Elden Ring After the Hype

I finished Elden Ring after around 115 hours at level 173, and overall I can definitely say it's an incredible game. The combat feels smooth, the bosses are amazing, and the new mechanics FromSoftware added here, especially the Ashes of War, were addictive. I think I spent almost 10 hours just trying different combinations. I stayed hooked the entire time, and that's not something many open world games manage to do for me.

But while I was playing, I kept thinking about the older games. Especially Demon's Souls.

Nothing Has Topped Demon's Souls for Atmosphere

For me, Demon's Souls still has the best atmosphere FromSoftware has ever created. It feels slower, lonelier, and more mysterious. There's something unsettling about it that the newer games don't fully replicate. The Nexus, the music, even the janky parts somehow became part of its identity. And even after playing it multiple times, it's still my favorite.

Elden Ring is obviously more polished. The bosses are better, the combat is more refined, and the world is massive. But at the same time, it feels like a collection of everything FromSoftware has done before. I'd see an enemy, a weapon, or even an armor set and instantly think I've seen this before, whether from Dark Souls or Bloodborne. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make the game feel less original at times.

The Cave Problem

So many caves.

After a while they start feeling repetitive. Similar layouts, similar visual motifs, similar enemies, similar rewards. The catacombs are better overall, but I still wished there was more variety in those side areas considering just how many of them are in the game.

A lot of strong enemies simply return later as cave or catacomb bosses, sometimes with different elemental abilities like fire or poison. There are also several repeated knight on horse fights that begin to feel copy pasted after enough hours. On first encounter these battles feel memorable and special, but when you find your fifth Leonine Misbegotten it's hard not to feel like bloated ambition is creeping in.

The Highs Are Still Extraordinary

That said, the major boss fights are absolutely epic, with most of the main bosses feeling like some of the greatest creations FromSoftware has ever managed. And the dragons? I never got tired of fighting them. Every dragon battle still felt exciting no matter how many I encountered.

I also completed a lot of quests, and there are a lot of them. Some I remember really well, others I've already forgotten. But Ranni's questline stood out above everything else. It has one of the best storylines in the game, leads to one of the most memorable endings, and added so much content and context that it almost felt like a main storyline in its own right. If you've played the older games, she even carries a faint echo of the Maiden in Black from Demon's Souls, which felt like a nice callback and probably one reason why it resonated so much.

On Summons and Difficulty

I never really felt like the game was unfair. As long as I was at the right level, everything felt manageable. I also leaned on the Mimic Tear heavily and had a great time with it. I know people debate summons constantly, but for me they made the game more fun rather than less, and the game feels clearly designed with their inclusion in mind.

Never Not Impressive

Elden Ring isn't perfect. The caves wear out their welcome, and there are moments where FromSoftware's greatest hits start to feel a little too familiar. But it's still one of the best open world games ever made. Not because it does everything new, but because it keeps you genuinely engaged for over 100 hours without falling apart. And that will never not be impressive.