Oh yeah Castle Morne was great, really enjoyed how you climb down the dungeon to the boss in a little corner of the area. I'll agree the game can be obtuse (like fromsoft normally is) I do think it would be nice if you had a little note book in your inventory that kept up with things of interest, not on your map but things that the game hints might be worth checking out that youve already had hinted to you by the game (so it isnt spoiling anything) just in case you forget since the game is large.You make some really good points and I do wish I saw the game like that. It’s just, for example, I never got that sense of connection between the zones. Yes, the same links and pathways are there, to be revealed, but it felt like a chore, rather than a moment of revelation.
Agree on the legacy dungeons. Really enjoyed them as they felt like traditional DS. And I loved Castle Morne.
I also thing the game is just flat out too big. And it’s also too obtuse. I spent three hours dicking around the zone before the wizard chick dungeon, trying to find the key to the door. It was in some random ruins across the map, behind a dragon.
That was the moment, probably after about 15 hours or so, that the game started to irritate me. That’s not ‘the magic of exploration’. That’s just arrogant game design.
I laboured on and beat the game after about 70 hours or so, but I had to seriously force myself. Doubt I’ll ever pick it up again.
Whereas I’m currently on my 6th or 7th DS3 playthrough.
I just hope From don’t abandon traditional Souls for Open World. It would be great for them to do both.
To be fair in that instance for the Raya Lucarian Academy there is a map that shows you where the key is right at the door to the academy, now you do have to find the door first but there's a teleporter (maybe 2) that teleport you there and landmarks on your map that would indicate it as a point of interest to check, you also could just skip the academy altogether if you werent enjoying the Liurnia zone (it is very hard to navigate by design due to the mist which is good for atmosphere but can make you get annoyed by getting lost (cough see Consecrated Snow Field cough) and head towards the Altus Plateu, the Canorian Manor, Ansel River or Even Caelid if you dared.
Yeah if you werent having fun you definitely should have just dropped it for something else, 70 hours is too long to not enjoy yourself. It sounds to me you probably just didnt value the exploration part of it and preferred a defined road with less of a time commit.
I think they will do both but mostly linear, I actually think Elden Ring will be there only open world game for a long while until Elden Ring 2 (please let this happen!!).
Last edited: