For a refresher on how the voting works, read here.
It was awarded the most anticipated game of the year several years running at the Keighleys but, at last, this year saw the release of Elden Ring, the high-fantasy crossover between Hidetaka Miyazaki, the mind behind many of From Software’s staggering IP, and George R. R. Martin.
In a year with many, many open worlds, Elden Ring’s felt most organic and fertile for exploration. Not only did scouring the game’s vast land reveal much about its history, players quickly learned it revealed a lot about them too, demanding the standard fortitude to see the journey through.
Not many games became a lock in the zeitgeist like Elden Ring did as every small discovery within the world felt like big news.
It became the conversation.
In his review, Harry scored Elden Ring a 9.5 out of 10 stating: “While it feels like the impact of Breath of the Wild is waning as the open world genre starts to stagnate again, Elden Ring stands out as not only an achievement in FromSoftware’s hall of fame, but also as an open-world RPG. Elden Ring is without a doubt, FromSoftware’s most ambitious undertaking yet, and like Dark Souls before it, I believe it will leave a permanent mark on both the open-world genre and the games industry in general.”
What Elden Ring Meant To Us
James Says
“I’ve never been one to enjoy From Software games as much as everyone else, but I’d be lying if I said that both Sekiro and Elden Ring haven’t made me into a bit of a believer of Hidetaka Miyazaki and his talented teams. Elden Ring took everything players love about Soulsborne games and perfectly transplanted it into a rich open world teeming with lore penned by none other than George R.R. Martin himself.
Such choice to take things open world only bolstered the already strong gameplay offering too, offering players the choice to simply walk away and try something else before returning to it stronger than ever. While it’s not as well balanced as Sekiro, Elden Ring was far and away my most inviting and engrossing games of 2022.”
Harry Says
“With a pedigree like FromSoftware’s, it was never a question of if Elden Ring was going to be good, it was always how good is it going to be? For me, Elden Ring is a confident showcase of how far the studio has come since Demon’s Souls, an amalgamation and celebration of everything that has come before it.
Simultaneously revitalising the open world formula and further cementing FS as the king of the genre they created, Elden Ring is an achievement in game design and world-building unlike any other. It all comes together to make for an unforgettable experience that sticks with you long after you’ve fully experienced The Lands Between.”
As it stands on Metacritic, Elden Ring is currently sitting at an incredible 96 based on 84 critic reviews.
PRESS START’S 2022 GOTY LIST
#10 – Pentiment
#9 – Kirby and the Forgotten Land
#8 – Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
#7 – Sifu
#6 – Xenoblade Chronicles 3
#5 – Horizon Forbidden West
#4 – Cult of the Lamb
#3 – Immortality
#2 – Elden Ring
