EldenRing proved that players don't always need their hand held, something that some of 2022's biggest games were too eager to do.
This story is part of our 2022 in Gaming series. Follow along as we reflect on the year's best titles. As 2022’s biggest releases, Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarok have been pitted against each other in just about every way this year. However, they couldn’t be more different in one key way. While Elden Ring wants its players to get lost in The Lands Between, God of War: Ragnarok seem terrified of players missing a single piece of content.
I wanna hold your hand Hand-holding is a strong term, as it evokes the idea that players are treated like children who can’t cross the street on their own. But a lot of big-name games struggle to trust that players will follow their own curiosity and instincts — or just be OK with them if they don’t. That philosophy has led to a rise in components like waypoints, quest trackers, and NPCs saying, “hey, I think there’s something over here.
Modern games seem to have a severe lack of trust in players, which doesn’t leave much room for them to struggle and learn. By taking these opportunities away before I even have a chance to engage with what’s going on, I often feel pandered to. I’m following instructions at that point, not solving anything on my own.
Finally, after being forced to confront the enemies it led me past and that I had initially avoided, we arrived at the base of a cliff wall. Was that it? Did this ghost simply take me here for nothing? It wouldn’t be the first trick like this that FromSoftware ever pulled, but I couldn’t accept that. When the spirit finally stopped, between the bushes and rocks, I spotted it: A cave almost impossible to see from a distance. I readied myself and entered to see what next awaited me.
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