'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwT/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAIfMQ6P/xAAgEAABBAIBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMEEQAFEwcSFTJi/9oACAEBAAE/AJvWLyOoNiHpY0Di7kHjRCsFT6xzfkbhFTyWt++f/8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAC/9oACAECAQE/ADIX/8QAGBEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBA0H/2gAIAQMBAT8Aa150/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
FromSoftware's Elden Ring won the Game Awards' Game of the Year in 2023, and for good reason—a multitude of reasons, actually. The open-world RPG didn't just combine multiple different elements into one game, it also implemented each one expertly. So, what did it do well? Let us count the ways.
As we just mentioned, it has a massive open world, but one that's meticulously crafted and with a ton of variety. And that open world is filled to the brim with opportunities for intense combat. Like most FromSoftware RPGs, Elden Ring has a deep and delightfully confusing lore. It's just that this lore was crafted with the help of Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin.
And, like most From Software games, it's freakin' hard.
Trending
Note: This article is subjective and based on the author's opinions.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is finally here.
Now that Elden Ring's lost-awaited DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, has arrived (and, we assume, most of you wonderful psychos have already completed that, too), there's a good chance you're looking for something similar, but new (at least, new to you) to play. Even if you're not, just go with it, okay?
We've scrounged up seven different games that both a) have some sort of element in common with Elden Ring and b) are awesome. These are in no particular order other than, you know, one game segues into the next on the list really well. You'll see what we mean.
So, grab your...I dunno...sword? Or whatever weapon you like to use in Elden Ring, and let's look at seven games to check out once you're done with Shadow of the Erdtree
1) Bloodborne (2015, PlayStation 4)
Let's kick things off with two other games from, er, FromSoft...starting with the 2015 PS4 classic, Bloodborne.
These days, FromSoftware is best known for the Dark Souls series; dark medieval fantasy RPGs with insanely brutal combat (sound familiar?). Bloodborne takes that concept and switches it up. It moves to setting to something more akin to 12th century Europe and tells a tale more in line with Lovecraft than Tolkien.
If you particularly loved the Souls-like gameplay in Elden Ring and want more of that, well I mean, yeah, you could go play a Dark Souls game, but that's a little on the nose, don't you think? Bloodborne gives you that gameplay, while also throwing you into a fresh new world to get traumatized by.
2) Demon's Souls remake (2020, PlayStation 5)
Staying on the From Software train (choo choo), might we suggest Bluepoint Game's remake of From' 2009 PS3 classic, Demon's Souls? Because we're totally suggesting it.
Some consider Demon's Souls a "proto-Dark Souls" of sorts, and there's some validity to that. There's a really good reason Dark Souls is titled Dark Souls and not Demon's Souls 2. Despite their similarities, they're both distinctly different. Not only is the lore from one title completely separate from the other, but each game takes different approaches to boss battles and other important game elements.
The PlayStation 3 original is perfectly fine, but this remake is really the best way to experience it.
3) Nier: Automata (2017, various platforms)
On the surface, Elden Ring and 2017's Nier: Automata don't have a lot in common. Sure, they both have RPG elements—and, yeah, they're both kinda weird—but, that's it, right?
Well, yes and no.
While Nier's gameplay probably owes more to the Devil May Cry games than anything by FromSoftware, it still requires strategy, reflexes, and thoughtful planning. Unlike most modern games, Nier doesn't offer an auto-save feature; it goes old school, requiring players to seek out actual save points like some sort of animal. No auto-save? What are we, Amish?
This design choice is just a part of the unconventional way Nier presents its narrative. That same creativity is present in Elden Ring. Both games play fast and loose with video game norms (with some ways being more nuanced than others, and that's putting it lightly) and they both use that to their advantage when it comes to storytelling.
Frankly, Nier: Automata is a game worth playing, whether you enjoyed Elden Ring or not. Go play it.
4) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023, Nintendo Switch)
It's not a huge stretch of credibility to say that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (along with its prequel, Breath of the Wild) is certainly more accessible than Elden Ring. While FromSoftware's epic isn't ridiculously explicit (though we suppose that depends on who you ask) or anything, it certainly earns its M rating. The Zelda titles look like Paw Patrol games by comparison.
That's not to say that these Nintendo classics can't get dark every now and then. After all, this is the same series that gave us Majora's Mask; it's more than capable of ruining your day if it wants to.
Tone isn't the only similarity Tears of the Kingdom and Elden Ring share. Both games take place in sprawling open worlds—both of which are simply begging to be explored. Elden Ring encourages players to set off in a direction and see what's out there, and Zelda is no different. Both games are also known for their epic boss fights—battles that you will, more often than not, only win through trial and error.
If you're looking for an experience that's very much like Elden Ring—but one that's just maybe slightly less intense—The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a perfect next stop.
Either that or one of those Paw Patrol games.
5) Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023, various platforms)
It's a major oversimplification, but it's not entirely unfair to describe Elden Ring as an "open world, more RPG-focused Dark Souls." There's clearly more to the game than that, but, as a quick description and, more importantly, for our purposes here, it works pretty well.
The same could be said about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and its precursor, Jedi: Fallen Order. That first game in the series was often labeled as "a Star Wars Souls-like" (or "Souls-light" or...whatever, you get it) and it was a pretty apt description. Fallen Order took plenty of inspiration from FromSoftware's iconic franchise, and it's not as if developer Respawn Entertainment was playing coy about that.
So, it's not exactly a shock that the transition from Dark Souls to Elden Ring was also a factor in the development of Survivor.
Survivor builds upon Fallen Order with a more detailed story, bigger (and more open) locations, and more robust character upgrade options. So, in other words, an "open world, more RPG-focused Jedi: Fallen Order." And, that's not a bad thing. Personally, it's this writer's favorite Star Wars game and slowly working its way onto my overall top five games of all time.
6) Game of Thrones: A TellTale Games Series (2014, various platforms)
Other than a connection with author George R.R. Martin, TellTale's Game of Thrones game and Elden Ring have pretty much nothing in common. Anyone even remotely familiar with other TellTale games, such as The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us, can attest to that. These games resembled interactive novels or classic point-and-click adventures than the action seen in FromSoftware's RPG.
However, that connection is a big deal. When Elden Ring was first announced, HBO's Game of Thrones series was at the peak of its popularity. The idea of teaming with the game studio behind Dark Souls was intoxicating, especially to fans of both properties.
While the quality of TellTale's titles gradually dropped off near the end of the studio's existence, Game of Thrones: TTS is often considered one of their most accomplished titles. Taking place in between the show's third and fifth seasons, the game was also broken up into episodes of its own. While the game's narrative changes based on player choice, it's still set within the overall narrative of the show, which means nothing that happens in the game affects the canon of the franchise itself.
While it's a decently fun game, fans of the TV and novel series will get the most out of it.
7) Cuphead (2017, various platforms)
So...right now, you are no doubt asking yourself "What does a robust fantasy RPG set in a sprawling and detailed open world with a ridiculous amount of back lore have in common with a game where you play as a teacup shooting at giant vegetables?" To which we reply with "You ask too many questions."
Actually, other than one particular element, the two have nearly nothing in common. But, it's that one element that, much like the rug in Jeffrey Lebowski's apartment, really pulls the room together.
Both games are ridiculously hard, even challenging to the point of obnoxiousness. OK, we might be overdoing it a little.
Elden Ring might not be as much of a challenge as some other FromSoftware titles, but it's no walk in the park. In fact, it's that difficulty that draws many fans to the developer's projects in the first place. And while Cuphead is challenging in a completely different way, it's still a major challenge, and in a good, nay great, way.
