FromSoftware's legacy of making incredibly challenging yet beautifully immersive RPGs has made it tough to pull in new players over the years. Elden Ring has shirked some of FromSoftware's intimidating reputation, in part due to the open-world setting and the game's impressive review scores. One veteran FromSoftware player has taken the opportunity to record their friend's first experiences in Elden Ring, creating a video that's both hilarious and charming in a way that only Souls-likes can truly manage.
The video was first shared on Reddit by user JRainers, who says that they're putting together clips of their favorite moments playing cooperatively with their friend who is new to FromSoftware games. To set the tone of the video, it starts with both players running from an unseen enemy. The veteran player leaps off of a parapet to land on a lower level of the turret they're on. Above, all that's heard is a slash and a scream, followed by the new player falling on their face inches away from the veteran. It's the Elden Ring experience in a nutshell.
After that introduction, a cheerful song kicks in, giving the rest of the Elden Ring gameplay video a fun and casual demeanor. The remaining clips show the veteran player leading the new player from adventure to adventure. The new player misses a challenging jump, the veteran player jokingly tries to hide in a box as the daunting Tree Sentinel travels by, and the veteran watches their friend struggle against a giant, fire-breathing statue of a cat. The two are simply having fun playing Elden Ring together.
Two clips toward the end of the video help showcase a side of FromSoftware games that doesn't get shared often. In the first, both players use a disguise that makes them look like statues of a cloaked woman. They do a little dance together and spin around, enjoying the fun of it. The second clip has them throwing glowing colored stones on the ground, another of Elden Ring's toy items there just for the fun of it. It's a perfect example of two players enjoying their time together.
The video ends with the new player getting the final blow on the cat statue boss and the two players celebrating the accomplishment. It's a fitting end to show how encouraging and supportive the veteran FromSoftware player is. However, it's also somewhat cursed, as the new player is so unaware of what's to come.
Elden Ring is absolutely a brutal game, even compared to predecessors like the Dark Souls trilogy, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Demon's Souls. However, it's also just a game. It's intended to be enjoyed, especially with friends, and this video is a great reminder of that.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.