Elden Ring Is Groundbreaking, But Inaccessible for Casual Gamers

There is little debate among gaming critics that Elden Ring’s mystical open world is a masterpiece. Since its release on February 25th, 2022, this expansive game received rave reviews from some of the most influential game reviewing websites, including IGN, Steam, and TechRadar just to name a few.

Unlike most open-world games, there isn’t a clear distinction between the main campaign and side quests. The approach to completing the game is entirely up to the player and simulates a true open world as realistically as possible. This unique approach to game completion is revolutionary.

In addition, the visuals and story writing are incredible. The game was directed by Hidetaka Myazaki, the director of the iconic Dark Souls series, while the worldbuilding was done by Lord of the Rings author George R.R. Martin. For fans of fantasy games, this star-studded production team is a match made in heaven. There’s no doubt that Elden Ring is a ground-breaking, high-quality game.

However, there is one key flaw in the game that critics failed to consider: it’s very inaccessible for casual gamers. The combat mechanics are incredibly challenging, especially at the beginning of the game. Unlike most open world games that ease you into challenging combat situations, Elden Ring immediately thrusts players into battles where the odds are stacked against them. Regardless of gaming skill level, players can expect to die several times during their first combat situation, even when dealing with some of the weakest enemies.

In addition, the health and abilities of bosses make some battles next to impossible. Even on horseback, defeating a 100-foot-tall giant that regenerates its health after every attack is a daunting challenge. In fact, the hardest boss in the game, Malenia Blade of Miquella, is widely considered to be the hardest boss that FromSoftware has ever created. Keep in mind that FromSoftware is the same development company that created the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, all of which are very challenging games. Put simply, Elden Ring is not built for players who want a relaxing gaming experience.

In addition to the challenging combat mechanics, the time commitment required to complete the game is massive. For the average gamer, it takes about 96 hours to complete the game in its entirety. If you’re a casual gamer, it is highly unlikely that you’ll even complete the main campaign based on the sheer time commitment and challenging nature of the game.

This challenge may not be a significant issue for persistent, avid gamers with hours of time to play video games, but for casual gamers it can be a massive turn off. Though the rewards are great, the effort required is too much to attract a casual audience. An easy solution to this would be to create some lower levels of difficulty for a more relaxing experience, but based on the game’s critical reception it seems unlikely that the producers will take this into consideration.