Elden Ring is a love note from FromSoft to hardcore Souls players, while also simultaneously allowing for those without the knowledge of Dark Souls 1-3 to hop into a Dark Souls environment.

I think more then weighing pros and cons- we need to address what this game is and is not.

What it is not:
- There is not any hand holding or dumbing down of content to make this game accessible to everyone. People who are used to and prefer heavy guidance in games will find the game uncomfortable- since it expects you to explore on your own by using the map to create your own markers and way points.
- Skyrim, Breathe of the Wild, or the Witcher. Personally if you need to compare to any of these- imagine Skyrim but take out straightforward plot, random fetch quests- and just focus on exploring the world and discovering things. I don't really think you can compare the two- but if you have no frame of reference for Souls games, you are not going to know if you like a Souls game until you play it yourself.
- a CO-OP game. Yes, you can play CO-OP, but there are limitations in place to preserve the spirit of the game, and dare I say the spirit includes difficulty.
- this game is not flawless- several builds like the PS5 remain unstable post launch, and some players wanting a more polished experience might need to wait before purchasing. As a PC user, I'd say my bugs were very limited in scope and occurred disproportionately outside of the Limgrave area.
- not for people who want an easy mode. This is not a hack and slash, turn your brain off type game. Anyone looking for that should head to something geared towards a different audience. Every single one of Fromsoft's games is brutal and it should at this point, be expected. I will say that some balancing is needed with some enemies, but the entire game is doable (even the more frustrating parts).

What it is:
- rich in lore and interesting characters- if and only if you're willing to hunt and dig for it. You can completely ignore the game lore or you can learn all sorts of interesting details from piecing together info given to you through dialogue, item descriptions, placement of items/characters/etc on the map.
- a game that respects your intelligence, and allows you to wander a vast map in whichever order you choose, resulting in a rich and rewarding experience where you can look out over a vast horizon, say "I want to go there" and actually reach it instead of being cut off and babied by devs looking to provide a linear story experience.
- chock full of content that can be found during exploration- so much so to the point you can miss items or bosses or quests because there is just SO MUCH to look into. To me this adds to replay value since even though you're familiar with areas- how and when you explore them causes significant differences in how the game feels.
- difficult and happy to put you to the test. There is nothing more rewarding than having your ass kicked 40 times on a boss only to go back and kick the ♥♥♥♥ out of them later. Anyone struggling with something- I encourage you to stop doing that and go explore for a while, gain some levels, get a feel for stomping tinier enemies and farming. Upgrade or find new gear. This is how to git gud, and eventually- you'll succeed if you don't give up.

All of that said- this game completely defies expectations of how enemies should behave, how levels and even worlds should be designed, and on a more fundamental level- how games should treat those who play them through a minimalist approach that allows for a full immersion into an experience, as opposed to rushing through any element of the game for the sake of showcasing another, It's very mindful in how it's crafted, and I'd rate it at a 4.5/5 for how well it does what it set out to do.

Elden Ring is a love note from FromSoft to hardcore Souls players, while also simultaneously allowing for those without the knowledge of Dark Souls 1-3 to hop into a Dark Souls environment. I think more then weighing pros and cons- we need to address what this game is and is not. What it is not: - There is not any hand holding or dumbing down of content to make this game accessible to everyone. People who are used to and prefer heavy guidance in games will find the game uncomfortable- since it expects you to explore on your own by using the map to create your own markers and way points. - Skyrim, Breathe of the Wild, or the Witcher. Personally if you need to compare to any of these- imagine Skyrim but take out straightforward plot, random fetch quests- and just focus on exploring the world and discovering things. I don't really think you can compare the two- but if you have no frame of reference for Souls games, you are not going to know if you like a Souls game until you play it yourself. - a CO-OP game. Yes, you can play CO-OP, but there are limitations in place to preserve the spirit of the game, and dare I say the spirit includes difficulty. - this game is not flawless- several builds like the PS5 remain unstable post launch, and some players wanting a more polished experience might need to wait before purchasing. As a PC user, I'd say my bugs were very limited in scope and occurred disproportionately outside of the Limgrave area. - not for people who want an easy mode. This is not a hack and slash, turn your brain off type game. Anyone looking for that should head to something geared towards a different audience. Every single one of Fromsoft's games is brutal and it should at this point, be expected. I will say that some balancing is needed with some enemies, but the entire game is doable (even the more frustrating parts). What it is: - rich in lore and interesting characters- if and only if you're willing to hunt and dig for it. You can completely ignore the game lore or you can learn all sorts of interesting details from piecing together info given to you through dialogue, item descriptions, placement of items/characters/etc on the map. - a game that respects your intelligence, and allows you to wander a vast map in whichever order you choose, resulting in a rich and rewarding experience where you can look out over a vast horizon, say "I want to go there" and actually reach it instead of being cut off and babied by devs looking to provide a linear story experience. - chock full of content that can be found during exploration- so much so to the point you can miss items or bosses or quests because there is just SO MUCH to look into. To me this adds to replay value since even though you're familiar with areas- how and when you explore them causes significant differences in how the game feels. - difficult and happy to put you to the test. There is nothing more rewarding than having your ass kicked 40 times on a boss only to go back and kick the shit out of them later. Anyone struggling with something- I encourage you to stop doing that and go explore for a while, gain some levels, get a feel for stomping tinier enemies and farming. Upgrade or find new gear. This is how to git gud, and eventually- you'll succeed if you don't give up. All of that said- this game completely defies expectations of how enemies should behave, how levels and even worlds should be designed, and on a more fundamental level- how games should treat those who play them through a minimalist approach that allows for a full immersion into an experience, as opposed to rushing through any element of the game for the sake of showcasing another, It's very mindful in how it's crafted, and I'd rate it at a 4.5/5 for how well it does what it set out to do.