One of my fondest high school memories came from fighting Sephiroth. He’s the iconic villain from Final Fantasy 7 , but when I did battle …
One of my fondest high school memories came from fighting Sephiroth. He’s the iconic villain from Final Fantasy 7, but when I did battle with him one night in 2006, it was in Kingdom Hearts 2, where he was an optional „superboss“. That bastard’s health bar was gigantic, and his sword was even bigger — and could kill you in one hit. One Saturday, my friend and I pulled an all-nighter trying to beat him. From midnight to 7 a.m., we passed the controller from one to the other after each death. As the rising sun started peeking through my bedroom’s blinds, I did it. Sephiroth was slain. Victory nourished my sleep-deprived bones. I’ve been thinking a lot about that night as I play through Elden Ring. In FromSoftware’s latest game, there’s a mini Sephiroth around every corner. Set to launch Friday for Xbox, PlayStation and PC, Elden Ring is a spiritual successor to Dark Souls, a franchise that delights in its difficulty to a sadistic degree. Beating a Souls game is proof of patience, dedication and skill. It’s a badge of honor. Trust me, I know — because I’ve never beaten any Souls game. In fact, I’ve been too intimidated to even play them. You may be in the same boat, intrigued by Elden Ring but also a little afraid.. After sinking nearly 40 hours into Elden Ring, I can tell you with absolute confidence: You’re right to be afraid. But some fears are worth conquering. Written with the assistance of George R.R. Martin, Elden Ring is all about the Elden Ring. A ring that possesses vast but vague mythical powers, it was shattered into seven Great Runes by Queen Marika. Those Runes were given to each of the Queen’s demi-god offspring, who went on to wage a war with one another in order to secure all Great Runes and reforge the Elden Ring. The war, known as The Shattering, had no victor but did manage to completely fracture The Lands Between, the setting in which you play. It’s up to you to kill all seven demi-gods, reforge the Elden Ring and become Elden Lord. Easier said than done. If you’ve never played a FromSoftware game before, the gist of it is most enemies can kill you with one or two hits and progress inherently involves dying over and over again. It’s a game of coordination and timing, but also perseverance. There’s a lot to take in, and it’s overwhelming at first. Elden Ring is a huge RPG and has a giant list of features you’ll need to familiarize yourself with. You’ll choose a class that affects what weapons you can use initially. There are melee, magical, short-range and long-range setups. You’ll learn how to craft items and consumables that buff certain attributes.
