Big fan of open world games but can’t personally see the the hype behind Elden Ring, perhaps someone can enlighten me?

[Multievolution]

This isn't intended as bait to rile up people who are fans, it's just that from what I've seen (been watching a couple of ongoing playthroughs since it's release) nothing has struck me as amazing as what seems to be the general consensus, to me most of the game looks fairly standard for a souls game albeit leaning a bit more towards the open world game design than previous entries, I will say that a lot of the visuals and character designs aren't to my personal taste which probably impacts my opinion of the game but to those who rate it high what am I missing?

 

[Ashes of Dreams]

It's fun.

 

[vestan]

Good combat, immense sense of adventure and scale for an open world game

 

[JackyZ]

stop seeing, start playing

 

[Firefly]

The open world isn't anything special but the Souls formula of discovery and scale works well with its structure.

 

[RPGam3r]

You have to be there for the combat first and foremost bc that's really its one trick gameplay wise. If that is of no interest I would walk away. The other thing you get if you like the combat is vistas.

 

[Crossing Eden]

This isn't intended as bait to rile up people who are fans, it's just that from what I've seen

Click to shrink...

You should probably play the game?

 

[Lobster Roll]

It's one of the very few, rare open world games that entices players through natural formations and points of interest to pique one's desire of exploration & curiosity. It almost always rewards that curiosity with new tools and bosses as well. It's an explorer's dream. I was constantly stunned at how many secret / massive areas were tucked away out of view. The whole experience is magical.

 

[Vex]

been watching

Click to shrink...

This is mostly a game about gamePLAY. Meaning you have to play it yourself. It's fun to play.


But not every game needs to be for everyone. Opinions vary. Only a few million people like it is all. c':


*FWIW I REALLY HATE FORTNITE. Everything from those stupid animations to the samey character designs with those disney proportions. realIy makes me mad just thinking about it. But I just leave it alone *shrugs* lol I did actually try playing it once on my ps4 years ago. I bounced off of it so hard after one match that I wanted to cry.

 

[pikachief]

It sounds like its exactly as you suspect. Its dark souls but big.

 

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Incredible creativity, beauty, and depth in its combat, mechanics, world and lore. I'm sorry you can't connect with it because to me it's a masterpiece and an immense achievement.

 

[Ashhong]

Isn't this question precisely what the point of reviews are?

 

[Lulu]

This isn't intended as bait to rile up people who are fans, it's just that from what I've seen

Click to shrink...

You sure?

 

[Rayasab]

100s of reviews and walkthroughs on YouTube, doubt anyone here will add anything valid you don't already know.

 

[SoulsHunt]

Just play.

 

[EllipsisBreak]

You can't get the experience of exploration by watching a video. It doesn't translate very well. Elden Ring is about that.

 

[Vex]

Also, the game is quite a looker. Artistically, it is like playing through a dark fantasy novel come to life:

Elden Ring

Click to shrink...

Click to shrink...

Elden Ring

Click to shrink...

Elden Ring

...back to Stormveil...

Click to shrink...

 

[Brinbe]

yep, just gotta play it. it's not something that conveys just watching

 

[Gestault]

If being a fan of the genre and literally seeing it be among the highest rated games in recent history isn't enough (with the added benefit of a wide range of written and video reviews), and you're making a thread demanding others convince you...

Maybe you just don't want to play it? Which is fine, but at a certain point you've gotta recognize something is more about "you" than anything else, which again, is perfectly normal.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

its by the guys who made the Bloodbornes and the Dark SOulses

Also, the game is quite a looker. Artistically, it is like playing through a dark fantasy novel come to life:

Click to shrink...

So good. Even better with their animation and audio design.

 

[jokkir]

Have you tried finger, but hole?

 

[Vareon]

This isn't intended as bait to rile up people who are fans, it's just that from what I've seen (been watching a couple of ongoing playthroughs since it's release) nothing has struck me as amazing as what seems to be the general consensus, to me most of the game looks fairly standard for a souls game albeit leaning a bit more towards the open world game design than previous entries, I will say that a lot of the visuals and character designs aren't to my personal taste which probably impacts my opinion of the game but to those who rate it high what am I missing?

Click to shrink...

If you -really- like Dark Souls gameplay then you have a very massive world open for you, full of secrets and fun things to explore. If you don't like it that much, there's almost nothing else.

Imagine an entire building of all you can eat buffet but the dishes are exclusively meat. There's like 1000 varieties of meat, there's a hidden door to another room full of meat, and that room has a secret elevator that leads to a hidden 5th floor again full of more varieties of meat. If you like meat it's heaven, but if you don't like it that much, that fifth hidden floor is irrelevant and you're done after like half an hour. So it really depends on whether you like the core gameplay enough or not.

 

[VeryHighlander]

Watching a playthrough is different then being lost in the sauce defeating hard fucking enemies and being rewarded for it..

its just good.

 

[Multievolution]

You should probably play the game?

Click to shrink...

Putting money towards a game that doesn't do anything for me as far as artstyle and gameplay goes isn't something I can afford to do, nothing I've seen leads me to think playing it would give me a change in perspective which is why I was wondering what specifically the game offers that garners high praise.

This is mostly a game about gamePLAY. Meaning you have to play it yourself. It's fun to play.
But not every game needs to be for everyone. Opinions vary. Only a few million people like it is all. c':


*FWIW I REALLY HATE FORTNITE. Everything from those stupid animations to the samey character designs with those disney proportions. Iy makes me mad just thinking about it. But I just leave it alone *shrugs* lol I did actually try playing it once on my ps4 years ago. I bounced off of it so hard after one match that I wanted to cry.

Click to shrink...

I don't doubt that if you like souls games it's fun, I'm not 100% sure i like them enough to commit to buying a second yet (own demon souls and am conflicted on it) Just figured I'd ask if I was missing anything, should it ever go down in price I'd be willing to try it out though doubt I'd beat it :p.

You sure?

Click to shrink...

Pretty sure yeah, I get there's plenty of people who've made people weary of anyone asking a question like this on the internet and their motives but trolling isn't my bag, it's a game people are throwing around as a game of the year contender which while subjective seems likely, I'm just trying to get an idea about what makes it stand out as opposed to its predecessors.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

Putting money towards a game that doesn't do anything for me as far as artstyle and gameplay goes isn't something I can afford to do, nothing I've seen leads me to think playing it would give me a change in perspective which is why I was wondering what specifically the game offers that garners high praise.

Click to shrink...

There are so many videos and reviews on that. They might not convince you, but will provide you with the perspective of people who did enjoy it on that level.

 

[Multievolution]

There are so many videos and reviews on that. They might not convince you, but will provide you with the perspective of people who did enjoy it on that level.

Click to shrink...

The person I've been watching the most has said it's among their top three favourite games despite all the raging it's caused them, perhaps it's as others have said and it just doesn't transition well unless played firsthand.

 

[Emwitus]

This isn't intended as bait to rile up people who are fans, it's just that from what I've seen (been watching a couple of ongoing playthroughs since it's release) nothing has struck me as amazing as what seems to be the general consensus, to me most of the game looks fairly standard for a souls game albeit leaning a bit more towards the open world game design than previous entries, I will say that a lot of the visuals and character designs aren't to my personal taste which probably impacts my opinion of the game but to those who rate it high what am I missing?

Click to shrink...

I quit after dying 50 times on the first horse boss and realizing the animation and jerkiness gave me a migraine. It's not just you.

 

[Vex]

Imagine an entire building of all you can eat buffet but the dishes are exclusively meat. There's like 1000 varieties of meat, there's a hidden door to another room full of meat, and that room has a secret elevator that leads to a hidden 5th floor again full of more varieties of meat. If you like meat it's heaven, but if you don't like it that much, that fifth hidden floor is irrelevant and you're done after like half an hour. So it really depends on whether you like the core gameplay enough or n

Click to shrink...

OOF. Im hungry af now. Im just imagining a tower filled with bacon. Go into another room and you have bacon pizza. Go into another, and you have bacon and eggs. OH and also, there'd be a bacon boss every 4 floors. When you beat him, you could loot his bacon body for bacon drops. Then you could craft meals with your portable stove top and gain powerups for being at "full status".

 

[dancingphlower]

The sense of exploration and discovery - it feels more organic and driven by curiosity, with actual meaningful rewards like cool boss fights and new weapons/spells/etc, unlike something like BOTW which gives you like, incremental stat increases for shrines. The moment to moment gameplay is just really fun.

 

[KCroxtonJr]

This isn't intended as bait to rile up people who are fans, it's just that from what I've seen (been watching a couple of ongoing playthroughs since it's release) nothing has struck me as amazing as what seems to be the general consensus, to me most of the game looks fairly standard for a souls game albeit leaning a bit more towards the open world game design than previous entries, I will say that a lot of the visuals and character designs aren't to my personal taste which probably impacts my opinion of the game but to those who rate it high what am I missing?

Click to shrink...

Fairly standard for a souls game would already put it above most games out there, and it goes far beyond fairly standard for a souls game.

What you're missing is actually playing the game.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

I mean elden ring's format might technically be open world but it's really not an open world game? Like it's more of a free form dark souls game. You're encouraged to explore every nook and cranny but there isn't really like a million points of interest naturally on a map that'll lead you around.

 

[Torpedo Vegas]

defeating hard fucking enemies and being rewarded for it..

Click to shrink...

Individual milage may very on that depending on how you've wondered around. I haven't felt truly rewarded for my exploration in a while because I've been using the same loadout for the past 70ish hours. Every cave, crypt, or lair has been yet another piece of equipment I won't use and the only true reward has been the runes to level up making it feel like any other open world game.

 

[Roshin]

...the game looks fairly standard for a souls game albeit leaning a bit more towards the open world game design...

Click to shrink...

Leaning a bit towards an open world design? The game is huge and as you explore, it expands even more.

I haven't felt truly rewarded for my exploration in a while...

Click to shrink...

Why is it always mushroom? :D

 

[Spoit]

You should probably play the game?

Click to shrink...

I know this is doing to go down with the whole thread jumping on the op for this, just like that "it took 40 hours to figure out how to use magic" thread, but I'm about 10 hours in and I'm not really seeing the exploration bits either. The open world so far has been incredibly sparse and plain looking, with the dungeons being a notable decrease in level design compared to the intricate puzzle boxes of their other games.

And I still haven't found a staff to use magic

 

[Vareon]

OOF. Im hungry af now. Im just imagining a tower filled with bacon. Go into another room and you have bacon pizza. Go into another, and you have bacon and eggs. OH and also, there'd be a bacon boss every 4 floors. When you beat him, you could loot his bacon body for bacon drops. Then you could craft meals with your portable stove top and gain powerups for being at "full status".

Click to shrink...

Exactly what the game is! I don't eat bacon, so that place is largely irrelevant to me, but I still have moderate fun with all the other dishes.

 

[D O T]

play the game?

 

[Ashhong]

Also, the game is quite a looker. Artistically, it is like playing through a dark fantasy novel come to life:

Click to shrink...

Hmmm I've been debating between playing on PS4 or PS5, and I think these shots have pushed me into PS5

The person I've been watching the most has said it's among their top three favourite games despite all the raging it's caused them, perhaps it's as others have said and it just doesn't transition well unless played firsthand.

Click to shrink...

It sounds like you are watching streamers or content creators and not necessarily reviews. A concise review will state specifically what is good about the game and why it garners whatever score they give it. Is that not what you're looking for?

 

[Kyra]

The world of Elden Ring is its main selling point.

 

[CobaltBlu]

Try actually playing it?

 

[cvbas]

Yeah, you should play it. The open world's greatest strength is its sense of exploration and the rewards you often get for being a little curious. Watching the game doesn't really convey it. You'll never have the feeling of going "Huh, I wonder what's over there" and then finding a new area.

 

[Khanimus]

stop seeing, start playing

Click to shrink...

You should probably play the game?

Click to shrink...

This is mostly a game about gamePLAY. Meaning you have to play it yourself. It's fun to play.

Click to shrink...

Just play.

Click to shrink...

yep, just gotta play it. it's not something that conveys just watching

Click to shrink...

play the game?

Click to shrink...

Try actually playing it?

Click to shrink...

Yeah, you should play it. The open world's greatest strength is its sense of exploration and the rewards you often get for being a little curious. Watching the game doesn't really convey it. You'll never have the feeling of going "Huh, I wonder what's over there" and then finding a new area.

Click to shrink...

They're right. The fun of exploration, the friction points, and the surprises aren't conveyed just by watching streams of this thing.

 

[FrenchToastDisciple]

The level of novel incident in the game (meaning situations, levels, enemies, bosses, or environmental designs) is its biggest pull if you aren't as big of a sucker for souls combat and gameplay as many are at this point. Even the "copy and pasted" assets (like the mini-dungeons) have unique gameplay hooks and level designs that still make them memorable. This is generally not true of most open world games. The only place where it seems like the scale of the game was a little bit too much for them to keep up with are the reused boss fights (which, admittedly, can be a bit of a bummer at times).

 

[Multievolution]

Hmmm I've been debating between playing on PS4 or PS5, and I think these shots have pushed me into PS5


It sounds like you are watching streamers or content creators and not necessarily reviews. A concise review will state specifically what is good about the game and why it garners whatever score they give it. Is that not what you're looking for?

Click to shrink...

I'll definitely do that at some point, I've always found playthroughs to be a fair assessment of what a games actually like which is why i went that route, if nothing else I don't see my opinion changing drastically, I was mainly curious if I'd missed something from my units assessment though I don't think I have and it's likely just a case of the game not being for me.

 

[regenhuber]

If you did not like Demons you actually might like Elden Ring.
Game is piss easy with a Samurai Build and Summon Ashes.
Bosses will take you 3-4 tries tops.

But overall combat carries this game, just like the other Souls games. You fight to fight some more, if you don't like the combat at all, ER won't be for you.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

I'll definitely do that at some point, I've always found playthroughs to be a fair assessment of what a games actually like which is why i went that route, if nothing else I don't see my opinion changing drastically, I was mainly curious if I'd missed something from my units assessment though I don't think I have and it's likely just a case of the game not being for me.

Click to shrink...

There was someone a while back saying they didn't get the appeal of TLOU2 and it turned out they didn't play it, just watched a lets play. That game is one of the best playing TPS out there which won't come across at all from an LP, but even more so in the case of Elden Ring (and From's other games) they're almost entirely gameplay centric bolstered by strong art direction.

 

[Multievolution]

Just so no one thinks I'm ignoring them I'm logging off for the night, I very much am planning on responding to more people tomorrow should it be warranted, the consensus I have currently is that it's in many ways the most ambitious souls game in terms of scope and freedom and with that discovery, I've never been 100% interested in souls gameplay and with dark fantasy being hit and miss for me I think it's likely these two factors that are why I've found my interest lacking.

Regardless I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond, it's interesting hearing everyone's perspective.

 

[Kupo Kupopo]

...it's likely just a case of the game not being for me...

Click to shrink...

yep. & highly unlikely there's anything anyone up here could possibly say to change that...

 

[TheCongressman]

I have some criticisms of the open world, but the first few areas of the game are incredible, so I don't really agree with OP on that.

That first half of the game works way better than the second, imo. Later on there's a lot of areas that feel like a very wide linear paths from another Souls game, and with a lot less dungeons and stuff to find. I dislike how much of the world they completely sectioned off, it ends up more like open but separate areas.

I wish the world had been completely open, more connection and paths between areas, and let you take on the bosses in any order.

 

[Raiden]

I quit after dying 50 times on the first horse boss and realizing the animation and jerkiness gave me a migraine. It's not just you.

Click to shrink...

You're not supposed to kill him in the beginning, i took him on after 10 hours or so. There are really easy beginner areas where you get some decent runes and weapons.

Though it's not easy to figure out without some help.

 

[Vareon]

Just so no one thinks I'm ignoring them I'm logging off for the night, I very much am planning on responding to more people tomorrow should it be warranted, the consensus I have currently is that it's in many ways the most ambitious souls game in terms of scope and freedom and with that discovery, I've never been 100% interested in souls gameplay and with dark fantasy being hit and miss for me I think it's likely these two factors that are why I've found my interest lacking.

Regardless I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond, it's interesting hearing everyone's perspective.

Click to shrink...

I have similar interests (or disinterest) and still had fun in for like 50-60 ish hours and finishing it. It's still a great game, not something that will fundamentally change open world games forever like some claims but still a legit fun game to play even if there's not much else beyond combat.