct very interesting, combat is fun as always, the rpg elements are expanded greatly and there are some great quality of life improvements as well.

    But the open world is a huge miss in my experience it's great in theory and sometimes it really WOWs you, but it's also full of emptyness, copy paste dungeons and many more bugs than usual. It also causes this weird dynamic where you have to guess if you're the right level for each given encounter even on the main path which causes a very weird difficulty curve. The game also has pretty long walk and loadtimes on death. These 2 together waste so much time, you either commit to practicing the boss with sometimes minutes of downtime between attempts or you go and grind on the side. It's not difficult, it's tedious. The game also gives you a ton of tools to help you deal with bosses like summons upon summons, crazy spells, ashes and weapons etc which makes the game feel even less consistant in difficulty. There are also technical issues like bosses freezing up, constant stuttering, floor disappearing, map not loading, very long loadtimes, hit detection issues, crashes, dying upon reloading your save etc.

    I feel like fromsoft games started going in the right direction with bloodborne and sekiro, but elden ring takes a very different angle. It feels like where bloodborne and sekiro cut fat off and refined the formula, elden ring just put it back 2 fold. It's still a good game and it's going to entertain both souls fans and people new to these games, but I think the issues are pretty big and warrant a high-mixed review.    … Expand
  74. brennenmorrow
    Mar 8, 2022
    7
    This is my first souls game ever, and I'm loving it! I haven't beat the game yet but I've put about 30 hours in and I'm very far into the game. The reason I've given it a 7/10 is because of the performance issues. Framerate is extremely unstable on the PS5 version and the pop-in is a nightmare. While the game is still playable, it feels extremely unpolished on a technical level and makesThis is my first souls game ever, and I'm loving it! I haven't beat the game yet but I've put about 30 hours in and I'm very far into the game. The reason I've given it a 7/10 is because of the performance issues. Framerate is extremely unstable on the PS5 version and the pop-in is a nightmare. While the game is still playable, it feels extremely unpolished on a technical level and makes me wonder how they thought it was okay to release in this condition. I know many others are having the same issues and if you're wanting more information on what I mean, watch the Digital Foundry video that analyzes the game's performance on consoles. If the game did not have so many technical issues, I'd probably give it a 9/10, but I have to score it based on how it performs now, not how it may perform after 2-3 more patches.… Expand
  75. RASel00712
    Mar 22, 2022
    5
    This game is practically dark souls 4 i fell for the hype now i'm stuck with this **** ass game! I used to play souls games when these mechanics where not severly outdated. Fromsoft really needs to stop putting the drag a big sword around and swing like an old lady mechanic in all of it's games (except for sekiro) wich was a fresh wind. So people if you love souls games and want more ofThis game is practically dark souls 4 i fell for the hype now i'm stuck with this **** ass game! I used to play souls games when these mechanics where not severly outdated. Fromsoft really needs to stop putting the drag a big sword around and swing like an old lady mechanic in all of it's games (except for sekiro) wich was a fresh wind. So people if you love souls games and want more of the same in an open world game congrats you found it. To all others stay far away this game is not for you!… Expand
  76. einbigll
    Mar 22, 2022
    5
    Katanas too op
    Gets hyped because of open world trent
    Bosses get reused
    Not as good boss design as dark souls 3 poor design
    World design is good after first world
  77. Narvis
    Mar 17, 2022
    6
    Not as good as people claimed. Gets boring and repetitive fast. Main focus is grinding Runes. Attack, dodge, attack, dodge. Some boss you don't really know why you are fighting. Story becomes unnecessary and forgotten. End goal of the Gomes is basically to level och and kill the next boss. Then repeat
  78. JimmyBaginski
    Mar 24, 2022
    6
    A somewhat crass analogy to sum it up. Have you ever been in bed with a girl you're really into, and it all feels exciting, sensuous, sensitive and horny, but at some point it just goes on that little too long and you're both carrying on to try to get back that earlier feeling, but by now youre only sinking more and more cost and energy into it, and the fun bit is now dwarfed by the effortA somewhat crass analogy to sum it up. Have you ever been in bed with a girl you're really into, and it all feels exciting, sensuous, sensitive and horny, but at some point it just goes on that little too long and you're both carrying on to try to get back that earlier feeling, but by now youre only sinking more and more cost and energy into it, and the fun bit is now dwarfed by the effort bit, you're just covered in sweat and you start to forget the beautiful bit and question why you're still plugging away, but you still don't want to give up before you finish, but when you do it's not that romantic and beautiful? That's ER. I can't put it any other way. Apologies if that's too sexual but the shoe fits.… Expand
  79. Snowadian
    Mar 3, 2022
    7
    30 hours in and there is lots to like about this game. It is visually stunning and the creativity/world building is 10/10. The whole experience is not perfect though. The game play is nowhere near as enjoyable as God of War or Ghosts of Tsushima. It feels laborious - more like going to work than taking time off. It is a game built for masochists - those who love extreme challenge - both in30 hours in and there is lots to like about this game. It is visually stunning and the creativity/world building is 10/10. The whole experience is not perfect though. The game play is nowhere near as enjoyable as God of War or Ghosts of Tsushima. It feels laborious - more like going to work than taking time off. It is a game built for masochists - those who love extreme challenge - both in skill and in solving puzzles. I'm not sure a casual gamer (without a guide or some Google searches) could get through this game. I can see why professional gamers and reviewers love this game, but anyone who can't commit full time will not.
    I am not against the difficulty (I don't agree with not having a story mode) but a creator can do as they like, it is their world. It does take away from the experience though for many, including myself. I don't want to spend an hour unable to beat a boss only to give up and go farm runes for another couple of hours so my characters level matches my ability. The feeling of success is not worth it for me.
    I am also dismayed at the little character customization that is available. I played the astrologer character. I would love more options for my weapons and gear, in 30 hours I've gotten two outfits that I can't make any meaningful customization too and I had to go find a mid game staff in some poisonous swamp to have any chance against bosses. Looking up astrologer outfits, the first cool one is about mid game which I'm guessing I will never see. If you like weapon and outfit choice, choose a melee character with lots of strength and endurance.
    I beat both God of War and Ghosts of Tsushima - in both games I felt god-like. I felt strong and able. I do not feel this way with Elden Ring. I feel stressed, and overworked. The bit of a rush I got beating Pumpkin head or Margit was not worth the time I put in to do so.
    The experience is worth seeing but unless you are a committed gamer, I'd suggest waiting for God of War Ragnarok. If you really want to try this game, give Bloodborne a quick try to see what playing at this type of difficulty feels like. I know for a fact that many will feel disappointment after buying this game without reading reviews.
    The feeling when you beat a hard boss is great, but it is also awful if it ends the game for you because you simply cannot. Great game, that is not for the casual gamer. With GoW and GoT offering story modes/difficulty options, I am disappointed that this is not offered with Elden Ring considering how much money and time was put into this game.    … Expand
  80. dwu1
    Feb 28, 2022
    5
    I'm sure the game is fantastic, however I'm very disappointed and shocked by the absence of the choice of English as the game's language.
    Understandably I bought the digital copy off of PS Store Taiwan, and Chinese is the primary language used there, but what about expats or foreigners that lives in Asia? We are left with an almost unplayable game. In a game world as rich and filled with    I'm sure the game is fantastic, however I'm very disappointed and shocked by the absence of the choice of English as the game's language.
    Understandably I bought the digital copy off of PS Store Taiwan, and Chinese is the primary language used there, but what about expats or foreigners that lives in Asia? We are left with an almost unplayable game. In a game world as rich and filled with lore such as this, I'm extremely saddened that I cannot enjoy it.

    BandaiNamco/Sony, please consider patching in English. It's not that hard :)
    I also don't really care about whatever this has to do with region or licensing, please respect your customers.    … Expand
  81. Jhoge04
    Feb 28, 2022
    7
    This is going to sound strange coming from me, a massive From Software fan who's been greatly looking forward to Elden Ring, but I actually have mixed feelings about this game.

    I've put about 15 hours into the game so far, and I'm still mostly exploring the starting area, Limgrave, so perhaps there's much better content to see as you progress a bit further, or perhaps I'm just missing    This is going to sound strange coming from me, a massive From Software fan who's been greatly looking forward to Elden Ring, but I actually have mixed feelings about this game.

    I've put about 15 hours into the game so far, and I'm still mostly exploring the starting area, Limgrave, so perhaps there's much better content to see as you progress a bit further, or perhaps I'm just missing something. But, thus far, I have two main issues with the experience.

    The first issue is that I feel like I lack any kind of specific, concrete, long-term goal. What exactly am I supposed to be working towards? All I've been told in-game is to somehow "become an Elden Lord." It's such a vague task however that I'm unable to wrap my head around how to specifically go about achieving it. What does becoming an Elden Lord entail? Who knows. I can assume it entails exploring further and further into the Lands Between and ultimately fighting a final boss, after which you may be presented with the opportunity to "become an Elden Lord." But this is ultimately a guess, and because the game doesn't give you this goal in concrete terms, it has made a lot of what I've done in the game so far feel very aimless and strangely pointless. It doesn't feel like I'm working towards anything specific, and therefore I feel almost disincentivized to engage with what seems to be the only activity the open world has yet to offer - fighting enemies.

    Which brings me to my second issue - the content in the open world. I've explored Limgrave now for about 15 hours, as I've said. I haven't discovered a single interesting thing that wasn't in some way a fight. Where exactly is this wealth of content that every review claims is around every corner? I've discovered random boss encounters; these are pretty cool. I've discovered lots of small, medium, and large groups of enemies; these are generally less cool. Fighting enemies in Souls games has always been more about the macro reward - progression along a set, geographically linear (relatively) path that inches you closer and closer to some concrete objective - rather than fighting just for its own sake. But that's all it feels like I'm doing here. There are chests with various items in some enemy camps, but these have been pretty few so far, and the items contained within are typically just "meh." It feels like a lot of simply fighting for the sake of fighting, and that just doesn't constitute worthwhile and compelling content for an open world in my opinion, if that's all there is to do.

    I hate to do it, but I'm going to compare this experience with that of Breath of the Wild, because tbh I can't play an open world game without at least subconsciously making this comparison every step of the way.

    In Breath of the Wild, you're given a very simple and concrete objective right off the bat. "Defeat Ganon." It's so easy to understand. You're going to fight Ganon. It's going to be a physical battle. You know you're going to need to get stronger, you're going to need more health, more stamina, better gear, etc. Therefore, you can proceed with purpose, and every choice you make in the game can be contextualized, even when it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with defeating Ganon. Some things you'll do will feel directly tied to that goal, and other things won't feel related at all, but having that concrete goal gives purpose and context to your actions, and as a player you feel this, even if it's only subconsciously.

    Secondly, there's just so much to do in Hyrule! Fighting enemies is just one activity among many, as opposed to the only real content around the open world. On my first play-through of BotW I actually ignored and avoided enemy groups frequently, because I was having so much fun just doing everything else. I felt like there was such a variety of content, and importantly, it was all so much fun to do, and a lot of it just for its own sake. Finding Koroks was an enjoyable activity that put a smile on my face, regardless of the reward you get for doing it. Fighting random pockets of enemies in Elden Ring is not really all that fun, and especially so when it doesn't have the needed context of a concrete goal or objective.

    So, although I am enjoying Elden Ring to an extent, right now I fail to see how the open world is an asset to the Souls formula. I'm more inclined to say that it's a detriment, as it doesn't offer any real novelty in the way of content, and possibly distracts from the aspects of a Souls game that I find compelling. Like I said, I've explored Limgrave for about 15 hours now, and a lot of that time spent has felt aimless and unrewarding. I don't feel like I'm really progressing, because I don't have a concrete goal to work towards, and the content isn't necessarily all that fun or engaging for its own sake.

    I hope my experience gets better and better as I play, that it eventually just "clicks" and really hooks me, but as of right now my feelings are mixed.    … Expand
  82. dump0
    Mar 3, 2022
    5
    It's clear as hell that this game is a pure meta designed product from the bought reviews to the bought youtubers. It's basically a mash of all the assets and monsters of Dark souls 1-3, Bloodborne and Sekiro, packed up in a meta open world design that absolutely makes no sense for the designed difficulty. You never know if you are losing to a boss because you didn't explore enough or heIt's clear as hell that this game is a pure meta designed product from the bought reviews to the bought youtubers. It's basically a mash of all the assets and monsters of Dark souls 1-3, Bloodborne and Sekiro, packed up in a meta open world design that absolutely makes no sense for the designed difficulty. You never know if you are losing to a boss because you didn't explore enough or he was just easy because of that. All invasions are fked up, pvp is basically dead and even if not it's most of the time just 2 hit OP arts or magic. While you have 900 bosses it's basically like 30 that repeat itself again and again, as fire, ice, toxic, double bosses or all of that. All the dungeons almost look the same and quickly make no sense to explore since you are very limited in upgrade material. The game also runs like a dog FPS wise and eats inputs. The boss design is extremely flawed since you either get hit by a gimmick instant mechanic that has no visual feedback or you die to an one hit. Bosses onehit or twohit me all the time with over 60 Vigor and Heavy Armor, let that sink. Bosses regardless who never gave me a satisfaction for killing them like Sekiro did. Overall this game is not very outstanding in it's design and could quite honestly be a gigantic fanmade mod.… Expand
  83. Jansen89
    Mar 12, 2022
    5
    Well. It feels so clunky in comparison to sekiro. And I really don't understand the 97 Metascore and the 10/10 User hype. Why is this the best game ever? The open world is kinda empty and dull, the story is meh (if you like to piece it together and read), performance sucks on ps5, combat feels clunky as already mentioned, graphics are outdated and so on.... Sure, It's from software andWell. It feels so clunky in comparison to sekiro. And I really don't understand the 97 Metascore and the 10/10 User hype. Why is this the best game ever? The open world is kinda empty and dull, the story is meh (if you like to piece it together and read), performance sucks on ps5, combat feels clunky as already mentioned, graphics are outdated and so on.... Sure, It's from software and it's own genre yeah sure, but for me this is just a letdown and surely doesn't live up to the hype. Honestly this is not an innovative masterpiece. In no aspect. Fun and challenging but just recycled fromsoft stuff. And definitely not for the average gamer.

    EDIT: The design of Quests is absolute garbage. I bet 99% of players need to play with fextra life / guides to even get them or find them. The story is literally non existant. That's just horrendous design in such a huge game. Gets boring quick.. I wish it had a story and good quest design.... Sad.    … Expand
  84. Lucatiel
    Mar 3, 2022
    5
    Despite being an 'open world" this game feels more lineal than the other souls games! The main objective in this game is literally is to jump between "legacy dungeons" and literally that's the hole point of the game which gets pretty generic real quick, which is disappointing as the open world mostly feels empty with just ruins (with nothing interesting on them) to visit throughout theDespite being an 'open world" this game feels more lineal than the other souls games! The main objective in this game is literally is to jump between "legacy dungeons" and literally that's the hole point of the game which gets pretty generic real quick, which is disappointing as the open world mostly feels empty with just ruins (with nothing interesting on them) to visit throughout the world and lame dungeons with the same boss for almost every dungeon. I genuinely was expecting something great as playing the CNT and seeing the amount of content we got on main Limgrave was massive, unfortunately, fromsoft baited us, because main Limgrave is the place with more stuff to do than any other place in this stupid linear map! I honestly would've preferred a linear game instead of this crap.… Expand
  85. iBob1977
    Feb 26, 2022
    5
    Just watched it a bit on my roommates ps5. I'm not a souls fan, but watching him play like 10 mins I got dizzy, felt kinda strange and I'm happy I invested in something else.
    no characters, not any particularly interesting story if you are above 15 years old and I just hope for the SUPER BIASED fans of this style of games to enjoy their purchase and time with the game.
  86. BoomLBS
    Feb 26, 2022
    6
    In no way is this a 10/10 - I’ve been made a fool again. If you like boss fights and getting killed over and over and over again until you learn the rhythm then go for it. The open world is cool at first but you quickly realise that it is completely absent of story and reason for being. You are only exploring so you can find a some stupid rubbish to add to your flask or slowly improve yourIn no way is this a 10/10 - I’ve been made a fool again. If you like boss fights and getting killed over and over and over again until you learn the rhythm then go for it. The open world is cool at first but you quickly realise that it is completely absent of story and reason for being. You are only exploring so you can find a some stupid rubbish to add to your flask or slowly improve your stats. The game starts with a loose story structure and some guidance of where to go but within one hour you meet a boss that is really difficult. You then have no idea of what to do and just start walking around. I managed to defeat two side bosses and level up my character quite a bit. But in my 10 hours of wandering i never came across an interesting side story. Just lots of things to fight. - which quickly becomes really tedious.

    I’m giving it a 6 as I get why some people would love it. But 10’s are surly reserved for games with broader appeal and for open worlds that actually have interesting things to interact with.    … Expand
  87. erithtotl
    Mar 7, 2022
    6
    I don't review many games as but given the high profile of this and that I have put over 30 hours in, I wanted to chime in. I've never played a Souls game so this might be useful to someone who is intrigued by the stellar reviews. I have played a ton of open world games. I feel that we have two concepts that don't fully work together. How can you champion exploration andI don't review many games as but given the high profile of this and that I have put over 30 hours in, I wanted to chime in. I've never played a Souls game so this might be useful to someone who is intrigued by the stellar reviews. I have played a ton of open world games. I feel that we have two concepts that don't fully work together. How can you champion exploration and experimentation when a brutal death (often with a steep cost) lies around every corner, many of them unavoidable the first time through?
    In addition, the combat gameplay doesn't benefit the open world environment. Each enemy has different moves, meaning you can't use your past experiences with other enemies to help you against new ones. Many enemies have unblockable kill moves that until you've experienced them multiple times, you won't be able to avoid. Each foe is starting over, and the only way to learn is to die over and over.
    It also feels like a single-player MMO. Enemies sit around or follow simple patterns, and respawn constantly. They lack any personality or real interaction. It's super-gamey.
    The world is super-moody and the boss design and animation is fantastic. But this just isn't the RPG/Open world experience I enjoy.    … Expand
  88. Zalkarmus
    Mar 9, 2022
    5
    IGN Japan's Review was a complete inversion of every truth about the game. It is tedious and filled with chores. Many enemies are merely a part of the scenery. The game encourages dull exploration and then changes it up on a dime with a randomly-placed boss. The game is awful, overrated, is possibly worse than even Dark Souls 2, the black sheep of the Souls family, and that is saying a lotIGN Japan's Review was a complete inversion of every truth about the game. It is tedious and filled with chores. Many enemies are merely a part of the scenery. The game encourages dull exploration and then changes it up on a dime with a randomly-placed boss. The game is awful, overrated, is possibly worse than even Dark Souls 2, the black sheep of the Souls family, and that is saying a lot from me, because I think Dark Souls 2 is one of the worst games ever made. A horrifying tour-de-force in how to remain frustrated for 10 hours of your day trying to complete the chore list and 50+ annoying boss encounters. Just as a redditor admitted hitting his wife out of frustration against Margit, the first main boss. The game is awful, terrible, and I cannot stress it enough. Also, there is no story. There's not even a lore. Not even if you look for it.

    Every single positive reviewer was paid off. This game should never have been made, and George R.R. Martin contributed nothing worthy of note.

    EDIT: I am making a further edit to my initial impressions. When you take the game in small bits, take your time to explore everything and build up your inventory, and also make sure not to take on Margit, the first primary boss too early, you might find enjoyment. The latter half of the game is very difficult, and once you get to Godskin Duo, you had better be very overleveled. Overall, the beginning of the game is enjoyable, but the second half is balls-to-the-wall hard due to game tuning issues.

    Edit2: The game further drops off in quality after Limgrave and Weeping Peninsula. Very much DS2 vibes. Overall not good.    … Expand
  89. jbkeller77
    Mar 1, 2022
    5
    After reading many reviews that stated this was THE game to try out if you didn't enjoy Souls games, I can confidently confirm that is a blatantly false statement. From the little time I have spent attempting to play a Souls game in the past, Elden Ring feels pretty much the same. The odd, washed out and dated looking graphics, the little messages players leave behind, the difficulty ofAfter reading many reviews that stated this was THE game to try out if you didn't enjoy Souls games, I can confidently confirm that is a blatantly false statement. From the little time I have spent attempting to play a Souls game in the past, Elden Ring feels pretty much the same. The odd, washed out and dated looking graphics, the little messages players leave behind, the difficulty of the enemies; it is all there. And I will try some more, just as I did with Dark Souls, 1, 2, 3 and Bloodborne, but I am fairly confident I absolutely hate it. Elden Ring mechanics and visuals are like an early PS4 game. I don't think I will ever get why these games are so popular.… Expand
  90. madikc
    Mar 9, 2022
    5
    Overhyped and overrated game. Not terrible, but not good either. Feels like the From Software put their B team (Dark Souls 2) on this project.

    To provide context, I think it important to start by saying I've been a huge fan of the SoulsBorne series since the day Demons Souls was released. I've loved the twisted worlds they've created, the way they reward a combination of creativity,    Overhyped and overrated game. Not terrible, but not good either. Feels like the From Software put their B team (Dark Souls 2) on this project.

    To provide context, I think it important to start by saying I've been a huge fan of the SoulsBorne series since the day Demons Souls was released. I've loved the twisted worlds they've created, the way they reward a combination of creativity, observation and reaction.

    So here are the FromSoft Games I've finished, and my rough grade:
    - Bloodborne (A+)
    - Dark Souls (A)
    - Demon's Souls (A-)
    - Sekiro (A-)
    - Dark Souls 3 (B+)
    - Dark Souls 2 (B-)

    With that out of the way, let's talk Elden Ring. From early gameplay video I can tell you I was not excited. The new world and GRRM writing seemed interesting, but I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop: what was this game adding to the formula that made it worth developing?

    That moment never came, but that not stop the world from reaching maximum hype level about it. A minority raised concerns and complaints with these early videos - about the animations looking reused from DS3, the graphics looking subpar, etc - these people were shouted down. I've also noticed some in the community railing against the game, because their favorite cult series suddenly went mainstream and Twitch trash are turning it into the flavor of the month. That is not me.

    I will admit I have my biases, and count myself in the group that complained about the reused animations and last gen graphics - however neither of those were dealbreakers for me.

    Pros:
    - Bite-sized chalice dungeons that reward exploration.
    - Huge set of weapons and spells.
    - The mount is cute and controls well.

    Cons:
    - Framerate sucks on PS5 w/ performance mode
    - XP feels super grindy.
    - Mounted combat is not fun.
    - So many reused bosses. You'll see the exact same boss multiple times during the game, and they didn't even bother making it look different. (Think the Smelter Demon x4)
    - Bosses push further down the trend that DS3 set, being more about twitch reaction and DPS checks, rather than rewarding smart play.
    - Bosses and many enemies seem to have endless combos. This makes ranged combat like archery and magic relatively unbalanced. You're almost guaranteed to trade hits with a boss to get any damage in, bucking the 'call-and-response'/observe-punish gameplay that made the series great.
    - AI feels really cheap. There seems to be 3 levels of AI awareness: Oblivious, aggroed, road raged. Enemies often stand around doing nothing. A lot of enemies have cheap AOE abilities that come out quicker than is possible to react and move out of damage range. These usually are ground stomps, earthquakes caused by weapon slams, etc. The area affected is not well indicated, and feel really cheap. The only way to avoid them is to get lucky with I-frames on your roll.
    - The world feels really boring. Much of it is empty. Geometry and decorations seem randomly strewn about. Outdoor dungeons make no sense, like in a Dark Souls 2 way. Things will link together in ways that don't make sense. There is even a castle with a big gate and a draw bridge, and when you get inside... you go up an elevator... like wtf...
    - Most of the NPCs are really generic and boring. Their dialogue writing and voice acting is poor, and they carry on with exposition about meaningless things.
    - The opening cinematic is a huge step back from other Soulsborne games.
    - The non-weapon item designs are dumb, and don't seem to fit any sort of cohesive theme like the other games.
    - UI screens, especially the inventory screens are really poorly designed. They lack the character of previous games. They give you way too much information and not enough at the same time, and navigating them is a real chore of contextual toggle buttons. The font and backgrounds are very generic and lack that FromSoft character.
    - The item descriptions are now only a single byline sentence, where before they provided so much lore and character to the world, now I don't feel any reason to read them.
    - The color grading is ugly.
    - Summoning spells are passive and lame, and really don't fit with the gameplay.
    - So many encounter and enemy designs have been reused. It honestly feels like a FromSoft greatest hits compilation than any sort of original design. If you're a fan of the series, you'll find yourself saying 'oh hey, that's X from Y game. Only it has been reskinned.'
    - Some boss fights are a huge chore. Running around the enemy in circles while locked on (a'la Sekiro), getting a single hit in for 1% damage, waiting 30 secs, getting another hit. It's a real slog - even with good upgraded weapons and gear.
    - The crafting system sucks. Costs way too many souls for key ingredients from shopkeepers. Adds nothing of value, and requires you to pick up respawning ingredients on the map - one of my least favorite mechanics in modern games (Elder Scrolls).    … Expand
  91. okies
    Apr 15, 2022
    6
    very very fun game, it really got me hooked.
    But we have to be honest
    the story is weak, every bossfight you can feel alot is going on. yet for some reason stuff happens. and ti sucks, im a sucker for big epic stories. in a game, not in the items. the best way to enjoy the story is going on youtube where a guy with a finnish name explains it better then the game does. the combat,    very very fun game, it really got me hooked.
    But we have to be honest

    the story is weak, every bossfight you can feel alot is going on. yet for some reason stuff happens. and ti sucks, im a sucker for big epic stories. in a game, not in the items. the best way to enjoy the story is going on youtube where a guy with a finnish name explains it better then the game does.

    the combat, which the game is praised on, its clunky and delayed. Ai is actually non excistant. enemies just do cycles of the same attacks. Which is ok. but not groundbreaking.

    the graphics, the design, epic. the execution. sometimes close to a nintendo switch in visuals.

    and why so diffrent compared to other users? lets be honest, the souls gamers always have been an elitist cult (still love you guys :P) but before i played this game i played horizon zero dawn. and just focussing on the combat aspect and the combat UI. it is miles ahead of any souls game. and thats probaly a bitter pill to swallow.    … Expand
  92. Janklootvandam
    Apr 18, 2022
    6
    QUANTITY OVER QUALITY
    Elden Ring, id est, Dark Souls 3 with a horse, copy paste enemies, boring cringy choir music, only 8 unique boss fights, and broken overpowered ashes of war for the CASULS.
    Carefully crafted by From Software to cater to the mindless masses who are blind sheep and bought this LIE because some overrated writers name was attached to it and who cannot see that Miyazaki    QUANTITY OVER QUALITY
    Elden Ring, id est, Dark Souls 3 with a horse, copy paste enemies, boring cringy choir music, only 8 unique boss fights, and broken overpowered ashes of war for the CASULS.
    Carefully crafted by From Software to cater to the mindless masses who are blind sheep and bought this LIE because some overrated writers name was attached to it and who cannot see that Miyazaki is a one-trick-pony who makes the same game over and over again. At least it has no microtransactions.
    All in all this game would have been better if some of the content was cut because if you are going to buy this prepare to fight the same copy pasted bosses over and over again. From fanbois are idiots lol.    … Expand
  93. TheRealMurad
    Mar 15, 2022
    6
    I'm a bit ambivalent about how I feel about Elden Ring. A part of me really enjoyed playing this, and playing through a Souls like game again, except in an open world format; however, another part of me thinks this is the worst Souls game ever created.

    The bosses are cheap, the open world is lacking, and the story feels like there is bound to be a sequel or DLC coming for it. The bosses    I'm a bit ambivalent about how I feel about Elden Ring. A part of me really enjoyed playing this, and playing through a Souls like game again, except in an open world format; however, another part of me thinks this is the worst Souls game ever created.

    The bosses are cheap, the open world is lacking, and the story feels like there is bound to be a sequel or DLC coming for it. The bosses cheap comes from the fact that the boss' don't really have an AI, it's more so a tracking bot (in the sense of if and else statements), where literally the enemy knows where you are and specifically turns during an animation to smack you. Most of the open world is meaningless. Like there is a lot to do, and see, but most of the items will not fit with your build unless you force it, and even then, it won't help with a boss fight. Finally, the game has balance issues; like severe balance issues. There are multiple bosses where if you grind it out and get runes you can easily murder them, but then there are other bosses who do one-hit ko's no matter what. There are also some bosses who look like leftovers from other Fromsoft games...

    My highlights for this game was the world building. The game looks great, and has an excellent soundtrack. The art really matches the set-pieces and don't look out of place, and in general, I'm glad GRRM participated in this because you can feel that vibe there.

    Personally, i think if Fromsoft releases another Elden Ring/ Souls game, I'll be skipping it. I think From doesn't really know what it wants to be anymore, it tries to hard to cater to the generic fans and then the hardcore ones as well, and well, this game is amalgamation of both and a bit too much of it. I enjoyed this game, but it's not really anything innovative, and most times it's more frustrating than fun - so I ask you, do you play games to have fun or be frustrated?    … Expand
  94. Coldy1988
    Mar 3, 2022
    7
    Really so good? I have been playing it a couple of hours and i cant say that game is so insane. Dark Souls is smaller, but consist of more interesting things. I cannot find any fun in riding horse 3/4 of gameplay
  95. lKaira
    Mar 24, 2022
    6
    This game is cool in 2011 not today, in that case, is just a game so overrated!
  96. blackswriter
    Apr 15, 2022
    7
    Elden ring just become good because it is dark soul predecessor.
    Look how empty the map is because the map is just too big. They need to add more density rather than just a forced open world.
    The movement sure is more fluid than dark soul, but it is still considered very rough. Weirdly enough that they develop sekiro which has a very great and fluid movement. It seems like just a step    Elden ring just become good because it is dark soul predecessor.
    Look how empty the map is because the map is just too big. They need to add more density rather than just a forced open world.
    The movement sure is more fluid than dark soul, but it is still considered very rough. Weirdly enough that they develop sekiro which has a very great and fluid movement. It seems like just a step down from sekiro.
    Control is very bad that you can easily push the wrong button.
    Multiplayer is still unplayable and very confusing. They should just copy what Nioh 2's team ninja did.
    The story and lore still very bad. They too focus on gameplay that made the story very shallow. They should take the example of Hollow knight, it clearly focuses on gameplay but doesn't sacrifice lore. The story of Elden ring is not that different than Nioh 2 and Strange of paradise in terms of complexity.
    I think that Sekiro is better than this. It's not that the Elden ring is bad. But it still cannot be considered a masterpiece as it is. And now, many dark soul themes are better than Elden ring.    … Expand
  97. Esral
    Apr 6, 2022
    5
    The metacritic score made me think this was a masterpiece, it´s not :( it´s ok, but not worth the 75$ i paid for it.
  98. Korvaidy
    Mar 1, 2022
    6
    Ну, что может сказать человек, прошедший Бладборн на платину, Дарк Соулс 2, Дарк соулс 3, Дарк соулс 1 ремастер, Секиро (бросил под конец), и Демонс Соулс? Элден Ринг - это дико перехайпленая, вторичная по механике в седьмом поколении поделка от Фром Софтвэир. Я разочарован. Отдельного унижения требует внимания выпуск на ПС5 - адаптивные курки не работают, динамик на дуалсенс не работает,Ну, что может сказать человек, прошедший Бладборн на платину, Дарк Соулс 2, Дарк соулс 3, Дарк соулс 1 ремастер, Секиро (бросил под конец), и Демонс Соулс? Элден Ринг - это дико перехайпленая, вторичная по механике в седьмом поколении поделка от Фром Софтвэир. Я разочарован. Отдельного унижения требует внимания выпуск на ПС5 - адаптивные курки не работают, динамик на дуалсенс не работает, современная вибрация не работает, 3Д Темпест аудио в наушниках не работает (как в том же Демонс Соулс). Оценка пользователей на метакритикс - адекватна. Ставлю 6 из 10 для версии для ПС5.… Expand
  99. luc76985
    Mar 7, 2022
    5
    This is the first time I have felt compelled to review a game on this website specifically because I bought Elden Ring for 2 reasons: I love Fantasy RPGs, and the strength of its reviews. I bought this game upon release and have been playing it almost every day since then. I am an experienced gamer and would rate myself above average in terms of skill level, but I'm no Pro. I work fullThis is the first time I have felt compelled to review a game on this website specifically because I bought Elden Ring for 2 reasons: I love Fantasy RPGs, and the strength of its reviews. I bought this game upon release and have been playing it almost every day since then. I am an experienced gamer and would rate myself above average in terms of skill level, but I'm no Pro. I work full time and I have a life outside of work. I think I represent your average adult gamer whose free time is limited but still enjoys playing as a hobby. I also passed over two other nearly simultaneous big new releases because I chose this game.
    Now, all of that being said: think carefully before purchasing this. I think that prior to Elden Ring's release, the difficulty of the game was downplayed specifically so as not to discourage people from buying it. This game will be EXTREMELY CHALLENGING for the casual gamer. Unless you are a gifted gamer, playing Elden Ring will require many, many hours in order to succeed. You may make 99 attempts at a boss before finally getting lucky and succeeding. Or you will spend hour upon hours searching out remote items in order to give you an edge. Often times it will feel like beating your head against a brick wall. Unless you enjoy playing games on the hardest difficulty setting (I don't!) then this game is not for you. And that fact is being obscured by overly-laudatory reviews and condescending fanboys who do not recognize or appreciate the amount of time it takes to make basic progress.
    An additional deciding factor for me in the purchase of this game was the multiplayer. And let me tell you, multiplayer is a total blunder in Elden Ring. To start with, the process involved in joining your friends is unnecessarily complicated. And then, the game punishes you for playing together! Significantly reduced health potions, totally losing the ability to call your horse, no longer able to summon your pets (spirit wolves/jellyfish/etc), no ability to rest at the "sites of grace" to recharge your health/potions, AND THEN. Each and every single time you die, you will be separated from your friends and sent back to your home world to start the convoluted process of cooperating all over again. The multiplayer system is the single biggest fail Elden Ring can make claim to. I legitimately felt bad for convincing a friend to buy this game and play with me upon release, and I will not be recommending it to any others for this reason.
    Now, after listing my complaints, I should at least, to some degree, acknowledge the game's strengths (although they are surely glorified in great detail by many other reviewers). The game is beautiful. A bit too perpetually dark, but beautiful nonetheless. Truly gorgeous (except all that ugly armor). Second, although it is completely a fantasy RPG, it still manages to be unique and original. This is not a cookie-cutter fantasy game. Character creation is another strength of Elden Ring's. I don't know about you, but I love customizing my characters, and their character customization is A+.
    Finally, I will admit that the game still manages to be fun. That is, when you're not busy trying to stop yourself from throwing the controller at the TV, or from smashing it on the coffee table, or flipping off the "YOU DIED" screen for the ten thousandth time. It is fun, but it is tiring and frustrating to a degree that potential buyers need to be aware of - a fact that I think was intentionally obscured by pre-release reviews, and is condescendingly dismissed by the "get good" groupies who, quite simply, have more free time than you probably do.    … Expand
  100. Ringzn1979
    Mar 9, 2022
    5
    In the run-up, there was great enthusiasm, as none other than "Game of Thrones" author George RR Martin had co-written the story for the fantasy game. What "Elden Ring" delivers is almost cheeky: A magic ring broke, evil monsters grabbed the fragments. At least hobbits don't have to make their way...
    The main plot of the game is clear, boring and predictable, George RR Martin's    In the run-up, there was great enthusiasm, as none other than "Game of Thrones" author George RR Martin had co-written the story for the fantasy game. What "Elden Ring" delivers is almost cheeky: A magic ring broke, evil monsters grabbed the fragments. At least hobbits don't have to make their way...
    The main plot of the game is clear, boring and predictable, George RR Martin's commitment (who only wrote the background story of the environment mentioned) was apparently little more than a PR stunt.

    Anyone who has seen titles like "Horizon Forbidden West" or "Halo Infinite" will be disappointed with the graphics of "Elden Ring". Textures are muddy, objects keep popping up instead of appearing smooth as you approach them, and the design of each region is more reminiscent of a game designed for the previous generation of hardware.

    Anyone who likes to fail will love "Elden Ring". The game punishes even small mistakes with brutal severity, while at the same time being stingy with tips and explanations. So you have to work hard for each fight, start over and over again and blindly search for the optimal combination of tactics, equipment and timing in order to slay the many bosses.

    Overall, "Elden Ring" is only for real hardcore gamers. Anyone who likes to charge against the same monster twenty times will love the title. Even fans of an open game world should definitely take a look at this game. But one thing should be clear to everyone: "Elden Ring" is actually not a "game", but bitter seriousness.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2022
3
#3 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 86 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 86 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 86
  3. Negative: 0 out of 86
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 30, 2024
    100
    Elden Ring is simply a game that the player naturally adapts to their own style of play. Challenging at times, vicious at others, but mostly incredibly fun. The enjoyable pace makes the hours of play pass by like water, and each path opens up a few more, only to come together again after a fair amount of exploration before the next big reveal. [Issue#318]
  2. Cubed3
    Jun 2, 2023
    90
    Elden Ring serves as a testament to open world video game design. There is a true sense of accomplishment once that rock-hard enemy has been slain and, something that compels a player to relentlessly do it over and over again until they succeed is truly rewarding. The world is humongous and an epitome of how exploration should be encouraged, by intriguing players to see what is over the hill. Elden Ring is an unmissable, must-play, gaming experience with surprises galore.
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  3. T3
    Aug 11, 2022
    80
    Elden Ring's engaging combat, mythology and dynamite orchestral soundtrack goes a long way to overshadow an aggressive open world that punishes exploration from the beaten path. Fans of the Souls genre are in for a treat, while newcomers will need to persist to reap the benefits.
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