Elden Ring

Grandiose, mysterious, but now a touch more welcoming, Elden Ring tweaks the FromSoft formula to open up its world. At first, it's happening so slowly that you barely notice it. Out on the rolling, introductory fields of Limgrave, every encounter, no matter how small, is a risk - one that must be carefully weighted and considered before launching yourself into the fray. Every dank, echoing cave you step into could spell your doom, every seemingly sleepy ruin or settlement you pick your way thro...

From Software's latest is a masterpiece of open-world design that places exploration and player agency at the heart of the experience. Fifteen hours into Elden Ring, I defeated Godrick, the first of five Elden Lords. In the time between emerging into the Lands Between and striking him down, I'd discovered decrepit ruins, ventured into twisting caves, stumbled upon enemy encampments, and battled tooth and nail against challenging bosses. From Software's games have always made you feel small in m...

In the 87 hours that it took me to beat Elden Ring, I was put through an absolute wringer of emotion: Anger as I was beaten down by its toughest challenges, exhilaration when I finally overcame them, and a fair amount of sorrow for the mountains of exp I lost along the way to some of the toughest boss encounters FromSoftware has ever conceived. But more than anything else I was in near-constant awe – from the many absolutely jaw-dropping vistas, the sheer scope of an absolutely enormous world, t...

Elden Ring reaches new heights, but spends too much time in familiar FromSoftware territory. The Dark Souls series, including Demon's Souls and Bloodborne, were open worlds before the term referred to the structure of games like Grand Theft Auto and Assassin's Creed. Far off castles and swamps caught your eye, you puzzled out a linear path towards them, fell down a hole and went looking for a new destination. They didn't need maps or icons, because their worlds were dense with clues and lures l...