ELDEN RING" 50-hour play review! A masterpiece of dark fantasy that combines high difficulty and comfort

On Friday, February 25, 2022, From Software's open-world action RPG "Eldenring" will be released, the latest title in three years since "SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE" won Game of the Year in 2019. This time, I had the opportunity to touch "Elden Ring" before its release, and I will present my review after having played (but not cleared) about 50 hours of this game. I will not spoil the story, but I will explain some of the system elements, so please be aware of that before you read this review.

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Players seek to become the King of Elde for a world in tatters!

The "Demigods" who have acquired the mighty power of the "Great Rune" are so consumed by their power that they cause a great battle called the "Crushing War". In the desolate "land of chasm," the player embarks on a journey to become the King of Elde as the "Fading Man. The story begins with the Fading Man waking up somewhere in the Land of Narrows.

The crushing war, an important element of this work, has already ended when the story begins. The Land of Narrows is like a giant old battlefield, so to speak, with collapsed castles, towns, and battlefields piled with corpses in various locations. The story of "The Eldenring" is only hinted at, so a deeper understanding of the story is based on the environment in which the protagonist finds himself and on the stories of others.

Texts on equipment and items are a valuable source of information. Hidetaka Miyazaki (Chairman of From Software), who has written text for "Dark Souls" and "Bloodborne," is in charge of writing the text for this title as well, and the profound text is still there.

He does not use esoteric words to make pretensions, but rather uses concise language to express the world view in the entire text. People are moved not by words, but by what is written in words, and Mr. Miyazaki has been practicing and adhering to this style of good and great writing. As a writer, I envy his ability. When you play the full version of the game, you will not only be able to use it as a reference for the story, but you will also be able to appreciate the high quality of the writing.

Although I said that consideration is important, the story of "Eldenring" is a little easier to understand than that of "Dark Souls" or "Bloodborne. At a checkpoint-like place called "Blessing," a woman named Melina tells you stories pertaining to each area, and if you talk to the white characters in each area, you can hear the local stories. It is hard to say that the game is for everyone, but even so, the expressions are definitely a bit more direct compared to From Software's previous works.

Incidentally, this is a completely new work and is independent from From Software's past works including "Dark Souls". Therefore, even if you are starting what is commonly referred to as "From games" with this title, rest assured that no prior knowledge is required.

Dense open world that even 50 hours is not enough

This title is an open world game, and the world that can be explored is vast. There is a huge castle just north of where the player first wakes up, and a vast peninsula to the south. I left the first dungeon and went to the south first, thinking that I could go on in any direction since it is an open world, but it took me more than 10 hours to finish exploring most of the area.

There are dungeons, such as ruins and towers, in various parts of the land between the two, and each of them has its own boss. In some places, you may encounter bosses not in dungeons but in the field. In addition, there are requests from people, materials needed for "item production" in grasslands and trees, and plenty of other things to do.

When one says "open world," the size of the world stands out more than the volume of the game, but this title is wide and deep. There are nearly dozens of dungeons mentioned above, and there is also a kind of side story involving people living in the land between the worlds. The author spent 10 hours in the southern peninsula, and the peninsula in the Land of Narrows is less than one-fifth of the entire area.

The land between the peninsulas, which has gone through a crushing war, is a world that is distorted and crumbling here and there, and is about to come to an end, so to speak. Naturally, there is no downtown or populace left. Instead, it is thoroughly packed with dungeons and other gameplay-related elements. This is a feat made possible by From Software's penchant for simplicity. It could be said that this work incorporates the density of a single-story type game almost directly into an open world. That is how dense it is.

In addition to the volume of the open world, the convenience of the open world is also taken into consideration. In the land between the worlds, there are many "Blessings," which are bases where you can automatically replenish the "chalice bottle," a recovery item, and use "runes" to strengthen various parameters (level up). Instantaneous movement between blessings is also possible, and a so-called "fast travel" function has been implemented.

In addition, once materials are collected, they are immediately restored when touched by a blessing, making it easy to collect materials for item production. It is also possible to remember where materials grow, and after touring that route, touch the blessing and go back to collect the materials again. As long as the player has not been detected by the enemy, he or she does not consume any stamina, so the player can search and collect materials as much as he or she likes. However, when touching the blessing, not only the materials but also the enemies will be resurrected, so be careful not to get hit by them by accident.

In addition to fast travel between blessings, we also recommend a means of transportation on a horse called a torrent. Trent can be called at any time by using the "Finger Whistle of the Spirit Horse" and can be ridden to move faster. Places that cannot be reached on foot can be reached with a two-step jump, and players can also fight while riding. It is also easy to attack and then leave the scene, using the "one-strike-and-you're-out" strategy.

However, when Trent's health reaches zero, he disappears and the player falls from his horse. For a while after falling from a horse, the player is left on his back and defenseless. It takes time to recover, so if an enemy attacks during that time, he or she will be in serious trouble. It is better to think of falling from a horse as death.

The torrent is useful, but just like the player, jumping down from a certain height will kill you instantly, and even a double jump does not seem to eliminate the instant-death effect. It is best to remember the height at which you will die, but if you are unsure, I recommend using the item "rainbow-colored stone". The stone will shatter and tell you if you are at a height where you will die instantly.

Spirits and guard counters are the easy battle system.

In this work, players fight with up to three weapons in each of their right and left hands. These range from weapons such as daggers and large swords to defensive types including medium shields.

They can carry a sword and a shield and use them for both attack and defense. You can carry a large or extra-large sword and swing it around, or you can use magic or a bow to aim and shoot from a distance. Each type of weapon requires certain parameters in order to be equipped, but at least there is a distinction between physical weapons such as swords and spears, and magic weapons, which have no substance. The focus for melee weapons is on "Strength" and "Skill," while the focus for magic weapons is on "Intelligence" and "Faith.

In "Elden Ring," enemies' attack power is generally high, and you will be killed after taking 1 to 3 times damage. If you fight more than one enemy at a time, you will die quickly, so you should avoid fighting them all at the same time and use some kind of tactic, such as luring them out one at a time or intercepting them in a narrow passage or on a bridge. In addition, "spirits," "guard counters," and "fatal strikes" are key to combat in this game, regardless of the fighting style.

There are many types of spirits, such as wolves that move in threes, jellyfish that shoot venom, and so on. The number of attacks increases, which in turn increases firepower and makes fighting enemies a whole lot easier. The wolves are especially powerful, and I once took down a humanoid boss who was easily flinched away almost single-handedly.

While the wolves are great in terms of attack, their presence is also significant in terms of recovery. The presence of both you and the spirit disperses the opponent's aim. This makes it easier for players to have time to recover their strength and stamina. Although it may not be possible to summon them in some locations, it is a good idea to utilize them proactively if possible.

Guard Counter is a counterattack technique that can be launched immediately after blocking an enemy's attack with a shield. Not only is it a safe counter attack, but it is also easy for anyone to use, as long as they can defend themselves. Compared to "parry," which repels an opponent's attack with good timing, the counter is easy to use, and the author was able to use it many times while playing the game.

The Guard Counter is very effective in disrupting a player's stance. A single blow is all it takes to break the stance of a small foe, and even a humanoid boss can be broken with a few shots. If you get close enough during this time, you can inflict heavy damage with a "fatal blow.

The only weakness is that it uses a large amount of stamina to counter a guard. The defense itself also consumes stamina, and if the counter is fired repeatedly, the player will quickly become unable to move. Also, there is a hit detection while launching counters, and the technique will be interrupted if an enemy attack is received in the middle of the counter. It is important to manage stamina and know when to counterattack.

The fatal blow is a familiar technique in the "Dark Souls" series. It can be performed from behind, immediately after a successful parry, or by approaching an enemy while it is out of its stance. It deals more damage than weapon attacks and, depending on the type of attack, can even be used on bosses.

As already mentioned, parry is difficult to time. Guard counters are not possible because they drain a lot of stamina, so it is not possible to fire them in rapid succession. In this case, it is easiest to aim from behind. When encountering a humanoid enemy, it is recommended to first lock on to the target and then move around to its back. With most enemies, this is enough to deliver a fatal blow from behind. You will be able to kill small foes one after another, which will make your search much easier.

Thoroughly designed for ease of play and ease of death

We have already written about the field exploration and battle system, but what we want to focus on in "Eldenring" is the ease of play. The blessings that exist in each location have convenient functions such as fast travel and leveling up, and by touching the blessings, you can quickly collect as many materials as you want, making item creation easy. Co-operative fighting with spirits and guard counters that can be reliably launched just by guarding. Any number of useful elements can be raised.

Various considerations were made in the search and combat systems, and the play itself was pleasant. The game is carefully crafted in the manner of FromSoftware, a company that puts the player's gaming experience first. As this is a completely new game, "Eldenring" may also be designed with consideration for newcomers and beginners in mind.

On the other hand, the game is still severe enough to make you feel as if you are walking on the borderline between difficulty and unreasonableness. While the small fry are literally small fry, the bosses are strong. However, even the bosses, who at first seem invincible, as you die and learn over and over again, you begin to see their weaknesses and peculiarities of movement. Then, little by little, their fortunes change, and eventually, they win. The meaning of fighting a boss is in knowing that the enemy is not unreasonable, but only strong, and that you can die as many times as you want in order to win.

I have played the "Dark Souls" series, "Bloodborne" and "Sekiro," and I have probably died more than 100 times in this game. I think the difficulty level is high enough for gamers who like "From games.

The game is an overwhelmingly dense open world filled with dungeons, and while it is a "game of death" with strong enemies, it also has a sufficient system for exploration and battles. Eldenring" is a clever combination of playability and difficulty. I can almost hear the screams of those who are about to play the game.

(Text by Yoshiyoshi Natsumashiuchi)

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• Product Lineup
• Normal Edition
• Price: 9,240 yen (including tax)
• Platform: PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/Steam
• Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One versions are downloadable only.
• Contents: "ELDEN RING" main game

• Digital Deluxe Edition
• Price: 9,900 yen (tax included)
• Platform: PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/Steam
• Contents: "ELDEN RING" full game, digital art book & soundtrack

• Collector's Edition
• Price: 24,200 yen (tax included)
• Platform: PS5/PS4
• Contents:
• Main "ELDEN RING" game *Includes standard PS5 or PS4 package
• Michaela's Blade, Marenia" statue (23cm)
• Art book (hardcover, 40 pages)
• Digital soundtrack
• Digital soundtrack ・Steel book

• Title Information
• ■ELDEN RING
• Release date: February 25, 2022
• Genre: Action RPG
• Supported platforms: PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/Steam
• Players: 1 player (1-4 players online)
• Publisher: FromSoftware (Japan) / Namco Bandai Entertainment (overseas)
• Developer: FromSoftware, Inc.
• Rating: To be reviewed

*PlayStation4 package version purchasers can upgrade to the PlayStation5 version at no additional cost. (Those who purchased the packaged version will not be able to upgrade in the digital edition without a PS5 disk drive.) In addition, those who purchased the PS4 download version of this title from the PlayStation Store can download the PS5 version at no additional cost.

PS5 downloadable version of this title from the PlayStation Store can be downloaded at no additional charge for the PS4 version.

For the Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One versions, "ELDEN RING" supports "Smart Delivery. Once the game is purchased, it can be played on either the Xbox Series X/Xbox One or both consoles.

©BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. / ©2021 FromSoftware, Inc.