As I've completed the game once, I thought I'd share some more detailed thoughts about the game.
Also, spoiler warning.
Overall, I really liked it. Playing it for more that 100 hours and unlike many other games (of even less than half the length) I always wished for more, and even at the 11th hour I noticed things I missed, like caves and other mini-dungeons.
I was thinking that getting back into any previous SoulsBorne game would be hard thanks to the more streamlined options and the upgraded movement...seriously, someone needs to mod a jump and the jump-heavy attack in all of the Dark Souls and see how broke they get.
One of the game's best qualities is that it makes an excellent use of its locations, even the more basic ones like Limgrave or the snowfields. Surely some elements recall not just FromSoft games but also other movies/books/comics/animes (the Haligtree citadel was basically ripped off from LOTR), but they treat them with respect, something that many other games lack. Let's say it's like Metroid Prime: you have the snow world and the lava world, but they are not just levels with slippery platforms or instant-death lava pits; you want to explore them because you know there are secrets and to see what developer came up with.
Speaking with friends we often compared how we approached new locations for the first time: for example, the first time I reached Redmane Castle in Caelid, I found it empty, with only two Leonine Misbegottens and all doors closed; that was because the Radhan festival was ongoing, probably triggered by interacting with Ranni in Raya Lucaria. Getting back to the bridge before the castle and seeing catapults firing at me was quite a surprise, and that's how all my friends first found that part of Caelid, full of fiery projectiles hurled at them.
Due to the open world nature, the difficulty curve is all over the place, and in fact for me it was nonexistent after Limgrave, because going up I completed the Weeping Peninsula and Caelid...lots of runes, lots of levels, lots of advanced equipment. For a time I could upgrade my weapons because I didn't have mid-level smithing stones, and it wasn't until Malenia and Mohgwyn Palace I found something challenging again.
Maybe it's also because horseback combat is particularly effective against everything and all enemies seem only able to see and hear you within a 5 degrees cone in front of their face...they also don't care if you backstab the guy next to them.
Some of the bosses are truly epic in execution, especially when you can ride Torrent. I honestly cannot think another way to fight dragons now, and I think the Fire Giant is not only my favourite boss battle in the whole game, but among my favourite battles in FromSoft games. One downside is that FromSoft could have really adjusted the camera for such towering enemies.
I liked how the game is never stingy with materials or items, like Stonesword Keys. Initially I thought it would have been a DS2-like situation with Fragrant Branches, but instead you end up with an excess of them, which made exploration much more enjoyables. I was also surprised how well runes dropped by enemies scaled, despite some grinding sections to equip some items. The difficulty might be all over the place (depending on how you play), but the rewards are surprisingly well-balanced.
For things I haven't liked, I'll have to start with the many repeated rooms and traps found in Catacombs and Hero's Tombs; it gave a sense of deja vu which made hard to distinguish one from the other; Hero's Tombs have some nice puzzles, but some are incredibly opaque to solve (like the Tomb where you have to destroy the chariots to progress).
Still on the subject of repetition, maybe less dragons and wyrms but more unique. And back to the subject of reuse, I don't rally like to see Bloodborne carriages in Elden Ring; don't really know why, I just find them particularly out of place.
And the last boss could have been a tad better, it's the only one I feel is unfair, piling up hard-to-dodge attacks with massive damage potential...see my previous post for detailed grievances.
There are too many status effects: sleep is barely used in the whole game, like madness, even in areas where they should be all about madness. Blood loss is way too powerful and can be inflicted to anyone no matter their armour (you would expect heavy armour to block that almost completely, like previous Dark Souls).
And finally, some story speculation: Demon's Souls with Calm the Old One ending (roughly at the same time) Dark Souls 1+2 with Link The Fire endings -> Dark Souls 3 with Dark Lord ending -> Elden Ring with Ranni ending -> Bloodborne.
Also, spoiler warning.
Overall, I really liked it. Playing it for more that 100 hours and unlike many other games (of even less than half the length) I always wished for more, and even at the 11th hour I noticed things I missed, like caves and other mini-dungeons.
I was thinking that getting back into any previous SoulsBorne game would be hard thanks to the more streamlined options and the upgraded movement...seriously, someone needs to mod a jump and the jump-heavy attack in all of the Dark Souls and see how broke they get.
One of the game's best qualities is that it makes an excellent use of its locations, even the more basic ones like Limgrave or the snowfields. Surely some elements recall not just FromSoft games but also other movies/books/comics/animes (the Haligtree citadel was basically ripped off from LOTR), but they treat them with respect, something that many other games lack. Let's say it's like Metroid Prime: you have the snow world and the lava world, but they are not just levels with slippery platforms or instant-death lava pits; you want to explore them because you know there are secrets and to see what developer came up with.
Speaking with friends we often compared how we approached new locations for the first time: for example, the first time I reached Redmane Castle in Caelid, I found it empty, with only two Leonine Misbegottens and all doors closed; that was because the Radhan festival was ongoing, probably triggered by interacting with Ranni in Raya Lucaria. Getting back to the bridge before the castle and seeing catapults firing at me was quite a surprise, and that's how all my friends first found that part of Caelid, full of fiery projectiles hurled at them.
Due to the open world nature, the difficulty curve is all over the place, and in fact for me it was nonexistent after Limgrave, because going up I completed the Weeping Peninsula and Caelid...lots of runes, lots of levels, lots of advanced equipment. For a time I could upgrade my weapons because I didn't have mid-level smithing stones, and it wasn't until Malenia and Mohgwyn Palace I found something challenging again.
Maybe it's also because horseback combat is particularly effective against everything and all enemies seem only able to see and hear you within a 5 degrees cone in front of their face...they also don't care if you backstab the guy next to them.
Some of the bosses are truly epic in execution, especially when you can ride Torrent. I honestly cannot think another way to fight dragons now, and I think the Fire Giant is not only my favourite boss battle in the whole game, but among my favourite battles in FromSoft games. One downside is that FromSoft could have really adjusted the camera for such towering enemies.
I liked how the game is never stingy with materials or items, like Stonesword Keys. Initially I thought it would have been a DS2-like situation with Fragrant Branches, but instead you end up with an excess of them, which made exploration much more enjoyables. I was also surprised how well runes dropped by enemies scaled, despite some grinding sections to equip some items. The difficulty might be all over the place (depending on how you play), but the rewards are surprisingly well-balanced.
For things I haven't liked, I'll have to start with the many repeated rooms and traps found in Catacombs and Hero's Tombs; it gave a sense of deja vu which made hard to distinguish one from the other; Hero's Tombs have some nice puzzles, but some are incredibly opaque to solve (like the Tomb where you have to destroy the chariots to progress).
Still on the subject of repetition, maybe less dragons and wyrms but more unique. And back to the subject of reuse, I don't rally like to see Bloodborne carriages in Elden Ring; don't really know why, I just find them particularly out of place.
And the last boss could have been a tad better, it's the only one I feel is unfair, piling up hard-to-dodge attacks with massive damage potential...see my previous post for detailed grievances.
There are too many status effects: sleep is barely used in the whole game, like madness, even in areas where they should be all about madness. Blood loss is way too powerful and can be inflicted to anyone no matter their armour (you would expect heavy armour to block that almost completely, like previous Dark Souls).
And finally, some story speculation: Demon's Souls with Calm the Old One ending (roughly at the same time) Dark Souls 1+2 with Link The Fire endings -> Dark Souls 3 with Dark Lord ending -> Elden Ring with Ranni ending -> Bloodborne.
Comment