before I played elden ring, I had a small wee wee, no friends, no social activities, depression and absolutely no will to live. none of these things have changed, but the game is pretty good.

jokes aside, the game is almost as close to perfect as it gets and includes most of the things I’ve been looking for in a game for a long time.

snowy areas feel a bit rushed and the game occasionally repeats itself.
but considering the sheer size of the open world, that’s completely understandable.

(also don’t judge the steam playtime my pc is bad and I played most of it on ps5)

97/100

Elden Ring is one of those rare games that keeps proving its value long after the credits roll, and even after I unlocked every achievement across every platform it’s available on. I have seen every ending, beaten every boss, explored every corner of the Lands Between, and somehow the game still feels alive. That alone says more than any score ever could. FromSoftware did not just make a difficult action RPG, they built a world that rewards curiosity, patience, and mastery in a way very few games ever manage.

What makes Elden Ring special is how much freedom it gives the player without ever feeling directionless. You can approach challenges in countless ways, whether through brute force, careful planning, strange builds, or self imposed limitations. Even after hundreds of hours, I still find myself experimenting with weapons, spells, and playstyles simply because the combat system is deep enough to support it. The open world never loses its sense of mystery either. Familiar areas still feel atmospheric rather than empty, and returning to them feels like revisiting a place rather than clearing a checklist.

Most games are finished once the achievements are done. Elden Ring is different. Even with nothing left to unlock, the game remains enjoyable because the core experience is strong. The art direction, music, enemy design, and sense of scale all work together to create something timeless. It is the kind of game you do not just complete, you live in it for a while. Maxing it out on every platform did not burn me out. It convinced me that Elden Ring is not just a great Souls game, but one of the best games ever made.

I don't have an idea why many people like this game. About 20h of playthrough is more or less satisfying while the rest is repetitive annoying ♥♥♥♥. There is no "fair challenge", you just go boring level up and blow the most of the bosses. Exploration is not rewarding most of the time because of duplicated locations, bad puzzle design, easily missable quest parts, very small amount of meaningful loot, no some sort of tracking. Art and lore concept are good, but there is no story, why should I google to understand what is going on? Tooltips are bad, for example "causes buildup (X)", what is X? How does it affect my damage? How do I supposed to figure out how things are working in the first place? Can't image how DS games are bad if their successor so badly designed.