Elden Ring: Rise To Greatness, Tarnished
From the moment you step into the world of Elden Ring, you're immersed in a realm of unparalleled 'greatness '. This game is a veritable treasure trove of unique features and experiences, from its breathtaking graphics to its enthralling voice cast. Without further ado, let's delve into why Elden Ring stands tall as one of the most exceptional games of this generation:
The first thing I want to talk about is the graphics. When it first came out, I was playing it on my Xbox Series, and it looked great. After switching to PlayStation 5, I realized this game is unbelievable. There is something to look at in every spot. It is an enormous, beautiful game. And everything is sinister to look at. Remember that looking at something for too long can result in a quick death. I will discuss that in more detail later. Anyway, this world is beautiful. Primarily, George R. R. Martin, the man behind Game of Thrones, built the world. And there is a lot to look at. I could go on and on and on about this world. But that would be this whole blog. Just know I loved this world.
Next, let's discuss the voice cast. Ben Norris plays the male Tarnished, and Naomi McDonald plays the female Tarnished. They don't say much. But every time you die, you can hear them. Martha Mackintosh plays Melina, your guide for the beginning part of the game. She is excellent as this mysterious character. Anthony Howell plays two big bosses in the game, Margit and Morgott. He is fantastic as both of these characters. Con O'Neill plays Mohg, another insane boss. Ramon Tikaram plays Godrick. Pippa Bennett-Warner plays Melenia. And Aimee-Ffion Edwards plays Ranni, to name a few characters. These actors played fantastic characters. And they brought these characters to life more than the fights themselves.
FromSoftware, the company behind this game, was not taking any chances. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, I knew this would be a "souls" game. Complicated isn't even the word. When the game tells you to repair the Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord, difficult isn't the word to describe the difficulty. It is beyond hard. The regular enemies are a pain. The bosses are a pain. The entire game is a pain. That's why I loved it so much. Coming from FromSoftware, it needed to be this complicated. This company is known for building intense games. And they knocked it out of the park for this one. Every boss took several tries over several days. And I am not the person to rage quit. But I saved, stopped, put my controller down, and walked away from my TV. I quit too many times to count. But, eventually, I took the time to study each boss. Some are easier said than done. The bosses all have distinctive, complex, and intense fighting styles. And they all test your skills. This game will test you. And the thing is, I wasn't a Souls genre fan. I am now because this game has those fights that make you want to succeed.
Yes, the music is crazy. When the teaser trailer came out in 2019, FromSoftware gave us a taste of the epic soundtrack they were creating. Elden Ring's central theme gave us only a taste of the epic scale we were about to get with the harp at the beginning and then scaling to the big horns, strings, and, of course, the drums. But that's only the beginning. FromSoftware has assembled a team of five excellent composers working on this game. First, Yuka Kitamura returns for her fourth game. She is best known for Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, and Sekiro. And she pulled from every game she has worked on. She is joined by Tsukasa Saitoh, who wrote the central theme, Shoi Miyazawa, Tai Tomisawa, and Yoshimi Kudo. Each of these composers wrote boss themes. And wrote regular fighting themes as well. Mrs. Kitamura also does the atmospheric sounds we hear. She also did the themes of Rennala, Melenia, the Regal Ancestor Spirit, and the Black Knives bosses. Mr. Miyazawa did the boss themes for Mohg, Godrick, and Radahn. Mr. Saitoah wrote the central theme and the final boss theme. Overall, the music is something you would expect from a game like this: epic and suspenseful in every way.
Elden Ring is a game, unlike anything FromSoftware has ever made. It is shocking to know they could outdo themselves after Sekiro, their last title. Hidetaka Miyazaki has made history over and over again. And the route he is going, he could make history again, because of what he did with this title. And yes, the latest DLC is fantastic. Take everything I have said above and multiply it. Play this game. Get mad at it because of the difficulty. Most importantly, see why FromSoftware is one of the most respected studios in this generation. Once again, there is nothing to say but Epic in every way.