Elden Ring is, hands-down, the best video game in its class. It succeeds in creating an open world with lore that feels more expansive than what the player could ever experience in-game without neglecting the player's desire to be involved. Grandly scored music blends from area to area to immerse the player, making a journey that should not be possible ("a man cannot kill a god") feel real. Every new area discovered elicits the feeling of "How much larger can this game get?"

As someone who never played a game from the Souls franchise and usually without a tolerance for steep learning curves for the sake of entertainment, Elden Ring manages to walk a fine line that squares perfectly with me: It is simultaneously extremely difficult at times while also being large enough to provide opportunities to make those difficult moments easier. Been killed by a boss seven times in a row without dealing a significant amount of damage? Go somewhere else, gain levels, and come back. Is that still not working and it feels like the enemy is ruining your life? Try a new Ashes of War, different weapon, and as a last resort, the imperfect summoning system. Even with understanding only a quarter of the game's items, it is completely beatable in a relatively short amount of time for a game of its scale. In fact, after a successful first completion, the New Game+ feels like a satisfying victory lap, giving the player an opportunity to retain their findings and loot from the previous journey to reach different endings more quickly while retaining some challenge.

Elden Ring is the best video game that I have ever played. Its scale, from lore to world design is unmatched by most of its competitors. All told, I may never play the game again to avoid the agony of the learning curve involved, but in completing it, I can say that I had the wonderful experience of playing one of the greatest games to date.