Was it worth the wait?

Elden Ring has already proven itself as an enormously successful game, and in some ways it really does live up to the hype. Now that I'm finished with it, however, I'm not entirely convinced that the open world was a fitting addition to the FromSoft formula, and there are times when it gets in the way of what made the series work in the first place. This review / critique / video essay is my attempt to explain why.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
4:00 - Open World & Exploration
34:22 - Level Design, Combat & Difficulty
1:10:34 - Conclusion