From “Elden Ring Review” by IGN IGN
Elden Ring
Eighty-seven hours in the Lands Between, and every stone holds a reward.
Key points
- The reviewer spent 87 hours beating Elden Ring and calls it one of the most unforgettable gaming experiences they have had. 0:08
- Almost every side excursion pays off with something worthwhile, such as a weapon, Ash of War, consumable, summonable creature, spell or NPC, so the reviewer never felt disappointed by the reward. 0:40
- Players can skip ahead to later regions, but enemies do not scale to the player's level, so the risk-reward of doing so is very real. 3:54
- When stuck on a boss, the reviewer's advice is to walk away to another region, unexplored area, set-aside quest or unfollowed light of grace, which reliably yielded new gear, levels or spells. 5:06
- Combat is closest to Dark Souls 3, with the new guard counter and jump attack added, and the difficulty is framed as learning enemy patterns and acting on openings rather than fast reflexes. 8:36
Words the video explains
- Guard counter — Blocking an attack with your shield and then immediately pressing the strong attack button to follow up with a crushing strike that can leave weaker enemies in a crumpled state. 8:52
- Ashes of War — An option to equip to your weapons that can completely change their affinity and skill. 5:05
- Legacy dungeons — Gigantic castles, forts, manors and underground labyrinths packed with secret areas, challenging bosses and linked one-way shortcut doors. 7:54
Review in six parts
- The open world is Elden Ring's greatest strength, with freedom and rewarding curiosity at its core. 3:22
- Unlike Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring's detours rarely follow predictable patterns. 6:59
- The combat is closest to Dark Souls 3, with two new additions, the guard counter and jump attack. 8:36
- The difficulty rewards learning and adapting to enemy tells rather than fast reflexes. 10:02
- Elden Ring is one of the best open-world games and moved the genre forward. 11:26
Things to look at closer
- Stormveil-style castle gate — A stone castle gate and tower stand over yellow-leaved bushes in the open landscape.
- Witch Renna at night — A pale-robed figure stands by a stone wall beside the player under a crescent moon, with the subtitle 'I am the witch Renna.'
- Grand staircase with enemies — A tall stone staircase leads up to two armoured enemies near a gothic archway, with the Glintblade Phalanx prompt shown.
- Ornate gothic ruin — A tall, intricately carved gothic structure with towers rises above the player's character holding a long spear.