The little successes and big joys in The Eldon Ring

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I had just been playing for a few hours when I collided with a giant I had never seen before. After coming out of the "study cave" that served as a tutorial area, I did not follow the guidance of the blessing and went north, turned around and headed south. When I got to the head and jumped down, a desolate sand stretched out before my eyes. I was there to pick flowers, pass by the scattered enemies, and rehabilitate the various techniques of the Soul player. When you're tired of practicing, sit down and take a break. But I soon realized that there was only one dangerous way to get back on the right path.

All the way to the big jump and sprint, finally run to the halfway, you can stop and breathe a little. In a turn of the camera, a half-naked giant creature came into view, it looked like a withered mallet, but carrying a large sword that was as tall as three characters, at my level, there was a high probability of being stabbed in a second. So I quickly squatted down, took cover from the bushes next to me, and peeked at the slowly patrolling giant in front of me. Every time it took a step, the vibration of the earth seemed to come through the headphone cable, making my brain tremble. I only dared to move one step at a time, so I slowly rubbed along the road, feeling far enough away, before I dared to spread my legs and flee the scene. In terms of the most chilling and adrenaline-pumping game experience, the section of the road just now can definitely rank up. My Journey to the Ring of Eldon law was made up of such exciting little triumphs.

I've played every Dark Soul, blood curse and Wolf: Shadow Dead Twice, but none of them have been studied in depth. "Only Wolf: Shadow Death Twice" is my work task, so I barely managed to pass the level, and the other works were only tasted for dozens of hours - unfortunately, I did not let me indulge in it day and night. This is not because of the death too many times, the essence of the "soul" game is cruel, I know this very well, and I have the strength to try again and again. The hardships and obstacles along the way and hundreds of deaths could not stop me. But I was so full of thoughts that I would hurry to the next boss, and I wouldn't have time to explore around, let alone experience the world with my whole heart.

FromSoftware's game always hides forks in the road, relying on special extra points and the help of online "good brothers" to "skip class" various bosses. But with the exception of "Only Wolf: Shadow Passed Twice", copying this kind of short path cannot bring a sense of accomplishment, and I feel ashamed of it when I win. I thought that "Eldon's Ring of Law" was also this way, but when I plunged into it, I found that there was a "sense of openness" everywhere, and if I explored carefully, I could find a variety of exquisite mechanisms, allowing me to realize all kinds of fantastic ideas, satisfy my curiosity and get a lot of rewards.

This time, Eldon's Ring of Law abandons a purely linear process, a change that has also been well received. The basic routine of the "soul class" game is still there, and those dungeons and layered fortresses are full of visual sense. The biggest difference is that if you can't solve the puzzle in front of you, you can't beat the strong enemy who guards the goal, it doesn't matter, your journey can still continue. Demon Souls gave me only a few regional options, each of which was equally torturous, while Eldon's Ring allowed me to teleport to other places when I hit a wall, get stronger, and come back to avenge myself, without having to be loveless in the same place.

The mechanism I'm going to talk about below looks simple, but it's actually an integral element of The Eldon's Falun's super immersion. Have you ever noticed that when you are racing in the open world, you can always see all kinds of hostile groups, some camped, some patrolling along the road, ready to steal a knife from you. After killing the entire hostile group, the Dew Drop Holy Grail Bottle can be replenished (not all filled up). In this way, after the big war, you can immediately heal the wounds on your body and continue on your journey. No more hard work to run back to the recent blessing rest, and the monsters that have been hit will not be refreshed. I used this mechanism to run all the way from point A to point B, and the feeling of being able to return blood after fighting monsters was simply a sense of accomplishment. Not to mention the more difficult encounters, the winner has to laugh to the end.

With this mechanic, it's easier for players to keep up the momentum, and in addition to that, The Eldon's Ring of Law encourages people to be "head iron" and give it a bold try, even if it seems unlikely. For example, I came across a heavily guarded camp, and in terms of general handling, I could of course break the soldiers inside, but there was also a powerful monster that was quite difficult to deal with. After trying a few times, I found that as soon as the horses galloped through the camp and attracted the hatred of the archers, the goblins waiting for the opportunity at the entrance would flock up and fight with the soldiers. That powerful monster is closest to the main road, so it's the first to bear the brunt of it - I just have to sit back and enjoy it, and finally use a ranged spell to make up for it.

For example, there was a group of soldiers guarding the gate of Hyde Fortress, and I just stepped in with one foot, throwing bombs and putting bombs, and rats and beating me up. Fortunately, after destroying this group of bad things, I can replenish the Holy Grail Bottle, restore the amount of health, and continue to climb up - just get off the ladder, and the knight waiting for it will fall with his knife and let me die on the spot. Well, the "Suffering" session is still a reserved show in the game, but the player's goals have quietly changed, and we don't have to rush to the next boss room, the result is important, and the process is also tasteful.

FromSoftware's previous games have always frustrated me, but this time, I spent 20 hours wandering the world of Eldon's Circle of Law, still in high spirits. The gaming experience is still nerve-chilling, but miraculously, I always feel that I have a way to persevere and solve the dilemma. Along the way, each small victory taught me new points of knowledge and inspired me to keep going and collect more exclusive memories that are worth cherishing and reminiscing. Heck, squatting in the bushes with numb feet, make up your mind, I'm going to get on!

Translation: Zhou Xiao

Edit: Tonkotsu ramen