"I doubt you could even *imagine* it..."

No other game before or since has so magnificently captured the 'epic' in the Epic Fantasy genre as Elden Ring. The game takes the Dark Souls formula, adds a few quality-of-life perks to make it easier to swallow, and throws it into a sprawling, fascinating, and beautifully executed open world.

The best paean I can give to Elden Ring is the sheer number of moments from the game that will live in my head forevermore. The incredible trek through the first legacy dungeon, Stormveil Castle, the first time I went down a well in the Mistwood and found an entire starry-skied underworld lurking beneath my feet. The ominous magnificence of Leyndell, and finding what things were beneath it that should have been left well alone. Ending up in a strange and timeless place upon doing something that could not be undone, and the sheer transcendence of facing the final boss with all of the skill and might you've amassed along the way.

Elden Ring isn't just an engaging game due to the journey, though: it represents the furthest refinement of the Dark Souls formula that FromSoftware has put out to date. While it still has some stuffy and annoying "From-isms" (such as clunky elevators that are anomalously located over endless death pits), much of the fat has been trimmed from the formula here. Making a build can be as simple as finding a weapon and armor set you like and going to town, or as complex as carefully managing each part of your kit and strategically minimizing certain stats to pump others. And of course, the enemy and boss design remain excellent, at least in the base game. The challenge is firm but very fair, and it feels great to overcome the Lands Between and its challenges with the toolkit you are offered.

The game is not perfect: some areas shine with a noticeably brighter sheen than others, and the game is not quite as fun upon a replay as it was the first time through. But the game's size, scale, and ambition cannot be denied, and for the magnificence of what Elden Ring accomplishes when it hits its highs, I cannot but recommend this to anyone who enjoys action, fantasy, RPGs, and anything in-between. Do yourself a favor and experience Elden Ring at least once. You won't regret it.

"I doubt you could even *imagine* it..." No other game before or since has so magnificently captured the 'epic' in the Epic Fantasy genre as Elden Ring. The game takes the Dark Souls formula, adds a few quality-of-life perks to make it easier to swallow, and throws it into a sprawling, fascinating, and beautifully executed open world. The best paean I can give to Elden Ring is the sheer number of moments from the game that will live in my head forevermore. The incredible trek through the first legacy dungeon, Stormveil Castle, the first time I went down a well in the Mistwood and found an entire starry-skied underworld lurking beneath my feet. The ominous magnificence of Leyndell, and finding what things were beneath it that should have been left well alone. Ending up in a strange and timeless place upon doing something that could not be undone, and the sheer transcendence of facing the final boss with all of the skill and might you've amassed along the way. Elden Ring isn't just an engaging game due to the journey, though: it represents the furthest refinement of the Dark Souls formula that FromSoftware has put out to date. While it still has some stuffy and annoying "From-isms" (such as clunky elevators that are anomalously located over endless death pits), much of the fat has been trimmed from the formula here. Making a build can be as simple as finding a weapon and armor set you like and going to town, or as complex as carefully managing each part of your kit and strategically minimizing certain stats to pump others. And of course, the enemy and boss design remain excellent, at least in the base game. The challenge is firm but very fair, and it feels great to overcome the Lands Between and its challenges with the toolkit you are offered. The game is not perfect: some areas shine with a noticeably brighter sheen than others, and the game is not quite as fun upon a replay as it was the first time through. But the game's size, scale, and ambition cannot be denied, and for the magnificence of what Elden Ring accomplishes when it hits its highs, I cannot but recommend this to anyone who enjoys action, fantasy, RPGs, and anything in-between. Do yourself a favor and experience Elden Ring at least once. You won't regret it.