Ivan
Arcane
Since most text on the thread is about recent player experiences, I figure this would be a cool space for those to reflect on the strengths/weaknesses of this entry. I'm going to be revisiting and revising my thoughts while I was at the 60 hour mark (had just reached the capital) to my current thoughts at hour 90+ after the H.L. fight (not sure if I have the stomach for Manelia before I roll credits).
Elden Ring is my third favorite FromSoftware title (Blooborne and Sekiro being my top 2 respectively). When taking a step back and taking in the scope of the game, it's clear that in Elden Ring FromSoftware have created an odyssey. It is staggering just how much content there is in the game. Also, it stays true to the virtues of its previous titles of letting the player move at their own pace, deduce the story how they see fit, and bother you as little as possible in your adventure. I remember folks at the codex crying foul when we first learned that the checkpoints would have trails of light pointing toward "objectives," I'm glad to say that this is probably the only hand-holding the game does. I'm beyond impressed by how much of the game is optional/missable.
Now let's ruminate over what the game excels at and where it falls short, starting with the inclusion of the open world/overworld:
-the game is divided into distinct zones where one of the game's demigods (VIP bosses) reside. Visually, each has its own distinct color palette and geography. When I think of Liurnia I think of its blues and water, Limgrave brings images of wide open grassy spaces, Altus Plateau brings to mind regal gold. The open world does a wonderful job of piquing your curiosity. Very often will I have destination A in mind, when all-of-a-sudden I glimpse destinations B, C, and D off in the distance and my plans immediately change. More often than not, my curiosity was paid in full with something new to discover, ranging from a less exciting overworld combat encounter, to a completely new interior to explore. I often felt that the overworld traversal was much like an escalator that funneled me along toward these different pockets of the handcrafted pockets of level design we've come to know and love from FromSoftware. It's impressive that all of the caves had unique combat encounters designed for them. I did notice some repeated layouts and structure, but I can't say I ever felt the combat encounters were repeated 1 for 1.
My issue with the open world is that it doesn't impose itself mechanically enough on the player to make traversing each zone feel unique its own. I would have liked to have seen From implement an element of danger into the traversal of each zone. Some ideas: inflic some sort of status effect that would necessitate the player to engage with the crafting system more thoughtfully. Something along the lines of harsh weather, hunger, or omnipresent pollution that would further encourage the player to engage with the specific flora/fauna and wildlife of each zone. This would have the effect of having the traversal of each zone have its own unique identity. I still remember the first time I entered Blighttown and went AFK only to return and find out I had ZERO souls. Just how a carefully designed level has its dangers, I wish each specific zone would offer its own unique challenge that could be countered by engaging with the resources that zone provides.
Other suggestions I had jotted down: introduce overworld shortcuts/evolution as a reward for the player having done something. Perhaps you'd have to navigate a treacherous area filled with enemies that made traversal a pain (e.g. Anor Londo archers). The reward for getting through it would be a neat shortcut lift so the player won't have to fight that battle again after respawning. I love the idea of an evolving overworld, and I think it’s beautifully done with Radahn’s comet in Limgrave. I love when I’m given a good reason to re-engage with spaces I’ve already traversed. Bravo!
Dragons:
I've come away feeling that all of my battles against dragons have felt the same and the culprit is that they all either take place in the open world or they fail to make use of the environment in any meaningful way to make each one feel unique. By and large, after I witnessed each dragon’s unique spell, they all felt the same to me, ranging from the first one in Limgrave to the one in Fia’s dream. I feel like each should exist in an area where the terrain itself is something it can use against the player, thereby giving each one a bit more identity.
Level Design:
I was lukewarm on the opening hours Limgrave provided but I’m glad to see that the quality of the levels increased tenfold after that point. In fact, there were a few area in the game that stand in my mind as masterclass examples of level design. Whether it be the perilous Heligtree, the tough combat encounters found in the Shrouded Castle, the Darkroot Depths' mystique and platforming, or the Yharnamesque Capital with its seemingly endless twists and turns
Combat Challenge:
This is my seventh FromSoftware rodeo and I'm the kind of player who plays a nimble dex build, primarily because I enjoy feeling/experiencing the AI's entire move-set up close and personal. I also gravitate toward avoiding summons, as I find it deprives me of some dignity (not casting judgements on anyone else, I just know this to be true for myself). All this to say I was curious of the game's summoning system, which kind of functions as pokemon you acquire out in the world and can use in specific areas should you have enough mana. Summons saved my butt a few times, and since I used them sparingly, those moments of my playthrough stand out brightly in my memory. I'd say you're rarely pitted against multiple foes at once, but there are a few O&S like encounters to be sure. I do think the summoning mechanic is a good addition to help those who really need the assistance. At its worst, it's a tool you may use at your discretion to make your life a bit easier, by no means did I ever feel like it rendered an opponent obsolete.
I did beat many bosses on my first time through, but this brings to mind another problem that's a consequence of the open world. Because the game-world is so open and generous with content, I found myself steamrolling through much of the game in the second half of my playtime. I was dusting off bosses left and right b/c I was confident in my build and in how I prioritized my stats. That said, I am delighted to say that the end-game areas are no slouch. Ranging from the Capital all the way to the Haligtree, I found the game still had enough withheld to keep me on my toes. I love the heavy units found beneath the Capital, or the Haligtree's knights, or the precarious geometry of the Haligree itself.
Novelty/Fresh/What's new:
Returning to the dungeons/caves peppered throughout the overworld, I was happy to see the return of classic traps. One of my favorite moments of the game, which is actually featured in the game's launch trailer (super happy I didn't watch that until just recently by the way), involves an insta-kill trap that can be found early on if you choose the right starting gift. The freshest element the game has going for it is the overworld traversal and being able to jump. I found the game calls for this more toward the end, as the later half of the games features more levels with stronger verticality. It's a nice addition, and a great tool surely for level designers to entice players by placing items off in the distance.
Replay Value:
Surely I've missed NPCs entirely, and god knows I would have never been able to follow an NPCs story beats on my own. In fact, I think it's cool that we can rely on the community as a whole to suss out these quest progressions. This is actually one of the other problems that's a consequence of the open world, it's so much easier to miss out on NPCs and their quest progression. I can recall one moment where I was galloping across the landscape, twisting the camera here and there to soak in the sights, when all-of-a-sudden, I spy a familiar NPC I saw hours ago in my peripheral vision. I could have very easily had the camera panned the opposite direction, but I just happened to have the camera panned on the right spot to be able to make her out in the scenery. And that's a damn shame as, because there's a lot of tender moments to be shared with the NPCs. As I'm nearing the credits, I OKd myself to look up the progression of some of the NPCs I had met (again, it boggles my mind how ppl figured out how to find all the different locations an NPC warps to in their quest progression) and was super happy to see how they were concluded.
NPC Questlines:
I'm all in favor of the game's dominant hands-off approach, but I really do wish there was a more efficient way of tracking these details. For example, I myself was taking copious notes on a notepad, either jotting down a loose end or an item I saw but couldn't reach, or writing down information about NPCs and their favors. One problem is that sometimes NPCs don't repeat the critical details of their favor. For example, I knew Ranni asked me to explore Nokron, but I forgot what it was she was looking for. When I looked up her quest online I found that I had actually missed that entire chunk of Nokron when I first explored it. That was my fault, as the map clearly showed enough detail for me to have been able to think, "hey I hadn't been there." Shout out once again to the excellent map. I love the little drawings that detail buildings or creatures you may find there.
Annoyances/Quality of Life:
-I wish there was a buy-back option for vendors, as there have been numerous times that I've regretted parting with a talisman/weapon/item/etc
-I wish there were vendors that let you buy crafting ingredients/consumables at high prices to have to avoid deliberate farming
Controls:
Torrent (your mount) feels great, particularly b/c it doesn't get in the way of your fun much at all. Torrent doesn't buckle against the environment, you can double jump whenever you want to, and you mount/dismount at zero speed, while walking, or even running. The only gripe I have is that I wish the distance you’re able to acquire items were increased a bit, as sometimes you may kill an animal that’s atop a little rock and you have to jump on it to nab it.
Mounted combat grew on me over time. At first I found it loose, clunky, and poorly managed by the camera. While not perfect, I found a lot of fun of finding the flow of your swings (funny fact: it took my until hour 30 to find out you don’t always have to swing with your right hand). I particularly loved using the flail, as it has a very fun wind up animation, I can't speak for other weapon types.
Switching weapons and toggling two handed is clunkier than before by nature of having to hold down an additional button. Also, I didn't realize you could switch to your bow by just hitting the shoulder button if you have it in one of your hands.
Jumping: frustrating when the game calls for platforming, as some jumps require you to get a running start and sometimes you won't have much surface area to do so confidently (e.g. in mines). That said, seldom does the game require to make use of on-foot jumping. I do like the new combat possibilities it adds though, doing jumping smash attacks can be very fun, especially when leaping off horseback to start an engagement, truly wonderful stuff
Cutscenes/VIP Bosses:
Boss fights that aren't given the traditional VIP treatment with their own cut-scenes and music feel much like the "filler" bosses from Dark Souls 2. Often they are unceremoniously introduced and BAM the action starts. The game uses this tactic subversively as well in one wonderful moments that stands out in my memory (Godwyn). I've seen some boss recycling (mainly b/c the game has so many mini-dungeons (caves) that remind me of the Chalice Dungeons from Bloodborne. Some layouts are repeated, but each has their own unique encounter design. And in usual From tradition, some bosses show up in the overworld as regular encounters later on
Crafting:
I was disappointed to learn that the crafting only extends to consumables. I was hoping we would be able to craft unique/legendary weapons and armor. As it is, you can only trade in great souls for items, or purchase unique equipment worn by bosses from a special merchant after besting them. How cool would it have been to find schematics for weapons and be able to work toward them?
Item upgrading: progression was oddly straightforward. I do wish there were more risks taken here. I was looking for some sort of “twist” kind of like how you could elevate normal weapons to completely different ones in DS1.
In sum, Elden Ring is an incredible achievement. A true odyssey I shall never forget. My hope is that the overworld is itself given a greater element of danger that necessitates engaging with its specific flora/faun / wildlife. I would like to see more risks taken in item progression/ascendancy as well.
Elden Ring is my third favorite FromSoftware title (Blooborne and Sekiro being my top 2 respectively). When taking a step back and taking in the scope of the game, it's clear that in Elden Ring FromSoftware have created an odyssey. It is staggering just how much content there is in the game. Also, it stays true to the virtues of its previous titles of letting the player move at their own pace, deduce the story how they see fit, and bother you as little as possible in your adventure. I remember folks at the codex crying foul when we first learned that the checkpoints would have trails of light pointing toward "objectives," I'm glad to say that this is probably the only hand-holding the game does. I'm beyond impressed by how much of the game is optional/missable.
Now let's ruminate over what the game excels at and where it falls short, starting with the inclusion of the open world/overworld:
-the game is divided into distinct zones where one of the game's demigods (VIP bosses) reside. Visually, each has its own distinct color palette and geography. When I think of Liurnia I think of its blues and water, Limgrave brings images of wide open grassy spaces, Altus Plateau brings to mind regal gold. The open world does a wonderful job of piquing your curiosity. Very often will I have destination A in mind, when all-of-a-sudden I glimpse destinations B, C, and D off in the distance and my plans immediately change. More often than not, my curiosity was paid in full with something new to discover, ranging from a less exciting overworld combat encounter, to a completely new interior to explore. I often felt that the overworld traversal was much like an escalator that funneled me along toward these different pockets of the handcrafted pockets of level design we've come to know and love from FromSoftware. It's impressive that all of the caves had unique combat encounters designed for them. I did notice some repeated layouts and structure, but I can't say I ever felt the combat encounters were repeated 1 for 1.
My issue with the open world is that it doesn't impose itself mechanically enough on the player to make traversing each zone feel unique its own. I would have liked to have seen From implement an element of danger into the traversal of each zone. Some ideas: inflic some sort of status effect that would necessitate the player to engage with the crafting system more thoughtfully. Something along the lines of harsh weather, hunger, or omnipresent pollution that would further encourage the player to engage with the specific flora/fauna and wildlife of each zone. This would have the effect of having the traversal of each zone have its own unique identity. I still remember the first time I entered Blighttown and went AFK only to return and find out I had ZERO souls. Just how a carefully designed level has its dangers, I wish each specific zone would offer its own unique challenge that could be countered by engaging with the resources that zone provides.
Other suggestions I had jotted down: introduce overworld shortcuts/evolution as a reward for the player having done something. Perhaps you'd have to navigate a treacherous area filled with enemies that made traversal a pain (e.g. Anor Londo archers). The reward for getting through it would be a neat shortcut lift so the player won't have to fight that battle again after respawning. I love the idea of an evolving overworld, and I think it’s beautifully done with Radahn’s comet in Limgrave. I love when I’m given a good reason to re-engage with spaces I’ve already traversed. Bravo!
Dragons:
I've come away feeling that all of my battles against dragons have felt the same and the culprit is that they all either take place in the open world or they fail to make use of the environment in any meaningful way to make each one feel unique. By and large, after I witnessed each dragon’s unique spell, they all felt the same to me, ranging from the first one in Limgrave to the one in Fia’s dream. I feel like each should exist in an area where the terrain itself is something it can use against the player, thereby giving each one a bit more identity.
Level Design:
I was lukewarm on the opening hours Limgrave provided but I’m glad to see that the quality of the levels increased tenfold after that point. In fact, there were a few area in the game that stand in my mind as masterclass examples of level design. Whether it be the perilous Heligtree, the tough combat encounters found in the Shrouded Castle, the Darkroot Depths' mystique and platforming, or the Yharnamesque Capital with its seemingly endless twists and turns
Combat Challenge:
This is my seventh FromSoftware rodeo and I'm the kind of player who plays a nimble dex build, primarily because I enjoy feeling/experiencing the AI's entire move-set up close and personal. I also gravitate toward avoiding summons, as I find it deprives me of some dignity (not casting judgements on anyone else, I just know this to be true for myself). All this to say I was curious of the game's summoning system, which kind of functions as pokemon you acquire out in the world and can use in specific areas should you have enough mana. Summons saved my butt a few times, and since I used them sparingly, those moments of my playthrough stand out brightly in my memory. I'd say you're rarely pitted against multiple foes at once, but there are a few O&S like encounters to be sure. I do think the summoning mechanic is a good addition to help those who really need the assistance. At its worst, it's a tool you may use at your discretion to make your life a bit easier, by no means did I ever feel like it rendered an opponent obsolete.
I did beat many bosses on my first time through, but this brings to mind another problem that's a consequence of the open world. Because the game-world is so open and generous with content, I found myself steamrolling through much of the game in the second half of my playtime. I was dusting off bosses left and right b/c I was confident in my build and in how I prioritized my stats. That said, I am delighted to say that the end-game areas are no slouch. Ranging from the Capital all the way to the Haligtree, I found the game still had enough withheld to keep me on my toes. I love the heavy units found beneath the Capital, or the Haligtree's knights, or the precarious geometry of the Haligree itself.
Novelty/Fresh/What's new:
Returning to the dungeons/caves peppered throughout the overworld, I was happy to see the return of classic traps. One of my favorite moments of the game, which is actually featured in the game's launch trailer (super happy I didn't watch that until just recently by the way), involves an insta-kill trap that can be found early on if you choose the right starting gift. The freshest element the game has going for it is the overworld traversal and being able to jump. I found the game calls for this more toward the end, as the later half of the games features more levels with stronger verticality. It's a nice addition, and a great tool surely for level designers to entice players by placing items off in the distance.
Replay Value:
Surely I've missed NPCs entirely, and god knows I would have never been able to follow an NPCs story beats on my own. In fact, I think it's cool that we can rely on the community as a whole to suss out these quest progressions. This is actually one of the other problems that's a consequence of the open world, it's so much easier to miss out on NPCs and their quest progression. I can recall one moment where I was galloping across the landscape, twisting the camera here and there to soak in the sights, when all-of-a-sudden, I spy a familiar NPC I saw hours ago in my peripheral vision. I could have very easily had the camera panned the opposite direction, but I just happened to have the camera panned on the right spot to be able to make her out in the scenery. And that's a damn shame as, because there's a lot of tender moments to be shared with the NPCs. As I'm nearing the credits, I OKd myself to look up the progression of some of the NPCs I had met (again, it boggles my mind how ppl figured out how to find all the different locations an NPC warps to in their quest progression) and was super happy to see how they were concluded.
NPC Questlines:
I'm all in favor of the game's dominant hands-off approach, but I really do wish there was a more efficient way of tracking these details. For example, I myself was taking copious notes on a notepad, either jotting down a loose end or an item I saw but couldn't reach, or writing down information about NPCs and their favors. One problem is that sometimes NPCs don't repeat the critical details of their favor. For example, I knew Ranni asked me to explore Nokron, but I forgot what it was she was looking for. When I looked up her quest online I found that I had actually missed that entire chunk of Nokron when I first explored it. That was my fault, as the map clearly showed enough detail for me to have been able to think, "hey I hadn't been there." Shout out once again to the excellent map. I love the little drawings that detail buildings or creatures you may find there.
Annoyances/Quality of Life:
-I wish there was a buy-back option for vendors, as there have been numerous times that I've regretted parting with a talisman/weapon/item/etc
-I wish there were vendors that let you buy crafting ingredients/consumables at high prices to have to avoid deliberate farming
Controls:
Torrent (your mount) feels great, particularly b/c it doesn't get in the way of your fun much at all. Torrent doesn't buckle against the environment, you can double jump whenever you want to, and you mount/dismount at zero speed, while walking, or even running. The only gripe I have is that I wish the distance you’re able to acquire items were increased a bit, as sometimes you may kill an animal that’s atop a little rock and you have to jump on it to nab it.
Mounted combat grew on me over time. At first I found it loose, clunky, and poorly managed by the camera. While not perfect, I found a lot of fun of finding the flow of your swings (funny fact: it took my until hour 30 to find out you don’t always have to swing with your right hand). I particularly loved using the flail, as it has a very fun wind up animation, I can't speak for other weapon types.
Switching weapons and toggling two handed is clunkier than before by nature of having to hold down an additional button. Also, I didn't realize you could switch to your bow by just hitting the shoulder button if you have it in one of your hands.
Jumping: frustrating when the game calls for platforming, as some jumps require you to get a running start and sometimes you won't have much surface area to do so confidently (e.g. in mines). That said, seldom does the game require to make use of on-foot jumping. I do like the new combat possibilities it adds though, doing jumping smash attacks can be very fun, especially when leaping off horseback to start an engagement, truly wonderful stuff
Cutscenes/VIP Bosses:
Boss fights that aren't given the traditional VIP treatment with their own cut-scenes and music feel much like the "filler" bosses from Dark Souls 2. Often they are unceremoniously introduced and BAM the action starts. The game uses this tactic subversively as well in one wonderful moments that stands out in my memory (Godwyn). I've seen some boss recycling (mainly b/c the game has so many mini-dungeons (caves) that remind me of the Chalice Dungeons from Bloodborne. Some layouts are repeated, but each has their own unique encounter design. And in usual From tradition, some bosses show up in the overworld as regular encounters later on
Crafting:
I was disappointed to learn that the crafting only extends to consumables. I was hoping we would be able to craft unique/legendary weapons and armor. As it is, you can only trade in great souls for items, or purchase unique equipment worn by bosses from a special merchant after besting them. How cool would it have been to find schematics for weapons and be able to work toward them?
Item upgrading: progression was oddly straightforward. I do wish there were more risks taken here. I was looking for some sort of “twist” kind of like how you could elevate normal weapons to completely different ones in DS1.
In sum, Elden Ring is an incredible achievement. A true odyssey I shall never forget. My hope is that the overworld is itself given a greater element of danger that necessitates engaging with its specific flora/faun / wildlife. I would like to see more risks taken in item progression/ascendancy as well.
