Why Elden Ring Is So Satisfying to Explore || HOW ABOUT THIS GAME?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 มิ.ย. 2024
- Elden Ring good video game? Big tree?? Hmm!!
This is a SPOILER-FREE* breakdown of some of the game design goodness in Elden Ring. Wait, Barry makes videos?!??
Subscribe! IT'S REALLY COOL IF YOU DO ➜ th-cam.com/users/barrykramer?s...
*Footage is only of the early parts of the game but there are breakdowns of some systems so, you know, it's probably like 99% spoiler-free. Also I say it a couple times in the video but please spoiler tag comments if you wanna talk about specific moments late in the game. Thanks! I'M NOT DONE WITH THE GAME YET. I KNOW. I'M CURRENTLY IN [REDACTED] TO THE NORTH AND [REDACTED AGAIN] TO THE EAST, I THINK I'M NEAR THE END GAME??
0:00 Intro
1:36 The Map
6:13 Sites of Grace
9:02 Flasks
13:00 Traversal
16:03 Crafting
19:20 Combat
23:48 Messages
25:45 Conclusion
HATG Logo by Versiris ➜ / versiris
Script Assistance by Bathinjan ( / bathinjan ) and Dan Jones ( / causeimdanjones )
Dog Illustrations by Onsta ➜ / onstamonsta
Will & DVD by Gamblord ➜ / gamblord
Special Thanks to Bathinjan, cawatoons, Curzec, Dan Floyd, Dan Jones, Gamblord, k7vin, Michael Barryte, RinaDeCoro, spootibear, sweetratboy, and Todd Cameron
Persona 5 footage from Snoman Gameplay
• Persona 5 - 5 - Palace
Assassin's Creed Odyssey footage from SourceSpy91
• Assassin's Creed: Odys...
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#EldenRing #Analysis #GameDesign #Dogs - เกม
Thanks for watching! Here's an album of all the chapter art I made without text in case someone wants it for a desktop or whatever: imgur.com/a/LMjP52Q Backgrounds used to scare me but now the mixer brush in Photoshop is my best friend. HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT SEE YOU IN 2025 OR MAYBE SOONER (much, much sooner if you drop by one of my streams wink wink link in the description cough)
YES! Barry you are the freaking best! I was hoping for a good ol barry boy on my desktop!
btw this man procrastinated by playing mh rise and 100%ing mario odyssey dont be fooled
Pls no leave
Barry can you have my children?
YOURE BACK!!!! Good morning!!! its the year 2022.
stopped watching after you called that thing a dog, it's clearly a giraffe
Seek Giraffe,
Then, time for Elden Ring
No, It’s a cheese grater
@@FunnyRatYTnah it's a lawn mower
you mean that elephant?
I love how from all of the dogs at the end, the only one who stayed the same was *THE LOATHSOME DUNG EATER!*
They already got it perfectly the first time
*SPOILER(?)*
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Imagine how much more endearing he would have been as a pupper.
Nothing else about him changes, he’s just a fluffer instead of a barnacle man.
First DLC better have a “Mending Rune of Doggo” for a new ending.
One system that I think is really great and actually pretty ingenious is the addition of the ashes of war, the fact that any plain boring weapon that'd usually be glanced over for something sparkly and unique can have whatever power you want adds so much to those weapons value and actually oft times makes them preferable to the sparkly ones. Plus the fact it gives non-magic users a reason to care about the Mana bar is super cool to me.
also for early-mid game stops players with the wiki on their second monitor from just chasing the best weapon type in each class, realising its not in reach and getting grumpy which is my biggest peeve for games that say "sorry you want to play this arcitype? beat 3/4ths of the game with a build you hate and then you can realize its actually still not that good, or maybe it is good but time to realearn combat now on enemys that will kick your teeth in if you make a mistake"
i decided pretty quickly that i liked magic+spears, and there is still one spear in particular i want but its behind a few bosses so im still happy with this other one that is cool and i can slap some ash on it to make it fun
So, there's this game called Final Fantasy 1, and one of the design tricks it did was constantly making the world feel bigger. You start on a little landmass and then unlock a bridge, now the world is bigger. Then you get a ship, and the world is really big. Then you open up a passage out into the wider ocean and the world is REALLY big. Then you find an airship and the world is massive.
Elden Ring does almost the same thing. Every time you think you've hit the end of where the map can take you, it unfolds with yet another new area, never letting you know where you might end up next. It's a brilliant system, and much more effective than just giving the player totally unrestricted access to the whole map and all the relevant information right off the bat. And really it's something cleverly designed games have been doing for a long time now, an example of how From combines modern game design with more classic principles.
The whole map thing is so accurate.
I remember when I was exploring, heading north to see what was there, then suddenly realised how big the game world was. I'd seen the starting area, and thought that was the whole map. It was big but a little underwhelming. Then I got past Stormveil and into Liurnia, then northern Liurnia, and then it just kept going! I got to a corner, finally, and was simply shocked by how all that foggy empty space on the map... It wasn't empty space. I just couldn't see it yet.
And now, having played into new game +2, I could almost navigate that gargantuan world without any map at all. Its that impressed into my mind, and I love it.
i think the stake of marika is the best addition to elden ring for like a dozen reasons. not overloading the world with even more graces, but allowing you to skip plenty of boss run ups which have always plagued the series. they also subtly encourage you to keep pressing forward. if you teleport away to go do something else, youve gotta get back to the boss/stake to keep trying
So, I disagree about boss runs plaguing the series. At least, not the ENTIRE series. Back in Demon Souls and DS1, more often than not, the level was the real challenge, not the boss. And much of the level was about finding shortcuts, learning the enemies, knowing which ones to kill or run past. Think about levels like Sen's Fortress, and about how much of a non-issue the boss is there. I've heard dozens of players complain about the boss run to Dragonlord Placidusax, but despite that, I've never heard anyone complain about the run to Gwyn, despite it being way longer and full of more enemies. And even then, it's a pretty short run by DS1's standards.
And this I think is entirely due to the change in focus from "Get through the level" to "Get past the boss". Endurance plays a much bigger part of DS1 and Demons Souls. You're far more likely to die from lack of healing in DS1, whereas you may not even get a chance to use your healing in games like Elden Ring and DS3. When the level becomes basically nothing in comparison to the sheer crackhead energy of a boss like Melania, then something like a Stake of Marika is very much appreciated. It's a very different beast nowadays.
@@random767612e Boss runs are really only an issue in DS2.
I ended up using Grace's 9/10 to change 1 thing (spell, more magic flask) something to help for next fight. There are already like 300 sites of grace the only time I found the stakes a marica actually neccessary was at the end of hero Doungeons and some side Doungeons
I agree that they're an amazing addition, but also that the areas have always been harder than the bosses. To this day, every game they make has the areas being harder than their bosses.
I occasionally think the stake is quite lame. Really places the focus on the fight instead of the environment. Not to mention, there are many times I'll see one in the over world and can't help but feel it's spoiled the surprise of a boss up ahead.
I'm not sure why, but it just doesn't click for me like everything else.
Yeah 10 seconds in and I already know this is worth the months of no videos. Thank ya Barry.
And 7 of those were just the intro.
tree.
tree
*points* tree.
Quality >>> quantity
My favorite thing about the flask recharge system is that it incentivizes you to keep at least one blue flask, and thus to use more spells and Ashes of War. In DS3, if you swapped one of your estus flasks to blue, that meant one less heal, and that discouraged mana usage outside of spellcasters. In Elden Ring, now you have a theoretically infinite quantity of whichever flasks you bring. Not only can one blue flask be refilled multiple times, so can the red flasks you now have one less of, so by diversifying, you really only double how many flasks you could have in the long run. It's so clever, I love it.
The flask recharge system was in DS3
**Early Minor Spoilers**
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Barry’s discussion about the intuitive mapping system REALLY gets demonstrated when you accidentally open the trapped chests and get teleported across the map. The first time I got teleported to Caelid, I thought “oh wow the map is over twice as big as I thought!” and that alone made the hellhole worth enduring. But when I took the trapped chest to the capital? My mind couldn’t comprehend just how much game there was left to play. Brilliant stuff.
They're such a flex
@@internetguy7319 Ha! That's the perfect way to say it.
When I first started playing, I made the mistake of ignoring most of the map because I was so conditioned by Darksouls and Bloodborne to keep pressing forward in the “oblivious direction” that I made a beeline for Stormveil Castle and wound up stuck two sites of Grace from Godrick because I was just too under-leveled…
Then I stumbled upon a picture of the ACTUAL entire map on Google and realized that, instead of throwing myself at these same two knights over and over again, I could go back and explore more to the south and do a bunch of stuff that I was borderline OVER-leveled for now instead.
That was the moment I became 100% onboard with Elden Ring being an open world game and probably the only one of its ilk I felt needed to be as big as it was.
Just collecting the next section of the map for a new area became one of the most satisfying moments throughout my play-through.
Never before in my life have I ever felt such a sense of accomplishment from completing a jigsaw puzzle.
@@Corthate it's like a jigsaw puzzle if you had to defeat hordes of enemies just to get the pieces for it lol
Just from soft making us afraid to open treasure chests for the Upteenth time
One of my favorite odd design choices in Elden Ring is that every time you encounter some incomprehensible nightmare-horror you feel confident in your ability to kill it, and every time you encounter something mundane like a dog, lobster, bear, or crab... you should absolutely panic.
The only time I panic and run back to a site of grace for dear life is when a grafted scion just pops up out of nowhere. Even if I'm packin Erdtree Heal with 50+ faith, that thing makes my adrenaline kick in overtime.
im still really early early game but i assume dragons are the exception? or are they not, omg what tf else is there?
Barry finally left his house unlocked again
100% agree on how it's great when a game INCENTIVISES risk-taking.
I've seen so many folks insist I am the problem when I say a game provides too many easy alternatives to a fight. To them, it seems like I'm stubbornly acting like optional difficulty settings are mandatory, when my point is that I don't enjoy ignoring chunks of the game to maintain the fun - I don't like essentially playing with a hand behind my back.
Except exploring is hardly ever worth it, the rewards are barely anything worthwhile. The few rare things are in special places and are fairly obvious. Searching and going off the beaten path just gets you some crafting ingredients, most purple items on the ground aren't worth risking anything. I 100% all of this, did everything, explored all of it. Lots of wasted time copy paste enemies and dungeons.
@@theblackbaron4119 I'm not too sure about that. Just about every optional dungeon or major offshoot has at least one piece of equipment you get, whether that's a spell, accessory, or weapon. Every single one of these has a playstyle you can tap into, especially because respecs can be abundant. That guy in the middle of an early region? One of the best pokies in the game. That coast off the lake? A fantastic weapon skill. There's good shit everywhere if you're not just pigeonholing yourself to the Shortsword with Square Off.
And even besides that, the dungeons usually have at least one unique feature. This den of the dead has a special trick to progressing via a trap. This one's got warring enemies. I'm not a fan of hero's graves, but I'll admit there's a lot of fun to learning how a particular obstacle in them can go away.
Generally if you're complaining about optional difficulty settings, yes, that is a you problem
It comes across much like people bemoaning accessibility features
@@tracyblanchard7663 Not really. Many many overworld enemies are far more risk than they are reward. Weapons, spells, ashes of war, and spirit summons aren't created equally whatsoever, and many of them suck in comparison to ones people could have prior. You're deluded if you think "there's good shit everywhere you just don't want to try the new things >:( "
@@SrTNick1 They tend to be more difficult than you're ready to handle until you both improve your equipment and develop more mastery of the game's mechanics. It's perfectly possible to beat the Tree Sentinel right off the bat using nothing but a basic sword and Square Off when you've gotten yourself more accustomed to the game's flow. And yes, some things are better than others, some are even direct upgrades. But that's why it pays to search all over or get creative and theorycraft. Even a rusty anchor can be an extremely powerful weapon with the right talisman, despite neither being overly good on their own.
And if you're not a fan of that explorative style, go wiki-hopping. I've enjoyed that for playing a variety of builds, seeing where everything is to make a route that's enjoyable. For some people, wandering's just not fun in a game.
The thing I love most about Elden Ring's design changes was how much it addressed little bits of friction that people have complained about for years only to get shouted down by the "get gud" fandom. We got a map, we got shorter runbacks, we got a proper combat tutorial - so many little things to help de-obfuscate the game for newcomers. And look how *little* people miss the older implementations. Elden Ring can still feel plenty hostile like the old games, but it's much less of a chore when you're just getting acquainted.
This! Though have I have seen people complain that it’s the easiest From game, they just need to cope
@@eos_aurora
it is the easiest in the sense that for most of the game you can pick and choose your battles, and outlevel content.
it isn't til endgame where you are forced to fight some bosses , and those bosses are pretty much capable of killing you even at higher levels, but by then you are already addicted so you soldier on.
Honestly, regarding the map starting off small then zooming out as you explore, I am genuinely convinced that mechanic is the most innovative and crucial immersion-focused mechanic that came out of Elden Ring. It is INCREDIBLY EASY to replicate in another game and basically just gives your game free immersion with how it keeps you guessing on how long your journey is actually going to take you. This is such a lovely feature that I wholeheartedly expect to see it in basically every major open-world AAA title to come for... probably the next decade, so long as those other AAA devs have been paying attention.
However! Even more exciting! Is the application potential of this zooming-out-map-mystery-feature to be used in OTHER genres! Imagine a horror game that gives you a map, and then you think you're finally almost done the game as you start to explore into the furthest corners of the map, but then you get another map that shows you've only finished maybe 10% of what you're gonna need to do to get out of this hell hole. The desperation that could cause could be IMMENSE if pulled off right.
It's such an interesting and naturally intuitive way to kind of lie to the player about the scope of their journey and then pull the rug out from under them as soon as they feel comfortable in this space that they've thoroughly explored. And being able to LIE to your players, through gameplay elements that they've come to trust from the conventions of decades of game design--that's something that gives a player a feeling that just can't be replicated by other media; it's what really makes games... games.
Anyway, I'm getting rambly but it's just cuz I'm incredibly excited to see how indie devs and other AAA devs like Naughty Dog, for instance as they tend to be good at immersive systems, use this feature going forward.
Thank you so much Barry for calling out that feature. I know every single one of my friends went "OH MY GOD THE MAP LIES" as soon as they got to the next zones, and it was a running theme among our friends that like "Dude, you don't even *KNOW* how much the map lies!" (a way of them telling me they were much further into the game than me lmao).
It's seriously one of my favorite things about Elden Ring that sets it apart from any other game I've ever played.
Doesn’t one of the Classic Castlevania kinda sorta do that? Like, with the flip?
It's silly at this point but this feeling is what I felt with FF7 initially because i thought midgar was plenty large and compelling enough to have a whole game in. Leaving and getting an entire world to explore was pretty crazy because if the game had taken a different development path they could have just used one large city. It was far from my first JRPG so the world map was nothing innovative or new, but getting there sure was
Every time i got a new map piece and saw the world get even larger. I was blown away.. And then. Spoiler::
The underground world is damn vast. I found myself there in my 1st 3hrs.. Couldnt kill. But man. I looted the crap out of that place. Got a shield a bow and a gr8 experience
@@halcyon6098 Yeah, I found one of the well elevators pretty early on and was like "oh shit, that means the map could be doubled" and... not quite, but yeah there is a LOT down there!
@@drdca8263 Maybe! I've admittedly never played the original Castlevania games, but if so, then that's pretty phenomenal!
I think the only reason it has so much bigger of an impact now, compared to back then, is now we have a few more decades of game design conventions drilled into our gamer instincts. Having a change like that occur mid-game affects us a lot more deeply now, whereas gaming was so fresh back in those days that everything was new. It was a lot harder to pick out such subtle features like that when there was so much else to focus on.
I played Horizon Forbidden West when it came out, then I started playing Elden Ring when it came out the next week. Horizon is beautiful and its open world is impressive, but I got a lot more out of exploring Elden Ring's world, even though it's not as graphically advanced. I think part of it is that the art design and colors used in Elden Ring's world makes it more interesting to look at, but the lack of map or on-screen guidance that you mentioned is probably a factor as well. It made it so that each discovery was MY discovery, not something I was tour-guided into.
Without getting spoilery, my absolute favorite discovery was when I stumbled upon my first BIG underground area. I didn't expect anything like that in the game. It really made me feel like this is a legitimate world with mysteries that I can go out and discover myself. Nothing was pointing me to it and telling me to go there, nor did I get any previous indication that anything like that area existed. It made the world so much bigger to me. It is possible for open-world games to be TOO big, of course, since that often means they're barren and uninteresting. However, the visual design and variety of Elden Ring's world coupled with the lack of on-screen guidance made me want the world to be bigger so I could keep discovering its mysteries.
You can tweak Horizon Forbidden West's UI a ton in the options menu. That said, Elden Ring is certainly better looking artistically imo.
YEEEES FINALLY ANOTHER EPISODE
I love this show
Even when showing up for 30 seconds, Dan Jones' comedic timing is always impeccable
It makes me beyond happy to see a new how about this game. Years ago, your first how about this game on skyward sword inspired me to start thinking more critically about video games, and looking into the systems behind them. And a month ago, I graduated with a degree in game design. You helped set me on this path, and I love that you're still making more.
I love the final fight against two giant trees fused together to make a bicycle.
@Thanks 🅥 No, it isn’t
You'd think they'd turn into a boat, given how much wood they contain. Nope, giant bike.
Absolutely loved this video and the discussion on design. But I also loved all the extra edits and little details - like at 22:28 when Miles flies through the text. Excellent edit, Barry! 😙👌
YES BARRY! i love hearing you talk about games and game design. also i see your homestar runner flask reference and i appreciate it so much, keep up the great work xox
The mapping system feels like a reverse-version of BotW.
In BotW you see something interesting in the world, mark it then check where it appears on the map.
In ER you see something interesting on the map, mark it then check where it is in the world.
Wow, thank you sm spambot!
Sorry to see that you have to deal with this bs too, @Barry Kramer.
Don't forget the MASSIVE variety of weapons, armor, shields, etc, all of which can be swapped to in a moments notice. No carry weight restrictions, dozens of options to complete encounters, beautifully crafted landscapes/settings, and ability to respec multiple times every play through really cater the game to the player vs just telling you to get good. There's always something off in the distance to peak your interest which makes it so difficult to put down. I'm over 400hrs in on my 5th journey and despite 100% every aspect of the game I still will play hours a day for a week or two straight before wanting to play something else. Truly a candidate for game of the decade.
I lost it at "you CAN get ye flask".
It's nice to know that this SB email line lives rent free in other peoples minds also.
Elden ring had such a strong effect on me. Just listening to this guy had me subconsciously do the button combo to summon my horse...
In animal crossing.
That muscle memory will getcha
On the same lines as the stamina not being a thing outside of combat I really like the equip load carry system. No need for sitting down to store stuff everytime you pick up a new
thats only a thing in demons souls because its terrible. the other games knew better
What an amazing video game. I wish I could re-experience it for the first time again, even though it feels like I do anyways.
100% in alignment with you.
Absolutely knocked it outta the park with this Barry, this 100% sold me on Elden Ring and now all I want to do is go home and play so I can start exploring and dying a lot. It sounds like there's SO much to not only see and do but also so much to make the experience really memorable and enjoyable and I'm READY. Thanks for another amazing video, dude! This was fantastic and your explanations paired with your thoughts and comedic drops are always an absolute joy :D
Love to see Barry in my sub box
Very good video as always! The goofy fall yells never stopped being funny XD
Also for the longest time I was wondering "Hey I heard Onsta made some art for this, I wonder where that is?"...and then that part of the video came up and hit me like a truck and was the most beauiful thing I've laid my eyes on!
no i dont think i will spam bot. good day
I love that dog themed elden ring cutscene. I also love that "the loathesome dung eater" is the only one that didn't have a name change XD
Barry's Back!!! Can't wait to hear your take on KH4 and Sonic!
The ambient music in this game is gonna stick with me forever. That nostalgia feeling already.
Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation put the feeling of Elden Ring's open world really well: "here is my world," the game says, "I don't care where you go, because wherever you go, you will find something to do." And it takes real confidence in your world to be able to boast that.
One of my only gripes with Elden Ring is how easy it is to skip important content or get locked out of certain quests and endings without knowing why or how...
...which is unfortunate because it is also one of the best things about Elden Ring.
It's actually pretty hard to miss important content or lock yourself out of questlines. The only real exceptions are with Seluvis and Rya's quests.
1 video for 2022? You spoil us my big Barry boy!
God i love that stamina system, we need this as the standard
Regarding the blood vials mentioned at 9:30
Out of all the FromSoft healing systems, that one always felt the strangest to me. It's like a hybrid of the _Demons'_ and _Dark_ systems in the worst way. A healing pool that relies on item drops yet still has a cap in regular exploration. Like, the _Demons' Souls_ grass isn't great, but you can technically farm/buy a bunch of it and carry it with you everywhere. _Bloodborne's_ vials are already capped at 20 (or slightly more with certain runes) so why make it a consumable at all? It just takes away from the general flow of the game if you do run out and have to halt your progress in order to grind. Plus they could still include random vial drops as little bonuses or as a way of rewarding the player if an area is especially punishing.
I'm sure From already knows this since newer games haven't used that system but I just wanted to discuss some more it since it was brought up. Great video, Barry! Especially loved the segment at the end!
Mergo's Pig Fisting Farming route is burned into my memory. Not exactly the greatest takeaway for a game lol.
(Art/Direction wise the game is a masterpiece, but yeah the gameplay had some questionable balancing.)
I felt like the farming and grinding was a worthwhile part of the experience. It thematically kept you tied to the mythos, of course, but mechanically it also reinforced the idea of your own frailty and powerlessness in the face of eldritch horror. The cap says, "Yeah, you only have so much blood. You're a person fighting Gods. Good luck!"
Plus, the really good places to farm for vials tended to be earlier zones and I am a player who actively appreciates running up against early game enemies as a later game powerhouse to show you your own progress... or to keep you humble when a giant pig wrecks your sh*t because you weren't paying attention in Old Yharnam.
I enjoy the meditative quality of running out of a resource because you've hit a wall of difficulty and having the time to reassess your approach while also mowing through earlier enemies that at one point were providing that same kind of difficulty. It's very shounen anime training montage sequence and I am a sucker for that no matter the medium.
I think they limited healing in that way as a sort of balance measure to the fact that not only is healing faster but also the mechanic of healing back damage you've taken recently by attacking. The fact that it's consumable can be annoying if you run out, but vials feel so plentiful that I only really run out when I'm *really* struggling with a specific boss (which I guess in bloodborne does happen more than once in a common playthrough)
From someone who prefers it my thing is that it keeps me from banging my head against an enemy and have to stop being stubborn and persistent because I can't heal anymore. Gotta take a break and go enjoy beating up weaker enemies for a minute
God how long I've craved to get a new one of these
Hell yeah Barry!!
Something extra convenient I wish they added. Was accessing the inventory/equipment menu at a site of Grace.
More unique weapon animations. I want using spears to be flashy. Lots more spinning.
And ashes of war that can be used while moving or instant
One of my main issues with the Souls series:
Spears are stuck in the Medieval times, with all of the stabby stabby.
Spears can do more than that...
@@acetrigger1337 I want like Benkei or Lu Bu levels of crazy stuff. Also they’re so damn slow always
ONSTA ART REALLY GOOD!
Also really great work! I love how you're able to cover the depth of a concept in a relatively quick manner.
The quiet goofy wail with the guy falling off the cliff at like 7:40 is chef's kiss
Love that you took a pause to express these ideas in this vid!
I was NOT ready for the last part. A truly great way to end a good dog. I mean dog. I mean videog. I MEAN-
I deeply appreciate the effort that went into this window. Double checking the pronunciation of Mana? Amazing. AMAZING.
also hi.
Think I meant video instead of window but autocorrect has spoken and I refuse to change it. If you’re reading this may your future be blessed with good windows
I go to a tower for a memory stone, I open the chest and there’s a message: “Unexpected surprise.”
Something to that effect. I laughed for a while.
The legend returns
So good to watch another HBTG! Had a great time watching the editing streams and I'm so happy to see the end product. Great job, Barry!
I never played Elden Ring, yet this video is wonderfully fun to watch. I love your tone and you're always on point with your opinions. I love it!
Sick takes dude. Glad you're enjoying it as much as I am.
This is easily my favorite game of all time and I'm in the same boat where I haven't even finished it yet. I'm only on the third area, but I've put in like 100hrs already doing literally everything I possibly can before moving forward with the main story. Enjoy the rest of your run!
My biggest take away from this video: I’ve always told myself that I’m not a fromsoft person and those games just aren’t for me and that’s fine. But elden ring appears to be the outlier exception. There’s a lot of accessibility and quailty of life compared to past games that makes me say “hey maybe just give a shot ya dingus!”
100%
Even for people who don't like FromSoft games, I try to explain to them that Elden Ring really isn't your standard FromSoft game. It's more immersive, it's more exploration-heavy, and aside from the actual bosses, most of the regular enemies you find around aren't quite as difficult as the regular enemies in other Souls games, so this results in progression being easier than other Souls games, while defeating bosses still remains a very daunting and rewarding challenge.
Another element is how much friendlier they made the multiplayer experience. The password system is much cleaner and definitely net-coded more efficiently for finding your friends, and a lot of the bosses seem to be designed with a few more big area attacks compared to previous games, implying through design that they really intended for people to use summons and have their friends play with them moreso than previous titles. This is also evident through the summoning item you get, which seems to be meant to make up for if you don't have a jolly cooperator.
So with focuses on quality of life improvements, accessibility features, multiplayer-in-mind design principles, and exploration being more important than just slogging through the linear paths, this makes for a MUCH better casual experience than other FromSoft games.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
As a fellow non-FromSoft person who has tried to like this series since Demon's Souls, Elden Ring is the furthest I've gotten in one of these gams. I still put it down after about 8 hours to play games that I had a better connection with. I do think this is the last time I'm going to try a souls-like though.
@@davehoffman515 8 hours? You quit after the character creation?
I bet my life you tried playing those games and never finished them. Actually other games are equally user-friendly if you give them an actual chance. It is just the fake image of From Soft games that has been pushed in the public. I know some video game journalists that HAVE NOT PLAYED DARK SOULS FFS because they are afraid. Insane.
It's actually the worst game to start with, it's too easy and not punishing enough
Start with Bloodborne or Demon's Souls first for a real no bs experience
Your videos never fail to imflabberpress me Barry.
Seeing Missile, just a regular, tiny, wonderful Pomeranian, at the end there made me laugh way more than it should've
I've never played Elden Ring myself, and I was surprised to hear immensely mixed feelings towards it from those I know who have beaten it. So it was interesting to hear a positive but just as constructive take on the mechanics! Honestly, if I ever end up buying the game, I'm tempted almost just to completely ignore every bit of combat and lore and JUST to explore the stunning environments presented in it. The breathtaking world design is something everyone I know agrees on LOL
Such an excellent and well put together video Barry! Thank you for all your work on it!
There's a massive difference in difficulty through the game depending on your playstyle(s). If you're willing to summon spirits and use whatever weapons/builds people recommend for the hard bosses, I'm sure you could eventually make it through everything. And if you're truly exploring the map thoroughly in-depth, you should find all the healing-upgrade churches and the buffs flask, though I explored thoroughly and still just barely missed a couple lol, so look up their locations if you struggle
woah this is so long be careful to not overwork yourself! love your content so would love to enjoy it for as long as I can long term
It's satisfying because you finally have control over the game, you making all decisions like where to go and what to do, rather than game giving you everything from the get go. 🔥💯
I just recently finished my first playthrough after having gotten addicted immediately on launch and then taking a break after I started having controller issues, and instead of going to NG+ I decided to start a fresh file as the Wretch class (mostly because it'll mean I can respec into whatever I want later with minimal points locked into stats I don't need but also cuz I thought it'd be fun starting with as close to nothing as possible now that I'm plenty familiar with the game's systems and junk) and I had a blast the first time, and I'm having a blast doing it again but better.
There's a ton I could talk about, but right now I'd just like to mention how hilariously emotionally resonant it was to be reading the messages leading up to the final boss and one of them is, "behold, Elden Ring!" It was like the other shoe had finally dropped.
Thank you for bringing back this series
What I love the most about Elden Ring is that if you start a new game, you’re not dreading it like with other Dark Soul-like installments. Elden Ring is…special. You can make your own adventures and choose whether to reign chaos or bring peace.
Also, it’s good to see you again, Barry. Best of luck to your many ventures in the near future, brave tarnished. ☺️
I kept hearing about how great the map was, and I didn't understand it for the longest time, it was just a weird blurry grey outline.
It turns out I'd missed picking it up in Limgrave 20 hours ago.
The dog outro/intro cinematic is a piece of modern art.
Love you Barry, I will wait any time it needs for your videos.
Great video! Absolutely loved dog part at the end
Love the video, perfect encapsulation of what I love (and sometimes am annoyed with) Elden Ring. But....
Oh man, that bit at the end was worth just, everything. Onsta's art is truly God-tier
When I first started I honestly thought Limgrave and Caelid was the entire Elden Ring where Caelid was the end game area. Now that I'm in NG+ I look back and laugh at how foolish I was to think that.
every time i thought i was at the end of the video and then turned it back on to see if there was a bit more there was. . .the dog bit and the 3 years bit may be one of the most memorable video endings i have ever seen on these types of long videos about games we all love, or love to hate but in this case love.
YESSSS I LOVE THIS SERIES!!! so glad we’ve got another episode
Playing Elden Ring feels like the daydreams I almost exclusively have when I’m camping
Mild spoiler, but mostly just a warning to newer players:
Make sure you fully explore Leyndell, Royal Capital ***before*** you beat Maliketh in Farum Azula. Killing him will lock you out of the Royal Capital, and you lose access to everything in there until NG+.
Where were you when I was approaching the end of my first play-through?!
I wish I’d remembered to go back after I was actually powerful enough to survive all of the Capital.
Making my way to Morgott was the such a stressful and harrowing experience (second only to Miquella's Haligtree) that I ignored 2/3rds of the entire dungeon just so I could reach what I THOUGHT was the final Site of Grace.
Then I got so focused on everything to the North and underground that I completely forgot to double back and check all the areas I’d been too scared to explore on my first visit.
One of the few problems I have with the game were the surprises that locked me out of areas - like you said - and questlines without proper warning. Spoilers for one below:
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This is about Ranni and Seluvis, so don't read on if you plan to do those things. Ranni's servant, Seluvis, sent me one a quest to give a drink to someone, little doubt for nefarious purposes. I'll never know until I next playthough (or I look it up), though, because Ranni randomly kills him after I give her a knife, an important quest item.
The problem with that is that the game gave no heads-up that Ranni even had ill will towards the guy. Seluvis was... rude to me a couple times, but he seemed utterly dedicated to his "Lady," Ranni. All it would have taken was Ranni saying "Seluvis concerns me. If my suspicions prove true, I may have to see to him personally" or something like that, even something vaguely threatening.
Love the game, just saying.
@@augustuslxiii Your gripe is fully explained in Seluvis' questline, and you should already have suspected that end result by the point you reached in his questline. I can confidently tell you that you had all the information you needed to figure it out. And I can also say without spoilers that you were 1 quest objective away from being explicitly told why that happens.
@@dontmisunderstand6041 lol What are you talking about? No one said anything about anyone killing anyone. Like you said, it seems I was an objective *away* from anything being explained. There was no way for me to know the questline would be unceremoniously closed. And you can’t seem to tell me how it should have been otherwise, just trying to make it sound like I’m an idiot.
This is just one example. Game does this all the time. It tells you you’ll burn the Erdtree, but not cover the ground in so much ash that you can’t go back to the city.
You need the Internet to know these things. I mean, people have had to make explanatory, graphical pictures to explain it just based on what they’ve heard and went through. It’s a design flaw of the game.
Still a brilliant game in every other respect. You can love something and critique it.
@@augustuslxiii The clues were there. By that point you already knew that Seluvis' entire body of work was creating puppets out of actual people, and that he was a very conniving and thinks far too highly of himself. His introduction also explicitly tells you that he only "invited" you to visit him as a formality, and that he had no desire or intention of assisting you (or by extension Ranni, from context) in any way. He is willing to engage with you only *after* you've proven yourself useful to his personal goals. This is all information you had, and didn't take heed of, and leads to the natural conclusion that eventually he'll bite off more than he can chew. Piss off the wrong person. The red flags were already raised by the point you reached. The information you were about to receive only hints at *who* would give him his comeuppance, not that it would happen.
As for the Ashen Capital... that's just obvious. You saw the tree. Everyone should generally understand what fire is and how it works. There is some merit to your argument in regard to Seluvis. This one is strictly a you problem, not a game problem.
You absolutely do not need the internet for this. People figured these things out on their own without it, that's how these facts ended up on the internet in the first place. The one thing Elden Ring actually excels at is in its guidance toward questlines. It's the only thing it actually does correctly. Elden Ring is a very flawed game. That is not one of its flaws.
I love you Barry, glad to see you’re back!!
Hell yeah another great Barry vid that makes ya really think about why something is good. Elden Ring fun #Bleed4Life
Love you Barry! Happy to see a new upload!
The friend you wish you spent more time with is back! So worth the wait every time
I always get excited when you put out a new video
Other than some legacy dungeons having really unintuitive design (mostly the wide open ones, where you have no idea which direction you need to go or which places you haven't checked), Elden Ring has been an absolute delight. It's the first of these games to truly engross me, and it did so with variety and a feeling of agency. This was a great video in terms of elucidating thoughts that were kicking around in my mind in much vaguer forms.
glad to see you back making another video
Good to see you back!
I can't believe you made a video for my birthday! It always brightens up my day when I see that you've uploaded
Missed you good sir. Always a joy to see you in the feed
I love these. i would also love the "Stamina video" you spoke about
Barry! You’re back! I missed you! I love the way you talk about games.
Honestly i hope more adventure games adopt world maps that zooms out more as you explore more of it, that feeling when you realize, no- there is so much more than i thought, is just a great feeling
Funny and informative, as usual.
And i totally get you, i got like 300 hours in Elden Ring, and still haven't beaten it either...
Great video Barry. Thanks for the great content and all the effort you put in
"You *can* get ye flask." Wasn't expecting a Homestar Runner reference in the Year of our Lord 2022!
Glad i came back to see how barry was doing after all these years, this video is amazing and highlights many of the reasons i love elden ring but worded way better than i could ever do.
This game was one that I bought on a roommate’s console and was never able to finish due to moving out. I played through a good amount of the game and on thing that people say that I hate, and you mentioned towards the end of the video, is how Elden Ring is “just Dark Souls 4”. The people saying it usually haven’t even gotten it or tried it and just have to have their opinion out there but this game deserve more than being labeled as “just” another Dark Souls game.
Agreed. Last time I enjoyed a game so much as I did with elden ring was back in 2017 with breath of the wild. Yet I have only 1 problem with the game and it's last boss. Whole game is made in the way that lets you play the way you want. So obviously I created a pure holy/faith build. And last boss is basically resistant to holy damage. So coded sword does almost 0 damage to him. It was really bad to completely change my play style and respec into different build just to beat that one boss
I understand that frustration but faith specifically gives you access to holy AND fire damage which, with a few minor exceptions, there's really nothing that resists both at the same time.
While I agree with the comment that mentions other elemental types, for myself on my pure faith build, I was power stancing coded sword and golden epitaph. Which made last bosses practically impossible. Spamming black flame instead of R1 forever wasn't my ideal fight but it did work
@@JBLZFTW There's plenty of options you still got apart from fire incantations. A crapton of smithing stone pickups and Flame Art infusion to turn literally any basic weapon into a pure faith-scaling fire weapon. This is in addition to the many non-holy, faith scaling weapons out there. No matter your build, if you're sticking to only one way to play and with only a single element then you're playing a challenge run.
@@voraito right, any *basic* weapon, if you read my comment both weapons I used were ones that could not have their scaling or element changed, coded sword doesn't even deal any physical damage.
Most weapons fall under this catagory as well, there are very few worthwhile faith weapons let alone ones that can be infused
Now I want to play the game even more! Perfect video as always Barry
Thanks for the awesome video, Barrold!
Omg that dog outro had me rolling! Great stuff Barry!!!
THE PRODIGAL SON RETURNS 💕💕
I love these analysis videos so much! You make it all so interesting to listen to
This was a really great video! Informative and entertaining! The editing stands out from any contemporaries and feels unique in its production and humor. I like Barry videos. Per-may-haps I'll watch it again in the near future, to get the good-good, informative funnies again!
Love you Barry! And I love Trilby and Scrubbins and Barry. Always happy to see more content
I like how the "and speaking of pain" at 19:19 was followed immediately by a commercial LOL
Literally had the thought yesterday "Ya know, I haven't seen anything from Barry lately" and lo, he returns to us
Great video sir, glad you’re back
IM SO HAPPY YOURE BACK C:
I always feel so blessed when I find out that Barry has graced us with another video, thank you for once more giving us the gift of your unique wit and humor!