Everyone’s most anticipated game of 2022, the most famed and hyped-up game released by Bandai- Namco, Elden Ring. Most reviews of the game say it’s an amazing game that all should experience.

The game itself is amazing. The graphics are top-tier with an enticing amount of weapons and unique builds to try. The PvE, or players vs enemies, side of the game is stunning. There is a mysterious storyline with you, the main character, piecing together the lore and attempts to become the ‘Elden Lord’, or the king of the game. Having this goal, you set out with basic equipment and fight high-level mobs and hordes of enemies. The game is balanced in the aspect of PvE, no matter the build you chose to make your character. Your journey starts with choosing a type of playstyle, like “Do I want defense?” “Do I wanna hit the hardest with the biggest weapons?” or “Do I wanna stay back and barrage the enemies with devastating ranged attacks?”. After this is done, you can still alter the stats that you are provided, so you are never locked to one singular build. There are lords to defeat, caves to explore, great foes to slay, and a never-ending quest to become the lord one way or another.

Though the PvE is great, the PvP, or Players vs Players, is broken. There is hardly any true balancing in the PvP. It’s either, you use what everyone says is best, or you don’t succeed in PvP at all. There is always one weapon that will be the best of the best. On release, the katana called “Rivers of Blood” was the most broken weapon and could one-shot people within a split-second. The damage type named “bleed” was the most over-tuned and still is overpowered. This damage type would build up, and when the gauge filled it would tick for a large portion of your health. What made Rivers of Blood so powerful was its ability to apply to bleed extremely fast, filling up multiple times in rapid succession. Although this katana was nerfed, it remains one of the best weapons in the game. When in PvP, it’s just the same thing over and over. People with the same builds, same damage, and similar play style. However, this is just one of many cases of the overwhelming power of many weapons. 

In Bandai- Namco’s previous games, such as Dark Souls 3, had the same benefits with PvE but more benefits in PvP. Since there was a game drought, many people had adapted to having differing mechanics and enticing gameplay. Dark Souls 3 contained the amazing PvE and captivating PvP; for instead of having just one build over and over, everyone in the game had unique builds and different play styles featuring numerous weapons and builds. Having been made in 2016, this game was a hit right after its launch, and it still is extremely popular and loved. For many veteran players of Dark Souls 3, they all still prefer the freedom and uniqueness of Dark Souls 3. When Elden Ring first came out, these veterans would come to slowly dislike the game, because some of their favorite gameplay features would be removed. Not only this, Elden Ring re-uses most of their animations from previous games, giving the old players extreme disappointment. Since the veterans of Dark Souls 3 have stared at the same animations for so long, they expected something new, with the old feel of their favorite game. Sadly, the animations have been recycled, providing no new flavor for the old players.

With Elden Ring having earned the Most Anticipated Game of The Year award, this just made the game more popular and inspired many game designers. Elden Ring’s stunning graphics has earned it one of the best games of all time. Despite its many PvP issues, they are still developing the game and it has stolen the heart of many of its players and has a vast amount of potential in the future.