Let’s do it.
I have been lollygagging about actually comparing Dark Souls III and Elden Ring in terms of which I like better because they are just so close to each other in my heart. Here was the last post about it, and I intend to come to a final verdict today. I’m not fucking leaving until I do! (Total lie. I will end when I feel like ending.)
In the other posts, I’ve talked about the plusses and minuses of each game, but I haven’t really compared them head-to-head. I’m going to do that in this post to see if I can clear the fog around this topic in my own mind.
1. Level design. Dark Souls III has incredible areas. I remember emerging from the Catacombs of Carthus into the Boreal Valley and being blown away. I think this is the strong point of FromSoft games, they have a clear vision for the levels, and they execute them to perfection*. They are really good at evoking strong emotions and in conveying wrack and ruin with visuals.
Elden Ring also has strong environments. I’ve talked about how the use of color is masterful. Red equals Caelid. Green is Limgrave. Purple is the underworld, etc. And I’ve talked about how I like exploring the open world. However, I do think the fact that there is so much open world in Elden Ring has diluted the level design a bit. Not a whole lot, but enough that it’s noticeable.
The first time through the game, I just soaked in the atmosphere and enjoyed every second. The second time through, it was a bit more annoying to have to go through wide swathes just to get a crtain Site of Grace. By the time I was on my third playthrough (which you had to do to get the hundo chievo), I was just done with the game. I was so grateful for fast travel because there was no way I wanted to go through all that again. This is the downside to so much content. When you’re over it, it becomes So. Much. Content.
I’ve played Dark Souls III a few dozen times, and I still love the game. I played a bit of it the other day, and while I don’t love the DLCs (I never have), I love that I can still summon for the bosses. It’s comfort food at this point, and I do things in the exact same way. I’ve been watching a Let’s Play of it and seeing things that I haven’t seen in some time. It’s refreshing because I get in my ruts.
It’s also hilarious beacuse if someone misses something the first time through an area, they ain’t never going to find it because they run the exact same route every time. That’s only natural, and I do it myself. You really need to step outside of your comfort zone to see it afresh.
I have said that I felt that Elden Ring could have been cut by a quarter. There is faff in there, and most of it is in the catacombs/cave/open world. One Erdtree Avatar? Amazing! Three or four? Ok. Not quite as amazing, but still fine. By the sixth and last one (not considered a real one because it doesn’t have a boss bar, but it does give you a weapon when you kill it), I was sighing and rolling my eyes. Add to that the fact that they become a common enemy at some point, and it’s just too much.
That’s probably my biggest issue with the design of the game (not level in this case so….)
2. Enemy design. Ok. This one is really about copy-and-paste bosses, but I’m making it a category of its own. It’s separate from level design, and I need to yell about this. It was in the first Dark Souls and the second, but tit wasn’t really a thing in the third game. I mean, there was a boss (Crystal Sage) who had a tiwn whom you had to fight in the Grand Archives. Plus, the Dragonslayer Armour was a common enemy in the second DLC, but I think that was it. Let’s put it this way–it wasn’t noticeable.
In Elden Ring, it most definitely was. There were repeat bosses in catacombs and caves, and that’s my biggest issue with them. That’s where they most feel like filler. You can argue that six Erdtree Avatar bosses is acceptable because there is one guarding a different Erdtree. But the repeat catacomb bosses? Yeah, no. I’ll get to that in a later point, but I have to give the edge here to Dark Souls III.
3. Boss fights. This is usually considered the creme de la creme of the From games. For all the talks of discovery and exploration, let’s be real. People play From games for the boss fights. At least the hardcore From fans do. The spectacle! The endorphins! The dopamine hit! The crushing lows and the amazing highs! There is a satisfaction to beating a From boss that simply can’t be compared.
I am discarding the catacomb/cave bosses and the field bosses of Elden Ring. In other words, we’re only comparing the legacy dungeon bosses to the legacy dungeon bosses. I think that’s fair because otherwise, Elden Ring would get knocked down a whole point because of the crap bosses in it–especially the repeat bosses. Can I make that point often or emphatically enough?
So let’s put the endless cat statues aside, along with the Erdtree Avatars, the Black Knife Assassins, the Crucible Knights, and all the rest. Let’s just look at the unique story bosses from each game and pit them against each other.
In Dark Souls III, there are four big bosses you have to kill before you can face off with the final boss. Those aren’t the only bosses, obviously, but let’s start there. The four are Yhorm the Giant; Aldrich, Devourer of Gods; Abyss Watchers; and Lothric. Other bosses you have to fight along the way–Pontiff Sulyvahn, Wolnir, Vordt, and the Crystal Sage. Deacon s of the Deep as well. The last is a probably the weakest of the bosses I’ve listed, but it’s an interesting concept.
The four main bosses are all strong. Well, Yhorm is more a concept boss and a tribute to past bosses than a hard boss in and of himself, but if you do the Onion Knight’s questline, he’ll be there to fight by your side. It’s an emotional fight more than a difficult one. Aldrich wasn’t that hard for me, but the other two both kicked my ass. I had to summon for both the first playthrough. Lothric (and Lorian, his older brother) is a cool fight and the weapon you can make from the boss souls (Lorian’s Greatsword) is my favorite in the game.
As for the Abyss Watchers, it’s such a high concept boss that is nearly perfect in execution. The abyss is a throughline in the games, and this is a nod to Artorias from the first game. He ‘conquered the abyss’ (he didn’t. You the player character did, but he got the credit), and the Abyss Watchers are Artorias fanbois, basically. Their whole goal is to eradicate the abyss, even in each other. So when you come into the arena, they are battling each other. During the fight, it starts with you fighting one. Then, another comes to life and starts fighting you as well. Just when the ‘holy shit’ feeling settles in, a third Abyss Watcher arises. You think you’re completely bone, then you realize that they are attacking the others. They’re not on your side, mind. They will hit you if you get in their way, but they are mostly after eradicating the abyss. They have red eyes, which is how you can tell who they are.
More in the next post.
*Excepting Dark Souls II. It had some amazing areas, but the level design was not as strong. I am not going to debate this now, but I had to say it.