I'm not a Dark Souls veteren by any stretch, though I did manage to pour 30 or so hours into the third installment. Elden Ring was my first true FromSoft playthrough where I saw the ending. From start to the finish, this single-player game entranced me with a similar feeling to watching Game of Thrones season one for the very first time. My mind raced with intrigue, wonder, and excitement about the journey ahead and not one minute did this dissipate. Elden Ring has been lauded as "The greatest game of all time," and I have to agree.

It's an enjoyable AAA game

Something almost unheard of these days

These passed few years haven't been great for PC gaming. It's supposed to be some sort of golden era for PC gaming as more people gain access to mesmarising games such as The Witcher 3, Grand Theft Auto V, Elden Ring, and Terraria. There are some absolute gems available on the numerous game storefronts available for Windows and other platforms, but that brings us to the drawbacks of PC gaming. It's still a mess in 2024 with Games as a Service (GaaS) taking hold of new releases, loot boxes bringing gambling to kids, and a fragmented catalog experience all in the name of profits.

Video game companies are making more money from more games and more people. It's a great time to be an investor in EA or Take Two, but this has come at a cost for the gamer. AAA games used to mean you could expect to see the highest price tag but enjoy a high-fidelity experience with content produced by an entire army of developers, designers, and more. These days, AAA games have been tainted by corporate greed, mismanagement, and dumbfounded game releases.

Enter FromSoft. The Japanese company is responsible for Dark Souls and Armored Core games, among others. Elden Ring had an immesne amount of hype prior to launch. It was a brand new game from a renowned developer with input from the incredibly creative George R. R. Martin (the guy responsible for A Song of Ice and Fire). A massive single-player world was promised with plenty to explore. Difficult bosses were on the cards and an immersive arching storyline would keep the player coming back for more.

Boy, did it deliver. No loot boxes. No subscription to play. No extra bloat. It's simply Elden Ring and nothing more. That's what makes it so good. FromSoft has mastered the marketing of its games through Elden Ring, offering previews and plenty of media ahead of launch to showcase precisely what the game offers while hiding a vast wealth of content to not spoil too much.

It still holds up after two years

And I don't see that changing

Yes, two years isn't a long time for a video game, especially one I'm sprouting as the greatest thing since the wheel. One could easily consider another game as the best of the best, such as the indie hit Terraria, The Oregon Trail, or even Pong. There's never an objective take on such an award, which makes it almost impossible to draw up a shortlist of games without surpassing the 100 marker. Elden Ring would certainly make the list, cementing itself with the greatest hits.

Elden Ring strikes a perfect balance between enjoyment and difficulty. You can make the game as easy as you wish or almost impossible for your skill level, depending on how you build your character. Sorcery makes it possible to one-shot bosses with a laser blast, whereas running around naked with a club tends to lead to a bad day or two. No matter how you develop your character, you'll never fail to smile when it clicks and you start smashing skulls and landing final blows.

Although FromSoft has never made the best-looking games, Elden Ring doesn't disappint in the visuals department. The atmosphere is fantastic with the imposing Erdtree seemingly always over your head. Enemies are well designed and everything feels like it belongs in this carefully crafted world. You won't find a single moment where you wonder why it was added to the game that particuar way ... aside from the cursed

I attempted playing Elden Ring on the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G for the processor review and found it to run smoothly even at 1440p with decent visual settings applied. It's amazing just how well this game runs, even on less-capable hardware. You won't feel as though you're missing out by turning down a sliders and options to gain a frame or few.

A great entry point for the Souls series

Plenty of newcomers started with Elden Ring

This rings true for every Dark Souls game as I'm sure many players were new to the series, but Elden Ring is something else. It managed to take the Dark Souls formula and make it appeal to the masses. Yes, it's difficult, yes some of the systems are still on the clunky side, but it has far more polish than older FromSoft games and the results show. Many players of Elden Ring either never played or heard of Dark Souls but they quickly caught wind of Elden ring.

There's little to no hand-holding in Elden Ring, but it's more approachable for even newcomers to the genre. Gameplay mechanics are explained as the player explores The Lands Between. Bosses and enemies can be studied through failed attempts — and you will die a lot — but the sense of satisfaction on overcoming the hurdle is an addictive reward and one that never fails to deliver as you move between regions. Those who are familair with action RPGs will still need to adapt to how Elden Ring handles everything.

There's a slight learning curve but the basics are easy to grapst yet difificult to master. You'l lfind yourself dodging, blocking, or keeping distance at first but it's a different game once you begin nailing each parry attempt.

Shadow of the Erdtree is a huge success

An entire game sold as DLC

Downloadable Content (DLC) has become yet another stain on the gmaing industry. It all started with the mid-2000s with various games, but the best known instnace is Bethesda's Oblivion and the infamous horse armor. It was terrible and the company hasn't learned much over the years. Fallout 76 was a mess at launch, packed full of monetization. Bethesda (and Microsoft) aren't alone here. Ubisoft and EA are also guilty of releasing sub-par DLC that weren't worth the asking price.

Additional content released as a purchasable DLC doesn't have to stand in the way of enjoying a game, nor does it have to leave a sour taste in the mouth. The Witcher 3 has some of the best-rated DLC on the market. These expansions were huge and could even be considered a game of their own and it's a similar story here with Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. The DLC is massive and it contains many more hours of gaming on top of the base game. Combine both together as a first playthrough and you'll be lost in The Lands Between for days.

Not yet played Elden Ring?

You're missing out on an incredibly story, mesmorizing visuals, and a world that feels alive. Elden Ring is the greatest game I've had the pleasure of playing and the only downside is not being able to wipte my memory of it clean for a fresh playthrough so I can experience it all again. With its first DLC released and an active community, there hasn't been a better time to hop into The Lands Between. Just be cautious about trusting messages left by other adventureres.