The highly-anticipated fantasy RPG arrived with stellar reception, blowing away critics and fans alike. In the week since the release of “Elden Ring” on February 24, the game has outsold much of its spring season competition, including “Horizon: Forbidden West,” “Destiny 2: The Witch Queen” and “Dying Light 2.”
With a rating of 97% on Metacritic, the game’s score is tied with 14 other games for the sixth highest-rated game of all time. This level of praise puts it in similar standing as “Grand Theft Auto 5,” “Half-Life 2” and “Metroid Prime.”
“Elden Ring” is the newest game by FromSoftware, the creators of the “Dark Souls” trilogy. The game was done in collaboration with George R. R. Martin, the author of “A Song of Ice and Fire” novel series. To Martin, the praise is “music to the ears.”
“I am honored to have met them and worked with them, and to have played a part, however small, in creating this fantastic world and making ELDEN RING the landmark megahit that it is,” Martin wrote on his website.
“Elden Ring” won over many fans before its release. The game won the Most Wanted Game award from the Game Awards in 2020 and 2021, decided by community vote. That level of enthusiasm has been reflected in the game’s sales.
Different versions of “Elden Ring” occupied four of the five top-seller spots on Steam during the week of its release. SteamSpy reports that there are over 10 million accounts that now own the game. Even with that enormous success, PC accounts for only 30% of the game’s total sales, according to Gamerant.
These figures exceeded the expectations of Bandai Namco, the publishers of “Elden Ring,” who thought there would be 4 million units sold before April.
“This is what fate has promised: Together, you will slay horrors. And together, you shall see wonders.” @ELDENRING
“Elden Ring” has many of the same traits that made the “Dark Souls” trilogy successful, such as precise combat and subtle storytelling, but it also added many new features. These changes include open-world exploration, mounted combat and convenience mechanics that make the game more accessible to new players.
Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki discussed the adjustment in difficulty in an interview with PlayStation Blog.
“I’d like new players to feel unpressured and that they can approach the game at their pace. I don’t want to enforce any playstyle or particular route because I’d like them to experience that sense of freedom,” Miyazaki said. “And I realize that while we offer games with a high level of challenge, we design them in a way that feels fulfilling to overcome.”
“Elden Ring” is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
