Recent reviews by EmperorFox

I really haven't played a game as enthralling as Elden Ring. I'm usually a fan of RPGs with in depth stories and Sci-fi games with wide maps so maybe that is why I like the game so much. But honestly it is just a really rewarding game. I feel great after every accomplishment no matter how minor. I genuinely care for some NPCs and feel bad when they die. The World is so packed full of secrets that I literally never get bored exploring. The story can be played so many different ways that I feel like I can have eight play throughs and still have content. The Bosses are actually hard to beat unlike so many games where they feel like just enlarged grunts. The AI responds to player actions in meaningful ways in and outside of combat. The game isn't necessarily hard, it just takes a willingness to perfect your own method of beating enemies. The fact that you can just leave a boss that you are stuck on and find another way to progress in the game seems revolutionary to me. Lastly I have seen some opinions on this but I think the lack of a quest tracking mechanic is actually beneficial becuase I never feel obligated to finish a quest I don't like. Also there are many ways to complete quests in this game and a quest tracking feature would just lead the player to head down a single path.

The final think I will say is that I have never played a From Software game, nor have I had too much experience with games with Boss fights. But after playing Elden Ring for 80 hrs and having at least more than 75% of the content still unknown to me I feel amazed that From Software could make a game so engaging and expansive. This game really does deserve game of the year.