We had the opportunity to try one of the most anticipated games today in November, so for genuine first impressions you can recall our then preview. But while at the time it was a “traditional” FromSoftware “network test” of a limited sample of the game, this time we were given the opportunity to dive into the full version, nicely from the beginning with everything, including a story introduction or character creation. So far we have only spent a few hours in the game, but even that brought new knowledge against the last test.
It was the creation of the character and the choice of profession / equipment that made me happy right at the beginning – influenced by the reactions of the public, I am also somewhat afraid that Elden Ring would be too similar to previous FromSoftware titles, however elements, even though it is still a matter of choosing between a strong warrior, an agile warrior, an archer, a mage, a specialist in healing “miracles” or even the dual use of weapons. Despite certain genre traditions, however, everything is named differently than we are used to, it refers to a brand new world / lore game and it also looks different (costumes, weapons). Of course, there can be no shortage with a club, nicknamed simply “Wretch” here.
Of course, a naked man with a club cannot be missing.
You can choose whether to play as a male or female character and there is the possibility to choose one starting item beyond the armor and weapons of your profession. These items are traditionally obscure and although they have brief descriptions, it is not always easy to understand their true value compared to other “starting gifts”. Certainly, the ring slightly increases your health, but I personally preferred a gift in the form of “Golden Seed”, which you can use to increase the number of refills in your medicine bottle or mana (another type of rare item in the game increases the effectiveness of each individual locus of your elixir ). Traditionally, you can also choose how you divide the total number of fillings between the drug and mana (as an alchemist, I went to a heavy boss only with “ammunition” in the form of mana bottles, without a single first aid kit). But if you feel like it, you can enter the game hardcore – naked, with a piece of stick instead of a weapon and without any extra gift… the advantage of this bold start is a very even distribution of character statistics.
You must not forget that Elden Ring is at the heart of an honest RPG and therefore very much depends on the numbers you assign to your character and then increase in areas such as strength, endurance, intellect, etc. Similarly, you will have to deal with statistics of individual armor and weapons. to fit both your character’s stats, but also to properly spend the precious resources to improve the arsenal of one of the anvils in the game. A very nice help is that you no longer have to evaluate the weight of your equipment (due to the impact on your agility) using numbers and statistics – in the character information tab, in addition to exact values, you will also find verbally written whether your workload is light, medium or heavy.
Elden Ring is at the heart of honest RPGs.
Only after the creation of the character will a story introduction await you in the form of an animated sequence with the narrator’s voice. But don’t expect any rendered scenes, instead they serve as a visual of beautiful artworks reminiscent of ancient oil paintings (in a similar style there are also paintings hanging on the castle walls in the game), which immediately lend Elden Ring a unique atmosphere of ancient mythology, captured art form reminiscent of true European history. Written like this probably sounds very strange, but I’m just trying to say that Elden Ring has its own artistic manuscript, which in my eyes distinguishes it from previous FromSoftware games. As for the plot itself, it refers to the rebellion between the gods, which shattered the mythical oldest ring and its associated powers, now divided among a number of powerful beings. Although it may seem at first glance that this introduction presents you with a list of bosses to defeat, the reality in the game is then a bit more complicated and interesting. At first glance, Lore seems mysterious and impenetrable, as we are used to at FromSoftware, but it is immediately recognizable that things have their order and you gradually discover how they fit together.
The actual entry into the game is, of course, somewhat different than what we experienced in the November “network test”. I don’t want to reveal too much at this point, but it probably won’t surprise anyone that the game doesn’t cease with you from the first minute. In any case, during this introduction, you will have your first encounter with Melina (your guide, providing advice and character improvement for the collected magic runes) and Torrent, your future “horned steed”. In general, the world of the game is noticeably more lively than in the November tasting – in places where there was nothing before, you will now find a bloated NPC that will expand your understanding of the location and the world with its dialogues. Among my favorites was a girl who set out to “add her limbs to the body of an almighty spider”, but just before the finish line she got stunned and wondered if she was really ready to have her limbs torn off so that she could become part of one of the gods.
Elden Ring has his own artistic manuscript.
What I also didn’t notice in November (or it just wasn’t there then), the occasional translucent rays, indicating the storyline of your next trip through the open world, appear not only at the start of your trip (usually the “site of grace” resting place), but also at its destination (for example, the lock you want to reach). In addition, it is possible to see these rays not only physically in the game world, but also drawn on the map. But you don’t have to worry about them being too forced. Personally, I went completely different from the start and spent an hour exploring the caves by the beach instead of going to the first story castle. These rays only appear in a few places, and as soon as you get out of the way, they disappear completely (but you can find them again on that map).
But the biggest surprise of the first hours with the full version of the game for me was the location, called Roundtable Hold, to which you can move from the individual “site of grace” rest areas. It is a castle full of interconnected rooms with a number of locked doors and mysterious inhabitants – in principle, it could be compared to the Nexus hub of Demon’s Souls. Here you can learn useful information from individual characters, but also learn new spells. I have no doubt that you will gradually find the keys to a row of locked doors and you will have the right to access the rooms where you are initially refused to be let go. Before returning to the wilderness, you can also be embraced by a character named Fia, who will give you a blessing that increases your statistics. You will also find a mirror here, where you can make additional changes to the appearance of your character. And one of the characters here gives you a ring that can summon an online player from a certain association if you’re attacked by a human online attacker.
The biggest surprise for me was the location of Roundtable Hold.
As you probably see from the text, I really enjoyed my first hours in the game and explored every corner of the game world. The new title of extraordinary artists from FromSoftware is not something I would like to “just run through” and also it is not something I would like to “tell” you too much. I played the PC version and I struggled a bit with the absence of some button indicators (despite playing with the controller, they only showed information about the buttons on the keyboard), but this is the type of unfinished work that the creators will most likely still be able to fine-tune. On the contrary, I had a very good feeling from the graphics, when I was repeatedly surprised by details such as the embroidery on the suit or the variety and sophistication of the vegetation in the game. Not to mention the design and repulsiveness of some monsters. If you are frightened by the mention of RPG statistics, I remind you that the game will be played in cooperation with friends or random players, and nothing prevents you from simply pouring all the points into life and strength. I firmly believe that Elden Ring will give a chance to many new players, for whom this will be the first FromSoftware game. A great experience awaits them.
–
