Recent reviews by qupe

Path of Exile 2 have managed the admirable task of being both incredibly deep, and yet too shallow.

To start off with the good things about the game; the skill tree, gems, and endless builds you can make is genuinely impressive, with a large variety of play-styles - simply put, there's a little bit for everyone. This also goes for the boss fights, having included dodge mechanics, and figuring out the boss' move-set is something I'd love to see in more hack and slashers, as it's definitely a very interesting and refreshing concept for the genre, so that it doesn't turn into simply stand still, tank and win eventually.

However, there are also problems... and a lot of them.

I really tried to be optimistic; to try and enjoy and love this game, and I truly did... at the start. The problem with the gameplay loop, in my opinion, is the fact that the maps are so impossibly large - I have no problem with exploring, but running around a map, clearing it out methodically to find the quest item that you need, only to get absolutely decimated randomly is not fun, and here's why; Monsters respawn on death, and you're sent back to the last checkpoint. While there are a handful of checkpoints around the map, I've encountered multiple times now that they straight up just don't work, so guess what? You've got to run all the way back to where you died, again.. and again, and again.

That being said, my other gripe with this game is the fact that, while there are many builds that are possible to make, not all of them are viable, even for the early game.. like at all. I spent time making a witch focused on chaos DOTS, which was incredibly fun! ...that is, until I hit a brick wall at level 45, getting absolutely butchered in act 3, because some of the bosses are also overtuned as hell. I've mastered Dark Souls 1,2,3 and Elden Ring - yet some of the bosses' combinations in Path of Exile 2, have such tight dodge windows that they're bordering on being impossible; combined with the fact that when you die, you spawn all the way back at the start of the level from time to time, unable to teleport to the checkpoint near the boss, makes for an incredibly infuriating experience. On top of all that, the only mobs that really matter are the rare ones, as regular, or even elite mobs rarely, if ever, really drop decent loot on death.

At least you can always ask for help in the chat if you struggle with some of the systems, though! ...well, no... asking a simple question in the chat will most likely be answered by someone who wants you to feel like an idiot - either by following up with a passive-aggressive question of their own, or simply tell you to get better. It's, for the most part, a hostile, elitist community that enjoys spending 16 hours a day, every single day, to grind out the game - and if you don't have that amount of time, they'll argue that this game is simply not for you.

So alright then, you win. This game is not for me; because while I enjoy most aspects of the game, others are either vaguely explained, impossibly hard to get into because there's no real guide to most things either, or too time-consuming for the average player. If you have any questions, other players are more than happy to make you feel like an idiot, rather than actually help you out - simply because progression is to be seen as a badge of honor, rather than a fun experience.

If you're a long-time expert in the franchise, please do add me if you're not a ♥♥♥♥, as I have so many questions. Because despite my review, I WANT to try and like this game; look past the flaws and have a good time... yet it just seems like it isn't possible.

I wish the best to the developers, and other people who try this game out. As for the gate-keeping elitists plaguing this game, I hope you'll eventually realize that you're ruining the game.

I don't even play the game, but I heard about the big scandal done in a recent update, so I support my fellow gamers.

A review is a critical appraisal of something. They're subjective, meaning that, no, I don't want to argue with you - my apologies if you were looking for a heated conversation that focuses more on actually verbally abusing each other, rather than the game or company itself. If you're looking for an experience like this though, let me recommend either Reddit or Twitter.

My reviews aren't meant as a means of saying you, the player, isn't having fun, nor am I trying to dishonor you or invalidate your opinion on a game you like - What I want is for the companies to treat you with the respect you deserve.

That being said, have a great read!

Phasmophobia - the first popular ghost hunting game in the genre. The first time you play this game I guarantee you will get the spooks - it's designed in such a way that you're afraid of just jumping into it; it's built to make the player fear the unknown... and it's GREAT. Phasmophobia features a ton of different ghost types, a handful of maps, random events (more specifically the cursed objects) as well as a ton of fun to be had with friends!

That being said though; there's not a single game in existence that comes without it's quirks, and oh boy, are there a lot of quirks in this game. One of them are the sound bugs, more specifically on the campsite map. If you decide to light up the firepit to get some heat, you will hear the crackling noises of the fire from wherever you may be on the map, and for some reason, I've personally found that the sounds on that map in general are way louder than the rest of the game, which gets slightly annoying after hearing a 20 second loud loop of the same firepit audio.

Furthermore, the only bugs I've experienced so far that's been an actual issue, is the fact that some of the collectible items, specifically the bone, can spawn under cars in the various garages on the different maps, making you unable to pick them up and get the bonus points for it. That being said there's also a random bug that makes you unable to place/pick up items, making it incredibly difficult to find the ghost type, as it pretty much requires you to either go ind blind and take a wild guess or restart the game itself, ruining the immersion.

The game itself is great though, and you can clearly tell that, based on the game's success. Starting off as a new game and idea in the horror genre, it made a good impression on people when it first came out, seeing as it was a breath of fresh air, and a refreshing new concept to a repetitive genre. Not everyone stuck around with the game, as it does get a tad bit repetitive after a bit; however, the fact that this game was made with love and passion by a single person, is quite an amazing task in it of itself. Sure, the game might be simple system- and mechanics-wise, but it's still a passion project, and I think we have to admire that.

Now that the studio, Kinetic Games (the developers of this game), has expanded to 4 people, I believe there is a bright future for this game, and a welcoming community for it; a community that will most likely only expand over the coming years. This is a great game and concept made from scratch, and once again, I can only applaud the developer for making such a unique experience, that even if simplistic, stuck out from the rest in the genre.

The fact that the developer didn't include any stupid skins, a battle pass system, or even a microtransaction system for that matter, is great. The game is a pay once, play forever experience, and I believe these are the best kinds of games, as it shows that the developers are genuinely passionate about the game that they're making. I hate the fact that the video game genre itself has become such a quick cash-grab by a lot of companies nowadays, with their stupid pay to win mechanics and cosmetics that doesn't fit the theme of the universe at all, but in all honesty I believe that indie projects like this, can be just as good as any triple A game, if not better nowadays.

Let's not forget the Cyberpunk 2077, Battlefield 2042, Diablo Immortal and Saints Row flops. Don't forget what this industry has become, and what the executives of these big companies want. Let's focus on the games that actually makes us happy, because this is what video games are all about; passion, fun and most importantly - love.

So, to wrap things up. Is Phasmophobia worth it? And the answer to that is a big YES. For $11 you're getting a bargain on a game such as this, and I can't wait to see the upcoming updates as well as the promising and bright future for this game. It's a solid 8/10. Overall a very fun and pleasant gaming experience, even more so if you have a friend or two to tag along. Though there are still a lot of major bugs in the game, I still respect this developer for making the game, and I'm sure that many of the "gamebreaking bugs" will be ironed out in the future.

I'm not trying to be pessimistic about the video game industry, but in the recent years it certainly has taken a turn for the worse, which is my main focus of writing these reviews. I want you, the player, to enjoy the games that you want to enjoy, and not jump on the mainstream games just to become disappointed and sad that you wasted $60 on a supposed "triple A game", only to see the company pulling the plug on the game, and leaving it out to dry. I want to spread awareness, and voice your opinion about the games that you genuinely enjoy, and the games that you hate with a passion. The only thing I ask of you, however, is to keep it civilized.

Everything in this review is my own opinion. If you are offended by anything that I have said then sit down, relax, and drink a glass of water - I want you to stay hydrated and healthy, I don't want you to spend hours of your life arguing with a person online, as that is the exact opposite of being healthy.

To you, the reader - have a wonderful day!

A review is a critical appraisal of something. They're subjective, meaning that, no, I don't want to argue with you - my apologies if you were looking for a heated conversation that focuses more on actually verbally abusing each other, rather than the game or company itself. If you're looking for an experience like this though, let me recommend either Reddit or Twitter.

My reviews aren't meant as a means of saying you, the player, isn't having fun, nor am I trying to dishonor you or invalidate your opinion on a game you like - What I want is for the companies to treat you with the respect you deserve.

That being said, have a great read!

On the surface, Halo Infinite is a great game. If you played just a few matches in the Multiplayer gamemodes, or maybe even booted up the campaign to play for a few hours, then I would guarantee you that you'd have fun if you're into these types of games. Now, the deeper you go into the game and the more you play, THAT is when the bigger picture and the terrible, obvious flaws start to show, and that is when you will lose interest, and uninstall.

First off, let's address the elephant in the room; desync. The game as of right now, is not by any means "unplayable", not all the time anyway.. you will find yourself being annoyed from time to time due to the insanely obvious desync that there is in this game. Sometimes it feels like the servers are having a stroke, and you will eventually ask yourself if it's due to your connection, but I can tell you, IT IS NOT. The servers are all bad, and there are still A LOT of bugs.

That being said, there seems to be a running theme of releasing games half-finished, and patching them up at a later date, but I can tell you that this is not a viable strategy, ESPECIALLY if it's THIS dry of content.. We were promised all of the good old gamemodes from the previous installations, we were promised an incredibly in depth customization system, we were promised this and that, but NOTHING have been delivered; at the moment Halo Infinite feels like a shell of what Halo once was, and the developers aren't exactly doing anything about it. Instead of focusing on the very important topics of this game, they have instead used all of their resources on making the microtransaction store better, which, mind you, is also a dumpsterfire. THE ONLY GOOD about the store is that, well, it isn't pay to win.

Let me ask you, the player; if a company promises one thing, then another, and then another but fails to deliver on any of them, then what do the developers have left? If you've already released a game half finished, then promise to make it better, yet still continue to abuse your players by updating the store and promising everything will be okay, THAT single handedly is most likely the stupidest marketing method that I have ever witnessed. EVER.

But okay, let me give you the benefit of the doubt.. let's look past the incredible desync, the multiplayer gamemodes that are in a poor, poor state, the content drought, and that the customization system is nothing compared to what we were promised, then the campaign must be good, right? RIGHT???

Well... No.. the story itself is good, and the flow of combat for the game is generally the best that it's ever been. The combat is responsive, and the atmosphere of the story is there - the music is great, and at one time I near had a heart attack because the original Halo music kicked in at a GORGEOUS view, SADLY the game is overshadowed by the bad. There are glaringly obvious issues that need to be ironed out for me to actually be able to recommend spending $60 on the game, let me elaborate.

Firstly, THERE IS NO COOP EXPERIENCE. When I first saw the reveal and hype teasers for Halo Infinite, I was so excited to finally be able to relive some of the greatest moments that I had back on the Xbox 360, and maybe even bring a friend into the fight. I wanted to live through the nostalgia of going through an unexplored world with a friend, yet this is something that I sadly weren't able to do. Another feature that I will quickly mention is the option to go into fullscreen mode, instead of fullscreen-borderless; the input lag that you get because of this is too much. I hope that this basic feature will be "promised to be delivered", because then I'm certain that it'll arrive within the next 10 years, maybe.. unless they do like they've done so far, and forget what they've promised, only to work a little more on the microtransaction store!

Furthermore, let me ask you 343.. there has been a mission replay in every single Halo since CE... is it really that hard to have one in Halo Infinite too?? I know, I know.. it's "different" from the others, in the sense that it's open world, but I'm pretty certain that 2001, more efficient and in depth systems have been made, so that something like replaying a mission, even in an open world game, would be feasible, but maybe I'm wrong. I just think it's strange that you aren't able to recreate a feature that's literally 20 years old, but enough about that.

Even with the worst games comes some positives though! As mentioned before, the atmosphere is there, at least in the campaign, because you will be playing the same 6 maps in the multiplayer (since Big Team Battles is also broken), and the only mode that you will be playing in ranked is oddball, so if you enjoy flailing around with a skull getting frustrated because it's the buggiest mode of all time, then you will have a GREAT time!

But for real, the flow of combat is there. It feels smooth and immersive, that is, if you don't consider the input lag that is caused by the fullscreen borderless mode. Other than that though, the combat is good. It honestly feels like it could've been the greatest of all the Halo games, if only they had taken a little more time to work on it. The weapons are all pretty good, except the ones that are underpowered and handle like I-don't-even-know-what.

The only good thing I have to say about the game is that THANKFULLY, the daily challenges from the Battlepass and other events are viewable in game! Wait.. I was thinking about another game. SUCH A BASIC FEATURE.. but no, challenges are at the moment only viewable in the game menu, so if you're either VERY good at remembering what to aim for when you enter the game, or take a screenshot to be able to remember; if you aren't fulfilling any of these, then tough luck, you will have to wait till the match end to see how far you've made it, if at all - SOMETIMES the challenges don't even count your progress for some reason (from what I have experienced) so if you go on a killing spree and get 15 of those pistol headshots that you were told to get, then you're out of luck, because only 7 of them registrered, meaning you will have to play another game and get even more frustrated with the broken foundation of this pile of.. something.

I am NOT able to recommend this game by any means, as it's too fundamentally broken at the moment to be given ANY constructive criticism AT ALL. The highest it'll get is 2/10, because while there are a handful of systems that are doing alright, there are simply too much negativity shining through. They dropped the ball on this game, and it could've been so much better if they had used AT LEAST another year to really fletch things out a little more. I'm sad and disappointed, and even if all of this gets added, I still cannot support this company due to this HORRIBLE launch. We as the players must stand together, because game companies CANNOT get away with this lazy concept any longer. This is my final verdict for this game.

Everything in this review is my own opinion. If you are offended by anything that I have said then sit down, relax, and drink a glass of water - I want you to stay hydrated and healthy, I don't want you to spend hours of your life arguing with a person online, as that is the exact opposite of being healthy.

To you, the reader - have a wonderful day!

A review is a critical appraisal of something. They're subjective, meaning that, no, I don't want to argue with you - my apologies if you were looking for a heated conversation that focuses more on actually verbally abusing each other, rather than the game or company itself. If you're looking for an experience like this though, let me recommend either Reddit or Twitter.

My reviews aren't meant as a means of saying you, the player, isn't having fun, nor am I trying to dishonor you or invalidate your opinion on a game you like - What I want is for the companies to treat you with the respect you deserve.

That being said, have a great read!

I wanted to love Lost Ark, and while I genuinely have tried to, as I'm a huge fan of both MMO's and RPG's, there are just major issues that are absolutely unacceptable.. I'm passionate to the deepest core of my soul about gaming. I will defend what I have grown up with from the corporate greeds that are slowly but surely destroying everything this industry have shaped and made over the years - therefore I will be fair yet critical in my reviews. I want you to understand that I'm not against you, the player; I'm against the companies that are killing our great community. If you've had fun with the game, then that's awesome, yet I simply cannot!

First off, the glaringly obvious.. QUEUE.. On average, a game has TWO HOURS to make an impression on the player. The first impressions are always the most important, as you can pick up a lot of clues as to how the rest of the game is going to be; you can tell if a game is made with love and pride, or if it's just a lazy cashgrab, and while Lost Ark certainly is made with true passion, I just can't look past the fact that the first two hours are spent in a queue. If you have bought a game, you have bought the game because you wanted to go on a new journey, NOT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO SIT IN A QUEUE FOR 5 HOURS.

When you finally get into the game however, you are sadly met with cheesy dialogue, an absolutely HOLLOW story and nothing but forgettable characters.. there are times where I've literally fallen asleep reading some of the dialogue, so I stopped. In all the ~70 hours that I have spent playing Lost Ark (rest is queue time), not ONCE have I been invested in the story; it's bland, uninteresting and is honestly just an annoyance more than anything if you're trying to progress, as there are a lot of unskippable cutscenes. If you decide to play this game, I assure you that you will be mashing the skip button on cutscenes faster than they appear, that is, if you're able to skip them at all. The story and lore is some of the single worst and uninteresting pile of rotten I-don't-even-know-what that I have ever witnessed.

Another thing that just reminds me of the average Asian MMO is the microtransaction store. While I feel like the outfits and weapons fit the overall style of the game (as in, they don't sell bunny suits or knockoff Adidas tracksuits), I still have mixed opinions about the rest of the contents, more specifically the Crystalline Aura pass. I'm a founder of the game, and even though I got the pass at day one, I still have the strong opinion that every single microtransaction should be COSMETIC ONLY, NO MATTER THE GAME. The fact that it reduces some cooldowns and gives you the option to use a pet is a big NO.

With a game of this scale, there certainly also are a lot of positives. One of them is the gameplay.. sort of.

To clarify, I think the overall flow of gameplay is pretty good. I started my journey as a Deathblade, as it gave me strong vibes of a Rogue class on steroids. As I progressed I found out that it was a little different, yet I still love the mechanics of this class in specific. The skills system is one thing that I enjoy; the fact that when you level it to 10 you will unlock a pretty powerful buff for most of the skills is amazing, and sometimes they even slightly alter the utility usage of the skill which I absolutely LOVE. It's simple, yet very satisfying.

The many elements of the game is it's strong side. I LOVED the breath of fresh air that you get when travelling overseas, as it for me at least, was an unexpected and very welcome mechanic of the game - especially considering the fact that it's actually used as a travelling mechanic, instead of being something that's just there, in other words, it gives the world and locations relevance in a whole new way. This system in particular is a hit or miss for a lot of players, and I certainly am able to see why some people would hate it, yet this is actually a system that I quite enjoy - I have always hated the idea of the screen fading to black and now you're suddenly on the other side of the world, so I gotta give credit where credit is due, especially because you can also upgrade your ships in a lot of different ways - THIS in my book, is a welcome mechanic that honestly improves the game, rather than making it worse.

The boss battles so far are great with all of the different mechanics, maps and aspects of combat - there certainly are a lot of systems that will keep you engaged and immersed with the gameplay, as there certainly are indicators to watch out for when fighting bosses - not only that, the different kinds of dynamic map mechanics (I'm looking at you, Lutheran castle siege) are absolutely amazing. This moment in specific was jaw dropping. THIS MOMENT was the PERFECT atmosphere, music and flow of gameplay - it was an amazing experience, and the pace was amazing.

I ask myself, why not have an equally amazing scenario at the start of the game? THAT is something that would keep the players engaged, IF the same quality was used throughout the whole game as well, which it is not. While there certainly are great moments like this, there are also "walk 10 feet to tell an NPC about something something that another NPC said" type of quests, and there are.. A LOT.. of these quests, and this is sadly what the type of quests the game opens up with.

So.. IS Lost Ark overrated and overhyped? A complex and in depth answer is required to come to an acceptable conclusion, yet I personally think that YES, it is slightly overrated. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy the gameplay, but the gameplay on it's own is not enough to keep me invested. If I'm playing a game, following a story, I want it to be deep and immersive, and Lost Ark completely fails to deliver on this premise.

I wish that I could recommend this game, because it has a lot going for it, but with the long queue times and boring story, I simply can't lie to myself and try to convince everyone that it's good, because I don't think it actually is as good as a lot of people say. If queue times weren't a thing, I still wouldn't be able to recommend it, because the core foundation of the story and game are fundamentally broken.

Sadly I will only be able to give this game a 5/10. While the overall gameplay mechanics are good, there is no looking past the flaws of the game, and I certainly won't be the one to try and convince myself that it's good. Thankfully, the game isn't as bad and broken as other games that have come out the past year (the absolute failures calling themselves "triple A companies"). I might pick the game up in the future, and maybe I'll have a slightly different opinion about it, and if so, this review will be updated. As for now though, this will be my final verdict for the game.

Everything in this review is my own opinion. If you are offended by anything that I have said then sit down, relax, and drink a glass of water - I want you to stay hydrated and healthy, I don't want you to spend hours of your life arguing with a person online, as that is the exact opposite of being healthy... I can and will elaborate further if needed or anything is unclear, yet I will not waste time my time, nor yours, arguing about something that you think is subjectively wrong.

To you, the reader - have a wonderful day!

Section 1/8 (Posted rest of the review in the comments)

A review is a critical appraisal of something. They're subjective, meaning that, no, I don't want to argue with you - my apologies if you were looking for a heated conversation that focuses more on actually verbally abusing each other, rather than the game or company itself. If you're looking for an experience like this though, let me recommend either Reddit or Twitter.

My reviews aren't meant as a means of saying you, the player, isn't having fun, nor am I trying to dishonor you or invalidate your opinion on a game you like - What I want is for the companies to treat you with the respect you deserve.

That being said, have a great read!

I have been waiting for Elden Ring for such a long time, and while it doesn't disappoint, it certainly isn't what I expected either.

To clarify, I LOVE this game. The combat responsiveness, atmosphere, enemy and sound design.. IT'S ALL THERE - HOWEVER, there are glaringly obvious flaws that simply CANNOT be overlooked.

First off, I would like to talk about the optimization. While the game runs smoothly "most" of the time, in more populated or bigger areas with a lot of effects, there is very, very poor performance, even if playing on minimalistic settings (specs are found in the bottom of this review). The performance issues don't really make it unplayable, yet it certainly is a huge annoyance and immersion break to the core flow of gameplay. If I'm fighting a boss, I want a smooth experience; I don't want to fight a boss only to get a slight lagspike and get killed because of it. For the older Souls franchise, I felt like if I died, it was generally MY fault as the player - whether it's because I didn't quite take my time to progress safely or, tried to go into an area unprepared, I personally always felt like the deaths in these games caused because of a miscalculation from my side. Sadly, the same cannot be said for this game, as long as the optimization is this bad.

Furthermore, I feel like FromSoftware have done an amazing job at making the map - the depth and sheer scale of this new world is what pulls me in.. yet it's also causing a sense of frustration.

Speaking of the map design on a technical level, I think it's incredible how the team have turned away from a linear path to an open one; now you can do WHATEVER you want to do. The addition of field bosses as well as a mount on top of the sheer scale of the game, and new introduction to a lot of enemies and gameplay elements, is GREAT. The critique I have is that, I personally, don't know where I'm going. I started out the game as any other, as it's relatively straight forward in the start of the game, yet as soon as I got to the open world, I set out to explore. I acknowledge the fact that I made a "mistake" at the start of the game, by running off the path, and out into the world, trying to explore as much as I could, going wherever looked interesting. I honestly started losing track of time, and therefore, I decided to try and continue on the "main" story path once again.. yet the definition of "main", in my case, was a little abstract, as there is no indicator as to what your next goal is. If you forgot where on the map you began to wander off, tough luck, you either have to try your way by travelling to all of the sites of Grace, OR you could use Google to find a walkthrough, that would eventually help you on your way.

Both these options I feel like is NOT friendly for the immersion or gameplay. I like the idea of having the community help each other, as that is a healthy quality for any game, but if you don't give your player an indicator of where to go, then there is a pretty good chance that they are going to get tired, bored, and agitated with the game as a result. The first couple of hours in your game means everything, and if you have decided to make an open world game, I think it's important to give your player the tools necessary to traverse and eventually complete it without making it a requirement to use third party tools.

"But.. but... it's a Souls game, it's supposed to be abstract and difficult." And I completely agree. The other games they have made of similar style are indeed difficult and can be confusing at times - but sometimes, it really starts to become an annoyance more than anything. I'm not asking for a game journalist difficulty, all I'm asking for is some directions through NPC dialogue or a marker of some sorts, that will essentially allow you to know what you're doing and why.

While the bad sometimes outshine the positives of the game, it's still important to touch on what is good.. because there is A LOT.

Stays true to an AUTHENTIC Souls experience. The difficulty of the game is there, as in the other games. There are no unrealistic power spikes, and while the game itself is open world, the progression is linear and VERY balanced. I get that a lot of people are looking for unrealistic, crazy power spikes while playing some games, but this simply isn't one of them where it's a feature. If you want to progress, you do it at a steady pace, yet with the addition of the open world, you are indeed able to gear up and prepare slightly more than in previous games, which I think is appealing to both new and old players, as you are able to do whatever you want to, at your own pace!

With the addition to a mount, it makes the game a whole lot more interesting, as you can now not only just traverse the game world with style, but you can also, perform attacks from your mount, resulting in some pretty fun and engaging new combat mechanics, especially when facing other enemies on horsebacks! It gives the game a refreshing feeling by now being able to use hit and run tactics, while also having to watch out, as you are a bigger target after all, meaning that you're able to die relatively easy if you aren't careful at times. Platforming is also way easier with the mount, as the double jump feature can get you into spots that simply wouldn't be possible to reach in previous installations.

I both like and dislike the open world approach to a Souls game. The atmosphere they create from the very start is amazing; showing us this mysterious world with all of these new characters while also paying homage to the older games by not going away from the original style and flow of the gameplay, to please both portions of their audience is FANTASTIC. I REALLY think FromSoftware have hit the nail on the head with this one, as it feels like an authentic, original experience while also reminding me of the good old days. All of the core gameplay mechanics from the series are there, which is good, because IF SOMETHING IS NOT BROKEN, DO NOT FIX IT. (A lot of companies, especially nowadays, could learn from this.)

What they have done instead of making a complete shift, is expanding on previous mechanics as well as adding new stuff. The new addition to some weapons is always welcome, and some of the new and improved boss mechanics are more than just awesome.. they are absolutely stunning... and the biggest surprise of it all is, IT JUST FLIPPIN' WORKS.. that's something I wouldn't have expected myself to say with nowadays games standards.

I have to give credit where credit is due; the sound designs are also amazing combined with the atmosphere. The game perfectly puts you in the game and makes sure to immerse you within the world; so far, I felt like I haven't even had the need to actively look for places that look visually stunning, as they do a pretty good job of presenting these points of interests themselves. There are times where the view was so jaw dropping that I simply just sat there in awe of the games' beauty, and right when you think that it couldn't get better, the incredibly atmospheric music kicks in. Moments like these in games are there to get you invested, in the world, and in Elden Ring's case, they have taken immersion to a whole new level.

lovely game