Campfire for discussion
Written by Marcel Vroegrijk on
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In my review of Elden Ring, I wrote that it was a minority masterpiece. Now that I read that the game has sold more than 12 million copies in less than a month, I’m not so sure anymore.
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So first a mea culpa. I was okay with it convinced that Elden Ring was not a good entry point for newcomers. The game mechanics are not simplified compared to games like Dark Souls or Bloodborne. On the contrary: extra layers have been added, such as the rather inimitable Ashes of War system.
Moreover, the open design of the world almost dictates that you skip or completely overlook things. Think of essential parts, such as better scaling your weapons with specific statistics or the so-called spirit ashes that you can summon to help you. There are plenty of reasons why someone can still break down on Elden Ring quite quickly.
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But that’s not what’s happening. At least, not yet anyway. There is a big difference with the earlier games from FromSoftware. And that has everything to do with the open world, which ensures that as a player you have more time and space to fall in love with how weird and mysterious a game like this remains.
Being able to decide for yourself which challenges you take on with which equipment and when was already possible in the Dark Souls series, but only if you knew exactly where to look and what to skip. In short: that personal choice was reserved for the diehards who did not need that kind of freedom at all.
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Elden Ring grants all players the same freedom and that makes a world of difference. No one I’ve talked to about this game has taken a similar path in the slightest, and I’ve talked to a lot of people about it. It’s funny how they talk about ‘the first big boss’ and ‘the third storyboss’.
There is no such established order at all. Chances are you’ll be the first to run into Margit, the Fell Omen in Stormveil Castle, but you can skip that entire castle. Then the indications ‘first’ and ‘third’ are suddenly no longer worth that much.
Being able to skip or postpone certain challenges lowers the threshold you have to cross before a Souls game becomes really interesting. Not everyone wants to meet a boss after 10 minutes who won’t let you pass. Then as a lover of these kinds of games you can start talking about the depth, space for different playing styles, cool mysteries and special characters, but that is of no use to someone who does not get past the first boss.
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How different it is in Elden Ring. Judging by the Steam stats, over 70 percent of all players on that platform have already beaten Margit. That’s a very high percentage, especially when you consider how much larger the group of people who play it has grown.
There are a lot of people who have never tried this type of game before. Still more than two thirds managed to beat Margit. And who knows what else they have done. How many things they have discovered on their own. How many plans they have to go to that one place.
I like to see how the people around me discover Elden Ring each in their own way. It is striking that they all interpret things they encounter along the way slightly differently. This also leads to further ramifications in their experiences.
One immediately runs out of that much too difficult area to which you can be teleported, others see it as an opportunity to collect some stronger items and use it to their advantage in the starting area. It just depends on where your head is at that moment.
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This new addition also ensures that the community aspect comes into its own more than ever. The campfire stories about what everyone has been through constantly stir up the need to continue playing yourself. In this way, the newcomers help each other to be better prepared for what is to come. Where to find that one great sword or that great spell.
So please don’t be put off by that group of ‘fans’ who say that using spirit ashes is cheating, that magic is an easy mode in disguise and that you should immediately surrender your gamer license if you dare to kill another player. to ask for help. Gatekeepers will unfortunately always be there, but there are always plenty of other doors to open in Elden Ring.
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