Elden Ring is the greatest game I've ever played, and I have played a lot of games!! The massive world is ever-growing, with secrets to discover around every corner. With multiple characters, I'm on the cusp of beating the game for a third time... I have NEVER desired to beat a game more than once before Elden Ring. Even after all of the exploration I've done, I have yet to find everything. I am still stumbling upon places I have never seen, quests I have never done. This is after almost 300 hours of play time! The sheer amount of content within this game is worth every penny.
The combat is extremely rewarding. The boss battles are intricate, each unique and exciting. Every item picked up is useful, there is no trash. And the best part about that is you can collect everything without ANY inventory issues. Sure, it can be a lot to scroll through to find stuff sometimes, but the fact that there is no penalty for being over encumbered whatsoever has allowed me to collect every weapon and armor set I possibly can.
Characters are fully customizable, from the amazing character creation to the builds you choose to play. There is much variety in playstyles, whether you would like to wield huge colossal weapons or be a sorcerer or be a healer, you can do it all.
I wish other developers put as much love and dedication into their games as FromSoftware has.