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. TheSpecialNeeds
    Jun 21, 2022
    7
    Well well well, looks like we have another video game on our hands this fine evenging. This is certanily something on the chopping block. First first first thing first, well let me just say uh I forgot what I was going to say
  2. Senjiro
    Nov 21, 2022
    7
    I have been playing from software games since I was a kid< and I am a big fan of souls game. But this game is the only soul game that I have not played after finishing it. The game mechanics does not fit the open world concept, the animations takes too long especially the healing, and repetitive of the mini bosses is boring. Let alone the concept of collecting souls ( runes) to level upI have been playing from software games since I was a kid< and I am a big fan of souls game. But this game is the only soul game that I have not played after finishing it. The game mechanics does not fit the open world concept, the animations takes too long especially the healing, and repetitive of the mini bosses is boring. Let alone the concept of collecting souls ( runes) to level up and just hit and dodge feels so out dated, ESPCAILY after SEKIRO. And the lack of story REALLY does not fit the open world sitting, I found myself feeling so bored....I can accept this lack of story things in the previous titles, but not here were it's a big open world.… Expand
  3. helloicool
    Apr 25, 2023
    7
    I enjoyed the game it just was not my game of the year and as someone who really loves story games it just was not what I was expecting because it was my first Souls game. The combat is challenging, but it is really enjoyable. It was fun to try something new and I would recommend for anyone looking to mix it up.
  4. Lordofmas
    Nov 5, 2022
    7
    I can't really fathom all these 10/10 scores, i feel like you all played a different game. Like sure the bosses are fun, sure there are some cool loot in this game. Here is the thing though, recycling. Too much and and it's boring, too little and you have a 20 year project. Personally i felt it was too much, same boss in some random dungeon like 3 times, didn't feel rewarding in the least.I can't really fathom all these 10/10 scores, i feel like you all played a different game. Like sure the bosses are fun, sure there are some cool loot in this game. Here is the thing though, recycling. Too much and and it's boring, too little and you have a 20 year project. Personally i felt it was too much, same boss in some random dungeon like 3 times, didn't feel rewarding in the least.

    Main issue is the balancing, you could easily just balance the weapons so that there isn't such big gaps. First playthrough i died on average 60-90 times per boss, because i like short duel-wielding weapons, makes me feel cool. I had no idea that here you cant do that because the bosses are scaled to handle op magic casting sh*t, which took me a long ass time to figure out because nobody knew anything yet. Playthrough number 2 3 4, im just cruising through the bosses like it's nothing. is it because i "got gud"? No, it's because i found op **** and scaled hp, because scaling anything else is almost useless. The best strat is getting a good weapon and just getting enough stats to cover the weapons needs and then only level vitality.

    I leveled from 20-40 in dex just to test this theory on a boss, i went from 350 per hit to 409, rather useless if you ask me. So my issue isn't that it's "too hard" or "too easy", it's that without knowledge it's too hard, and with knowledge it's so boringly easy that it's hard to concentrate. A lot of people take pride in this difference and say "it's because i explored so well" "i got good", when that's not the case.

    Prime example is if you start samurai: basically easy mode, if you go bandit: hard mode. There has never been this much difference between classes at the start. You could always "out-skill" the boss with well timed doges in ds3 but here that is less of a factor and your starting gear matters more, which i think is a huge issue.

    The only thing here is the awesome bosses that carry the whole game, some cool moments at the end after boring, tiresome, and repetitive gameplay, which to be honest made them feel more grand, so i'll give them that.

    But it's not a masterpiece, not in the slightest. It's too repetitive, very bland scaling system that makes no sense, poorly scaled armor, and an overvalue of the vitality stat. If these where fixed ye then i would agree it's a masterpiece.    … Expand
  5. Tsuibatsu
    Nov 7, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A strong adventure game that just doesn't measure up to its predecessors in the fromsoft catalog, enjoyed it for what it was but what the game is struggles with what it wants to be too much for my taste… Expand
  6. STNXD0
    Nov 11, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Disappointing.

    Combat : 6/10
    Story : 9/10
    Free roam : 5/10
    Multiplayer : 8/10
    Creativity : 7/10
    Is it he superior souls they claim it to be? No    … Expand
  7. Lorenlp90
    Nov 12, 2022
    7
    El juego es maravilloso, pero no es para todos los tipos de jugadores, le he echado en falta más profundidad en la natación de los protagonistas. Lo que verdaderamente engancha es la dificultad del juego
  8. VeryGoodReviews
    Nov 14, 2022
    7
    It looks awesome there are many cool bosses but whenever I try to kill something my character just starts swinging wildly because there is no lock on system.
  9. kkjjfa
    Nov 17, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Didn't live up to my expectations personally, really hoped the game would be much better than this… Expand
  10. YZDSA
    Jun 30, 2023
    7
    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
  11. Timsen375
    Nov 23, 2022
    7
    Vorab möchte ich sagen, dass ich Elden Ring nicht schlecht finde. Wenn ich aber ehrlich zu mir selbst bin, ist das für mich die Enttäuschung des Jahres und ich würde am liebsten weniger Punkte vergeben. Objektiv betrachtet macht das Spiel aber auch einige Sachen richtig und das möchte ich nicht zu extrem bestrafen. Ich würde, trotz das ich großer Fan von Bloodborne, Ds3 oder Sekiro binVorab möchte ich sagen, dass ich Elden Ring nicht schlecht finde. Wenn ich aber ehrlich zu mir selbst bin, ist das für mich die Enttäuschung des Jahres und ich würde am liebsten weniger Punkte vergeben. Objektiv betrachtet macht das Spiel aber auch einige Sachen richtig und das möchte ich nicht zu extrem bestrafen. Ich würde, trotz das ich großer Fan von Bloodborne, Ds3 oder Sekiro bin nicht sagen, dass meine Erwartungen zu hoch waren. Ich habe mich zwar grundsätzlich auf den Titel gefreut, wirklich gehyped war ich nicht. Ja, Eldenring bringt ähnlich wie Zelda BotW oder Ghost of Tushima einen frischen Wind in das Open World Gerne. Jedoch ist man hier irgendwo auch über das Ziel hinausgeschossen. Ingesamt stören mich 6 Themen sehr. 1. Die Open World selbst: So toll der Ansatz der Freien Wahl und Erkundung ist, sie ist lange nicht so gut gemacht wie es oft dargestellt wird. Die ganze Welt macht einen trüben und leblosen Eindruck, nicht zuletzt wegen der schlechten Technik. Die Welt soll ja verlassen und trostlos sein, aber sie fühlt sich trotzdem nicht lebendig an. Zelda BotW hat dieses Problem deutlich besser gelöst. Da waren auch nur ganz wenige NPCs über die Welt verstreut und einige große Städte, trotzdem war ein großer Teil der Welt leer, sie hat sich aber nie so angefühlt. Zum großen Teil ist hier auch das Sounddesign bei Zelda dafür verantwortlich, dass nie solch ein negatives Gefühl zustande kommt (und nein ich meine nicht die Musik). Alles in Elden Ring fühlt sich tot an. Hinzukommt, dass ich mir immer mega umständlich einen Weg suchen muss, anders als bei Zelda. Wenn ich in Zelda einen interessanten Ort sehe, kann ich da einfach hin und durch einige Tricks dir Ausdauer beim klettern regenerieren. Dadurch fühlt sich diese Freiheit gar nicht so frei an. 2. Die Seelenasche: Die Darksouls Reihe hat einem immer wunderbar beigebracht am Ball zu bleiben und die Mechaniken und die Gegner zu studieren. Man wusste immer wenn man gestorben ist, dass man selber dafür verantwortlich ist. Die Seelenasche nimmt das aber zum großen Teil. Außer der Mana Anzeige gibt es kein Limit durch andere Attribute, weshalb das für mich eine zusätzliche Mechanik ist. Eine Mechanik die aber dafür sorgt, dass wen ich bei einem Boss sterbe das Gefühl habe, nicht effektiv genug gekämpft zu haben. Ja irgendwo ist es eigenes Versagen, aber zum anderen schwingt immer das Gefühl mit, nicht optimal gekämpft zu haben. Man muss es nicht einsetzten, aber die Hemmschwelle ist auch sehr gering sich doch mal Hilfe zu holen. 3. Die besten Momente sind nicht in der Open World selbst: Am stärksten ist für mich Eldenring immer dann, wenn man in die größeren Dungens kommt. Hier kommt für mich die volle Stärke zum Vorschein, die Darksouls schon immer ausgemacht hat. Diese Dichte beklemmende Atmosphäre ist eine Riesen Stärke der Serie und durch die Open World kommen viel längere leere Phasen dazwischen, in denen gar nicht so viel passiert. Ja hier und da gibt es was nettes zu sehen, aber das ist zum einen nur selten belohnend, je nachdem welchen Spiele Style man priorisieren, zum anderen aber auch nicht sehr spannend gemacht. Ja es gibt Highlights, aber zu selten. 4. Der fehlende Fokus: Ich hatte zwei mal die Situation wirklich nicht mehr voran zu kommen. Das Spiel gibt einem manchmal so wenig Anhaltspunkte, wo es den jetzt wirklich weiter geht, dass man ewig lange in der Open World am suchen ist. Das ist vor allem dann ärgerlich, wenn man ein paar Tage nicht spielen konnte. Spätestens dann geht das Konzept nicht mehr auf und man muss googeln und das frustriert. Auch das hat Zelda besser gelöst, indem die wichtigsten Punkte markiert sind und der Rest man einfach irgendwie machen sollte. Zelda war hier zwar nicht ganz so frei, dafür deutlich fokussierter und auch irgendwo logischer. 5. Die Bosse: es gibt ein paar außergewöhnliche und sehr gute Bosse, dass kann und will ich nicht absprechen. Jedoch gibt es auch einen Haufen nicht so guter Bosse, die sich auch gerne wiederholen. Gerade bei den größeren Bossen ist die Kammera eine Katastrophe (Feuerriese) und machen deshalb auch nicht so viel Spaß. Vorherige FromSoftware Titel haben das alles deutlich besser hinbekommen. Hier sehe ich echt einen Rückschritt. 6. Die Technik: Ich habe hier definitiv kein Grafikwunder erwartet, aber wie manchmal die Texturen nachladen müssen ist einfach nur schlecht. Es kommt zu keinem Zeitpunkt ein Next Gen Gefühl auf. Fazit: Ich kann mir die teils hohen Wertungen nur so erklären, dass viele Leute wirklich keine guten Erfahrungen mit der Open World der letzten Jahre gemacht haben. Alles was Eldenring ausmacht gibt es in besser. Ghost of Tushima und Telda BotW bleiben meiner Meinung nach deutlich besser, selbst wenn solche Sachen wie die Charaktergestalltung eingegrenzter ist.… Expand
  12. KathyPod
    Apr 21, 2023
    7
    This is genuinely a well crafted game: excellent writing, art, animation, sound, design and music went into it. I truly do respect the game developers behind it.

    But ultimately it is not for me. I found the UI to be cluttered and overwhelming, the multitude of stats and facts felt like a poorly structured info drop, the punishing world was intriguing but the harshness of it made it    This is genuinely a well crafted game: excellent writing, art, animation, sound, design and music went into it. I truly do respect the game developers behind it.

    But ultimately it is not for me.
    I found the UI to be cluttered and overwhelming, the multitude of stats and facts felt like a poorly structured info drop, the punishing world was intriguing but the harshness of it made it impossible for me to continue. I would have loved to see more of its lore, and experience more of the game, but with my poor motor skills and working memory it's simply not possible.

    I know this was not made for gamers like me. It was made clear to me early on. But I wish it had a mode that did. I want to experience more of Elden Ring and I can't, and it's very frustrating.    … Expand
  13. MaleniaSucks
    Apr 24, 2023
    7
    I have created my account only to say they Malenia is one of the fromsoftware worst bosses ever made only because of one annoying mechanic. The late-game difficulty, poor balance, and unfair bosses truly make elden ring a shattered masterpiece!
  14. 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
  15. sagemilli92
    Jun 26, 2023
    7
    After playing over 100 hours, I can see why people would like this style of game, but I can confidently say this style is simply not for me. The open world was clever and cool at times, but I still have no idea what is going on as far as story goes, which might be part of the schtick but like I said, this style just isn't for me.
  16. Crowolff
    Jul 17, 2023
    7
    this game is good I like that but ...everything is very repetitive from dungeon to bosses and everything And it's boring are they going to open world crap bcz casuals this is nothing new or unique just dark souls 4 open world ..overhyped and overrated
  17. amwazdraws
    Jul 10, 2023
    7
    I really love Fromsoftware and I loved Elden Ring and platinumed it, but this game has some issues. The game is just way too big. I would have prefered a smaller game with good and unique bosses, instead of forgettable minibosses scattered all around the game, placed at the end of the dungeons and mines.
    The bosses in the Late Game are not good and it doesn't feel satisfying to defeat    I really love Fromsoftware and I loved Elden Ring and platinumed it, but this game has some issues. The game is just way too big. I would have prefered a smaller game with good and unique bosses, instead of forgettable minibosses scattered all around the game, placed at the end of the dungeons and mines.
    The bosses in the Late Game are not good and it doesn't feel satisfying to defeat them. Malenia is one of the worst bosses Fromsoftwarte designed. Only a few bosses come close to the quality of the Dark Souls III bosses (Mogh, Placidusax, Rykard...).
    The design of the Legacy Dungeons is a bit weird. Why not just stick with the more linear design of the levels like in the Dark Souls games?
    I mostly enjoyed the startings areas.
    Can't wait for the Expansion and I hope they will improve on the boss quality.    … Expand
  18. Goldmembah
    Aug 16, 2023
    7
    Es bueno pero para mí está algo sobrevalorado, está bien la libertad que da para explorar pero este juego va al extremo y no te dice casi nada sobre su hulistoriany mundo, a veces se agradece que un juego te presente su historia y lore de un modo más tradicional, creo que se pierde mucho así y se pierde gran parte del trabajo de los desarrolladores y de George Martin.
  19. Alias--
    Sep 11, 2023
    7
    It's good, but lacking in replayability compared to previous solus games. Part of that is because of the switch to open world or "open field". Going open world meant sacrificing something special about the formula, the core experience of traversing those tight linear, labyrinthian corridors that defined demon souls, dark souls 1 and dark souls 3. That tight, expertly paced gameplay andIt's good, but lacking in replayability compared to previous solus games. Part of that is because of the switch to open world or "open field". Going open world meant sacrificing something special about the formula, the core experience of traversing those tight linear, labyrinthian corridors that defined demon souls, dark souls 1 and dark souls 3. That tight, expertly paced gameplay and sense of progression is just completely missing from this game.
    Instead of this the meat of the game is the huge but empty feeling open field areas. The sheer spectacle and novelty of horseback exploration of these gorgeous landscapes is enough to get you through it the first time, but this portion of the game really drags on repeat playthroughs.
    When the game does give you a taste of the old school souls level design like in Volcano Manor it just doesn't feel significant enough. Don't get me wrong, the amount of content is well worth the money, and you will enjoy your first time running through, but the experience just doesn't live up to the heights of the genre.
    My hope is that they change things up for the dlc and focus more on fleshing out the "legacy dungeons" rather than pushing for more time spent in huge open areas. Also a patch to change the multiplayer system would be nice, they really botched it this time around    … Expand
  20. Crofto
    Apr 4, 2022
    6
    Technically, this is an abomination. Patchy framerate. Poor hit detection. Low-res textures. Awful sound design. Going from a modern open-world title - like Horizon: Forbidden West - to this, demonstrates a staggering lapse of effort from From Software in terms of developing next generation games. This is a PS3 title in all but name.

    In terms of gameplay, it's Dark Souls open world. But    Technically, this is an abomination. Patchy framerate. Poor hit detection. Low-res textures. Awful sound design. Going from a modern open-world title - like Horizon: Forbidden West - to this, demonstrates a staggering lapse of effort from From Software in terms of developing next generation games. This is a PS3 title in all but name.

    In terms of gameplay, it's Dark Souls open world. But with the same combat. Weapons. Enemies. Menus etc. Recycled assets. Recycled systems (summoning is as archaic as ever; what happened to just pressing 'start > invite friend for coop'?). The narrative is practically non-existent and beyond abstract. And I don't mean 'abstract' in a Lynchian chin-stroke way, I mean 'abstract' as in going into a museum of modern art, nearly bumping into a set of stacked chairs only for the curator to yell at you for disturbing the 'art'. It's poor.

    The hyperbole surrounding this game is quite staggering, as are complicit paid "professional" college boy drop out reviewers. It's a 10 year old game wrapped up in hype, slapped across a technically abysmal open world, with back-of-box tickers such as 'crafting' added to make it seem fresh and modern. But it isn't.

    Elden Ring is a decent hack and slash game. There's still enough merit to the Demon's Souls formula to make it a decent game to play, but it is in no way a leader of the gaming medium. Take away the From Soft logo, and people forget about this game in a few weeks. That' the reality.    … Expand
  21. Obi-Jones
    Mar 27, 2023
    6
    I just can't get on with Elden Ring. Not sure the soul's formula really works as an open world game. It's also a technical mess on PS5 (over a year since launch). Bloodbourne was the high point of this genre for me. I keep going back the Elden Ring and I just don't see why this is as highly rated as it is.
  22. 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
  23. vitalyx
    Nov 6, 2022
    6
    More of the same in a good and bad way. Great gameplay and fairly interesting world (though not their best). Poor ass graphics for 2022, saved to an extent by artistic direction. Too spread out. I got bored and stopped playing. Bloodborne was better. All subjective, of course. No need to get pissed if you disagree.
  24. 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
  25. 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.
  26. angmarec
    Feb 26, 2022
    6
    PC version has horrible optimization. Open wolrd is empty. Just random ccamps of enemies. Visual style is great, but technical side is bad. Very average game.
  27. 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
  28. bradkane
    Feb 26, 2022
    6
    The gaming press has done a huge disservice to the gaming world by hyping this as a perfect game. If you have not played these games before but were convinced by the reviews, I recommend you hold out for BotW2. This is a niche game that shows zero respect for newcomers to the genre.
  29. 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
  30. 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
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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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