Reviewing Elden Ring amidst Elden Ring Nightreign hype

Elden Ring is a 2022 action role-playing video game developed by FromSoftware, and published by Bandai Namco. While Elden Ring may already be 3 years old, it is good to note that Elden Ring fans are still enjoying fresh new content as the massive downloadable content, often abbreviated as DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, was released in 2024. Additionally, a multiplayer-focused spinoff game, Elden Ring Nightreign, is releasing May 30th 2025. That means right now might be a great time to get back into Elden Ring, or maybe even try it out for the first time!

Elden Ring is a game that could be described as a spiritual successor to the Dark Souls trilogy. The Dark Souls trilogy are mostly known for their challenging gameplay, but also for their dark and imaginative worldbuilding. Elden Ring also has these aspects, but this time in a fully open world. Elden Ring could also be described as the most accessible Souls game yet, as it has multiple features that have been designed in mind for it to be easier to pick up compared to older Souls games. For example, the open world level design makes it so that beginner players can explore and kill weaker enemies before approaching bosses, and there are summonable non-playable characters, often abbreviated as NPC “spirit ashes” that can be a great help in fights.

In Elden Ring you play as a tarnished, an exiled hero with the task of repairing the Elden Ring and becoming the new Elden Lord. In order to become the new Elden Lord, the player has to fight the demigods and recover their shards of the Elden Ring, the great runes. The world of Elden Ring is vast and full of mysteries and secrets, and there are all kinds of interesting characters with their own backstories and quests. The world feels alive, filled with critters, creatures and monsters. The landscapes could only be described as surreal, haunting and beautiful, and many areas have their own distinct color scheme which makes them even more memorable. The soundtrack is somewhat ambient, but it certainly is not lacking powerful and memorable boss theme songs. 

Elden Ring is a game which offers a lot to new and old players alike. After all, there are many ways to play Elden Ring, as there are a great number of weapons and spells which allows for a multitude of different playstyles. While the core gameplay of Elden Ring can be described as challenging, as enemies are usually much stronger and even faster than the player. However, the gameplay rarely feels outright unfair or punishing. It is also good to note that compared to older Souls games, Elden Ring often has savepoints right next to bosses (and other challenges) which makes retrying easy. 

As Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree released in 2024, there may be some Elden Ring players who have not given a chance to the DLC yet. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a massive expansion which not only provides a completely new area “Land of Shadows”, but also introduces new lore and secrets, as well as new challenging bosses. It is no doubt a must-play for any Elden Ring players who have not played it yet. However, the DLC is even more challenging than the base game, which can be seen either as a positive or negative aspect depending on the type of player. 

While both Elden Ring and its DLC are masterfully made video games, that does not mean there are no aspects to criticize. While open world level design solves certain issues, it also creates new ones. For example, if a player misses an early game area and goes back later on, they will most likely be extremely overpowered, therefore the area lacks challenge and can be considered unfun. 

Additionally, the story and quests of Elden Ring can be difficult to track. The world of Elden Ring is massive, and there are dozens of NPCs with their own quests, and there are no traditional quest markers or quest progression system visible to the player. It is almost guaranteed that the player will miss some (if not most) of the optional story content if they play without guides. 

Overall, Elden Ring is a game that has allured players with its unique world and its tough gameplay. Elden Ring is also FromSoftware’s first experimentation with open world game design. And it seems like the Elden Ring franchise will keep being FromSoftware’s experimental playground with Elden Ring Nightreign, which seems to be a completely new type of game for the studio. 

 

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