Elden Ring
2022
- role-playing (rpg)
- adventure
- action
- fantasy
- open world
- single player
- multiplayer
- co-operative
The story
Elden Ring is an action RPG developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, released in February 2022. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, with world-building contributions from novelist George R. R. Martin, the game features an expansive open world called the Lands Between. Players assume the role of a customisable character known as the Tarnished, who must explore this world, battle formidable enemies, and seek to restore the Elden Ring to become the Elden Lord. The game builds on the challenging gameplay mechanics familiar from the Dark Souls series but introduces a more open-ended structure with vast exploration, dynamic weather, and a day-night cycle. It offers deep lore, complex characters, and an interconnected world filled with secrets, dungeons, and powerful bosses.
What it’s like
Vast, windswept vistas under shifting skies: ruined castles silhouetted against bruised sunsets, golden-green fields rolling under storm light, and fog-choked caves lit only by the glow of torches and spell effects. The palette swings between washed-out pastoral gold and gloomy grey-violet, with a grand, painterly sense of scale that makes every distant tower feel like a destination. Sound leans on sweeping orchestral swells and long stretches of wind and distant bells, with sudden percussive hits when a fight begins. The overall vibe is melancholic grandeur with an undercurrent of dread, best suited to long solo sessions, late nights, or a stretch of quiet exploration when you want to wander without a map. Pacing is unhurried and self-directed, but fights are demanding, deliberate, and punishing; death is frequent and the tension is constant. Intensity is high: frequent stylised bloodshed and grotesque creatures, with cruelty and horror in the monsters and lore, though gore is more stylised than realistic. This is for players who enjoy patient, rewarding challenge, discovery through trial and error, and a world that rewards curiosity more than hand-holding.
More games like Elden Ring
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved Elden Ringand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
