A WILD RIDE
Elden Ring
(PEGI 18) PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, XBOX X/S, PC
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AS gaming pedigrees go, it doesn’t get much bigger than this.
Directed by the legendary Hidetaka Miyazaki – the man who created the Demon Souls series – with world building from Game of Thrones author George R.R Martin, expectations that Elden Ring would be something quite special were already high. And just a few short hours into the game, those expectations had been met.
This is a game steeped in fantasy and legend, the plot heavily influenced by the likes of Lord of the Rings, European mythology and Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series.
Elden Ring takes place in ‘The Lands Between’, with the story picking up in the times after the selftitled ring has been destroyed and its shards – known as the Great Runes – scattered.
The realm is now ruled by the demigod offspring of Queen Marika the Eternal, each possessing a shard of the Elden Ring that has caused them to become corrupted.
You play as a ‘Tarnished’, an exile who must help to restore the Elden Ring, with the ultimate goal of taking your place as the Elden Lord.
The journey through this huge open world game begins in Limgrave, a lush world of verdant trees and long grass with an abundance of wildlife. There is so much freedom in the game that it’s sometimes hard to stop yourself from going off on a tangent and exploring, the aims of the game forgotten as you wander around scattered ruins, and explore tunnels and caves.
It’s not all sweetness and light however, as you come up against other armour-clad fighters and skeletal creatures which roam the land.
And while I did find myself getting sucked into the charms of this new world, I also found it a great way to start levelling up my character – something I was eternally grateful for when I ventured into the other six areas which make up The Lands Between.
Graphically, this game is breathtaking. Richly textured environments spill from the screen, castles sit high atop mountains, their spires skimming the clouds above – golden trees adding a shock of colour on the horizon. You can almost smell the dark, boggy swamps as you quickly make your way through them, and feel the heat from the campfire as you stop to bed down for the night under the stars.
With Miyazaki at the helm it would be hard not to find yourself drawing comparisons to his previous releases, and at times there are parts in this game that feel undeniably like Dark Souls. Especially some of the fantastical creatures you encounter, a few of which look like they have been lifted straight from the Souls series.
And just like his previous games this is no walk in the park, in fact, it’s tough as old boots at places. Ten hours in and I had run a gamut of emotions, from excitement, joy and awe, to frustration, anger and grief as I was killed over and over.
One of the things that added to my frustration was the drip feeding of information to expand on the plot. Based on a mythology shaped by George R.R Martin I’d expected a deep and satisfying backstory, yet the few characters I encountered that were willing to impart information gave me scarce details that left me hungry for more.
Combat however is very satisfying, starting off fairly tame but becoming brutal and unforgiving as the game progresses.
It’s impossible to do justice to Elden Ring in just a few hundred words.
The game’s breadth of scale means it will be months before I’ve had a chance to explore it all – and even then I’m sure there will be secrets I’ll have to turn to the internet to uncover.
And while, even with 30 odd hours under my belt it feels like I’ve just scraped the surface of what this game has to offer, I’m left in no doubt that this is one of the most incredible titles I’ve ever had the pleasure of spending time with.
Bargain buy: £44.95 (special launch edition with bonus features for PS5) from amazon.co.uk