BENGALURU: Elden Ring starts with a simple enough character selection and customisation. A straightforward tutorial later, you realise that the game is just a matter of passing through the Stranded Graveyard to reach Limgrave, head straight past the first Site of Grace in the open realm to the nearest dungeon and obtain some unique wares as you crawl past enemies around the Church of Elleh and the Gatefront Ruins.
Through this journey, you understand the importance of memorising spells, maintaining stamina, and keeping an eye out for status ailments — blood loss, poison, madness. You also learn that it is prudent to stealthily sneak past enemies that you would rather avoid. If you are anything like me, I would think you’ve also written all you learn in your neatest handwriting in a custom Elden Ring cheat sheet.
You may still manage to slash through a bit of Limgrave with hardly a tear shed, but I am assured that you will ugly-weep when you find out that the map that just unfurled in your menu screen indicates that you are hardly 2 per cent into the game. This took you 20 hours. It was at this point that I realised that Elden Ring is so good, that it made me look bad as a gamer. A few months into the future, if I am worthy, then maybe, only maybe — I will no longer be a “Tarnished” of no renown. I have already lost all hopes of being an Elden Lady.
A mere casual who has spent over 200 hours on Stardew Valley, I have no embarrassment in admitting that Elden Ring is simply not for me. I do, however, understand its wide appeal for gamers in how it stands apart from AAA games that we typically see. The region is so well created, with specific and evident landmarks, I hardly found the need to use the map. There are so many creatures and beings to discover and fight, with a whole range of creative spells that could be used to destroy them. The game also lets you scoop scrolls that provide clues on secrets — hidden caves and passageways, and detail lore associated with the exploration. It is available to play on the PlayStations, Xboxes and PC. I rate the game 5/7 cerulean tears.