Video games are fun. Raging games are also fun, and tend to make people very, very angry, resulting in them breaking their controllers and other stuff. The iconic Dark Souls series made by From Software is no exception, and rises to the top as not only the number one raging game, but as a great game in terms of its combat, setting, and story. The game is played through a third person perspective unlike other games. Unfortunately though, the Dark Souls storyline has been discontinued, ending with Dark Souls 3, which was released in 2016. But that hasn’t stopped From Software from making hard games which are all based around combat and the perspective of Dark Souls. In 2019, we got Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a game which was different from the Souls games because it wasn’t multiplayer, offered only the use of a single weapon: a katana, relied more on stealth, and took place in Japan, which was in contrast to most of the Souls games that take place in a dark medieval fantasy world; however, the game was praised for its gameplay, story, and its action sequences. It won the Game of the Year Award of 2019. In February of 2022, Elden Ring was released and unlike Sekiro, this game follows the Souls formula more. However, unlike the Souls series, players interact with a vast and large open world. Elden Ring offers a few new additions to it as well, such as a rideable horse that will help you travel the world with ease and speed, as well as crouching, allowing the player to be harder to detect by enemies. But you may ask, is the game good? Well let me tell you more about the amazing Elden Ring my friends.

In the Steps of Dark Souls

Written and directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, who directed all of the Souls games, and written by the author of the book Fire and Ice, the book that inspired Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin, Elden Ring is a wild and beautiful world to step into. Like the Souls games, Elden Ring takes place in a huge world of dark fantasy called the Lands Between, with the shattering of the Elden Ring and the scattering of its shards, the Great Runes, spread throughout the world, each one being in possession of someone, each one being corrupted and craving power. You, as a tarnished (an exile from the Lands Between who lost the ring’s grace and is summoned back after the Shattering of the ring),  must traverse the Lands Between, find the Great Runes, restore the Elden Ring, and become the Elden Lord. Once you select and create your character, you step into a world all Souls games offer, a world of amazing dark fantasy, but also a world of suffering and rage. But that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the game and continuing to explore the world Elden Ring offers. But on the subject of relating Elden Ring to Souls Games, the combat performs very similarly, with the usual attack and slash with the weapon of your choice, the use of sorceries, miracles (called incantations), and pyromancies (are also incantations), and the usual parry that’s impossible to pull off most of the time and typically results in failure. So with a few changes here and there, it’s safe to say that Elden Ring perfectly follows in the steps of all other Souls games.

Adventure of Your Choice

Once you start a new game, you will be given the option to choose your class. There are a total of ten classes, that include: Vagabond (a knight exiled from their homeland to wander), Hero (a loyal and hardworking warrior armed with a battle ax and descending from a badlands chieftain), Bandit (a dangerous person that strikes the weak points and excels at ranged combat with bows), Astrologer (a scholar that reads the fate in the stars, and is adept at glintstone sorcery), Warrior (a warrior from a nomadic tribe who uses twin blades), Prophet (a seer who was outcasted for practicing inauspicious prophecies, but excels in using healing incantations or miracles), Samurai (a capable warrior from the distant land of reeds who handles well with katanas and longbows), Prisoner (a prisoner with an iron mask as headwear, who studied glintstone sorceries before being sentenced), Confessor (a church spy who does covert operations, and is equally skilled with a sword and incantations), and Wretch (a poor, purposeless and naked soul, armed with only a club) I suggest that you don’t start with this class if you’re new to the game. The choice is yours of what you want to be. If you’re good at close range combat, then the vagabond, the warrior, the hero, and the wretch classes are for you. If you’re adept at close range combat, but more skilled at long ranged combat, as well as magic, then the bandit, the astrologer, the prisoner, the samurai, the prophet, and the confessor classes are your best choices. But ultimately in the end, the choice is yours. You can even feel free to switch around and mix your stats if you so please. Your choice of armor, weapons, sorceries are all up to you.

A Beautiful But Dark World

In all Souls games, the world is ultimately in despair and failing after something major happens to turn it into what it is in the game. But while the story of the worlds in these games are sad and dark, they offer in my opinion, the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen in any video game. When I entered the first major region of the world, I was in awe as I saw the land, trees, structures and mountains far beyond just waiting for me to explore them. And when I would go to the next place I went, I just saw more structures and regions that were begging to be explored. One small, but cool detail worth mentioning is that when you’re in a different region or environment, the sky changes to a color fitting to that environment. The many environments that Elden Ring offers is truly astonishing. From the average land of Limgrave, to the red rotting Caelid, to the glistening and mysterious swamps of Liurnia, there is no end to the wonders of the environments of Elden Ring’s world.

Conclusion

While this game can induce a ton of rage into anyone who plays Elden Ring, it should not prevent them from trying to play the game. The game is fun to play, amazing in terms of environment, and tells a beautifully dark story. And don’t worry if you’re having a hard time playing the game, you shouldn’t be afraid to search up some guides and tricks to help you understand and play the game. So what are you waiting for? Go get Elden Ring, watch a few tutorial videos while you’re at it, and go play what might just be, the best time of your life.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elden_Ring

https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com