Finished Elden Ring and its DLC for the second time.All at Linux.
Played with my Melee character.
I managed to kill every single opponent at least once. Including everything in the DLC. I think. It is hard to tell for sure, since the game is absolutely enormous.
… and honestly, it is way too big. Much. Too. Big. Towards the end, progressing through the game starts to feel more like actual work rather than a pleasant pastime.
The sheer number of possibilities is overwhelming, the game world is gigantic, but FromSoftware still struggles to deliver a coherent storyline. Once again, you are forced to piece together what on earth happened by reading through cryptic text fragments of what feels like millions of items. On top of that, apart from the endless hordes of enemies, the vast world feels remarkably empty. Sure, you find some NPCs and traders here and there, but … well … really?
The game in its sheer mass is simply extremely exhausting. This endless succession of gigantic areas and permanent struggle for survival drains all your energy over time. You are quite literally crushed by the pure quantity.
However, FromSoftware should really take a look at “Lies of P”. That game actually features a structured story, keeps its world reasonably sized and clear, and introduces plenty of much-needed Quality of Life elements. It challenges the player without completely overwhelming them. Defeating Radahn in the final boss fight of the DLC is doable, yes, but in truth, it is simply an immoderate imposition.
BUT the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Breathtaking.
Stunning visuals, but a tedious, exhausting storytelling experience.
9/10
