Rogue Art

Elden Ring is a masterpiece, having mastered the art of showing without telling. As a result, it is very different from other open-world games I have played such as Skyrim and Far Cry which are story and questline driven. From the get-go, Elden Ring doesn't impose any particular playstyle or route on you. You are completely free to do what you want to from the very start of the game. You can finish the main storyline and beat the final boss or you can explore the entire map without ever seeing the main bosses, it truly is up to you with no outside influence. It is truly refreshing to feel this sense of freedom in choice and exploration in any open world game. Elden Ring has also mastered the art of sublety. For example, for a game like Skyrim, there are various elements such as the character dialogues, leveling system, various landmarks that I could clearly point to in contributing to the game's success. However, this is not the same with Elden Ring. It's hard to place my finger on one specific thing that makes the game so enjoyable. Many times I've gone in to play this game for half an hour, only to become immersed, losing track of time and playing for hours on end. I belive that it's each of the game's features: its combat system, transportation, landscape, lore, storytelling, etc. that complement each other in a way that none of them are overbearing and at the same time, come together in such a fluid manner that I as the player can't notice it and am drawn into a level of immersion that I haven't felt from any game before. Other, more objective factors of Elden Ring are equally as impressive--it's hard to believe this is a $60 game. The map is massive, far bigger than I could've ever imagined, with more content packed into it than any other world game I've played before. I have not had a single moment where I've felt the map felt desolate or empty, there was always something to see and explore. The combat system is rich, balanced, and rewards each playstyle. The difficulty of the game is refreshing and I feel that I'm being challenged to improve and innovate as I play the game instead of relying on old hacks. The subtle details, such as changes in behavior over time of day or cross-NPC interactions add a layer of immersion that makes the world feel alive. It is also a very polished product: while games today are released with game-breaking bugs and issues, I haven't encountered a single bug in Elden Ring even given its massive map aside from minor visual glitches. It is truly astounding how much that adds to the immersion of the game. Overall, I feel that Elden Ring is an amazing game. While it isn't perfect by any means, in fact, the imperfections of the game give me something to look forward to for what will be the sequel to this, it will be hard to find a game from the last decade that is as immersive as this. I am truly impressed by From Software's work and I look forward to their next game. Elden Ring will inspire the next generation's set of games and I hope to see what comes from this. I've thoroughly enjoyed playing Elden Ring and I hope to see you too enjoy it.