Elden Ring DLC ​​review: even more incredible

I haven’t finished Shadow of the Erdtree, the first – and only – DLC ofElden Ring. And I’m not ashamed to take it on. My adventure ended a short distance from the end credits, an infamous final boss, some would say unbalanced, blocking my way. But this failure, which will perhaps one day become a victory, does not condition the rest of the adventure, once again fantastic. During the 10 to 15 hours spent in the Kingdom of Shadows, I absolutely did not shy away from my pleasure.

But Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will mark the spirits less by its casting of bosses (less smooth challenge than in the base game, with opponents sometimes harmless, sometimes too powerful), than by the incredible architecture of its levels. FromSoftware imagined this extension as a real love letter, or even potentially a farewell letter if Elden Ring never comes to fruition (unlikely https://twitter.com/ELDENRING/status/1800890964925366476). The developers have put all their know-how into it to design a succession of eye-catching mazes, one after the other.

Elden Ring DLC ​​environments are stunning

Shadow of the Erdtree takes place in a new region, called the Shadow Realm. You can access it from Mohgwyn’s Palace, which implies having beaten Mohg – but also Radahn (no need to finish the game, therefore). These conditions put many players on the shelf. But we can understand why when we explore these new, unknown territories. Because it’s an understatement to say that the Kingdom of Shadows is based on incredible settings. They are as much in the artistic proposition (dark, but sublime) as in the way in which they are thought out and constructed. In FromSoftware’s eyes, they are deserved.

When we believe that Shadow of the Erdtree has given the best of himself, he does it again

Less modest in size than FromSoftware claimed, the Kingdom of Shadows relies on a fairly maddening density to satisfy our thirst for exploration. Fairly empty expanses, conducive to a relaxing stroll (in quotes) rub shoulders with bastions offering astonishing verticality and small, more familiar dungeons (jails, mines, catacombs, etc.). Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree constantly surprises, whether through its dizzying panoramas (we won’t say anything) or through its tireless hidden passages. We get lost there more than in Elden Ringeven though everything is more narrow.

The mastery, architectural as well as artistic, demonstrated by FromSoftware would become almost sickening for others. We dared to write that everything would become bland after playing Elden Ring. This feeling still prevails, more than two years later. Because no other studio seems capable of offering such a maze, nourished by coherence and full of traps. We are always speechless, never really ready for the next picture. When we believe that Shadow of the Erdtree has given the best of himself, he does it again, often playing on the heights. We had already glimpsed these talents of FromSoftware in Bloodborne. They take place here in an open world, pushing the requirements a little further.

We therefore find this incessant call for discovery. We may come across new powers, new weapons, new enemies, new armor… opportunities, for the most passionate, to test new builds and experiment, again and again. Others will simply ride their spectral mount, looking for a hidden place, possibly glimpsed on the map. Shadow of the Erdtree ultimately relies on the same levers asElden Ring. He allows himself to increase them tenfold, on certain points, with so little room for repetition (there is a little).

Bonus, Shadow of the Erdtree has so much to offer. It extends over a much larger area than one might believe and feeds on secret areas with sometimes very opaque access. As in Elden Ring, observation and combing are well rewarded within the Kingdom of Shadows. Exploration has rarely been so encouraged. It stands out as obvious, even if it could lose more than one. We think of this castle made up of multiple floors, where it is difficult to see the end of the tunnel, but whose layout is in reality implacably logical.

Such work on the architecture foreshadows hours and hours of gameplay. Sold for €40, Shadow of the Erdtree absolutely won’t steal from anyone and it’s much more generous than many full games.

Very inspired in the development of the Kingdom of Shadows, the developers were certainly a little less inspired in the design of the bosses. We are not talking here about their appearance, but about the opposition they represent. FromSoftware promised a global challenge worthy of Malenia. We would say that it looks more like a roller coaster, with mind-numbing peaks (with less readable patterns for some) and walks of life.

My transparency still pushes me to indicate that I played Shadow of the Erdtree from a “New Game Plus” session, which means increased difficulty. The Japanese studio could have considered an option allowing you to launch a normal game, from the moment you have completed the base game. Elden Ring rarely reached out. It’s even worse for Shadow of the Erdtree. Yet this universe welcomes us in an embrace of intoxicating intensity.

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