After much anticipation, Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin's new fantasy epic Elden Ring is finally here.
FromSoftware has a huge reputation for creating notoriously challenging action RPG titles that focus on tough but satisfying combat but, this will be the first time they have tried their hand at an open world.
Elden Ring’s story begins a long time before the current setting where the realm, called the Lands Between, is ruled by Queen Marika The Eternal, and her children the Demigods.
Sometime during this period a source of great power, the Elden Ring was shattered and Queen Marika seemingly disappeared.
Shortly after Marika’s offspring, the Demigods claimed the shattered pieces of the Elden Ring which granted them great power while corrupting them at the same time.
With the Lands Between in ruin, exiled heroes known as the Tarnished have been summoned back to collect the shattered pieces of the Elden Ring and restore order to the realm.
Elden Ring has ridiculously rich lore that's filled with amazing characters and wonderfully crafted locations.
It's filled with so much knowledge and tradition to discover, fans of George R. R. Martin and the dark fantasy genre are really in store for an epic experience.
Elden Ring is visually breathtaking, offering a grand sense of adventure and discovery throughout the entire journey.
The open world of the Lands Between has been designed to show the destruction and desecration to a realm that once radiated with beauty.
There are heaps of grand structures from castles, fortresses, and catacombs that look like an architect’s dream.
Players should be sure to explore every inch of Elden Ring’s world as everything has an intricate identity.
Elden Ring has a detailed character creation that gives players full authority over how their hero looks.
However, designs are purely superficial and have no bearing on the character's abilities and overall stats, so players should go wild with their looks.
Character models are so fluid, with each of their movements feeling life-like during combat and traversing.
The enemies in Elden Ring probably have the best designs I’ve seen in a long time, with the developers doing a fantastic job at merging different styles and ideas to create something completely new that works so well.
Elden Ring has a majestic soundtrack that feels so epic it could be a musical score for a blockbuster film.
From the grand orchestral pieces to epic brass sequences and tense string build-ups, Yuka Kitamura’s soundtrack adds an extra dimension to the whole experience.
Before players get started with their adventure, they will have to pick from one of nine classes or Origin.
While this will have an initial impact on the early hours of the game, the disparity between the classes quickly diminishes as you level up and develop your character.
There is no incorrect choice here in the long run but as the early hours of the game can be very brutal it's important to pick an Origin that will initially cater to your play style.
For example, choosing a Bandit will be suited for players who prefer stealthy combat over head-on brawls, compared to the Samurai who focuses on melee, or the hero who is a specialist in utilising their strength.
Players will be able to level up or improve their characters by using Runes, the in-game currency. Runes however are also used for buying items as well as levelling up your attributes.
The easiest way to gain Runes is by defeating enemies, this does result in constant grinding as players will need an ample supply.
The Lands Between is a brutal open world full of so many surprises and threats at every corner.
It's really important to explore every inch of each location as the game rarely tells you where to go.
I was really quite surprised, often shocked as to what areas held important items or triggered a story event.
However, this level of mystery is fully welcome as it forced me to really explore to progress the story.
Aside from the main mission of collecting the shards, there are lots of side quests from NPCs, however, there isn’t a log to keep track of the information, no players will have to remember any info or hints given to them by an NPC.
The game really leaves it up to the player to plan out their own adventure, however, it can be frustrating at times when you’re literally running around in circles trying to decipher where the best place to go, while trying to keep track of all the other importing going on in the game which can be overwhelming at times.
Players will be able to traverse the land in different ways with more options becoming available as they progress. Finding the Sites of Grace is very crucial as they allow fast travel.
The world is filled with dungeons that come in the form of caves, catacombs, strongholds and more, with each one presenting a vastly different challenge from the next.
It's really rewarding when you manage to defeat one of these smaller dungeons and the rewards are normally generous, but I feel the difficulty may put off casual gamers who aren’t used to Souls styled games.
Although fans of the genre will salivate at the never-ending danger and complexity of the puzzles that are on offer.
Each area will have a Legacy dungeon which is where the Demigods will reside, these levels feel very much like the castles in Demon Souls.
It's safe to say that they will present the most challenges within the games and are filled with brilliant secrets.
As players become more accustomed to the game they will understand that you simply can’t walk into these places without a plan, or the right level of equipment.
Boss battles are simply majestic, yes terribly difficult, but they are visual spectacles to say the least.
Each Boss comes with an insane attack pattern that can go from zero to one hundred in an instant.
Players will die a lot but death should be used as a tool for learning and not seen as a punishment.
Players will lose the loot and have to go back to the place of death to get them. Or sometimes enemies will have acquired them so they will need to be defeated to reclaimed their loot.
Combat requires a very meticulous approach, this isn’t a game where you can afford to waste attacks, especially when facing large groups of enemies or bosses.
Players will be able to place armaments in different hands which may give the advantage over certain enemies, but could also alter their functions and move sets.
All the armaments can be upgraded and players can even find special armaments hidden in the toughest areas.
There are several other elements of combat that will be class-specific from the outset but become available as players progress, like using magical spells or even ranged fighting with bow and arrow.
Magic is performed by spending Force Points and are divided into two categories, Sorcery and Incantations.
Sorcery is primarily reliant upon intelligence geared towards offence, whereas Incantations are primarily reliant upon faith and use for defensive support.
Players will gain access to Spirit Ashes as they progress which allows them to summon otherworld forces to help in battle.
Spirits can only be summoned when a Rebirth Monument is present which just means players won’t be able to spam this resource.
Verdict
Elden Ring is a beautiful but brutal game that stays true to its Souls roots, I will say that it's not for the faint-hearted as completing quests is equally as difficult as the dungeons and combat sequences.
However, FromSoftware has added another great game to their already impressive catalogue.
Elden Ring is certainly one of this years must-have titles as it's an experience like nothing else.
Elden Ring is out for the PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PC on 25 February
