I never really liked the “Dark Souls” series or the spin-off souls-like titles such as “Sekiro.” I often found this genre of game to be boring or downright annoying to play through. While I understood that part of the charm to these games was the difficulty, it”s a type of repetitive gameplay loop that never particularly sat well with me. 

That is until a friend of mine bugged me repeatedly to try out the latest title from “From Software,” titled “Elden Ring.”

The game starts off simple enough with a narrator explaining the driving force for your character’s journey, that goal seemingly is to take up a title known as “Elden Lord.” To simplify basically just means becoming the strongest person around.  

The gameplay as with most souls-like games is deceptively simple at first, but as the game progresses, it becomes more and more complicated. This is both because the bosses get harder, but also because new abilities and spells are unlocked. The combat in this game feels more gratifying than in previous titles, with the addition of more unique weapon abilities, as well as jump attacks, being a recent edition. 

The player can take on a variety of play styles from the start. These classes you choose from the beginning determine what weapons or magical abilities you will use throughout the game. However, there is a class known as “wretched” which starts with average stats and absolutely nothing but a club; essentially you start as a blank slate. I quite enjoy the ability to choose what gear, stats, and weapons you begin with.  

Though the gameplay is superb, the graphics are painfully alright. Don”t get me wrong, they are pretty and the open world is beautiful, but it”s nothing groundbreaking or innovative even within its own genre. The skybox is the only part of the graphics that stands out to me with a beautiful overhanging sky with a large looming object known as the “Elden Tree” sort of beckoning the player to explore in that direction. 

“Souls-Like” games are best known for their boss fights, and “Elden Ring” actually had some quite entertaining ones. From everything from weird flesh spiders to dragons. These bosses obviously provide the most challenge in the game, and many main and side bosses can be found throughout the large game world. 

The biggest deviation from a typical souls title is the introduction of the open-world gameplay. It does not feel forced and enriches what would otherwise be a standard room clear gameplay loop.  This adds a much more interesting exploration element, and rewards stopping and searching areas. 

Music in the game is standard for this level of production value, and adds flavor to combat and ambiance but doesn’t stand out as anything particularly special. 

“Elden Ring” is a phenomenal game on its own, and makes major improvements on its predecessor games. While it doesn’t particularly shine in its technical aspects and doesn’t take any major risks, it”s a game I would recommend to any fans of previous souls like games or even to those new to the genre as a whole.