![]() You have nailed my experience with it too. I subsisted off fleeting moments, convinced that the game would grow into the expectations I had for it. The art direction was impeccable, the music immaculate. But when I looked at it from a distance, I saw how far I had yet to go. I was so close to loving this game I could almost taste it. DARK SOULS TOO MUCH OF A TIME SINK FREEFree from my stubbornness that kept me coming back, even though I knew I wasn’t having a good time. When the credits rolled, I wasn’t satisfied or overjoyed: I was relieved. Why was I even still playing, what was I trying to prove to myself?īut knowing I was so close to the end, I stuck it out. ![]() And this came to a head when finally, at Crumbling Farum Azula, I nearly uninstalled the game. By game’s end, there were more enemies I disliked encountering than ones I enjoyed. It would even come to include many regular enemy types, Perfumers and the like. ![]() The enemies I ended up not liking grew to an immense number: Crucible Knights, Ulcerated Tree Spirits, Black Knife Assassins, the list goes on and on. And the more I saw enemies I already knew I didn’t like facing, the less excited I grew to see what would come next. While at a glance, these were a great way to add more content to the game, they also repeated bosses with some regularity. It made it harder to enjoy the artistry and craftsmanship that went into all of these encounters. It became a distraction, something at the forefront of my mind. Some were a combination of all the above. Still more were so aggressive, that healing became nigh impossible. Others had combos that ran for far too long. Enemies had attacks that felt undodgeable or unblockable. Most of my memories of fights from the game are ones of annoyance. I had assumed I would come away with that same feeling in regards to Elden Ring.īut when I think back on boss fights in Elden Ring, the first emotion that rises up in me is irritation. And the fights that weren’t challenging, found other ways to be interesting, like the encounter with Mikolash. Defeating those horrific creatures left me with a mixture of immense satisfaction and a hammering heartbeat thanks to the intensity of the fight. So many of those fights were unique and memorable, as well as gratifying to win. Given how I felt about the bosses in Bloodborne, this becoming an obstacle came as something of a surprise. I did not like most of the boss fights in Elden Ring. But eventually, I wanted to start making some meaningful forward momentum in the game, which meant tackling the biggest hurdle I had with enjoying the game: boss encounters. This was perfectly pleasant for a time, as the world FromSoftware presented was densely packed with intriguing possibilities. I felt aimless and settled for exploring the beautiful environments at random. I don’t much care for open world titles, and during the early game, I never felt confident that I was heading in the right direction. But, unlike the mazelike closed-off spaces of Bloodborne, the open world nature of Elden Ring rubbed me the wrong way. Gaining XP, with the chance of losing it from some careless misstep or trying to take on too many combatants is a great way to teach caution. The FromSoftware gameplay loop is an interesting one. And after putting an immense amount of time into Elden Ring, wanting so badly to like it as much as I liked Bloodborne, it just didn’t happen. This extreme shift in opinion allowed me to convince myself that I should try Elden Ring, too. Something clicks this time, and the horrific, gothic realm of Yharnam transports me away to gaming paradise. So after seven years, I pick it up again and I love it. ![]() This gets me antsy to give Bloodborne another shot. Elden Ring launches, and all my friends excitedly talk about their experiences any time we’re in a party. ![]() I played for a few hours, beat a couple of bosses, and I didn’t like it. Despite never having played any of FromSoftware’s previous releases, the presentation of Bloodborne was too intriguing for me to pass up at launch. ![]()
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