4
0
Is Elden Ring more than just another Souls game?
I’ve been an avid gamer for decades. Over the years I have seen game trends come and go. The early days of Xbox Live and the seemingly omnipresent hype for Halo 2 which resulted in people across North America calling in sick for work because of the infamous “Halo Flu”. The absolute surprise and domination of the Nintendo Wii with its revolutionary motion controls. The potently pervasive spread of Fortnite that transformed from a new quirky third-person online shooter into one of the biggest forces in the videogames seemingly overnight. Every time there is a seismic gaming event that rustles the industry, I can figure out how and why it happened. That is until right now thanks to Elden Ring.
The popularity of Elden Ring and to a lesser extent, the entire Soulslike/Soulsborn genre created by From Software, has me utterly bemused. As much as I try to wrap my head around it, I can’t pinpoint how and why this game is so incredibly popular.
Looking to get away from the loneliness of Elden Ring and play a more cooperative experience? Check out a list of some of the best Co-op games you can play right now!
Many of you will read that last paragraph and think I am a hater, that I am bashing Elden Ring or Soulslike games because I don’t like them, that is simply not true. Yes, I am not a fan of these games, that doesn’t mean I hate or dislike them, these are just not the types of games I naturally gravitate towards. Looking at their difficulty, I’d assume that would be the same for the vast majority of gamers but Elden Ring has me questioning that.
Elden Ring isn’t a game that is just popular among hardcore gamers or a certain small segment of the gaming community, it is popular on a massive scale. Every day I see numerous tweets and social media posts gushing over the game.
Elden Ring isn’t beloved by only hardcore fans of the genre
Gaming critics also adore Elden Ring, it is currently sitting at a 96 on Metacritic and is one of the best-reviewed games of all time. When I look at my friend’s list on Xbox Live and PlayStation, there are several people playing this game, people I would never have guessed to be interested in this game, and most of them have been playing it for days. Even my older brother who is a fairly casual gamer sent me a text message asking about Elden Ring.
Two weeks after the game’s release it is still one of the top played games on Steam, the only (mostly) single-player game on the top of that list. On Twitch Elden Ring remains among the top of category views frequently supplanting categories that are always at the top such as “Just Chatting”, “League of Legends”, and “Grand Theft Auto 5”.
According to Venture Beat, the game is seeing unprecedented success.
“Elden Ring debuted as both the best-selling game of February 2022 as well as 2022 year to date,” said Piscatella. “Launch month sales of Elden Ring were the second highest for any tracked title released in the past 12 months, trailing only Call of Duty: Vanguard, which was released in November 2021. After one month on the market, Elden Ring ranked as the 5th best-selling game of the 12-month period ending February 2022. Elden Ring ranked 1st on Steam and Xbox platforms in February, while placing 2nd on PlayStation.”
Venturebeat.com
I think it is clear to anyone who is plugged into the gaming zeitgeist that Elden Ring developer FromSoftware has really hit on something astronomical with their new IP. This isn’t just a hot new game, this is the type of game release that could have a lasting impact on the industry as a whole.
I understand Elden Ring is Great, I don’t understand the Mass Appeal
Even though I may not be a fan of the Soulslike genre, it doesn’t mean I’m precluded from appreciating what they do or how good they are. I’m playing Elden Ring right now in large part to see if this is the FromSoftware game that finally clicks with me; in my 15 hours of gameplay so far the quality of the game is readily apparent. The art style, the gameplay loop, the sum total of the features that compose the soul of this game are remarkable.
I also appreciate that the Soulsborne games have brought a much-needed new wrinkle into the gaming space. They are essentially action role-playing games but they have so many distinct nuances and idiosyncratic elements to them that they are very much their own genre of games.
In these last two weeks post-release, Elden Ring has sparked a lot of debate among developers and gamers alike. People are beginning to question if more open-world games should take Elden Rings’ minimalist approach to HUD design in lieu of the familiar cluttered checklist style that is commonplace in today’s AAA games.
There are entire discussions about the future of open-world games at places like Elden Ring Reddit and how they should approach some of their tried and true formula’s because of how popular Elden Ring is and the kind of rarefied positive reception it is receiving.
In short, I have always understood and respected the hallmark features of these games; there is no denying the facts, they are darn good, Elden Ring is also darn good but that still doesn’t explain the popularity. These games are punishing, very hard and they do not hold the player’s hands. To play through these games you have to be prepared to dedicate some serious time and mental energy to discovery, learning, and trial and error.
Whether you do all the exploring yourself or use internet guides to help you along the way, playing Elden Ring requires a lot of investment. Everything about Elden Ring and the barriers to progressing through it don’t reek of a videogame that should be a universal hit yet it is exactly that.
Being a Phenomenal game isn’t enough
Yes, you can point to review scores and how good the game is, I get that argument but it is not enough. I love a slew of very good yet very hard or complicated games, Xcom Enemy Unkown, Divinity: Original Sin I and II, Hades, Ninja Gaiden from way back in the original Xbox days. All successful, popular games but games nowhere near the popularity and nearly ubiquitous interest of Elden Ring
These types of games are not for everyone. Most people don’t have the patience or desire to play war general and meticulously battle aliens and build their resources up in Xcom, most people don’t have the motivation to learn the intricacies of how magic works and deep-dive into the myriad attributes and gameplay-governing statistical quirks of Divinity: Original Sin 2. There is an audience for that stuff and that audience eats these games up but those niche groups are not most people and that makes perfect sense to me.
Conversely, I comprehend why in their heyday, games like Halo 2, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Among Us, and others have been very popular. They are pretty easy to jump into, they require little commitment to enjoy outside of simply playing them and improving your skills. They provide instant gratification, they are easy to understand. Again, their popularity makes sense.
Elden Ring is bereft of most features casual gamers would find accessible, therefore, I am left utterly confused. How could a game this seemingly unapproachable be this irresistible to such a large segment of players? What is it about Elden Ring that separates itself from other quality games that are similarly difficult yet fail to capture a fraction of the user base that Elden Ring is currently enjoying?
The more I play Elden Ring, the better I understand
I now play Elden Ring for two primary reasons. My original reason is to see if this is the Souls games that finally draws me in. So far so good, as I am enjoying the first several hours I have put into the game. My second and now more interesting reason is to understand how this game has managed to go against everything my instincts as a gamer would tell me and find itself among one of the most popular games of the modern era.
In my journey so far I am finding some hints as to why this game is doing so well with a massive audience. As is being hotly debated these days there is something to be said for the minimalist design of the HUD. Elden Ring doesn’t litter the game map or on-screen action with a ton of icons. Without a bunch of icons or mission objectives all over the place, the game really promotes exploration. No two players’ journey through this game will be the same.
I have yet to use any guides outside of a few key hints I have seen. My time in the world of Elden Ring has primarily been about me just exploring the land and stumbling upon bosses, items, and hidden areas. This approach to gameplay really reminds me of some of my favorite aspects of other hit games like Skyrim and Grand Theft Auto; the joy in the freedom of shying away from the main plot and finding my own adventure off the beaten path.
Another refreshing aspect is the minimal narrative investment. Unlike nearly every other open-world game I have played in recent years, Elden Ring does not hit you with a huge story and a slow burn build-up before you really get to the heart of the game. In this game you get a brief introductory story scene to start the game, you create your character, and outside of a very small tutorial section, you are off into the meat of the game.
Compare this to something like Horizon Zero Dawn, a game I recently finished and enjoyed a great deal, and the Elden Ring approach is greatly refreshing. I love a great narrative and story to my AAA games but after playing so many in a row, it is very nice to play a game I can just jump into and enjoy.
To Elden ring’s credit, there is lots of story and lore in-game but it is something the player needs to seek out, not something that is force fed to you frequently. Elden Ring is the rare AAA game that is content to let you exist in its world and it is brazenly confident that simply existing in it is enough to keep you coming back for more.
The more I play Elden Ring the more I feel the game getting its hooks into me. I still can’t tell you how or why this game is as insanely popular as it is, I still don’t understand how Call of Duty loving Carl down the street and the hardcore soulike aficionado are both playing and loving this game in comparable numbers.
Even when I finish this game, I still may not have the answers to these questions and I still may be left ultimately confused. I don’t understand the universal love and consumer adaptation of Elden Ring but I am having a fun time trying to figure it out and I think I can see myself spending another 60 or so hours doing it.
Something keeps popping into my head the more I explore the world of Elden Ring; It is a popular saying from a famous basketball coach when talking about the grind of practicing and honing your game, “The magic is in the work”.
Every time I learn and overcome some new obstacle in this game I enjoy it just a little bit more. I’m trying to see the big picture, the obvious element that makes this game so popular to everyday gamers but maybe the key element to the whole thing is like that simple piece of coaching advice–Elden Ring’s magic may simply be in the work.
Well written! I’m a Souls vet, and I’m also bewildered (though delighted!) at the mass embracing of Elden Ring. A lot of folks will likely fall off before they complete it, but that’s fine; with luck, they have a blast for many hours before throwing in the towel. Friends that never considered playing one of these games are playing now, and it’s fun to compare war stories. I look forward to your follow up and further analysis.
Thank you very much. How have your new friends responded to it? Good to hear that even vets are scratching their heads a bit about this game’s popularity!
I was a fromsoft fan before i even knew it. I used to play the kings field games.
I also love and study game design as a hobby.
I can give you some insight into what drives elden ring’s success.
Fromsoft remembers what games are created for. Hard games dont repel people by thier basic natire. Ninja turtles 1 , ninja gaiden, hell any team ninja game.
From soft knows that art direction makes beauty, not simply graphic fidelity numbers.
All the devs that don’t get elden ring have lost “it”.
They have lost thier creativity to a degree, they have subscribed to formulas, like metal by numbers.
I come to elden ring because square soft died when they merged with enix, i barely play 1 in 15 of there games now, when i used to wish i could own them all.
I come to elden ring because skyrim killed my true choice abd replaced it with illusion of choice.
Because fallout , dragon age, mass effect all did the same. They have become rivers you struggle against to enjoy the game. I want to beat elden ring every way and with every archetype i can build. I havent fealt that since divinity original sin 2.
While I don’t share your feelings about Fallout, Skyrim, and some other games, I do really appreciate and enjoy this response. Very well said, and I can appreciate why someone who feels this way about many modern RPGs would very much savor an experience like Elden Ring.
I am a die hard souls fan, and I to was at first taken back by the widespread appeal of Elden Ring. Talking to my fellow gamers who are enjoying Elden Ring as their first souls game they have really played and enjoyed, I have started to hear the same thing repeated. People seem to really be enjoying the game due to it’s stripped down organic approach. “Refreshing” is a word I hear alot. Players can play the game their own way.
I, too have heard those same sentiments. I do like how I am not forced down any path and if I run into a lot of trouble I can leave and come back another time.
Sounds like Miyazaki did Ur mom or sth and you are coping