From the onset, you are thrown into a vast and mysterious world. You will also die almost very sudden, and also very often.

The beauty of death is what makes this AAA title stand out. We were all fully aware of the hype surrounding this game, a combination of Director Hidetaka Miyazaki (of Dark Souls fame) and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, which culminated in what we are covering here today.

I waited until I had fully explored this enigmatic world before I decided to give a full scale review. So here we are, after hours upon hours, and dying upon dying, I have finally come to a conclusion on my time in a world that truly surprised me, and at many times throughout the game — shocked me.

If you have played the Dark Souls series, you had clear expectations for what a Miyazaki game was going to bring to the table. However, we got something different this time around.

Miyazaki has a formula when it comes to gaming, you die very often, and in very much sadistic and dramatic fashion. But in Elden Ring, what we received is not the typical style of gaming from the director. In terms of difficulty, it definitely has its moments where you feel as if you want to tear your hair out, but it seems to be a tad bit easier than most games in his daunting titles of death and misery.

The Dark Souls series always seemed to be lacking a bit in narrative, and not to give away too much here, but this game seems to add just that in terms of a story, which is probably due to the inclusion of Martin, which is a pretty big deal. Think about if Tolkien was able to collaborate on a video game, not making a comparison between the two, but this is just how large of a figure Martin is within our generation of storytelling.

I never found myself knowing what was going to come next, and I think what made this game so diverse and different than anything I had ever explored — was how it kept me guessing at nearly every corner.

Elden Ring does a great job of providing various degrees of exploration, surprising you at every corner as a different enemy appears, or something or someone interesting to tell a tale or provide you with a bit of entertainment as you can lose yourself outside of just side and main bosses.

The ability to use runes to level up is refreshing, and truly causes (and possibly forces you) to explore its vast lands.

With a fantastic leveling up system, which truly makes you feel accomplished after taking down a huge foe, as defeating a side boss that may seem as hard as a main one, gives such rewards in terms of runes and also equipment, you feel as if this game not only motivates you to explore, but also makes it worth your while.

What the game also brings in terms of switching up styles here, is the classes that are available upon starting this game. It is a fun and tasking dilemma to pick which class you will enter into this world as, and to this day, I think if I made the choice that truly fit my preference.

You have the ability to pick a samurai, astrologer, confessor, prisoner and vagabond. Each class has its perks, some are more geared towards magic, while others value strength and mastery of swords. I won’t get into which each brings, just because each comes with something that will surprise you and give you something more that another just will not.

The game also does a wonderful job of not sticking to just “one class”, through exploration and meeting various characters, a said physical character still has the ability to add magic to his stable of attacks. This is what also makes this game stand out, you get to a certain point where you do not even recognize your character, you have the ability to build a character that has multiple avenues of attack and abilities.

Exploration is the name of the game here, and we have not received a game with such grand exploration options since BOTW (Breath of the Wild), but this game is larger, much larger, and also much more difficult, and at every corner you must be prepared because you never know what you are up against, or what may appear literally out of thin air.

To say there is a game that rewards you this much for exploring is something I struggle with. In may open world games, the world just seems to become a repetitive mess of rinsing and repeating, just in a different looking city or next environment. Elden Ring erases this system altogether, and every new city, castle or cave looks different, and gives you a new challenge you never faced before.

Tactically, this game really tests your ability to adapt, and also gives you a sense of patience that is unlike anything we have ever seen before, rarely are you going to take out that boss the first time, no matter your level or ability. Each boss has a set of moves that causes you to memorize and adapt. This is not a new system, and many games have these level of bosses, but the diversity and options of bosses here is what sets Elden Ring apart from its competition.

There are not many games I have played in all of my years of gaming that are this rewarding, and after seeing such sparkling reviews, I was skeptical this was just one of those AAA titles that many reviewers had just become too excited for, however I am here to tell you — the hype is real, and not only is Elden Ring , but one of the best in recent memory.

You are doing yourself an injustice by not exploring the realm that is Elden Ring, if you even have a passing interest in gaming, this is the game you must dive into now.

Score: 10/10