This game is basically the entire reason I got a PS5. When all three of the Filthy Casuals listed it as an unequivocal game of the year, did I ever really have a choice.
This is a genuine triple threat. Miyazaki-san has perfected his craft since Dark Souls (the other game I have played of his) and ascended to the Erdtree Throne with this creation.
Gameplay is classic Dark Souls, but refined. I went for a katana wielding dexterity build and rolled around all day stabbing guys in the back and cutting them up. This game is hard, especially for the first half. By the end I was pretty strong though and could deal some serious damage to most enemies, but you always have to be on your guard. Enemies don’t scale with you and this game shows you why that is the right choice. Following the main path has a sense of challenge and reward like nothing else as you overcome seemingly impossible challenges with skill (and some OP summons). Later on you can come back and dominate early bosses and feel like a god returning to mere mortals. But you feel like you have earnt it.
Atmosphere is second to none. This is a world that is on the brink of dying and you can feel it. Everywhere you turn there is death and tragedy, but also beauty. The world doesn’t care that it is dying, it is just going to happen, regardless of whether its inhabitants comprehend that or not. There is no sadness in the world itself, only in how we perceive this.
The world feels so alive. Random corners are filled out with unique dungeons that tell stories without needing such blunt instruments as words as you traverse them. So much of this story is experienced instead of just being told and the game is richer for it. This is present in everything from enemy design to the weapon descriptions.
One minor nitpick. Near the very end of the game you are in an icy area and that is the only part that can drag. It is not as visually rich as the other earlier locales. There are still really good bits here, but some average parts as well.
Music is great. Big range of orchestral songs that capture the towering remnants of granduer and the unspeakable horrors lying underneath. It definitely passes the test of will the music evoke things in me if I hear it later.
- Golden strings as you climb the plateau that let you viscerally feel the Erdtrees presence and light: https://open.spotify.com/track/05kBDnkmVG4RCW4QqAboj7?si=3IHRpbo9QBCkzTs4co1eFQ
- Epic crescendos and chanting voices that transition to something beautiful, pure and powerful as you kill a God at the heart of the world (listen to it all!): https://open.spotify.com/track/1nspl7hBhdl6W6GQzbn3V1?si=X_JPmzN0Tkq2e_VyDXHULA
As I write this I genuinely wonder if I should start another save. The first run was well over 100 hours, but there is that DLC coming out soon and I do need to get in shape…
Also, fuck you Malenia. I killed you. It didn’t even take that long, only 129(ish) tries.
Rating: 8/7, believe the hype.
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