Spoilers: I’m 20 hrs in and I’m not sure I could write a review. It’s definitely an Elden Ring (ER) game and not DS or BB. This might be the easiest FS offering. The sneak mechanism, horse, summons on demand, and just skipping fights/areas trivializes some encounters. I’m a quality build with no spells/miracles/pyro and it still feels pretty easy. But then I run into an area that is clearly way beyond me (Crystal Cave trap in 2nd hour, bosses gates by imp knifes, etc.) and I’m one shot.
I want a map with some type of objective check off. I don’t need a God of War checklist, but some type of dungeon boss slain indicator would be nice. There is so much missable content for example NPCs showing up only after revisiting an area. I didn’t get the summoning bell until 15hrs in. The opacity of systems, non-linear world, and FS’s use of breakable NPC quests makes a blind play-through a real challenge.
I’m enjoying it, but it feels like a 200hr game. I think DS and BB stripped down storytelling is great for more linear gameplay. I was hoping ER would be more story driven and not just Grace pointing in directions.