All I Needed to Like a Souls Game Was FromSoft’s Take on Skyrim

I’m pretty sure Elden Ring is the only FromSoft I’ve put over 20 hours into so far. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve tried Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Dark Souls (in that order), but none of them have been able to grab me for the long term. Elden Ring has changed that, surprisingly, through its open world and explorative focus. The game is eerily reminiscent of my time with Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and that’s what has made me fall in love with it. 

The parallels between these two games, at least for me, are pretty obvious. Both are high fantasy joints focused on collecting cool powers, delving into ancient dungeons,  and…dragons? Beyond that, they both have main narratives with supposedly epic stakes that I really couldn’t care less about. I’ve never actually made it to the end of Skyrim’s story. It never felt interesting enough to invest the time in when I could be joining one of the dozens of factions or seeing what was on the other side of the next mountain. 

I’ve found myself playing Elden Ring  the same way (though I admit my exploration has been a lot more inspired by fear than Skyrim). Wandering around the huge map and just trying to find the next Site of Grace is how I’ve spent most of my time in this game so far. Though there are plenty of things that are terrifying roaming around The Lands Between, there are also plenty of cool secrets to find. 

Seeking these out has helped give me a sense of direction as the map continues to expand, and I’ve built up my strength significantly in the process. I’ll admit that I don’t really understand much of Elden Ring’s larger plot, but I’m not really worried about it. The kind of obtuse, vaguely creepy monologues and notes establish enough of a vibe for me, and I’d like to think that my Tarnished probably wouldn’t have much concept of what’s going on either. FromSoft protagonists are always just kind of thrown into the world with ominous, vague guidance, so I’m sure my guy is just kind of going with the flow, hopefully helping some folks along the way. 

The other way I’ve been able to give myself some structure in Elden Ring is by shamelessly using guides. Back in the height of my Skyrim days, I bought the game’s complete guidebook. I’m pretty sure it weighed at least five pounds; I think it’s actually still somewhere in my closet. Whenever I was curious about something I had come across in Skyrim’s open world or a new questline that had popped, I would scour the guidebook’s table of contents to figure out what the hell I was dealing with and how to deal with it. Elden Ring has been pretty much the same, with the glaring exception that I’ve had to find the guides I like best myself or through friends, rather than reading through a conveniently curated book. 

I like finding some things myself through luck or accident, hearing about others from friends, and still others from going after the next item in my perfect build. It’s been nice to get past my own weird hangups about how these kinds of games are “supposed” to be played and just have fun seeing what this wild, dark fantasy world has to offer. Ultimately, I don’t know how far I’ll actually get, or if I’ll make it to any of Elden Ring’s various endings, but for the first time ever, I can honestly say I’m really having fun with a FromSoft game.

If you like what we do here at Uppercut, consider supporting us on Patreon. Supporters at the $5+ tiers get access to written content early.