Neither Faded nor Cursed

I'd like to start by saying how nice it is to finally see some real footage of Elden Ring in action.  The graphics, from a technical perspective, aren't exactly next gen.  That said, the art direction more than makes up for it.  I've noticed quite a few people who have played the preview build, mention similarities to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.  It's certainly not hard to see where they're coming from.  Even back when Demon's Souls had just come out, I picked up on how much the moment-to-moment combat was like Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.  Ocarina of Time, after all, is the first big three-dimensional action RPG with an open world for players to explore.  Elden Ring, true to it's roots, has a bit more grim and gritty vibe to it, though not without some of the signature whimsy the Souls series is known for.

If I have one reservation with Elden Ring, it has to do with a return to the overused medieval European fantasy aesthetic.  For quite some time now, I have hoped that From Software and Hidetaka Miyazaki would consider a more sci-fi theme along the lines of Returnal.  If one were to ditch the rogue-like elements, place greater emphasis on melee combat, and spice up some of those enemy designs, Returnal would be a Souls game in all but name.  As is though, the setting in Elden Ring feels a bit generic even with (or perhaps because of) George R. R. Martin's input with respect to the story and background.  It's almost as if some of what made From Software's action RPGs some unique has been diluted for the sake of a broader scope.  As Patrick Klepek joked over on the Waypoint Radio podcast, Miyazaki probably told his design team to dig out all their rejected creature concepts from previous titles in order to meet the monster type quota needed for a game of this size.  That's not to say the enemy design is bad...just more eclectic than in the highly focused Sekiro and Bloodborne.

Regardless of those nitpicks, I am very much looking forward to playing this game when it launches next year.  In particular, I'm really curious to see how the plot unfolds and what kind of surprised are in store throughout the as of yet unrevealed parts of the map.  In a first for From Software will we get a proper desert environment?  Only time will tell...