Gamesradar: “In case I wasn’t clear in my Elden Ring hands-on preview: this is one FromSoftware-ass game, y’all. If the test build I played was leaked before Elden Ring was announced, I probably would’ve assumed it was Dark Souls 4. It looks and plays very like a Dark Souls game, and like the games it builds on, it has nothing but scorn for the player, at least outwardly. It’s an openly, almost comically hostile game at times, and its rules are transparently punishing.
That’s what I thought, until I played more of it. Because the more I played it, the more welcoming Elden Ring felt. By using its RPG elements to cut through the ruthless reputation of the Souls games, Elden Ring enables and empowers players in ways that previous FromSoftware games never truly did, creating an approachable sandbox that loudly tells you to overcome challenges however you see fit. As a result, it’s on track to become one of the studio’s easiest, most enjoyable, and most approachable games.”
