After years of hype, Elden Ring is almost here. For many fans, the wait for FromSoftware's latest game has seemed to last a thousand lifetimes, generating a level of hype most AAA titles can only dream of. The developer's reputation for challenging yet gorgeous titles such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Dark Souls, coupled with the fact that Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin worked on the game's lore, has given Elden Ring lofty expectations that are hard to live up to.

Early reviews, however, seem to indicate that the esteemed Japanese developer has pulled it off. As of the time of writing, Elden Ring is the number one game ever on OpenCritics, and its' shaping up to become one of the biggest and most acclaimed video games ever thanks to its achievements in storytelling, worldbuilding, expansive lore and challenging, satisfying gameplay. CBR's own review showers the game in praise, saying "FromSoftware not only solidifies its rightful mastery of the genre it pioneered but also carves out a promising future for Soulslike games altogether."

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Elden Ring's World-Building Is Unparalleled

players vs boss in elden ring

Recruiting George R.R. Martin to help assemble a game's lore is a good place to start, and critics have found Elden Ring's presentation of its vast and daunting world to be one of the game's most satisfying maneuvers. As Pam Ferdinand of GameRant says, the lore is "deep and compelling, fed to players through cryptic item descriptions and tantalizing hints uncovered in dialogue." Instead of being spoon-fed a single dose of impenetrable myths and fables, Elden Ring adopts far more of a "show, don't tell" attitude to its storytelling, hinting at the powers, events and fears haunting its beautiful vistas and murky dungeons.

The world of Elden Ring, crucially, feels alive, reactive and tangible, the great challenge of any expansive AAA open-world title. For Simon Parkin of The Guardian, one of Elden Ring's great strengths is its immersive quality, recounting the tale of being suckered into one of the game's many deceptive encounters, with what appeared to be a "melancholic song carried by the wind" revealing itself to be "a grotesque siren, with beating leather wings and foot-long claws." The Lands Between may be immersive, but they're also highly dangerous.

Inhabiting the Lands Between are the usual droves of monsters, beasts and abominations in which the creators of Dark Souls and Bloodborne are so expert. According to ScreenRant's Christopher Teuton, "the enemies of Elden Ring might be the most ridiculous and horrifying creatures FromSoftware has created. Elements of Sekiro and Bloodborne design philosophies can be seen intermingling with the more hard fantasy...creations of the Dark Souls series...creating a juxtaposition that teaches players to always expect something unexpected."

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Elden Ring's Combat and Difficulty Are Just Right

Elden Ring

According to The Guardian, "combat in Elden Ring is unmatched by any other game, with a sense of heft and precision that rewards patience and learning." Combat can occur on foot or horseback, expanded hugely by the assortment of starting classes on offer. The player's trusty steed, Torrent, adds a different dimension to how players choose to initiate a brawl, as, according to ScreenRant, "nearly all of the enemies in the overworld can be attacked while atop Torrent's back" with potentially unfair fights evened out by "forcing foes to engage in an impromptu jousting session."

While it is clearly one of the game's multiple strengths, some have found minor flaws with Elden Ring's combat. Some have complained of slightly outdated mechanics, while others have criticized the potential for mounted combat to be tricky to master. As Mike Worby of Cultured Vultures explains, "swings can be hard to judge and often fall just out of the hitboxes for enemies." Even so, these minor issues seem to be nothing but trifling quibbles in a sea of dense, challenging excellence.

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Elden Ring's Presentation Evidences An Immaculate Attention to Detail

The Tarnished fights an enemy on horseback

The wait for Elden Ring may have been torturous for some, but the time was clearly spent polishing the game until it sparkled with a dread-soaked glory. Cultured Vultures explains that "the world of Elden Ring is a sight to behold," while GameRant agrees that the game's "diversity of environments" ranging from "windswept fields, occasional rainstorms, and lightning bolts flashing from the sky" combine to make "the Lands Between feel alive." That said, Ferdinand also points out that a small minority of Souls fans may be perturbed by Elden Ring's slightly lighter, less claustrophobic feel, worrying it may be "lacking some of the intensity and gothic moodiness that made those games so unforgettable."

Even so, the overwhelming consensus is that Elden Ring's production, be it through its visual presentation or sound design, is astounding. When combined with its gameplay, often when engaging hostile enemies, the game's score elevates the experience to another level. As Gamesradar's Joel Franey explains, contextual musical accompaniment via "an orchestral score that sounds like the world is ending 10 times over" inspires in players a "total, terrified awe." Worby agrees, expressing that the music is "often subtle" but reacts perfectly to what's onscreen, highlighting the boss music as "especially excellent, with epic arrangements getting your pulse pounding for the big fights."

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What Do Critics Make of Elden Ring Overall?

The Tarnished Hopping over a chasam in Elden Ring

Despite the inevitable quibble here or trifling gripe here, the response to Elden Ring has been overwhelmingly positive. 2022's most hotly-anticipated release was always going to struggle to bear the immense burden of its own hype, but FromSoftware has done the near-impossible, exceeding the lofty expectations of its fanbase.

Elden Ring looks set to become one of the great open-world adventures of its age, a defining experience that pushes us further into a bold new generation of deep, expansive releases. As Edmond Tran of Gameshub summarizes, "Elden Ring is an exceptional work that realizes a fantasy world of solemnity, beauty, and menacing uncertainty you can’t help but lose yourself in."

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