June 23rd 2024.
Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree has finally been released this week, and it seems to have taken the gaming world by storm. However, as much as I enjoyed parts of Elden Ring, there were other aspects that left me feeling extremely frustrated and confused. I have to admit, I am hesitant to purchase the game at this point.
You see, the game has received glowing reviews and I can understand why. It's a visually stunning and immersive experience. But for me, it's the storytelling that has been the biggest letdown. There are very few cutscenes or clear plot points in Elden Ring. The introduction is just a jumble of fantasy world jargon and the dialogue with characters doesn't provide much context. As a result, I found myself struggling to understand what exactly was going on. And from talking to other players, it seems I am not alone in this.
To make matters worse, the game doesn't provide much help in understanding the story. You're left to piece things together yourself, mostly through reading item descriptions – of all things. Even after digging through wikis and watching YouTube videos, there is still no clear consensus on the story and its meaning. Everything is just speculation and theories.
What bothers me the most is that the game doesn't even explain the basics. I still have no idea what the Elden Ring is or why I should want to be the Elden Lord. The identity of the main character is also a mystery, and it's not even clear what a tarnished is. These are all important pieces of information that the character you're playing as would surely know, yet it's all a mystery to the player.
This lack of information also becomes a problem when trying to complete side quests. There is not enough context given to make sense of them, so it feels like you're just making up your own story. And even after reading supposed explanations, I am still left feeling confused and wondering how they came to those conclusions.
Now, I understand that not all games need complex storylines and I am not one to demand lengthy cutscenes in every game. But Elden Ring is different. It presents a complex and intricate lore, but fails to provide any explanation or context for it. It's like the developers are purposely keeping the players in the dark.
I did manage to beat Elden Ring, but the ending provided no answers or closure. And now, with the announcement of the DLC, I am not sure if I want to invest another 60 hours into a game that will leave me just as baffled as before. The DLC seems to introduce a new character and potentially retcon some things, but to be honest, I am not sure if I even care anymore.
I don't want to be spoon-fed information, but at the same time, I don't want to spend hours upon hours trying to decipher a story that may not even make sense to the developers themselves. There needs to be a balance between providing enough information and keeping the mystery alive. But in my opinion, Elden Ring has gone too far in the other direction, making the story feel like meaningless nonsense.
In the end, I have to agree with the reader who wrote this piece – the lack of clear storytelling has put me off FromSoftware's other games and the DLC for Elden Ring. I want to be fully invested in a game's story, not left feeling frustrated and confused. And until FromSoftware can strike that balance, I am not sure if I will be purchasing their future titles.
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