1 Thing every Soulsborne Game did better than Elden Ring

With the 10+ years of experience Fromsoftware has in making these games, it's surprising how many little things were done in the past that felt like they should've been a non-issue, but here we are. I discuss 1 detail from every prior Soulsborne game that I felt has been done better than it is in Elden Ring! You can let me know your takes in the comments :)

0:00 - Intro
0:31 - Demon's Souls
4:07 - Dark Souls 1
7:02 - Dark Souls 2
9:21 - Bloodborne
11:32 - Dark Souls 3
14:39 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
16:53 - Outro

#EldenRing #Fromsoftware #DarkSouls

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[BertoPlease]

I want to address a few things because some folks are making assumptions that are just outright wrong and are maybe getting heated for the wrong reason: Obviously Elden Ring isn't my favorite game in the series but I still LIKE it a lot, I've replayed it a shit ton of times and would consider it an A tier game. The purpose of this video isn't to bash it or to say it's the worst, and I hoped the video came across that way with me giving it credit where it deserves it, I'm by no means implying ER did any of the things mentioned outright BAD, unless I strictly say so, but I also understand the premise of the video maybe gives the wrong idea.

I've been a fan of the series for almost 10 years now, played all the games multiple times, and from my perspective, the point of the video is looking at things that I felt could've been done better because they obviously HAVE done it better in the past, but for one reason or another they didn't; I would hope most of them are objective but I understand that not all of them are, and have some subjectivity. Now yes, some of the things I comment on simply discuss some of the things some of the games have done BEST in the series, but on the flip side, I also could've talked about things that Elden Ring outright did TERRIBLY, like most of the duo boss fights and such, but I opted out of it since it's a very documented critique, and I couldn't necessarily pin that to one game, most of the games did duo fights even a bit better.

I also hope that this video would maybe be an incentive for anyone who hasn't played the prior games to give them a shot, because there's PLENTY of reasons to do so, or to LEARN about some things that maybe aren't even done the best in ER, even if they're still done well. I'm passionate about game design and just want to see the best out of Fromsoft as they can have, so it's just a tad disappointing seeing some steps back in some mechanics of the series, but there also could've been external reasons for some of the differences.

Nevertheless to me this video was a fun thought experiment and I'm glad most of ya'll just took it as that, trust me I'm not THAT upset about the majority of the things I talk about lmao, but it is an opiniated video so I did expect some disagreements, but again, just keep it civil 🤷‍♀

[ChuckFinelyForever]

One thing you have to give FromSoft is that all of the souls games feel unique unlike most series.

[oresthopiak]

Bloodborne had an amazing "limb break" system too, which would be super awesome if it was integrated to Elden Ring, judging by how many huge bosses there are

[horse_dog]

i think elden ring’s biggest weakness is that it might be a little too massive. my first playthrough was easily one of the best times i’ve had playing a game. however, i haven’t been able to finish a subsequent playthrough since because every time i do, i get burned out and i get option paralysis. i don’t have these issues with the other souls games. in the past year alone i’ve played bloodborne 3 times.

[gus]

Dark Souls 2 also is the only game where backsteps are actually useful because they have iframes, being able to iframe dodge attacks with backsteps made for some pretty stylish combos in pvp/pve.

[derrickcrowe]

One thing that was really strong in Demon's Souls but has been steadily getting weaker to the point of almost non-existence in Elden Ring is boss arenas that influence the fight. DeS arenas had features like hallways, cramped spaces, multiple levels, environmental hazards, destructible barriers, interactable objects, traps, narrow bridges, and even interactions between boss mechanics and the environment (Dirty Colossus' flies can be burned away with the torches in the arena).

But by the time we get to Elden Ring, despite adding jumping and a lot of verticality in exploration, virtually every boss arena is just a large, flat, empty room, sometimes with a few pillars. With as many repeat bosses as ER has, some arena variety could have done a lot to make them feel less repetitive.

[Galgamos]

DS1: Fairness in interactivity. If you could see something, you could affect it, and the rules were usually consistent between the player and enemies. Managed to throw firebombs over the boss fog and hit the boss? You can bring it down to 1 HP. Is there a gap in the wall? You can usually make the boss fall off. Meanwhile, Elden Ring has bosses that leap backwards on narrow bridges, and get saved by invisible walls.

[ahmz]

Elden Ring did something very special, it brought back the feelings of "surprise" and "wonder" to me since my first Souls game. You see, DS1 was my first From game, and the genuine surprise and exploration were the best parts of the experience. In the subsequent games, I never *truly* had that feeling return, I felt like I always knew what the "formula" was. It wasn't until I played Hollow Knight that those feelings returned.

And then came Elden Ring.

From the beginning, when I got snatched into a cave and walked out into the burning red hellscape that was Caelid, I was shocked. And then I was teleported to what felt like the top of the world, at Leyndell. But before I got to Leyndell proper, I rode down an unassuming elevator that just keep going, and going ...and going. Wow. THERE'S AN UNDERGROUND MAP?! It was unbelievable. Then I got to Leyndell proper, and it was Anor Londo, except it was all explorable, not only that, but there was an entire sub system of sewers, and then, a secret boss! But did it end there? No... I jumped on the altar and it moved... I kept going down further... and further... and further... behind 2 more illusory walls, and I was in the Deeproot Depths. Simply put, the wonder of exploration was absolutely incredible, and no other game did that better than Elden Ring.

[river]

Humorously enough, the Tonitrus is my favorite base-game weapon in Bloodborne. I ran a Strength Arcane build in my blind run, and the Tonitrus with 3 bolt gems hit like a truck.

[myrb]

Honestly I think my biggest criticism of Elden Ring is a bit of a dual issue. Player builds can hit ridiculously hard, especially magic and weapon ashes. Enemies in return hit way too hard, yet have some of the most complex movesets and attack chains in the series. Which I feel caused a lot more relying on weapon ashes and powerful spells to spam. Because learning to fight some of these is a pain to run back, when I could just spam a hard hitting ranged ability and keep space. It also contributed to me personally feeling less like I learned how to fight quite a few of the bosses, and more of I learned how to exploit them. Where as in the previous games I felt more likely to learn and master their movesets.

[sorensouthard]

I feel if elden ring had a bigger ratio of castle to open world the game would feel a lot bigger and more interesting. Oddly enough, despite the open world being you know, an open world, I often find the experience of exploring it to be tiresome and disinteresting. I still do get sidetracked often so it's not too much of a complaint, but larger dungeons and more alternate pathways would certainly mix things up more than just a large landmass. If you just chopped out a lot of the needless space I feel like it would even be an improvement.

[zviyeri]

from a DS2 fan:

- availability and ease of upgrading normal (smithing stone) weapons. true, there are bell bearings, but they can be a hassle to hunt for and they're usually a step back from the damage you need for the area

- leveling curve. i maintain ds2 has the best leveling curve out of all the souls games, even if you think you have to spend points on ADP. you can get to drangleic castle comfortably with under 15 vigor. imagine trying to do that in elden ring. also most damage to weapons and spells comes from upgrades and not leveling so you don't have to minmaxx your build and can generalize, experiment, and have fun without needing to respec

- weapon infusions. almost everything in ds2 is infusable, even boss weapons. in Elden Ring the only somber buffable, not even infusable, is Bloodhound's Fang

- man i really just want bonfire ascetics back as a form of boss refights

I love elden ring but every time i replay ds2 these are the mechanics i miss in it and other souls games

[butterschunkmcdonalds]

Honestly i just greatly prefer the more linesr semi-openworld feel of other Fromsoft titles as it has more of a metroidvania feel to it, Each area feels like its own distinct place that feels amazing to discover rather than something you just kinda wander into like the regions of ER. And the areas that do have their own charm to it in Elden Ring are almost always spoiled by repeat bosses or enemies. I found that my favorite areas in ER were the ones that felt like something outta Dark Souls, Volcano Manor, Subterranean Shunning Grounds, Haligtree. The open world regions are fun to explore the first time around but on other playthroughs it honestly feels like a chore, To the point I'm just running past everything to get to the next part of the game i like. Everyone talks about its atmosphere but tbh its probably the least atmospheric Souls game to me. As far as the bosses go, While i still prefer DS3 & Sekiro bosses, The main bosses of the ER are all fantastic IMO, If theres anything i can comfortably say i enjoy more in ER, Its far and away the lore. I LOVE ERs lore, It makes each boss fight feel so much more significant than ever before, And tho some hate it, I enjoy how the bosses live up to their lore, Malenia is like this terrifying legend who's never known defeat, Willing to do whatever it takes to win, And her fight fits perfectly. This applies to Radahn, Mogh, Renalla, Godfrey, Maliketh, All the main bosses fit their lore perfectly IMO. Overall i think its an incredible game, And that first playthrough will always my favorite, If i ranked it among the other Souls games, I'd say BB>Sekiro=DS3>DS1=ER>DS2>DS.

[sobky]

Good video but I feel like this is just things that each game did best not things they did better than elden ring specifically

[robertobelleri]

For me replayability is by far the biggest issue in elden ring. It's super boring to run around the whole map to get the item you need for your build.

[manuelmarcuzzi]

What i miss in ER is the big forhead moment you get when in DS1 you kick the ladder to the Undead Burg bonfire from the Drake bridge, opening the first shortcut in the game for the first time.

[poparena]

I think the thing I liked the most from the main Souls series that's much more limited than Elden Ring is how free you were to attack and kill NPCs. Not for sadistic "hehehe, let's kill everyone" reasons, but because these are games that trust you to live with the consequences of your decisions. If you kill a major NPC, you cut their storyline short. If you kill a merchant or blacksmith, you no longer have access to their services. If you hit an NPC, they're forever hostile to you until you pay out for absolution (which not all these games offer).

And then, occasionally, there would be additional content hidden behind attacking someone friendly. The most dramatic example would be attacking Gwynevere in DS1, which unlocks an alternate Anor Londo and the Gwyndolin boss fight.

Elden Ring is far stricter in ways that feel just the tiniest bit condescending. The pacifism effects in places like the Roundtable Hold and Volcano Manor are bad enough, but the magical protections on certain NPCs out in the world are weirdly immersion breaking. "Hey, Roderika, where did you get this magic force field? Why can't I have one?" Ball bearings mean there are no consequences to killing merchants. Killing the Beast Clergyman in Dragonbarrow doesn't result in an empty boss arena in Azula, while killing the Pursuer early in DS2 lets you skip him later.

That's not to say Elden Ring doesn't have consequences for killing NPCs. The biggest example off the top of my head is killing Patches cuts you off from the Tragoth assassination quest and keeps you from getting the heaviest armor in the game. But these moments are far rarer than in the rest of the series.

[FlyingFox]

With regards to Elden Ring's world, my main gripe is how static and dead it all feels. I don't get the sense that I'm going on an adventure in a fantasy world (as I would in something like Skyrim), but rather that I'm playing a massive video game level. Every item and enemy is in the same place every time, there's only very limited friendly interaction with only a few NPCs, and those NPCs are nailed to the ground.

This worked well in the more tightly designed worlds of the Souls series, but not in an open world game.

[futuristicbus]

One thing I really want in Elden Ring is the covenant system.

[shrewbu]

Not bringing up the lore / atmospheric design of ANY of the games in this series feels CRIMINAL.