I have been going on and on bout Elden Ring versus Dark Souls III for the past several days. I am trying to figure out which one I like better than the other. I have listed several pros and cons of each, but I’m not done yet. Let’s continue.
One thing I love about Elden Ring, though I suspect the hardcore fans may not agree with me, is how From made the point of entry easier. Not easy, mind, but easier. They wanted this to be a cultural phenomenon, and it certainly was. I am amazed at how popular this game was in the culture as a whole, and not just the niche society who usually appreciates the games.
I know there are some hardcore fans (read, dudes) who are salty that the games have changed at all. This has always been the case since the first game. Whining about things that make the games earlier. In this case, they’re mad about the spirit summons. The mark of a real FromSoft fan is to fight the bosses solo, but that is not enough. You must be naked and level one and don’t level up anything. You can’t use a shield or magic or pyro or, or, or.
I have said a million times that if that’s how you like to play, you go with your bad self. But the insistence that everyone has to play the games the same way is irritating and annoying. So is the whining that the bosses in Elden Ring are too hard to fight solo. “The bosses were designed to be fought with spirit summons!”
Well, yes. That’s the point of bringing in a new mechanic–to tune the game around that brand new mechanic. I know this is really hard to believe, but they may actually want people to use that new mechanic! So if the bosses are really hard solo, well, that’s how this game rolls. And, clearly, some people have found ways around that because there have been no-death runs. I’m pretty sure that the people who have done that are not bringing in spirit summons with them.
Fans are the worst sometimes. They want new and innovative, but they also want the core of the games to remain the same. Mind, the core is what THEY consider important, which may not be what the devs consider the core.
I’m pretty sure that difficulty is something Miyazaki considers when he plans the games. However, he has said that isn’t the main point of the games. Do I believe that? Not really. But I do think he cares more about the exploration than the difficulty.
They made it quite clear from the beginning that this was not your daddy’s Dark Souls. I mean, it’s got a lot of the Dark Souls DNA in it–of course it does. It’s been called open world Dark Souls IV, both derisively and not.
I don’t want to be swayed, but the RKG lads have started their Elden Ring Retry. Krupa is planning it to be a year-long in three series. One episode a week, which was how it used to be. They recently have been dropping whole series for Producers (Patreon tier), Netflix-style, but that would not have been practical for this game.
They went back to once a week with their last series (Dead Space, the remake). I must admit that I appreciated it because it gave me something to look forward to every week. But, now that I’ve watched the first two eyisodes (Early Access means I get each episode a week early, so in addition to the premiere, I got the second episode. That’s 3 hours and 40 minutes of content), and I want the rest now. There is no the rest to be had (although there is one more episode in the can), but I want it, nonetheless.
I will say that watching Rory play a From game is a special thing. He is all over the place and cannot focus on any one thing for more than five minutes. Someone in the Discord mentioned that they thought he was ADHD (and was grateful that Gav and Krupa were so accepting of Rory), and it made things click into place with me. I am not saying that Rory has ADHD, but he definitely has the traits of it. Nothing can keep his interest for more than five minutes; he has to be doing five things at once; he can’t remember anything that he’s been told; he goes from this to that to the other; and more.
If you are a RKG fan, you know these things to be true. There will be grot galore in the videos. But at the same time, there will be an oddly wholesome vibe as well. They are three best friends, and it comes through that they really care about each other. They also care about putting out the best content they possibly can, which we all appreciate.
They have been very open about the fact that they want to make this Retry (series) the best one possible. They want this to be the definitive playthrough, and to that end, Krupa is shadow-playing the game on the PC (Rory is playing on the PS5) to make sure that he sees everything before Rory does it.
Rory will not see items unless they are directly under his nose. He will not like certain NPCs for inexplicable reasons. He will ask Krupa to explain something to him, and then he will instantly forget what he is told. He will panic wildly when he gets overwhelmed, and he gets overwhelmed because he rushes into things without checking his corners.
On the other hand, he’s gotten much better at these games. He has some raw talent that makes up for his impulsiveness, and he has quick reflexes. He was better at Sekiro than he was at the Souls games, and he’s had some growing pains getting back into the From form.
For the first time, they are starting with a magic class. Rory is enthisuastic about it, even if he’s not proficicent in it. We’ll see how long that lasts. The over/under as to when he’s going to get bored with magic is third episode. They did a bit of Pyro in the first game, but that’s pretty much it. They used magic in a livestream, but that was all of them and not just Rory.
I love that they created a character who is part of the Finchy family. That is what they call each character in a From game, and then the character gets a moniker to go in front of it. This is Aunty Finchy or Prison Finchy, and she’s Mama Finchy’s sister.
The lore is already established, and the boys are in fine fettle. I cannot wait to continue the journey with them and Aunty Finchy.