Elden Ring is the most recent release to come from acclaimed video game developer, FromSoftware Inc. The game was released on February 25 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox at a retail price of $60. Game development was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki; before making Elden Ring he had led the infamous Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, line of games. And just like his previous games, Elden Ring, has been notorious online for its difficulty and expansive lore. The story and setting were written by Miyazaki, but he had a lot of help from fantasy writer George R. R. Martin, who is best known for his work on the Game of Thrones books.

The game’s story is about you, The Tarnished, being the world’s last hope after many years ago a great and powerful life force called the Elden Ring, had been destroyed by a dark and evil being. As The Tarnished, you can never die, even after death, so over the game you must level up and defeat all that remains of the evil that plagues the lands before the world is thrown into times of the dark ages.

To fill the world’s environment with a beautiful yet dark fantasy feel, the music in the game is composed mostly of a chorus of instruments that you would expect from a high-budget fantasy movie like Lord of the Rings. Speaking of the environment, this game is filled with world content whether it be an old decaying church in the middle of an overgrown field, or a castle sparking, this game will grab your attention with every detailed aspect.  

Currently, I am just a few hours into the game, yet I am still near the beginning of the game due to how difficult it has been for me. At first, when I played the game, I thought it was infuriating just how hard it was for me to even get past the first boss, but after just several hours of exploring the open world and finding new areas of interest, I found myself enjoying the game more and more as I couldn’t help but to stop and look around my environment in the few moments I wasn’t being hunted by monsters.

The game as I had said before, is notorious for its difficulty, and it shows as the game doesn’t go easy on you with any of the bosses and enemies. I do highly recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of the Dark Souls series or is looking for a game that provides a good story with a good challenge. So far, this game is worthy of being game of the year.