Epic gamers love Elden Ring more than GFuel
By Alexandria Nagy ‘22
Warning: shows late stage bosses with notes beforehand
Image of a landscape from Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a surreal action-role playing game (RPG) that features thrilling combat, a gorgeous open world, and a myriad of replay value. This spectacular game, rooted in Dark Souls and Bloodborne-esque fantasy, was released on February 25, 2022.
The adventurer plays as an exiled Tarnished who lost the Ring's grace. Players must traverse the realm to find all the Great Runes, restore the Elden Ring, and ultimately, become the Elden Lord.
The game showcases cryptic secrets, indescribable bosses, epic horseback adventure, strange puzzles, melee, defensive play, ranged attacks, magic systems, enigmatic NPCs, and a staggering number of builds for each class.
Eddie Sieradzki, a senior at Penn State University, has logged 1,014 hours on the Souls games. A week after Elden Ring’s release date, Sieradzki already played for 73 hours on record.
“The game takes place in an incredibly unique world. A lot of the story that unfolds in those worlds comes out through item descriptions. This is how they [the game developers] give you little pieces of information into how the events that are taking place around you started.”
Elden Ring follows the Souls games’ notoriety of being unduly challenging. That being said, the adventurer’s playstyle greatly determines the game’s difficulty, and the degree to which the player chooses to engage with its story is up to them.
“You can make the game as hard or easy as you want it to be. You can use spells or bows for range, a shield to block, or two hand a big, funny sword. One playstyle gives you more options to play safe while the other doesn’t,” said Sieradski.
Like Sieradzki, a recent graduate from Penn State University, Joe Reukauf, garnered 58 hours on Elden Ring just a week after its release date. He is similarly addicted to the distinctive game style that manifests.
“Their commitment to their own formula makes the Souls games unique. They are known for being difficult, having memorable bosses, and having memorable areas. With the exception of a few gameplay changes or additions from game to game, they [the game developers] have stuck with what makes Souls games, Souls games. They cater to what makes their game like no other instead of the whiny player who ‘thinks it's too hard.’”
Not only are Elden Ring’s bosses physically challenging to beat—their design is simply unsurpassable.
“Every boss is a spectacle, a real event. You watch the cutscene or take in the arena, and you're so consumed by how amazing it looks that you almost forget you have to fight it. Almost every boss I asked myself, ‘I have to fight that?’ Because it's unbelievable every time,” said Reukauf.
Like many gamers, Reukauf was stunned by the jaw-dropping, otherworldly ambiance that envelops the player during early and late-stage boss fights.
“Ancestor Spirit is this spectral deer boss. Its music is very pretty, and it’s one of my favorites. As for early game bosses, Margit the Fell Omen and Godrick the Grafted are the two main ones, and they’re both incredible,” said Reukauf.
Spoiler image below
Image of Ancestor Spirit from Elden Ring
Sieradzki reaffirmed the magnificence of one of the late-stage bosses, Rykard the Serpent.
“He’s my favorite boss in the game so far. Awesome fight. The game gives you a weapon to use specifically for the fight and to kill the boss.”
Spoiler image below
Image of Rykard the Serpent from Elden Ring
Moreover, the visuals excellently elevate the game’s plot.
“The visuals are unique more than anything. In an industry that has been going towards hyper-realism over the years, Elden Ring goes for stylized, dream-like environments that have the detail and depth of a painting,” said Reukauf.
Additionally, Sieradzki complimented the immaculate soundtrack, perfectly stylized for each boss.
“Even the music for the opening cinematic trailer is great,” said Sieradzki.
Image of a landscape from Elden Ring
Altogether, Elden Ring features an obtuse world with glorious boss designs, powerful fantasy weapons, stunning landscapes, extraordinary escapades, and so much more.
And gamers, know that when you pick up the controller for a session of Elden Ring, you will die—a lot. Like all Souls games, Elden Ring is an addictively masochistic exercise in skill and patience.
At the same time, this fact enables players to experience the unmatched excitement of recognizing intricate patterns in enemy behavior and the thrill of defeating tough bosses. After all, there’s nothing quite comparable to the rush of galloping into battle on horseback as your greatsword drags alongside you.
Sieradzki framed it perfectly, “No other game has come close to being this good.”