Summary
Elden Ringhas been hailed by many as FromSoftware’s best game to date, and for good reason. The open-world format is a surprisingly good fit for the classic Soulslike formula, and FromSoftware did a great job of nestlingElden Ring’s complex loreand sprawling combat sandbox within such a vast, non-linear game world. At the same time, there are aspects ofElden Ringthat make it arguably weaker than some of the studio’s other big projects, and a potential sequel should take steps to address these shortcomings.
In some ways,Elden Ring’s greatest strength can be its biggest weakness. The game’s open world is one of the best the medium has ever produced, providing a feeling of true adventure, intrigue, and mystery through ingenious level design and art direction. Sheer size helps as well, as it’s common for players to feel like the game is constantly unfolding, revealing more and more of itself in exciting, awe-inspiring ways. Having said all that, these strengths only apply to the first playthrough ofElden Ring, as its ability to evoke amazement through its open world diminishes in subsequent runs.
Elden Ring’s Open World Can Be a Hindrance During New Game Plus
Losing Access to Sites of Grace When Restarting Elden Ring Is a Big Blow
The first journey throughElden Ring’s mysterious and hostile world can be magical, characterized by constant surprise and a subversion of expectations. Naturally, this feeling isn’t as strong on a second or third playthrough, as it hinges so much on surprise and organic, free-form exploration. In virtually any game, exploration and open-world discovery are among the least satisfying gameplay elements during new playthroughs, which is one of the most common criticisms of the open-world trend.
There are over 300 Sites of Grace inElden Ring’s base game, a list that has beenexpanded with theShadow of the ErdtreeDLC. When a player starts NG+, they lose access to all the Sites of Grace that they have encountered, effectively losing their fast travel footholds. Regaining them requires manual rediscovery, and since there are hundreds of these fast travel points, this process can quickly become tedious. This is different from other FromSoftware games, which are more linear and concise, which means that traveling between different points of interest during new game plus doesn’t drag down the experience as much as inElden Ring.
Elden Ring’s New Game Plus Would Be Better with Fast-Travel Intact
There are a number of reasons to start anew game plus run inElden Ring, the most obvious being:
Once a player has made their way throughElden Ring’s main campaign, they may be interested in facing the game’s biggest challenges for a second time, perhaps with a new build or some sort of modifier, like the addition or removal of a spirit ash. This is a common practice in Soulslike games with NG+, andElden Ringis no different, but the open-world format means that players need to jump through a good deal of less-than-interesting hoops to get to the good bits.
For instance, ifa player wanted to fight Maleniafor a second time, they would need to get both halves of the Secret Medallion, make their way through the Consecrated Snowfield, and work through Miquella’s Haligtree to do it. Since these steps are designed around open-world exploration, they can feel less like experiencing fun moments for a second time, and more like going through the motions just to get to the enjoyable parts. Build experimentation and re-challenging tough bosses are the biggest reasons to engage withElden Ring’s NG+ feature, and the inability to fast travel gets in their way.
Elden Ring
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ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
