Let’s head any suspicions about this being a hit-piece off at the pass: Elden Ring is brilliant. The combat, always the jewel in the fetid crown of a FromSoft game, is precise, brutal, and fair. It’s a combat model that has you sitting and thinking about it long after you put down the controller.
It also works as an open-world game, which is a feat for the genre. The story begins with achingly beautiful illustrations and solemnly voiced nonsense about various dead kings. It is eked out in typically enigmatic fashion, hiding away in corners and revealing itself only to people who care about it. The boss battles are numerous, memorable, and masterfully designed.
