Elden Ring’s messages make the game feel like a conversation

polygon.com:

At times, Elden Ring is a desperately lonely game. When I’m traversing the desolate plains of the Lands Between, or navigating a stony crevasse while dodging the slings and arrows of giants, I very much feel I’m the only person I can rely on.

ButElden Ring’s message system has made the game feel, at other times, more like a conversation between me and other players. These short dispatches are everywhere; they’re near enemy camps, scattered along terrain, and work as a breadcrumb trail through dungeons. They turn the isolating and deadly experience of Elden Ring into something much more friendly — and at times, even collaborative.

This is my first FromSoftware title; thanks to repetitive stress injuries in my hands, I was always hesitant to dive into these games, which rely on the player downing a series of powerful foes through third-person action RPG combat. Elden Ring is the first game to convince me to take the plunge, and while I take regular breaks, I’m actually quite pleased with my progress. I’ve killed the bulky Tree Sentinel and used his glaive to down Margit, the Fell Omen. It certainly feels good to see the Enemy Felled message and pick up new weapons or trinkets. But I truly relish the glowing white runes that signify a message from another player, or the spectral image of a friend from another dimension running ahead in a dungeon or clambering through rocky terrain.

Yes, there are many messages that are a little… redundant. We get it, guys. Visions of rump. Try finger but hole. Fort, night. These are all done to death. But there are other times I’ve been genuinely surprised or pleased by these messages. Some of them are funny; a message reads “Try jumping” at the edge of a cliff, and it’s surrounded by the