Elden Ring — Review
Four years on from launch, Elden Ring is settled enough to evaluate properly as a complete package. Here's the review of FromSoft's open-world bet, judged on its own terms.
2 min read
Franchise Hub
Soulsborne
FromSoftware's genre-defining action RPG series, spanning Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring.
Few developers have shaped modern gaming as decisively as FromSoftware. What began with Demon's Souls in 2009 — a punishing, atmospheric action RPG that most publishers considered uncommercial — grew into one of the most influential franchises in the medium's history.
The "Soulsborne" label is a community-coined term that encompasses the interconnected design philosophy running through Demon's Souls, the Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring. Each game iterates on the core principles of challenging but fair combat, interconnected world design, and environmental storytelling that rewards careful observation.
What makes the Soulsborne series endure isn't just difficulty — it's the way these games respect the player's intelligence. Lore is embedded in item descriptions. Shortcuts connect areas in ways that reveal the world's architecture. Every death teaches something. The result is a series that has redefined player expectations across the entire action RPG genre and spawned countless imitators, none of which have quite captured the same magic.
Key Games in the Series
Demon's SoulsDark SoulsDark Souls IIDark Souls IIIBloodborneSekiro: Shadows Die TwiceElden Ring
Soulsborne Reviews
Explore More Franchises
Animal Crossing
Nintendo's life-sim series — slow, seasonal, conversational, and quietly one of the most influential game designs of the last twenty years.
Assassin's Creed
Ubisoft's long-running historical-action series — from the stealth-focused original trilogy to the modern RPG-scale epics.
Battlefield
DICE's large-scale military shooter franchise — vehicles, destruction, and 64-player chaos across three decades of release cycles.
The GamesOracle Dispatch
One email a week. The best of what we published, played, and thought about.