The Best Feature in Every Souls Game (Including Elden Ring)

[@herbert_strudel6376]

It's constant ability to give me pain

[@EmberPlays]

LMAO fr

[@valerioleotta8705]

U mean ds2 my guy?

[@cuckholdsimulator1176]

that goes to sekiro

[@Giaaaaaan]

It hurts so good

[@bigmacgaming5019]

@@cuckholdsimulator1176 no ds2. Sekiro is easy

[@thinminty5392]

Straight to the point, pulled no punches. Fire video.

[@EmberPlays]

THANK YOU!!!

[@poopybuttguy5523]

Exactly man i subbed cuz of that

[@BobTheBuilder12]

Pun intended?

[@Deucze]

Hell yeah, video ended perfectly.

[@hyrulehollowtitan9657]

You might say that it “went up in embers”

[@doromizu.]

I remember seeing how huge Ash lake, Anor Londo and Ringed City are, only to be disappointed wishing we could have explored more of them . The best thing about Elden Ring is it finally gave us that feeling of exploring the whole thing without a two feet wall blocking our way

[@EmberPlays]

That’s very true actually

[@bolson42]

Yeah, you could literally go to anywhere that you could see. I was kinda disappointed in DS3 seeing how insanely well designed Lothric Castle and Irithyll were, aesthetically and architecturally, only to find out 99% of both were just a background. So when i found leyndell in elden ring i just thought “cool, but i won’t be able to see half of it so idrc”. But the fact that you can discover nearly, every single part of it especially all the rooftops and alleys, and having a whole underground section too, is so cool.

[@johntimothyvalenzuela8146]

@@bolson42 felt the same way about irithyll and the ringed city, my only complaints about those areas are they were so small, especially irythill. leyndell though was such an amazing surprise, and i love every inch of it, my only complaints is the sewers, i hate that place.

[@mingQWERTY]

That's why I believe Leyndell to be probably the best area in the series. It's complex, large and completely explorable. If we're talking about ALL of Leyndell then we must also take the sewers into account which is probably as big as the city and even more complex. Oh and I forgot about the 2 smaller dungeons (Leyndell Catacombs + Aruiza Hero's Grave) in Leyndell's territory which are some of the better ones with more unique layout and better loot

[@horanghaeapologist]

I LOVED the ringed city lol, and those 2 as well with the added irythll

[@eddieb1995]

Sekiro was my first fromsoft. Played all the rest aside from demon souls. Sekiro and Bloodborne are special. Those two games are masterpieces. I wish the older games had a mode to re fight bosses like in Sekiro. It should be standard in their games. If you beat a the game, you can refight any boss you've beat. Seems fair. To this day I'll run Sekiro just to fight Isshin and genichi

[@X315-x2w]

I refight them all the time, practicing no hit, and uploaded to my channel, I love sekiro the most

[@eddieb1995]

@@X315-x2w nice I see you run the demon bell and no charm. You madman. I can beat Isshin with just no charm, or bell but not both. Good shit man.

[@X315-x2w]

@@eddieb1995 dang, didn't know u gonna actually visit, thanks man.

[@EmberPlays]

I was playing Sekiro’s boss rush mode last night actually hahahaha so much fun. Idk why they won’t add it but hoping for Elden Ring DLC to add it

[@bolson42]

Yeah, i love the DS3 boss fights and always go through the game once or twice a year to refight the bosses. But it’s so annoying having to essentially speedrun through the game just to do so. It’s even worse in DS1 which is a lot less linear.

[@lukas-po8yn]

Not to downplay the other aspects of Elden ring, but my favorite part has to be the art style. No game before has made my jaw literally drop when I saw a new area, and Elden ring did that maybe 10 times. Some of my favorite moments are when you first get to leyndell, when you see farum azula for the first time, and your first encounter with radahn. Not a single area was dissapointing in terms of aesthetic.

[@SystemBD]

"Oh, this elevator seems to be glitched or something. It gets going down and... Oh...my... God...ness!" Even if it is often forgotten because most people arrive at it at the beginning of the game, the first time I reached the Siofra River area, my jaw hit the floor and remained there for half an hour (until the archers made me return to the usual "grinding teeth" mode).

[@darthtyrex]

straight facts

[@___.51]

@@SystemBD Oh man, discovering the Siofra river on my first playthrough... I'd cleared south limgrave and the weeping peninsula by that point but randomly discovering this massive underground area was when the game won me over completely.

[@TheCaliforniaHP]

@@SystemBD that elevator has to be a top 10 FromSoftware moment.

[@Zweihander54]

Dude you ever played doom eternal, fucking bananas, I’ve spent at least 2 hours just staring at the areas

[@threemeters1425]

Best thing about Elden Ring is exploration. It rewards you with optional massive cities and castles that have been built up as legends, and you truly feel like you’ve gone through an epic journey like no other. Plus the jump gives us waaay more possibilities with how levels can be designed and makes exploring dungeons that much sweeter.

[@EmberPlays]

You’re not wrong! The jump button alone could’ve been the best thing lol

[@shiroiidakku]

Basically, Elden Ring is Dark Souls 2 vers. 2.0.

[@simolaine1099]

@@shiroiidakku Why? Cuz of dozens of bad bossfights and power stance?

[@maciejszustak707]

@@simolaine1099 elden ring has 2nd or 3rd best boss fights in souls series. Only falls behind ds3 and maybe semipro

[@TrophyBoiii]

@@EmberPlays But the From Software game that first mixed the Jump Button into their formula was Sekiro.

[@johnnywang6635]

When I played sekiro I actually had to get good at combat. Not saying the other games don't require skill but sekiro really takes it (for me personally) to another level

[@EmberPlays]

Same

[@thesterben5573]

Then theres me who sadly found it too tedious and stressful i love it ngl but i can only invest so much time

[@shiroiidakku]

Sekiro purely skill combat. Demon Souls, Dark Souls, Elden Ring you can beat entire progress with leveling your stats.

[@TrophyBoiii]

Definitely the steepest learning curve. It's kinda like you have to re-learn how to play video games. But once that combat system clicks, it's oh so satisfying! From Software really makes us feel like children again, in the sense that it's special to be able to progress sometimes.

[@a.g.m8790]

It IS the only one that forces skill

[@Saeshy04]

Best thing of Elden ring are the Ashes of War, they made every weapon somewhat useable and you had a thing like a Special Finishing move.

[@EmberPlays]

That is a really good point!!

[@EctobiusRex]

I feel like a lot of people take for granted that almost every weapon is at the very least not trash, I'm going through Ng+6 with a dual shield build, the fact that you can do that in game like this is just mind blowing

[@stevenb3854]

The build variety overall was by far the best Elden Ring feature. The sheer amount of options with weapons, ashes of war and spells was crazy. Rivers of Blood was an unfortunate mistake but without that builds are 10/10

[@Jormyyy]

@@EctobiusRex drop the setup for the shield build!

[@handemorebattlelands4009]

hell nah

[@The.Reilly]

The weapons in Bloodborne made it my favourite. They all were so different and unique and were all (well most of them) so fun to use. They flowed so well in combat and all made you play differently, from the slow thuds from the Kirkhammer to the nimble slices of the Blades of Mercy and the constant movement from the Beasthunter Saif. I've done a playthrough with almost all of them and enjoyed each one as much and I still go back to it to pick up that Church Pick once again and start hunting.

[@louis559]

I love love love the weapons in Bloodborne. Insanely creative, wildly impractical, and just so well implemented into the gameplay of the game as a whole. If I asked someone what their favorite weapon from Bloodborne is, they could respond with literally any of them and I'd be like "yeah. That makes sense"

[@ShinGallon]

If I could have the threaded cane in every Fromsoft game I'd be in heaven, I love that damn thing.

[@fenrir6470]

@@ShinGallon For me its the Rakuyo. I‘m a sucker for a nimble playstyle, and for me, the Rakuyo is everything I want from a weapon. It has more reach than the BoM, has a dual wielding form, a fantastic movesets, it looks awesome, i just love that damn thing. And sadly, no other Soulsborne game has anything quite like it. The dual Katanas of DS3 and Elden Ring are too slow and just don’t feel as satasfying.

[@virtualcynical8515]

I think my least favourite part of Bloodborne is because how all the weapons are so cool, there only ends up being like 20 in the base game, and alot of them are tied to NPC Quests that can be missed.

[@The.Reilly]

@@virtualcynical8515 If you're finding yourself missing a lot of them, try the chalice dungeons. People have glyphs that lead you to any weapon in the game (apart from DLC ones) and you can do it right after BSB. It's how I start off some of my runs with the Burial Blade or Beast Claw.

[@DameNaNoYo]

After playing almost all fromsoft games, Bloodborne is my #1. The atmosphere is creepy enough but make it a very great experience while playing, the relationship between us and the NPC make me feel I know them personally. But the my fav aspect of this game is the weapon and the combat, it's so satisfying I can just play again again and again. Man, I wished bloodborne has a sequel, or at least on PC :(

[@Andzei9825]

Worst thing about bloodborne is that its PS exclusive

[@mamenggaluh8897]

Ah come on Sony. We have Horizon, God of War, but no Bloodborne? I felt heartbroken 🥺

[@W0lf_91]

I’m with you on Bloodborne - the tone, ambience, atmosphere, I still think to this day is their best work.

[@TheCaliforniaHP]

The creative weapons are sooo good. Bloodborne is my #1 too even with Chalice Dungeons. I think it is also my most played outside of Elden Ring for time. Though it is my most beaten at 3 times. Sekiro and Demon's Souls are next at 2.

[@DameNaNoYo]

@@TheCaliforniaHP oh yeaaah the chalice dungeon, even tho I rarely playing it, it a creative way to level up.

[@Battleguild]

The experimentation of Dark Souls 2 can't be understated, there are so many mechanics that future titles haven't adopted hurts quite a bit. Among those was the absolutely amazing spellcaster support that not even Elden Ring comes close to contending with. Such as: 1. Dexterity not being tied to the Spellcast Speed Stat, but Attunement, the stat that determined your Spell Slots and Quantity of Casts. 2. You want to be a Spellblade? There were numerous weapons and even shields that doubled as full on catalysts/talismans at the cost of potency. You weren't forced to fumble between your weapons and spell foci. 3. Herbs. Items that refilled your spell casts but were locked during pvp. 4. Spell Stacking. You could use your duplicate spells to increase your total casts of that spell. This made getting spells in NG+ and beyond not totally pointless. 5. You could play an entire playthrough without ever using a weapon outside your spell focus, a pure mage run. You weren't forced to be a hybrid build like in future titles. 6. Spell Caster Merchants didn't become useless after you bought all their spells, as nearly all of them sold consumables in addition to their stock of spells, unlike future titles. 7. Magical buffs were ambidextrous. You aren't locked into buffing weapons in your right hand and shields on your left. 8. Several Hybrid Catalysts that supported 2+ spell schools.

[@ColdNorth0628]

All of these pretty much left to buzz off when it would have been best suited in Elden ring. But nope...

[@tonyjames3541]

Don't forget you can hold the button down to charge spells in early Beta.

[@rily2885]

I just want to add that no other souls game made ng+ as interesting as ds2, these games just reset the game without reseting your character, in ds2 adding more enemies or invasions and even replacing some chests with mimics was such a welcome idea to make up for the replayability beyond multiplayer

[@namethefifth7315]

They had catalysts that could cast to types of majic in ds3 like the talsimin in smouldering lake that could cast pyromancies and miracles

[@ColdNorth0628]

@@namethefifth7315 dark souls 2 had alot of those also. They really leaned in on cross mages.

[@tastysewers7643]

For dark souls 2 as imperfect as the game was I think it did ng+ the best hands down. They went and made actual changes to so much it was like a new play through plus. Changes to the 4 main bosses and the new loot made it worth it to do a second run

[@Poetry_84]

I am shocked this isn't the #1 comment and not even mentioned in the vid. I 100% DS2 a couple years ago and leading up to ER, I went and played a NG of each of the titles and while playing DS2, I kept saying, I thought there was an enemy here? What happened to this event? I felt like I had never played the game because my last memory was from NG+!

[@NisseDood]

Because its the only Souls game with ng+ that changes anything besides stat raises on enemies. DS3 only had +2 rings that they made useless by adding +3 versions in dlc.

[@jadewhite766]

IMO it's better to use those resources on just making NG better. I've played all the games multiple times (except DS2, I beat it but it just wasn't for me) and I rarely want to do NG+, would much rather make a new file and try a new build from scratch, and most players will just do one playthrough and call it a day anyway. In a perfect world you could also have extra stuff in NG+ but in a world with limited dev time/resources more people benefit on making a better core experience.

[@tastysewers7643]

That's a very valid point. I think you have a good point because most people do 1 play through or multiple playthrough not ng+. But I think I would be easy to add a bit of changes to areas enemy and loot wise. Especially in games like ds3 where assest aren't really reused as much as 2.

[@Betaster3000]

@@jadewhite766 you can just respec considering you get a shit ton of slabs

[@zkatt3238]

What you call "Level design" for DS1 I would refer to as "world design". The way the levels connect together. DS1 levels themselves generally weren't particularly special, it's how they connected to each other that was amazing. DS3 has much better level designs due to greater size and complexity. Something like Undead Settlement is large and sprawling and yet has a lot of great shortcuts and pathways. Cathedral of the Deep is another standout, with the whole thing being easily to complete with only the 1 main bonfire due to shortcuts.

[@Enskyed]

That's just level design.

[@MarkHogan994]

@@Enskyed No. Level design is the design of individual levels. For example, how Stormveil Castle is designed, the way the shortcuts connect one part of the castle to another, etc... World design is how different levels connect to each other, for example how the Undead Parish connects back to Firelink Shrine in DS1, or how the Valley of the Drakes connects to Firelink, New Londo, Blighttown, and the Darkroot Basin.

[@MarkHogan994]

I would agree that what he is referring to is world design, not level design. In fact in most of his videos when he talks about "level design" he really seems mainly concerned with world design. However I disagree with the idea that DS1's levels aren't special, and I also disagree that DS3's levels are better. DS1 has some fantastic level design. The Painted World, Sen's Fortress, Undead Burg, the Depths, Blighttown, Anor Londo, and the Duke's Archives, for example.

[@Enskyed]

@@MarkHogan994 Yes, that's called level design, it's just designed in a way that's circular.

[@TheTraveler980]

Dark Souls 2 also had unique animations for parry attacks and backstabs for most weapons.

[@EmberPlays]

Demon’s Souls remake did too

[@Potato0770]

​@@EmberPlayswho did it first?

[@dannymccrea9642]

I’d say the best thing about bloodborne is the whole heal by attacking ability. It puts you straight on the front foot and rewards an aggressive (and ultimately fun) play style.

[@michaualtington]

Heal by attacking mechanics always make for some of the most fun combat systems, look at hollow knight and mgr

[@DRKLRD-kv4cm]

@@michaualtington fun fact: that's what Malenia Does. Does this mean that she's playing Bloodborne?🤔🤔🤔

[@autisticturtle1849]

Personally I don’t find rallying that useful unless you’re only slightly or mildly damaged, because you can get 20 blood vials at the minimum so if you’re really low trying the risk outweighs the reward. Imo it’s done better in dead cells because on higher boss cells you have an incredibly limited amount of healing that you’ll want to try and save for boss fights and for the later levels

[@dannymccrea9642]

@@autisticturtle1849 depends, it helps with general areas a lot more than bosses, where it can actually still save some vials. Just means you can negate a lot of chip damage by being aggressive and even if it doesn’t help too much it still puts you in that aggressive mindset

[@TheSylvirr]

@@autisticturtle1849 There are some great runes that boost your rally to the point where I don't think I ever needed to use a vial. I think the one thing I didn't enjoy was how cryptic some things were. Like how the hell was I supposed to know that dropping the Brain of Mensis into a pit would render it unable to frenzy me? BAH.

[@Odinsday]

One thing Dark Souls 2 absolutely has over every other game is build variety/viability. You can do this in other souls games, aside from Sekiro and Bloodborne, but generally there is a set amount of specific weapon and spell types you are push towards as they are just more useful. Dark Souls 2 makes every single weapon have some use case, even if the weapon is broken. You can take a broken straight sword, a weapon no normal person would use, and turn it into a decent sword if given the right infusion. Even the spell variety felt unique compared to the other games.

[@badluckbrian46]

That was the number one reason why I loved its PVP. Barely any cheesy oneshot or r1 spam Builds, just a ton of different ones that could work out. Of course it did have some cheap weapons, but you werent as dependant on them as in other ones.

[@rohitchaoji]

I think they even encouraged this with the amount of Titanite and souls you get through the game and how cheap leveling up and buying things is, compared to the other souls games. I initially hated the weapon durability system and how often my weapon would be at risk, but I realized I had enough titanite to upgrade two equally good weapons for my build, in parallel, so I always had a viable choice, always had a backup.

[@alternator7893]

There’s a weapon, I don’t remember the name but it’s an Anvil on a stick, it used to be my favorite weapon because it has the lowest strength requirement out of the great hammers, it also has very poor scaling. The cool thing about it is that it has a very unique move set, I remember pvp matches where I would almost always hit my opponents because they were not used to it’s weird attack animation and I would always catch them off guard, it was awesome.

[@dogmat8733]

@@alternator7893 That’s the Gyrm Hammer I believe.

[@soulsborne_hk732]

I Kinda really agree with all your points in this video and I would like to add few more. 1. Demon souls-I haven't played it. 2. Dark souls-Besides the universally agreed point you made it also shares theme of areas having there unique theme. Aside from tomb of giants and lost Izalith and maybe some more that I can't remember none of the areas seem like they shouldn't be there. 3. Dark souls 2- exactly this. Team B wanted to make Ds2 an ambitious project but they had to scrap a lot of it due to time constraints but there experimentation is still visible. And it's sad to see Ds2 getting short end of the stick by the public as well due to short development time. 3. Bloodborne- 100% agree with your point. Also the weapons having uniqueness is a very amazing factor 4. Darksouls 3 - also hard agree with your point about bosses as well as with the dread that I get starting a NG and having to play the early game before irythil. Cathedral is good tho. 5 Sekiro-hard agree 6. Elden ring- I would agree here but Elden ring just does soooo much more. And I do kinda agree with some of the exploration point but not completely. During my first playthrough I was so focused on exploring everything but didn't really get much related to my strength paladin build until the mid game. But it is not an issue with subsequent play through as I can just explore for stuff that I wanted.

[@EmberPlays]

Glad you saw where I was coming from with most of these! And with Elden ring, I can totally understand your point. I guess I just got burnt out on exploration after my first playthrough

[@moosecannibal8224]

Honestly, With Elden Ring, I think it would definitely benefit from having more weapons and armor sets with unique "enchantment" affects (like, hp back on hit as a very basic example). The other games (especially ds2 as you said) had a lot of variety with weapons and such and I feel like that's definitely one thing I felt missing from Elden Ring. Idk man, I don't want over powered items, I just want more items that work together, so they can be a viable build. And maybe give me a decent reason to use different spell catalysts, because 9 times out of 10 there's just one good one and there's no reason for the rest to even exist aside from being less good versions of the same item, but with an effect on them that makes you THINK the weaker versions would be situationally better.

[@EmberPlays]

Ya this is a good point, I could definitely see that

[@dimitrijetokovic5652]

Man.. What id do to play Bloodborne for the first time again. I pray that FromSoft makes a sequel or something of the like

[@EmberPlays]

We can only dream 😭

[@paytonwillis8692]

I remember going on to the bridge for the first time and seeing the Cleric Beast jump out. It scared me. I was like “What the fuck is that”.😂😂😂

[@kkurrocas6494]

I cannot bring myself to finish Bloodborne for some reason always lose interest getting to the middle of the game

[@DRKLRD-kv4cm]

@@EmberPlays man you're lucky. You Can't possibly understand how It hurts not being able to play this masterpiece. (I don't own a PS4/PS5 and surely won't get One to play Just One game locked at 30 FPS). Why the hell this still didn't get a remastered?????

[@maxmuller6730]

@@kkurrocas6494 I finished it once and only because I forced myself. I just dont like the aesthetics, everything is dark, black and grey and looks the same to me, everybody has a different taste I guess

[@isimioyekunlemarktaiwo3643]

I still go back and play sekiro even after playing this masterpiece called elden ring. The flow of combat is just fantastic, no game has been able to replicate the polish and flow of it, yes star wars Jedi outcast hasn't. Sekiro and Bloodborne proved you can change alot from the fundamentals of the soul borne concept and still make it feel different and fresh. anyway your video is great.. straight to the point and valid points

[@nulls5408]

For me personally I’ll say the best for each game is: Demons’ soul - ability to break the game’s difficulty over your leg. ds1 and og ds2 had similar situations with their items, but no way as absurdly marvelous as this game. Dark souls - the lore. Whether the in-game or fan made lore/theories/characters (Giantdad, soulsborne timeline theory, etc.) you probably already know it if you’ve been apart of the community. Dark souls 2 - pvp, even to this day it’s still the undeniable best. Bloodborne - the progressive change of things in game. More bosses you kill, the further the night progresses, your character will eventually get drenched in blood the more enemies you kill, your level of insight let’s you see and get attacked by different enemies, you get to feel yourself go deeper in the depths of the game the deeper you go in the chalice dungeons, and how boss fights progress can vary on what specific items you use and if you can damage Specific sections of them. Dark souls 3 - how it closes up some plot threads in the series in some really satisfying ways, while also answering just enough questions to both be rewarding and leave you excited for what’s to come. Sekiro - level design via Sekiro’s extremely high mobility, especially with being able to swim. And with how said level design changes. Elden ring - Trying to find every secret, reward, enemy, death trap, item, and level. I’m a person who has at least 1 max level character in each game (still work on getting one for this game...) and this game has probably been the most enjoyable for me to do this in. Sure, it’s not the easiest to start a new character to test builds like the other games and it’s pretty easy to complete. But it somehow keeps the game refreshing even when you have an +300 level character in NG+7 As you trek around the world as a absolute unit of a adventurer. Much to my chagrin to describe the game as I’m about to, but this game Is much more fun to Skyrim it then unmodded Skyrim can ever hope to achieve for me.

[@EmberPlays]

Great list! I totally agree

[@AlyssMa7rin]

My favorite part about Dark Souls/Bloodborne/Elden Ring: Vaati Vidya. And Ember And the Music And the Combat And the World Design And the Aesthetic And the Boss Fights

[@autisticturtle1849]

The ds3 one isn’t something I’ve thought about or seen mentioned but yeah hard agree Stuff like Quelana’s corpse being next to the blighttown firekeepers corpse is a really sweet subtle detail

[@vindicator879]

Sekiro feels like an action adventure game with all the cool gameplay mechanics, it's like Tomb Raider meets Dark Souls Dark Souls 2 has the best fashion for those who want to role-play as a female character, it's also the only souls game where you can't use exploits like quitting and reloading to reset enemy aggro or being invincible while going through fog wall or using a lever

[@EmberPlays]

Both very true! I do think DS2 has best fashion as well, tons of super unique stuff

[@SystemBD]

DS2 would have been amazing if they could have finished it. Sadly, they run out of time and had to put everything together as well as they could... but the interconnectivity between the areas was destroyed in the process and after the great world building of DS1... It truly hurt my experience.

[@amelleine2110]

"roleplay as a female character" theres also women that play games...

[@johncatson6658]

@@amelleine2110 Yeah but they could choose to roleplay as a male. Whatever gender you're choosing, you're choosing to roleplay as it because you aren't really your character.

[@sleepinbelle9627]

Dark Souls 2 has the Gender Swap Coffin, an object that allows you to change your character's gender, but only after you successfully defeat 2 ogres, one of which is hidden from you, a challenge much greater than anything else in the area. As such, Dark Souls 2 is the second hardest game about being transgender I have ever played.

[@wellfuzzball5523]

For me, Demon’s Souls was my favourite. I loved the atmosphere, the gameplay, the NPC’s, everything; except the Man-eater boss (still hate those two). One thing that absolutely blew me away was the tendency system. The fact that depending on your actions you can either punish yourself or reward felt incredibly ahead of it’s time. My one and only problem is that I’ll never see the sixth archstone repaired and playable.

[@EmberPlays]

I can definitely see that! My only real problem with world tendency is that it seems like it’d be really annoying for new players. For me, I had already heard about it before I got the game so I knew what to do, but it seemed like it would be annoying if I didn’t know about it. I do agree that not having that last archstone will forever be upsetting 😭

[@SharkyShocker]

I played Dark Souls 3 but never finished it like 6 years ago. Stopped really early and barely remembered any of it, so it would probably be more apt to say Elden Ring was my first Souls Game. Fucking Phenomenal, and it got me to just recently play through Sekiro.... Yes, the combat is even better than Elden Ring, in my opinion. Elden Ring gives you choice. It gives you options, and the ability to tackle a challenge any number of ways. Sekiro doesn't have choice. You don't have big meaty weapons or bows. You have prosthetic weapons which can vary it up, but you'll always be using the same main weapon. But what stands out is the flow. There's never a dull moment, and you'll be on the edge of your seat the entire time. It doesn't feel like you're playing a game, it feels like you're playing a movie.

[@dra7895]

holy shit yeah. if you look at certain modded bossfights in sekiro it literally looks like a movie, example is ultimate isshin. inner father feels like a battle between immovable force and unstoppable object. the combat will never be dull

[@PorkNBeans47]

Thats honestly a good take on every game. Bloodborne just has something special man. If only i didn’t have to grind those stupid bloodgems

[@grayweed7194]

Dark souls 2 lore is one with the atmosphere, I've played all of the soulsbornekiro but souls2 has something about despair and Longines that not even bloodborne being my fav can't match

[@danielwagner2034]

You forgot about the torch mechanic in DS2. It was not fully implemented, but had at least once nice feature which I think a lot of players never even noticed: It keeps the spiders away and the larger spiderlike critters in No-Man's Wharf. They won't attack you while holding a torch.

[@emperorpingusmathchannel5365]

Sekiro is the one I have the most hours in just because it is so convenient to revisit the boss fights. Inner owl, genichiro, isshin, monk are excellent. I dislike thinking about builds and just like going straight in to it instead of making slow deliberate decisions about my stats.

[@thelaststeakbender3150]

fax bro. people complained about not having builds but i feel thats what made the game so good. not being able to make some op magic or bleed build and cheese the hard bosses. you had to get good or get creative with your limited tools

[@dred_dreamr]

You are so right about ds3’s boss design. It’s my favourite game of the serious purely because of it (sadly I have never had the pleasure of playing bloodborne, so I can’t say if it’s better than that). When I was fighting gael it was so perfectly balanced that I actually enjoyed losing to him and learning what I could to better next time, I loved the idea of him and I being the last two standing in this world of ash, simply just having a good old fashioned duel to end it all. When I finally beat gael, after a brief moment of euphoria I was sad that I had actually beaten him, and that I wouldn’t be able to fight him again. I instantly ran all the way through NG+ and got back to him, and then for the next few weeks I simply just fought gael over and over with different builds. I know that fight like the back of my hand now, and I’m sad to say that I was a bit disappointed when I came to elden ring as I haven’t been granted that kind of connection with any boss in the game yet, however I still haven’t quite beaten the game, so theres still hope!

[@ALI.F16]

I played bb i can easily say ds3 is way better

[@badluckbrian46]

Tbh for my many of the bosses felt unfair, because of their weird, unintuitive timings. A lot of the time when meeting a new boss or fighting them again after a long time you didnt die because you made a mistake, but because you didnt learn what delay each attack has to catch you in your way to strong roll. Yes, you can of course say "git gud and always have 100% perfect control on not rolling when it feels like your opponents would attack, but when they actually do", but to me it was just so frustrating and felt cheap, especially compared to Sekiro and Artorias which never had to fake you out but still had incredibly tough fights.

[@Gunther69420]

@@ALI.F16 I played every game and can easily say BB is by far the best.

[@teh_copbine5081]

While powerstancing is cool, what DKS2 really did well was the dual wield system, you had the full animation and moveset regardless of which hand you held your weapon (not including shields) which is most apparant when you put a greatsword in your left hand and it still rests upon your shoulder in the idle animation.

[@sleepinbelle9627]

dual-wielding in DS2 is so fun. It's my 2nd dark souls game and it's so cool the variety of movesets you can use. Like, my normal loadout is the heide knight sword in my left and mail breaker in my right. If I power stance I get enough damage with L1 to one shot most basic enemies, but can still chain into an R1 to chip that last bit of health away (I tried rapier but its attacks are too finicky to spam at the end of a combo, and it slows stamina regen too much). However, in the ruin sentinels bossfight I went and bought a mace for my right hand to hit for more damage, something I'd never have considered doing in DS1. It's so cool how dual-wielding is flexible enough to let you adjust your weapon combinations for specific fights without having to learn a completely different moveset.

[@leomurry8195]

I honestly never finished ds2 since I got busy in the middle of my playthrough, but my favorite part was by far the little puzzles and natural challenges. I loved the challenge of bringing a torch through the flooded prison to make lost sinner an easier boss. It was such a cool little choice and I wish the other souls games had similar little puzzles for bosses and levels.

[@theodorehunter4765]

Just a heads up. You can use a flame butterfly as a match and light a torch when you get there. It's so much less painful that way.

[@leomurry8195]

@@theodorehunter4765 I actually know that and it kind of frustrates me. I don’t really understand why they created the neat little dilemma just to leave a way to completely bypass it. Probably just an oversight on the dev’s part.

[@darrenhoughton1515]

The locked doors either side of his boss door open with a key. You then light the oil to light up his room, just to explain to anyone the reason he brings a torch.

[@MrBephelgor]

•Bonfire Ascetic in DS2 doesen't only resets the area though, it moves the specific area to the ng+. Unlike the other titles ds2 continues presenting new items, weapons and armor sets even on ng+3. For example you get the full moon butterfly set on ng+2 if I'm not mistaken, which is quite encouraging to replay the game because you keep discovering new stuff, enemies, invasions, changed boss patterns and encounters(for example the giant spider climbs up the cliff). So yes you can strategically use the item for its reset mechanic to get more of the loot you need, also it enables us to get what we want without replaying the whole game. It's really a cool feature for me since I always try to use the moonlight GS in every title and you cannot get the true MGS before NG+ in this game. •Power stancing also had more variety in ds2 •The game itself awarded challenge running by giving the player 2 different rings.(No death, No bonfire run)

[@RosieJonesRules]

Not bringing Ascetics back in DS3 or Elden Ring was insane. Such a great new addition

[@EmberPlays]

Agreed, imagine getting to fight Gael over and over and him getting even more difficult 🔥

[@zsDUGGZ]

@@EmberPlays you would also get another titanite slab because of the ringed knight guy that chills off to the side, so more maxed weapons for everyone!

[@haid4x]

One underrated feature Elden Ring has is the fact that rolling, sprinting, jumping and attacking without any aggros on you doesn’t cost stamina. Also another thing I enjoyed quite a lot was the posture break mechanic. Oh yes and jumping, finally.

[@iiiivvvv9986]

Wait you just described Sekiro

[@haid4x]

@@iiiivvvv9986 I haven’t played sekiro and demon souls yet 😅

[@iiiivvvv9986]

@@haid4x I haven't played Elden ring yet, but Sekiro has infinite stamina, jumping, and grapple hooks and the combat is built almost entirely on a posture break mechanic, so it might be up your alley

[@eetfuk3571]

as much as I love Elden Ring and definitely my favourite soulsborne game ever. I think Sekiro's combat system will remain the best combat system I've ever played. people hated it because of "lack of variety of weapons" because they are getting forced to play the Sekiro on how it was designed or how it was built. I think it's kind of challenging and super fun at the same time, as someone who used to experienced fighting in real life to earn money, I easily adopt the style of gameplay of Sekiro on how you should be very aware on your defense while countering whenever they are open.

[@anythingatall7670]

To me dark souls 1 has the greatest atmosphere. It’s so melancholy and grim. Everyone or thing you meet is well past it’s prime, which makes sense as the world around you is dying

[@chessex260]

I love sekiro be it the grapling hook, the combat system or that you can just kill a small enemies with death blows its amazing. In all Fromsoft Games there is always the feeling that there is 1 inteded way to play the game. DS1 was Sword and Shield(and a bit of rolling), DS2 was to seperate the enemies with a bow, DS3 is full on rollmode and Blodborne is parry stancebreaking interrupt. So yeah you have the choice and you can choose to play different but the game gets a lot harder or easier depending on what you play. Sekiro just doesn't give you the choice which means you don't have to figure it out for yourself. Also I think it makes the game more balanced because they didn't have to figure out how to balance each weapon.

[@EmberPlays]

That’s a good point! Never thought about that but that’s probably why everyone can collectively agree that Sekiro was probably the hardest fromsoft game on their first playthrough (once you master it it’s probably the easiest tho in my opinion)

[@skywoofyt5375]

Bloodborne is just Aggression and evasion

[@chessex260]

@@skywoofyt5375 ok don't know bloodborne that well

[@qcdoomqc]

I’ve never played with a shield in DS, never used a bow in DS2, and I’ll give you DS3 lol. Two Hand UGS is the only way I’ll ever play these games babyyyyyy

[@adolfhipsteryolocaust3443]

Using a shield is not the optimal way to play ds 1, at all

[@Mo_sty]

You forgot to mention Soul memory, their attempt at stopping unbalanced invasion/coop

[@Metalton95]

Ironically, I'm trying a "no Torrent" run for my 3rd Elden Ring playthrough, to better see which open world locations delivered on the details and which (Mountaintop / Consecrated) that didn't.

[@legobatmanthevideogame3194]

one thing i could add to this list (about dark souls 2) is the freedom you have, your tutorial boss can be eleum loyce dlc tiger, dark luker, dragonrider, dragonslayer, pursuer, last giant, rats, rotten, najka and twin dragon riders, it all depends on your patience to farm 1 million souls lol

[@sirrichard5418]

For me Elden Ring felt like a prototype, there's not that much enemy types (overall there's more soldiers and soldiers variants than original ennemies), some bosses a really cool but some are easily forgettable. The OST is absolutely gorgeous but I don't know, it felt like they could have done much better in the open-field areas and putting more original stuff in. Main dungeons are great, and some underground tunnels felt repetitive. The trailers for the game were so well done that re-watching them after completing the game, getting every ending and tried to have every item on one character, those said trailers felt like they were advertising a completely different game. Overall, since they were developing it before next gen consoles were even out, they had to adapt to PS4/XOne capabilities. So in future titles, once they focus developing on the next-gen consoles era, we might have a "true" Elden Ring experience. But don't get me wrong, Elden Ring is still a great game !

[@bumblingBird-]

ok so the perfect souls game needs - its own identity/feels unique to other souls games - interconnected word design/shortcuts and secret paths - using difficulty to encourage exploration - item/weapon variety - bonfire ascetic - more locks than keys - aesthetically pleasing level design -DLC - balanced and fun boss fights - a generally fun flow of combat/quick and attention needing combat - convience/freedom

[@EmberPlays]

100%

[@bumblingBird-]

@@EmberPlays fromsoft better be taking notes

[@weebto]

I'd say the number 1 priority still has to be fairness and balance. Despite elden ring being fantastic, it's undeniably more flawed than any of its predecessors in that regard

[@zsDUGGZ]

@@weebto Dark Souls 2 literally exists. I'll take Godskin duo any day over throne watcher/defender. Adp sucks, every enemy is either painfully easy or tediously hard with no in-between, maneuvering is clunky, level design is questionable in most areas, mostly mid boss designs throughout the game, VERY inconvient runbacks, etc. I love Dark Souls 2 very much, but you literally called an unfinished game less flawed than Elden Ring and I think your opinion is objectively wrong.

[@weebto]

@@zsDUGGZ you completely missed my point. I just said elden ring is the worst fromsoft game in terms of sheer balance and honesty toward players. I mean, just look at any "Malenia doesn't play by the rules" video or think about the outrageous enemy damage output or obscenely broken weapons and you'll easily get what I mean. I also don't particularly like DS2, but despite how cheaply designed a lot of enemy mobs, bosses and areas in that game felt, I can say I never got angry at numbers alone. Except for the ancient dragon, of course I'd also argue elden ring is just as unfinished as DS1/2/3 in many ways. The endgame is atrociously empty, Farum Azula aside, and a lot of narrative bits such as Maliketh/Gurranq surviving independently, the Marika/Radagon and Ranni/Renna exact dynamics, Hyetta reaching the freaking flame proscription while alone, defenseless and blind, Mohg's clone not dying below Leyndell after the og dies, the way we reach Farum Azula, or the reason why multiple Astels exist NEVER get properly explained through item descriptions or npc dialogues. The community can guess as to why that's the case but the reality is, it's such a disjointed mess plagued by poor translations and last-minute changes to certain dialogues/descriptions (look up the cinquedea-related drama). Never before had the lore been this pointlessly vague

[@spiralistichope9216]

This is a pretty great list emphasizing the most prominent strengths of each game, and I feel it's pretty similar to my own feelings on what makes each game special and unique. Demon's Souls: I'd generally agree with you on atmosphere, though I think Bloodborne's atmosphere is also nigh on untouchable. I think DeS also stands out for another reason though, beyond the existential dread of the atmosphere. To me, that's the sense of fresh creativity the game resonates as you go through each world, something about it feels incredibly innovative and bursting with ideas that make the world special, even mechanically speaking with the world tendency karma concept, though its gameplay execution had its flaws. I think DeS feeling so creative and fresh is fitting, since it's what kicked off the entire Soulsborne sub-genre, after all. Dark Souls: Not much to say here, I pretty much completely agree with you, it's all about the interconnectivity of the world and the level design that facilitated that brilliant intertwined set of areas. The world was just so unbelievably engrossing because of how it was designed, and nothing in gaming until arguably Elden Ring got close to that kind of brilliance, and even then, it's different. The world design elevated every other facet of the game, from the lore and story to the discovery and combat, and for that, it really stands out as special. Dark Souls 2: Since I consider this the weakest of the games personally, I think what actually stands out most for me is a bit hard to pinpoint. I agree with you that there was more desire to innovate than with any of the other games, and ER actually drew a lot from the foundations DaS2 paved. However, I'd personally give DaS2 the crown when it comes to improvement of concepts and progression in quality through its DLCs. The DLCs were a big step up for me in level design and even narrative, and it showed how the many great ideas in the vanilla game could be pushed even further when coupled with the higher standard of the prior games. Furthermore, the willingness to really change things in Scholar of the First Sin, and also to have NG+ be different, was fantastic. DaS2 is the most flawed game of them all for me, but also the most notably improved over time and ambitious, even beyond ER. Bloodborne: Since this video game is essentially a masterpiece for me, there are so many things I can pinpoint. I think the Old Hunters DLC is the very best content From has ever produced, for example, with how it put the game on an even higher pedestal. I already mentioned that I think it probably wins out on atmosphere too, it's the most palpable atmosphere of any game I've played, with only a few that can match it. Along with that, I think I'd also give it a ton of credit for thematic consistency above all else, the tone and themes are all in synch with the literary influences like Lovecraftian cosmic horror, and the aesthetics and colors of the settings all match seamlessly with those themes. It's the first game I point to when I think of gaming as art, quite simply. Dark Souls 3: As a culmination of the Dark Souls trilogy, there's a lot to say here. I totally agree with you that this may be the high point of boss fights of all the games, only Sekiro and Bloodborne come close and DaS3 may edge it anyway. Furthermore, the game uses its legacy and derivative aspects elegantly, drawing out the best the series has to offer while being self-aware that it was time to wrap up what Dark Souls's world wanted to say, something the DLCs made clear thematically. I think I'll also give DaS3 the boss fights as you did, while also emphasizing that I think its replayability is also top notch, just like Bloodborne for me (though you didn't seem to agree in the video). Oh also, DaS3's final act in the vanilla game was incredible, great boss after great boss and area/level design from the Dancer to the Soul of Cinder, which I suppose fits into it having the best bosses too! Sekiro: Also not much to say here, since I completely and utterly agree with you here. There's a lot to love about Sekiro and its unique setting, more straightforward style of storytelling and awesome aesthetic. However, it's clearly the combat which stands out as the best From has ever achieved. The deflection system and extreme tightness of the system, the flexibility it allowed for while also being far more focused than the Soulsborne games could ever manage with their stronger RPG leanings, all of it combined, makes its combat exceptional. The bosses are incredible to match the brilliant combat of course, but it's the combat itself which is just so damn uncontested. Elden Ring: The word I'd use for ER's unique greatness is probably "culmination," because it really is the culmination of everything From learned from all these prior games. Of course, it can probably match DaS1 with its world, it can stand with or above any of them with its lore, even Bloodborne, and it can be the most creative and certainly ambitious, like DeS or DaS2, innovating with its transition to the genre of open world with jumping, mounted combat and all the rest. It covers so much ground that there are of course some flaws to be found, but what it achieves is immense in something bringing it all together into one package. I think if I had to emphasize something special for ER, it would be that it almost felt limitless at times, you just kept finding more and more, so that added to the sense of exploration in an unprecedented way, and it felt like three Soulsborne games in one by the end. Your point on convenience is also notable for sure though, can't help but second that sentiment! Great video, keep up the good work!

[@CelestialDraconis]

The rally mechanic is hands down my favourite aspect of Bloodborne. The way it encourages a more aggressive playstyle by rewarding taking risks was genius and made the adrenaline-inducing combat more exciting than any other Souls game, even Sekiro. Nevermind the buttery smooth trick weapon transformations that you can merge into your combos, everything about Bloodborne's combat was satisifying.

[@samanthashelly9947]

nah honestly I love all the stuff DSII added its so so cool. I will say the powerstancing is different cuz in ER you can only do it with two weapons of the same type but in DSII you can do a bunch of combinations. I loved doing the longsword/greatsword combo

[@Bobobo-bo-bo-bobobo]

Central Yharnam is such a perfect starting area, it's still probably my favorite area in Bloodborne

[@RoyalConfetti]

Bloodborne was my first and is still my favorite. I never had interest in souls games but this one was special. I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. So I got dragged across the floor and I loved every second of it! But can we talk about how AMAZING the soundtracks are in these games? Bloodborne’s is so haunting and beautiful at the same time.

[@solaire5668]

3:25 enemies despawning after being killed 12 times isn't to prevent farming, since you can stop it by joining the covenant of champions. I believe it was more intended to give an option to the player to skip some of the more unbearable boss runs through areas if they had already done the level enough times.

[@dahlia3944]

The quality of the video is incredible, waiting for the channel to blow up.

[@EmberPlays]

Thank you so much!!!

[@chairuptop]

honestly, the mikiri counter ALONE is a significant factor of why sekiro is one of my favorite games sure, deflecting and using prosthetics are cool, but taking a thrust attack head on and stomping on the blade is something else

[@LokiBeckonswow]

I'm really happy you made this video, wouldn't it be incredible if, because of videos and discussion like this, FromSoft integrates all of the things we've loved into one massive game - for me Elden Ring is pretty much this, but of course there is so much missing from it that you've discussed super well in this video - the main thing I want from elden ring is a dedicated parry system like sekiro (so far I think only GhostOfTsushima has come close to the brilliant swordplay that is in sekiro), and the grappling hook! Holy fuck the grappling hook is so so so incredible, I need this in every fromsoft game, but then also thanks for the jump button, can you make an item for me to give me double jump pretty pls that would be so so dope?

[@zors5188]

Although my first Souls was DS3, Sekiro will always have a special place in my heart. I don't even play it anymore today but there was something special about it. If my achievements date are correct and my memory is good... I bought it in December, which mean I played most of it during the start of the pandemic. Holy hell there was so much time to play... and pretty much only that to do for months. So yeah. Sekiro is a gem to me.

[@bolson42]

5:36 is honestly so relatable

[@ADiceySituation]

Sekiro is about being a ninja. You get in, hit hard and fast, avoid damage, escape and try again if you need to. A ninja using a giant kanabo or something like that just wouldn't aesthetically work...But now i wanna see a Samurai themed spin-off using the posture gauge system and the dance-like combat. Sekiro is the only Souls game I've beaten, and I can get through it so much easier than Dark Souls.

[@Foogi9000]

I didn't like how they changed the Nexus theme in Demon Souls Remake, it's a small gripe but it matters to me.

[@EmberPlays]

I didn’t play the original but I can definitely see how that could be annoying

[@thechosenflutterbox]

2:30 one thing people forget to mention when talking about DS2's good points is its counter system, as in each weapon's 'counter' stat, which is a percentage multiplier that works when you attack an enemy during it's attack. Having that no longer tied to thrusting attacks and having it vary wildly from weapon to weapon really added a lot of variety, as certain weapons even within the same type had different counter bonuses, meaning some were better with well-placed hits while others weren't, but instead dealt more base damage.

[@bishopjemison9906]

You don't ruin your game if you hit the fire keeper in Ds3. She respawns as soon as you rest and basically says "sorry bro I'm immortal until I meet my destiny"

[@bishopjemison9906]

Same with the doll in Bloodborne. She can die, and doesn't get back up, but you can still level up just like normal

[@Faude18]

@@bishopjemison9906 The doll respawns the next time you enter the hunter's dream.

[@EmberPlays]

I know it doesn’t actually ruin it, it was just an example that came to mind. There were a couple NPCs I remember hitting in DS2 that basically ruined my whole playthrough

[@velvetdraws3452]

while that is true when you're a new player you dont know that

[@DChevy98]

Your take on dreading areas in DS3 was so spot on. I spent countless hours going through the first few areas in preordained paths and spacing out because I hated dealing with them.

[@josetomascamposrobledano4618]

10/10 idea for a video. Although I do not agree with every part of the commentary, it is great to know none of these games makes the others obsolete. But yeah, perhaps a look at PS3 demons wouldn’t be bad. Equipload without the “send to storage” option turned the game into Resident Evil with inventory management. And some of the songs hit different, also 3”4 way rolling made the game more “strategic”. But I’m not a fanboy PS5 Demons is a masterpiece! I’ll recommend PS3 version to those who are “nitch” when picking games.

[@EmberPlays]

Thank you!! I've had this idea written down for a while and I finally got around to making it. Later this week I'll be doing the WORST part of each game, so that should be interesting. I would love to try the PS3 version of Demon's Souls tho, I'm super curious and have heard great things!

[@JamieGJones]

The estus system in DS1 is honestly a underrated system. I kinda hope they do that if a future game.

[@william41017]

What's special about it?

[@Dudeman9339]

Elden Ring truly felt like a whole world. With factions that fight and ally with each other. Expansive territories, quarreling families, and worthy heirs. Fromsoft dunked on Bethesda and gaming will never be the same.

[@mr.seagulliii4353]

dunking on bethesda is not very dificult to achieve

[@elias.t]

GRRM doing what he was paid for. Love to see it.

[@lloydirving6209]

The atmosphere and immersion of Demon's Souls are obviously top notch, but how was world/character tendency not included? Seems like a very obvious best feature when it is the only game in the series that has it. The effect that it has on NPC questlines, triggering different in-world events, difficulty, enemy placement, etc. It is by far one of the deepest mechanics in ANY of the souls games.

[@catalin2766]

As much as I love Elden Ring I must agree that the exploration, while great from a visual and lore point of view, is kind of fruitless. I think we all spent at some point 15 minutes looking around a single point just so we can understand how to reach that rooftop or higher floor or whatever just to be welcomed with some red roses or other crafting material.

[@padaliny]

I had that a lot, it took me 17 hours to get out of Limgrave doing exactly this all over. Then after beating Godrick seeing how big the world was it overwhelmed me and now I can't play it

[@catalin2766]

@@padaliny Personally I never had the problem of being overwhelmed. I came in with the expectation of a long game that will give me over a hundred hours of stuff to do (as it happened with the rest of From Soft games) but I will admit it feels more like a bother to start a new playthrough with this game

[@Ben-xl7ft]

Parrying and visceral attacks never get boring in Bloodborne. Shredding your enemy into spilling a bathtub of blood makes you feel a complete boss hunter every time.

[@shiroiidakku]

My opinion, i prefer Dark Souls 3 PVP than Elden Ring PVP. Fakyu RoB and Star of Ruin.

[@EmberPlays]

Same tbh

[@haldosprime3896]

As someone who very much didn’t enjoy elden ring on multiple levels but loved the other fromsoft games I do think you nailed what it did right, convenience. Being able to go many different places early and really choosing your own progression is a very cool idea and can be a very fluid and unique experience tailored to the person playing it. I see it as being a bad thing in terms of progression since you can easily bypass pretty much everything the game can offer but so much of the game is not really worth expending the time for other than just to do it, in my personal opinion. I acknowledge that Elden ring top to bottom just wasn’t made for my kind of enjoyment and that’s fine. I really appreciate the straight forward and direct approach to your format. Looking forward to more.

[@EmberPlays]

Thank you!! I totally agree. I touch on these points a bit in the vid I’m dropping next (the worst things from each game) so I’m curious to see what you think!

[@5s2z]

(This rant is randomly segmented) I agree with pretty much every point but elden ring. I don’t really know what the best feature is at this point, because it has too many bad ones in my opinion. The only reason statues of Marika are good is that the run to the bosses suck, it still is one of the best features. Bosses are underwhelmingly bad, they cheat, don’t feel accomplishing to beat most of the time, music just isn’t a banger, the scaling, and other problems like the amount of reskin bosses. They really put too much emphasis on quantity over quality. The first time you play elden ring it will be a lot of fun exploring and then realizing “oh shit that was only 0.005 percent of the game that I just completed.” But if you try to replay it and make specific builds, it will become a toll to go to the places you want to go for needed items. Storm veil is probably the best section of the game cause the boss is good and the castle is designed really well. I have so many points about bad but also some good points about the game but I’m tired of typing this on my phone. Great video, I’m just annoyed at how there was practically no criticism of elden ring and how you called it a masterpiece when all the other souls games are better masterpieces (except dark souls 2).

[@aidansilli4257]

Yeah, I disagree with a lot of this. With the exception of a few rare moves, I don't think the bosses cheat. I found them to be really satisfying and fun to beat for the most part. I would say it has the 2nd best boss lineup behind dark souls 3. The music is most certainly a banger. Godskin theme, Fortissax, final boss themes, the end of Radahn's theme, Mogh's theme and there were also some great ambient tracks like Leyndell and Nokrom. I didn't find any issues with scaling personally. I agree about the amount of reskinned bosses and having a harder time replaying the game.

[@5s2z]

@@aidansilli4257 Glad to see that even though we disagree on some points. You don’t praise it for being the best game of all time or anything, and will actually acknowledge it’s flaws. Not saying it’s a horrible game, just not as great of a masterpiece as dark souls.

[@YharnamOfLordran]

The horseback riding in Elden Ring is so amazing that barely even noticed it in my playthrough, which is exactly what they wanted, unlike other games like RDR2 (which I loved, but not because of the laborious horse mechanics). You can collect materials without getting off and combat feels great! Another often forgotten design choice is the ability to gain Estus by finishing a group of enemies, which allows and encourages continued exploration. ER bosses are a mixed back, but I would say the exploration was amazing, so much so that I am really having a tough time getting into other open world games with thousands of question marks all over the map.

[@wafi5576]

07:32 this is what sekiro did better

[@Greg-w-smeg]

Finishing Elden ring made me get Sekiro, the boss replay mechanic was something I didn’t know I needed

[@EmberPlays]

For REAL

[@ramen3643]

elden ring has the best bosses and the best exploration imo I'd argue that the convenience in the game is actually a bad thing even

[@danielantony1882]

I'd say it has worst bosses cuz you can barely damage them. Fights take more then 60 minutes to beat and that because shitheads like Margit only give you 2 openings out of their entire moveset and it takes very long for them to open up.

[@EmberPlays]

Interesting, why do u think it’s a bad thing? Also, which aspect of convenience?

[@ramen3643]

@@EmberPlays I think there are too many checkpoints to the point where they might cause you to miss out on exploring certain areas more thoroughly, and with torrent being too fast, you feel more encouraged to run away from enemies, I really noticed this when I tried to run through certain areas without torrent, and I noticed there were some enemies I never killed before, and some I haven't even seen in that place before, it is definitely still possible to run from enemies on foot, but it's harder, which makes you not think of running away as often, and since movement is slower and more deliberate, you tend to notice little things in the environment way more often, and you can truly take in the environments, torrent is too fast for his own good. toerent also trivialises alot of boss fights, like radahn and some dragon fights since there are so many checkpoints, I see alot of checkpoints be rendered obselete because the next checkpoint is so close, and other situations where they decided to put a checkpoint instead of making a DS1-esque shortcut, or other places where there IS a shortcut but they just put a checkpoint or stake of marika right after it anyways, whoch renders it obselete. and since you can teleport at any time, you feel much less of a sense of dread when exploring, and theres no room in the game to give an effect like going into blighttown too early in DS1 and panicking to find a way out, being unable to warp, feeling scared and helpless. the caves and catacombs tried to emulate that, but they were too small and too easy, and the checkpoints were always right next to the exit anyways, there wasn't a point in the game that was "a point of no return" the fact that you can just level up whenever you want should'nt have been so convenient, they decided to make it like DS1, wherr you just press a few buttons to level yourself up, but I think that melina should appear everytime you level up, which would make you feel way more attached to her as a character, I see so many people say she's a bad level up maiden because she "gets no screentime" but she has way more dialogue and way more story implications than any other level up maiden (aside from maybe emma) but simply the fact that she doesn't level you up all the time, people don't feel very attached to her. it would have also made it hit harder when she dies/leaves you during leyndell/after acquiring the flame of frenzy, and it would have made leveling up feel way more lonely. the game tends to be inconvenient when it should be convenient, like certain boss runs that are too long, certain (not all) questlines that are hard to track. and at times is too convenient when it should be a bit less convenient, like the things I mentioned above.

[@ramen3643]

@@danielantony1882 the bosses give you plenty of openings, you just have to be super aggressive, and I definitely don't think I "barely" dealt any damage, even if it is less than in previous fromsoft games, I prefer it this way since boss fights feel way more impactful, while in a game like bloodborne yoi can clean up most bosses in 30 seconds, which makes them feel super throwaway, just like the mini bosses in elden ring. elden ring makes main bosses have a bit more health to make them longer and more impactful fights, look at a game like monster hunter, or metal gear rising, where fights can last over 10 minutes sometimes, yet are considered amazing fights, you're just too used to the previous fromsoft games that have fights that end in mere seconds. there are several times in DS3 and bloodborne where I purposefully extended the fight to see the boss moveset because they had too little health and died so fast, which makes it feel less satisfying to beat them, elden ring doesn't have that problem aside from the minibosses, who aren't even that special to begin with, beating them easily is completely fine, but being able to clean up the soul of cinder in a few seconds does not feel satisfying at all, since he's such an important fight, he needs more health.

[@sirgoo9962]

@@danielantony1882 Elden Ring's combat bids you attack the boss during their combos. Dodge one attack, attack, dodge the next. That's the reason their attacks are slower in this game, to give you the time to hit them.

[@megalogoro6388]

The Dark souls 1 level design will forever be ingrained in my brain.

[@EmberPlays]

Thank you all for watching! Subscribe or I'll do an outr-

[@berkayorhan505]

You didn't talked about Nioh you should try that one too

[@lotusluv]

Man. As soon as that bloodborne music hit I got chills. Such a masterpiece

[@hairlessgrizzly559]

The boldest thing about this list is the fact he said something about DS3 was bad, and something about DS2 was good. The boldness and bravery

[@xXxXKusKusXxXx]

Demons Souls: Atmosphere Dark Souls: Level design/lore Dark Souls 2: PvP arena and invasions Dark Souls 3: Pontiff area fight club shenanigans Bloodborne: Setting and aesthetic Elden Ring: Bosses + Exploration

[@MKChompVT]

I remember killing out the mobs “respawns” in DS2 to make it easier to bring a npc through to a boss, I think it was at heide tower and it the revamp of DS2.

[@darkphoenix2]

Good video, but I think your Elden Ring praise is kind of weak. Those convenience and quality of life features were pretty necessary for the game to not feel like crap. I think the thing it does best is spectacle. The weapons, the spells, the ashes of war, the world, the bosses. It's another step above the spectacle they started really adding with Bloodborne.

[@ClovissenpaiDotR]

2:28 The Bonfire Ascetic is sick! I think it would have honestly been awesome in Elden Ring

[@danirodriguez3682]

Ds3 definitely had the best bosses on average but my favorites were definitely Ludwig in BB and Sword Saint Ishin. 2 very different boss fights on completely different levels of difficulty. I really wish I could have the experience of fighting and beating them for the first time again

[@EmberPlays]

Definitely 2 of the best bosses ever, my favorite is probably Gael but those 2 are really close for me, it just depends on the day tbh

[@RandomNorwegianGuy.]

I can never get over just how much I love the weapons in BB. The fact that they all are so unique and different from eachother (and from the other souls game) is what makes the weapons my favorite part of BB

[@grantormoistycheese3833]

My first game was demon souls remake and hot take it’s my favorite because of the atmosphere and bossses.

[@indigodragon4098]

I think magic is something that they absolutely nailed in Elden ring because sorceries are absolutely amazing I love their animations and their projectiles and almost everything about pretty much every sorcery even the crappy ones and their incantations are beautiful as well I also do like their choice to make Miracles and pyromancies the same thing tossing lightning Spears and Fireballs or something I wanted to do in this whole game for a very long time

[@muzakkilast6398]

You forget one thing in darksouls 1... Cutting weapon from boss part, its really amazing feature that didn't appear in future release

[@aritradhar1271]

Really love your take on Elden Ring. It was surprisingly a more relaxed game than other FromSoftware titles, minus a few areas. The amount of ways you can level up your character before progressing makes it so you don't have try the same boss a hundred times. Loving my first 50 hours in the game.

[@NOB6677]

Sekiro’s combat is so much better than bloodborne and the fact people are debating this is ridiculous

[@bruhder5854]

It is but Sekiro isn't an rpg and the rest of fromsoft games are built on top of rpg fans so makes sense.

[@Amernee]

100% agree about Demons Souls’ atmosphere. I’m giving it a second run after quitting the first time (the king with his level depleting attack messed me up 🙈) then finding myself thirsting for more Souls action after getting all the endings in Elden Ring! It might sound weird but I often find myself pausing and drinking in the environment and just appreciating the quality of the sound design that goes with the gorgeous visuals. Boletaria is superbly designed but for me it’s all about the Prison of Hope… just… wow.

[@hsalfesrever3554]

I know it's the black sheep of the family but DS2 is my favorite Fromsoft game, I love how different it looks from the other games, I love the area designs in terms of aesthetics and visual design, the lore is amazing, it has the best fashon, how much is different in it than other Fromsoft games, and is was my first Fromsoft game

[@jaydenjayden3778]

Beautiful transition/editing skills at 4:03

[@christofferhenriksen7631]

1:50 Funny you say that as on my first playthrough i went that direction… i didnt relize i wasnt suposed to be there until i was already in the cave of giants, level 60 with a max leveled gravelord sword… best gaming experience ever!

[@gitarmats]

Still waiting for that Bloodborne and Demon's Souls PC release so I can finally try those as well.

[@KalinGames]

I've just beated Demon's souls, finishing the entire Soul series so i'll take this chance to talk about this topic as well. Demon's souls: Everybody always talk about the mood and atmosphere but i've never felt that in any Soul games. They have a calm and tense tone, but not that intense to me. What i like about Demon's souls is that the levels are very well but together and the enemy/item placement makes a lot more sense. Finding early on a shild with lower abs but hp regen is a trade-off that some players would gladly do. Fingding good early rings (Thief's, hp regen, etc.) makes a lot more sense early on. Enemy placement is also nice, enemies feel smater when they intentionally wait around a corner or blocking a choke point. Very unique boss arenas, even tho a lot of the bosses are meh. And very nice RPG elements, like having diferente types of weapons at hand to exploit weaknesses Dark Souls: I would agree that the level design and overall pace is untochable for the first half DS2: I really struggle to find good things to say about this one. A lot of people like powerstancing, but it's usually so slow that it feels clunky. It also has a lot of unique gear and stat boosting armor sets, but that's something that ER also has. DS3: Yeah, the boss fights and overall fluidity are it's seling points. I also starter with this one, and no other game besides ER (and BB to an extent) can match it. BB: Like demon's souls, i don't care THAT much about mood, it has a nice style and that's about it. Solid combat with cool weapons. I feel as tho BB has the best DLC of the entire series tbh, maybe ER will prove me wrong. Sekiro: Yeah, great combat with very limited replay value. ER: It's ER cool video dude

[@iBonZai]

That parry in the Demon Souls clip was so satisfying

[@Ward-cj1jf]

Ds2 had the best multiplayer mechanic, which is even after killing the Boss of the area you could still be able to summon cooperators

[@khajiitimanus7432]

This was an amazing video, and it has got me thinking about what I personally consider to be the best aspects of each Souls game. From Demon's Souls to Dark Souls 2, I definitely agree 100%, but I do want to throw some honorary mentions: Dark Souls has a perfect PvE balance. Dark Souls 2 has amazing PvP, fashion, and defenses. Their ranged enemies had amazing aim, since they would actually predict where the player was moving to, and I loved that. But for Bloodborne and beyond, I'm really not sure. For Bloodborne, I do agree that the levels are amazing. But consider also that I haven't finished the game yet - so my experience is limited to the first few areas. Also consider that I am heavily biased to playing tanky roles in video games, something that is impossible in Bloodborne - and yet, despite that, what I think they did best was their tempo and rhythm. Out of all of the Souls games I've played, including Elden Ring, combat has never felt so... _naturally fitting for the environment._ For a combat tempo that is out of my comfort zone, they matched the entire game's rhythm to an absurd degree, and despite how I normally hate faster paced combat, Bloodborne has been really enjoyable because it all consistently fits from a player to enemy basis, better than any other Souls game ever did. Also, it definitely deserves an honorary mention for the atmosphere. For Dark Souls 3, I... never actually liked the bosses very much. Mainly because I despised the tempo - it had the rhythm of Dark Souls, but tried to force the tempo of Bloodborne, and it just... didn't work for me. The bosses just never felt right, at any point, and I still think that none of DS3's bosses make my top 10, except Gundyr and maybe Twin Princes (Lothric & Lorian). It lacked Dark Souls' interconnectivity, and didn't experiment a whole lot either. Spellcasting was also at its worst in the series, doing pitiful damage for heavy investment when compared to melee builds. Personally, I simply didn't like Dark Souls 3, so I can't find myself saying anything good about it at this time. I loved off-handing crossbows, though - they did that really damn well. For Sekiro, I am compelled to say that it's maneuverability. The ability to jump, sneak, swim, grapple, climb.... It's revolutionary for someone who is mostly adjusted to the vanilla Dark Souls experience. The mobility options are staggering, and the only reason why I don't mention the amazing combat is because I think the mobility options are a staggeringly important aspect of Sekiro's combat, and it outperforms Elden Ring in that maneuverability. I value the mobility options just slightly more than how purely godly the combat is. Which brings me to Elden Ring. Here, I think I'll lean towards the points you made about convenience and versatility, but I also wanted to point out menu convenience - the controls for two-handing weapons are impressively natural and intuitive. The item bag menu is similarly dope, as is the beacon and marker system. Navigation has never been so convenient in a Souls game, and combined with how beautiful the game's graphics are, it's a euphoric joy and privilege to just move around through the game. Say what you will about the difficulty (I know I have my fair share of salt for how psychotic the late-game is), but as a whole? Elden Ring is a pleasure just to explore and move through.

[@victorprati7908]

Phew

[@Jesus-yp9xx]

find it funny that new demon souls players praise the atmosphere and say "it captures the original" meanwhile the main complaint with the remake is how it misses the atmosphere and world design of the og

[@iamthepkmmaster]

My personal favorite thing that DS2 did was spellcasting. tying spell speed to Attunement instead of Dex since, you know, it's a stat that every mage would level, alongside the different spell casting tools like the disc chime and blue flame which could function both as weapon and tool.

[@hyua6841]

It's a tie between Atmosphere and Level Design for DS1. I don't know why but none of the other games give me the same feeling that DS1 does

[@Ember_Prime]

To me with Bloodborne, the atmosphere and the progression were top-tier. The boss designs were genius (I mean look at Ludwig, Orphan, Cleric Beast, Ebrietas, Gascoigne, etc.) and the areas all carried that same weight of spookiness and Lovecraftian horror. The entire vibe of the game was just perfect. The dread of going through the areas is almost never because of the enemies but because the feeling of the game is just dark, brooding, and intimidating for new players. It’s a very, very well made game.

[@omkaryelgandalkar5018]

For me the best feature in bloodborne is the feature least people seem to talk about: Combos. Like the untransformed LHB or Kirkhammer ability for slash and thrust attacks, a different attack for roll, hunter step and backstep and the smooth switch forms attack make the combat really fun. And also constantly reminding you: 'You are the hunter and they're your prey' do not be afraid, make them fear you.