Ever since I became one of the privileged masses to own a PlayStation 5, I have felt a duty to play harder games than I ever have before. I’m a turn-based tactics kind of girl. I like deck building, a dungeon crawler … something I can grind.
The Souls games are part of a series that has always fascinated me, but I didn’t think I was “gamer enough” for the notoriously difficult series. Well, f*** it. I am learning. So, I downloaded Elden Ring, directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki and in collaboration with George R. R. Martin, and I have been getting killed by things for the past two days. It’s neat!
In Elden Ring, you play as a Tarnished, someone who is exiled upon losing their blessing that was given by the Elden Ring and the “Erdtree,” a magical tree that is the source of life. You choose a class and go on a journey to recover the remaining shards of the titular, fractured Elden Ring to make the world whole again. Yay! There is only one difficulty mode, and it’s difficult enough if you are new to Miyazaki’s games, like me.
At the start of the game, you pick a class: Hero, Bandit, Astrologer, Warrior, Prisoner, Confessor, Wretch, Vagabond, Prophet, or Samurai. Each has their own starter stats, but throughout the game you can adjust it as you like. Like a fool, I was like, “Lemme start off as a Wretch!” After getting tired of seeing my half-naked body die, I decided to switch to an Astrologer. Much better for me. You start off at Level 6 with a Staff, a sword, and a small shield. It is much easier and faster to stab enemies to death than to club them as a Level 1 Wretch.
Death is a normal part of playing the game, and while it can be exhausting to die constantly, playing Hades has trained me to see every death as an opportunity to find new ways to kill my enemies. I learn from my mistakes, and I have come to accept that its fine to just do something other than just follow the golden light path straight away. Learning to take your time is the hardest bit, because I just instantly felt like I was doing something wrong by not going straight for the main goal, but it makes sense that you can’t kill a huge boss right away.
For those who are wondering what to do, that can seem overwhelming at first. Getting your horse Torrent and getting the ability to summon spirits are the biggest things you should do right away in the early part of the game. Abuse the crouch button. Abuse it. There is nothing wrong with sneak-stabbing your opponents. They want to die. Also, talk to anyone who doesn’t have evil ghoul face. You never know if they’re an important NPC until you try. And don’t be discouraged.
I am already invested in the mythology of the game, and I’m in it for the journey. I don’t think I’ll ever be great at games like this, but just turning it on and playing for hours straight has been a pleasure. It is worth the learning curve, and when in doubt, there is an entire gamer video community that will help you on the way.
Rise up and absorb that lore!
(image: Bandai)
