potentially the best video game of the year, it is exceedingly difficult and requires a ridiculous amount of effort.

The NPD Group, which analyzes monthly game sales, just released a study saying that the video game Elden Ring is the year's best-selling game thus far. The game has only been released for one month, yet it has already sold over 12 million copies and is widely considered one of the best games of the year, if not in recent memory.

It's the type of day where you wake up, glance at the clock, and realize that it's already 3:00 in the afternoon. It's good in a way that you'd want to evangelize to practically everyone, which distinguishes it from its immediate predecessors, and it's good in a way that you'd want to evangelize to basically everyone. It is the successor of games such as the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, all of which are renowned for their complexity, precision, and densely layered, frequently difficult to decipher backstory. It is a primarily solo role-playing game developed by the firm FromSoftware (also known as FromSoft) and directed by the auteur Hidetaka Miyazaki. They are popular for good cause (Bloodborne is arguably my partner's all-time favorite game), but not for everyone. I play video games frequently, but I've always been hesitant to try these. I imagined they would be too challenging and gloomy for my usual casual, button-mashing attitude to gaming.

Elden Ring incorporates the fundamental DNA of prior games into a third-person open-world setting. These games are renowned for their sensitive gameplay, frightening yet captivating visuals, and, of course, their difficulty. You play as the protagonist, a "Tarnished," who traverses an ever-changing landscape in pursuit of enemies and questlines. Your final objective is to become Elden's Lord. (Further discussion of the plot, such as it is, will be included in a later section.)

I think the world's vastness to be the most significant component of the game, as its beauty and strangeness make it the centerpiece of the experience. It provides a seemingly unlimited number of locations to go and things to do when you don't feel like pounding your head against the wall attempting to defeat a difficult foe.

The task is extremely challenging.

Nevertheless, given the scale and complexity of the game, I'd argue that there is still a significant barrier in the path of novice players. If you are interested in trying it out or learning more about it, you should not be deterred by this; nevertheless, if you are a novice, it is advisable to come prepared with basic knowledge.