I Am Elden Ring’s Greatest Coward

thegamer.com:

A few months back, I wrote that I was excited to be very bad at Elden Ring. Early previews and network tests had conveyed an experience vaster than other Soulsborne games, but just as hard. Some fans excited about the idea of a detailed open world made by FromSoftware worried it would be hard to fully enjoy since they were also fighting bosses made by FromSoftware. Both because the bosses are hard and also because each boss requires a three-hour dive into a wiki so you can understand the lore.

Fortunately, after spending a weekend with the game, I can give some great news: It’s possible to enjoy Elden Ring as a complete fucking coward.

Related: Elden Ring’s Jump Button Changes Everything

While previous Soulsborne games had always made ranged attacks an option, they would sometimes strike me as weaker or slower in a narrow environment that required intensely quick reaction times. Sure, I certainly enjoyed the Dark Souls series, but if I tried to run from death while screaming in a high-pitched voice, I was usually just running towards a different death while screaming in a high-pitched voice.

Not so in Elden Ring.

In Elden Ring, the whole world is open to you running the fuck away to mommy.

When I first emerged in Limgrave, I felt the type of wonder I haven’t felt in a game since Elden Ring’s biggest inspiration, Breath of the Wild. Much like Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring lets you go your own way. There’s no map cluttered with beacons for homework-level side missions. There’s no NPC calling you up to remind you about the critical path. You want to know what you’re supposed to be doing? Better write it down.

And run.

To be fair, the opening areas of Elden Ring aren’t that hard from a distance. Enemies are relatively weak