Elden Ring, the game penned by George R.R. Martin, lives up to the hype

Expectations are sky-high for Elden Ring, which was unveiled in 2019 as a cross-over between From Software and Martin, then went radio silent before re-emerging with a marketing blitz last year. — Bandai Namco

Fans of the Game Of Thrones books routinely express dismay at the author George R.R. Martin spending so much of his time on side projects rather than finishing the long-awaited next entry in the series. After playing Elden Ring, the new video game that Martin helped write, those fans are advised to reconsider. Perhaps Martin should make all the side projects he wants.

Elden Ring, made by the Japanese developer From Software Inc, is one of the best video games I’ve ever played. It crosses the punishing, addictive action of From’s previous titles like Dark Souls and Sekiro with the blissful exploration of Nintendo Co’s the Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild. I’ve spent around 35 hours playing Elden Ring over the past week and a half, and during every hour that I wasn’t playing, I wished that I was.