Whenever a game is announced, it comes with fan expectations and excitement. This is hype, and for the most part, it is essential.

Hyped up games sell well on release and garner extensive media coverage.

Games that fail to meet the hype are usually met with anger and disappointment – emotions you don’t want from your intended player base.

The bigger the game and its hype, the greater the backlash, as seen with games like No Mans Sky and Cyberpunk 2077.

Elden Ring won the most anticipated game of 2020 and 2021 at the Game Awards and inspired a cult-like following from long-time FromSoftware fans.

Its hype was skyscraper high but did it live up to expectations?

The world you explore in Elden Ring is as breathtaking as it is vast.

The world and its content

Elden Ring is the first real open-world game FromSoftware have developed.

Previous titles like Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne may have had large, interconnected maps, but none were really open-world.

However, one of the biggest pitfalls for open-world games is content – no matter how large or nice-looking a game is it needs content to be fun.

Elden Ring hurdled this pitfall with ease.

Site of Lost Grace act as Elden Ring’s Bonfire equivalent and ensure that even if you die you can continue on.

The massive open areas you explore never feel too large, and there’s always something to find: a caravan of loot drawn by giants, a ruin to explore, hidden treasure to be found, NPCs with exciting quests, and more dungeons than I can remember.

The world of Elden Ring isn’t just a sandbox; it’s a vibrant, living place where there’s always something to do.

Gameplay

Elden Ring comes from the Soulsborne family of games, and hardcore fans will be relieved to find its combat is weighty, enemies are dangerous, and death is always around the corner.

Its combat is the best of all the games FromSoftware has produced and represents its predecessors’ best traits. Combat is fluid and responsive, with a vast array of ways to play, ranging from dual-wielding greatswords to pelting your enemies with spells.

Elden Ring provides players with everything they need to fight the way they’d prefer, and that’s important given the bosses.

Astride your loyal steed Torrent the world is ripe for exploration, just be sure to keep your wits about you.

The bosses

While combat and level design are important in Souls games, the quality of bosses is what defines one. Elden Rings bosses are beautifully designed in both appearances and combat.

The most notable fact is that boss difficulty is varied.

The bosses you encounter in Legacy Dungeons, such as Margit the Fell and Godrick the Grafted, are an extreme challenge with expansive move-sets and phases that further alter the rhythm of the fight.

Godrick the Grafted is enormous, dangerous and, most importantly, fun to fight.

However, the bosses one finds at the end of the smaller dungeons in the open world are far more manageable and represent an effective way of easing less experienced players into boss gameplay.

Then there are the bosses found in the Evergoals, whose difficulties usually lie in the middle.

This ensures that players can fight bosses that won’t feel impossible to beat no matter their skill level.

The residence of Godrick the Grafted, Stormveil Castle is the first Legacy Dungeon available to players.

Verdict

With an open world that delivers on the promised scale and content, combat that is fluid and enjoyable, and bosses with some of the best designs in the history of the Soulsborne franchise, Elden Ring is the best FromSoftware game to date.

It’s also the most accessible thanks to its open-ended gameplay that allows you to pick and choose your fights, and the staggered difficulty of bosses.

New players won’t feel like they’ve been thrown into the deep end. Instead, any player can become the Elden Lord with a bit of determination.

Elden Ring is an experience that should not be missed, and a game that not only lives up to the hype but exceeds it.

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