Want to get people riled up and a debate raging? Pick a topic (movies, comic books, novels, cell phones, albums, etc.) and suggest one is the best of all time. With the recent release of the new video game, Elden Ring (FromSoftware) a lot of reviews and articles have gone down that road, claiming it’s the best video game of all time. Before anyone gets too fired up, let’s take a step back and consider the case for Elden Ring.
What is Elden Ring About?
Elden Ring is an open-world RPG (role playing game) set in a medieval (i.e. swords, magic, and, monsters) universe. Players take on the role of the character dropped into this world. They're in search of the pieces of the fabled Elden Ring, whose wielder becomes the Elden Lord of the Lands Between.
As in a typical RPG, players create a character. He or she is defined by a variety of traits and abilities that can all be leveled up by playing the game, gaining experience, etc. Additionally, characters can deck themselves out in different sorts of clothes or armor, carry different weapons, and learn various spells and incantations. The options for creating your character and making decisions on how to develop him/her over the course of the game are almost endless.
Additionally, the game is an open-world adventure. This means that, while there is a narrative to follow, that will lead characters through a specific set of quests and adventure. Players are actually able to do almost anything they want. There are an untold number of side quests to undertake, monsters to fight, bosses to vanquish, and treasure to collect.
As an expansive open-world game, it can take well over 100 hours of game playing time to ‘finish’ the game. And even then players likely won’t uncover everything the game has to offer. Certain choices that players make in the game will also preclude them from undertaking certain quests later on. So it may be that it takes several complete playthroughs to find everything.
Players begin by choosing between one of 10 player classes: Vagabond, Warrior, Hero, Bandit, Astrologer, Prophet, Samurai, Prisoner, Confessor, and Wretch. Each has a slightly (or extremely) different set of beginning characteristics. From there, it is up to the player to decide how to develop the character, how to play, and what they want to get out of the game.
What the Critics Say
Critics LOVE this game, hence why it is getting attention as possibly the best video game of all time. With around 100 professional reviews already, it is the highest rated game on various video game rating sites. Average ratings are around 97 (out of 100). Critics love the graphics, which are mind blowing, along with the complexity and overall gameplay.
What’s the Big Deal?
So, Elden Ring builds on a group of games calls Dark Souls, which are renowned for their incredible difficulty. Elden Ring follows this format. The game is considered to be very challenging for even experienced gamers. For many of them, that challenge is part of the allure. But, not every player feels the same way.
Those new to FromSoftware games may find this one not just challenging but very frustrating. Your character just keeps getting killed over and over again. However, Dark Souls fans will say that is just part of the process of learning to defeat the game. It makes it that much more rewarding when you actually get past a particularly nasty boss fight or actually complete the game.
One of the many challenges is that the game provides players with a minimal amount of direction or help in getting going. Many video games (including open-world games) make it very logical for players to follow a particular path. It tends to lead toward challenging but beatable monsters, which level up as the game progresses.
However, Elden Ring does none of that. It’s incredibly easy for a brand new character to wander into a dungeon where an incredibly powerful boss awaits. There is no chance on earth that the character can win that fight, but the player has no idea. This can lead to frustration if a player keeps coming back to a fight like that, assuming it is winnable if they just keep trying.
So, is it the Best Game Ever?
Look, we’re not big fans of definitive statements about anything besting the best of all time. It’s incredibly subjective when it’s something like a video game anyway. That said, it’s clear that Elden Ring is special. Despite the difficulty and extremely challenging nature (maybe because of it) the game stands out among the absolute best RPG and open-world games of all time. So, while it’s debatable if it’s ‘the best’ it has already claimed a spot in the list of top games.
