Welcome in to the beginnings of a fantastical tale! A grandiose tale of curse words, struggle, and the inevitable conquer of the newest release of From Software games, Elden Ring.
My first impressions of Elden Ring are similar to the oft traveled path. It’s a phenomenal game. That point has been driven into the ground countless times by now. However, From Software games are infamously challenging, and I have strayed from those kinds of games.
Well, NO MORE!
Elden Ring will be the first From Software game that I run from start to finish. My collection contains the majority of the vaulted developer’s masterpieces, but I have a spotty gaming history. I previously ran from a challenge, curse words a flying. So strap in and take this journey with me, as I detail my time and impressions traversing the Lands Between.
A game of this magnitude and artistry deserves the same love and polish that the developers devoted to creating it. As I delve deeper and deeper, I shall give my honest impressions throughout. I am around twenty five hours into my playthrough at time of writing.
First Impressions are Everything
My first impression of Elden Ring was how massive it was. I didn’t realize the tiny piece of map I was originally looking at, though. The first section of the game I could see was called ‘Limgrave,’ and I couldn’t believe how much there was to discover in said initial area. Limgrave itself was hiding a lot of ruins and caves to plunder. There was even a complete side world underground. The world of Elden Ring is overflowing with lore, story, and mischief to delve into.
The one caveat being, you must find it yourself. This game does not hold your hand with anything. Here’s the premise to the game, which I had to look up because it’s…a lot to process.
“Elden Ring takes place in the Lands Between, sometime after the destruction of the titular Elden Ring and the scattering of its shards, the Great Runes. Once graced by the Ring and the Erdtree which symbolizes its presence, the realm is now ruled over by the demigod offspring of Queen Marika the Eternal, each possessing a shard of the Ring that corrupts and taints with power. As ‘Tarnished’- exiles from the Lands Between who lost the Ring’s grace and are summoned after the Shattering- players must traverse the realm to find the Great Runes, restore the Elden Ring, and become the Elden Lord.”
Elden Ring Wikipedia page
Honestly, I’ve read that excerpt fifteen times. That’s the only thing I really know from the story so far. I’ve battled my way through the first true “boss” and haven’t learned anything else. The game seems to expect you to write things down or have an eidetic memory. I’ve met all kinds of NPCs that have told me things, but I don’t remember who they are or what they said. I just hope I meet characters down the line that can tell me more. As of this moment, all I’ve done is explore the world and kill a boss. I meander through the world in hopes of finding characters and questlines.
But What Now?
From Software wrote this story and world with famed writer, George R.R. Martin. The love and care they put into it is obvious. It’s such a deep world with a ton of lore. I just wish I could appreciate it. Game Over Gimmicks loves a good story, but Elden Ring doesn’t feed it to me. I have to go searching for it. That’s probably what has turned me away from From Software games in the past. Some people really like that, but not this busy bee. Something as simple as a quest log, or lore journal, would help me tremendously. I’ve spent a little too much time looking things up in wiki articles.
The game does a good job of demonstrating the ‘main story’ direction by having checkpoint areas, or ‘sites of grace.’ There is a light guiding your way towards the next main story area. The only issue with that is, I get slaughtered when I follow the light! Elden Ring wants you to explore and find your own way. Which it does wonderfully.
Elden Ring switches between the massive open world, and traditional, dungeon style areas. You’ll be exploring random parts of the map and stumble onto an extended cave with enemies, loot, and a mini-boss. And if you know From Software, that mini-boss will not be a pushover. Which leads me to the difficulty…
This game is unfairly difficult, but I knew that going in. I would get frustrated and need to take breaks. But overcoming the struggle is half of the fun.
Conclusion
As of this moment, I am having a blast exploring Elden Ring. I have almost fully explored Limgrave, a lot of Stormhill, and some of Caelid. The first true test was ‘Margit,’ the game’s first story boss. Finished him off and I’ve hit another roadblock in Stormveil Castle. That’s one of the best things about Elden Ring. Finding an impossible area is not the end all be all. Instead of bashing your head against the wall for hours on end, go find a mini-boss to beat, cave to plunder, or ruin to loot. There’s and endless supply of exploration.
What I’ve learned so far is that Elden Ring wants you to explore, die, and die some more. I’m embracing the world that From Software has created and attacking it head on…
And probably dying again.