Check out our review of indie action adventure title Elden: Path of the Forgotten!
We’ll tell you everything you need to know before you play this amazing game.
Transcript
Hey how’s it going guys! Welcome to our review of Elden: Path of the Forgotten, available on PC and Nintendo Switch, with a wider console release slated for later this year. We’ll tell you everything you need to know before you play, but before I do make sure to hit subscribe and the notification bell for reviews, interviews, features and more. You’re not going to want to miss it.
Elden: Path of the Forgotten is an indie action adventure title that’s been in development for close to five years. But as they say, the best things come to those who wait. Setting you in the titular role of Elden, you have to traverse a nightmarish fantasy world to search for and save your mother, who’s fallen into a summoning circle.
Coupling retro pixel art, Lovecraftian horror and a healthy dose of blood and gore sounds like a recipe for a great game. But with all that being said, is Elden: Path of the Forgotten any good? Watch on to find out…
Firstly, most of the gameplay is combat, and this combat is really engaging. Much like a Soulsborne title, it’s all based on reaction, dodging and parrying, as opposed to gungho hacking and slashing. You only have a limited stamina to defend yourself, making the action much more cerebral than I would’ve expected. I have to admit, I sucked at this game, and found myself getting really frustrated at times. But once the red mist had cleared, it was obvious that it wasn’t the game I was annoyed with, but my own impatience and recklessness. Rather, the experience is always fair, and once you do succeed, the effort is hugely satisfying. Just don’t expect an easy ride.Â
And this engaging gameplay is complimented by a great art style. Pixel art in indie games might seem like old news in 2020, but it’s the way it’s used to enhance the tone and mood that really impressed me. At first glance, it might look like someone gave Nidhogg a Y-axis, but give it time and you’ll realise there’s a great variety of worlds to explore. All this is balanced out with some truly gruesome moments; expect plenty of blood and gore. The whole aesthetic is heightened but a beautifully haunting score. In fact playing it late at night in a darkened room, the soundscape was probably the most unsettling aspect of the whole experience.Â
As for the story, it’s very light on exposition, and definitely doesn’t hold your hand throughout. The developers describe it as “like reading a book in a language you don’t understand”, and I think that’s a fair assessment. The more you play, the more you comprehend the world you’ve essentially been dropped into. Whether this method of storytelling works for you will come down to personal taste. I can absolutely see how some people might find it needlessly verbose and a sizeable barrier to entry. But to me, the lack of hand-holding only heightened the sense of discovery and exploration. It augments the theme of you being this stranger in a strange land.Â
In an ironic twist, Elden: Path of the Forgotten is one of the most memorable games I’ve played this year. It combines addictive, challenging gameplay with a truly beautiful artstyle, all set against the backdrop of a haunting, Lovecraftian horrorscape. From the biggest studios to indie passion projects, it’s already been a stellar year for the horror genre, but Elden: Path of the Forgotten offers something new and refreshingly unique.
But what did you think of Elden: Path of the Forgotten? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to like, share and subscribe for more videos, every single week. See you next time!
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