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amazon Elden Ring reviews
If we think of the “billion dollars” gaming industry as a galaxy, it is not uncommon to see the novas that create cult brands that explode around the world and become an icon of popular culture.
Those phenomena are inherently rare, but a little-known game studio, FromSoftware, and talented director Hidetaka Miyazaki have not only molded a monument called Dark Souls but also contributed to reshaping the trend of modern game development and gave birth to a completely new game genre with a characteristic name: “Souls-like”.
Dark Souls was released 10 years ago and was honored as the best game of all time at the Golden Joysticks awards. Followed by the birth of countless names “following” from independent development teams (indie) to even the big guys specializing in making “blockbuster” games.
Over the years, it seems that some games that are “branded” Souls-like when they are released to attract attention are no longer something new. But what is the most quintessential and characteristic of the Souls series or even other recent FromSoftware titles like Bloodborne and Sekiro is still hard to miss.
In 2017, when Miyazaki announced Dark Souls 3 would be the final version of the Souls series, many fans expressed regret. But they didn’t have to wait long because, at the E3 annual exhibition 2019, Elden Ring was officially announced, the most ambitious game of FromSoftware when they first brought a completely open world game.
Not to mention, the famous writer George R.R. Martin (author of the series A Song of Ice and Fire, made into a popular TV series by HBO: Game of Thrones) also participated in building and depicting the world in the game.
The appearance of Elden Ring at that time was truly like an “atom bomb” blowing up all other names on the market, sweeping across the media front.
Its “aftershock” is so strong that it is continuously named at subsequent game events and for two consecutive years “holding” the award “Most anticipated game” at the prestigious The Game Awards price.
Even last year, Elden Ring surpassed Dying Light 2 to become the most Wishlisted game in Steam platform history.
To describe the world of The Lands Between in Elden Ring, the writer can only say: gorgeous and overwhelming!
Not only is it large with many impressive vibrant colors and diverse terrains and flora, but Elden Ring also brings a completely open space where players can freely explore until the end. “to the end of the earth” without any barriers or having to follow a fixed route.
And FromSoftware also brings a dynamic environment for the first time, with light and dark cycles and constantly changing weather.
This factor also affects the gameplay, similar to The Witcher 3, for example, some types of youkai or bosses only appear at night and vice versa.
The game map is wide but not “empty” with countless secrets, rewards, and surprise elements always waiting for players to discover.
From mysterious NPCs and fascinating side quests, bosses that are especially hard to “fight” to dozens of different materials that can be gathered to meet a crafting system completely new.
Plus the feeling of excitement and suffocation every time you set foot in a new land with many dangers lurking, has created a very unique and unmistakable atmosphere of FromSoftware.
It can be said that the liberal gameplay and the meticulously built, detailed open world of Elden Ring are not inferior to “legendary” names like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Skyrim.
If the main reason that the Souls series “picks up” players are the difficulty to the point of … brutal, Elden Ring has a lot of improvements to suit the masses.
Typically, players now have a companion Torrent steed with super speed and extremely useful double jump ability, which can easily exploit the opponent’s loophole or escape when needed.
In addition, the Spirit Summon system of all-new summoned beasts is very useful and diverse any character class can use right from the beginning of the game.
The multiplayer feature has also been tweaked so that other players can easily join in for support and rescue.
The character’s mobility is also more flexible and Sekiro’s shinobi-style stealth mechanism is also brought through the Elden Ring to give players more options to approach the target.
A problem inherent in Dark Souls is that the checkpoints to the boss’s area are often quite far, and the path is ambiguous, now in addition to the Lost Grace points (replacing Bonfire), Elden Ring also adds In addition, the Marika statues scattered in key locations are used as respawn points.
The biggest change according to the writer is in the impressive map that the game brings. If before, anyone would have headaches because of being stuck before a certain challenge, now we can easily teleport to other areas to “training” experience points, level up or upgrade weapons and return only when ready.
That’s not to say that Elden Ring’s difficulty has decreased. On the contrary, according to the writer, FromSoftware’s “specialty” is even more “sour” than before.
From difficult roads with narrow spaces, toxic swamps full of traps, and “tough” enemies to unprecedented encounters with fearsome bosses that are sure to entertain the hearts of even the oldest fans of the Souls series.
The content of Elden Ring is independent and has no connection with the Dark Souls series.
This is true to the criteria of director Miyazaki when he wants players to have completely new experiences without being dependent on the too-large shadow of the Souls series.
The narrative of the game is also very vague like a picture with countless pieces, but to see the whole picture, the player must carefully integrate the sequence from the dialogue of the NPC characters with the main events, or even scrutinize every word in the description of in-game items.
However, it is not difficult to find the legacy “gene” of the Souls series in Elden Ring.
From leading players to step into a fantasy medieval setting (fantasy) with the appearance of ancient gods or fierce skirmishes with powerful mystical creatures such as dragons, witches, and demons.
Up to ten initial character classes, both new and old, with strange names like Confessor or Vagabond.
Each class will have unique stats and equipment from the start Samurai will have samurai armor and the familiar Japanese Uchigatana sword.
Magic is also divided into two schools, Sorceries, and Incantations, using sequentially a staff or a sacred seal. Players still need to buy or collect spell books, attached to the memory slot to equip new spells for the character.
Elden Ring’s biggest difference compared to the Souls series lies in the “Ashes of War” mechanism. Through this system, players can freely swap skills specific to any common weapon (except for Unique ones) and can also change the affinity of the weapon, instead of having to use Infusion stones at the blacksmith as before.
Although it is known that building a giant and majestic world like The Lands Between for the first time is great pressure for FromSoftware, the writer still feels disappointed when the graphics quality and effects of Elden Ring are no different than its predecessors.
Even if compared with the remake of Demon’s Souls of the BluePoint team from two years ago, Elden Ring is somewhat inferior.
In version 1.02, Elden Ring still can’t optimize well for PC and consoles when with the setting to prioritize framerate on PS5 but the game still can’t “stand” at 60 frames, and often proved to be very “weak” in many areas outside the open world!
The writer also encountered some minor bugs such as characters stuck on horseback or items floating in the air. Hopefully, FromSoftware will soon fix it in the upcoming patches.
A serious error (but perhaps rarely encountered) that the writer encounters when experiencing the game on PS5: is the loss of saved game data when leaving the device in “sleep mode”.
where can you get a Elden Ring online
Elden Ring – PlayStation 4: Buy it now
Elden Ring (Xbox One): Buy it now
Elden Ring – Standard Edition [PlayStation 5] (German Version): Buy it now
Elden Ring Launch Edition (PS5): Buy it now