Elden Ring — FromSoftware’s epic fantasy RPG — was named Game of the Year at the 2022 Game Awards earlier today, beating out serious competition from Santa Monica Studio’s blockbuster action-adventure God of War Ragnarök. There were some catchy titles like Horizon Forbidden West, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Stray, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in the battle for gaming honor this year, but really, it’s up to the PlayStation exclusive, well, the Elden Ring. To my delight, the latter deservedly won. Both games, both amazing in their own right, represent the best that modern video games have to offer. But only one of them really captures the essence of the medium.
There was a heated moment, feeling like God of War Ragnarök – the most nominated title at The Game Awards 2022 – would sweep the awards. Before proceedings ended in the main course, Ragnarok had already won in six categories, including Best Narrative and Best Performance. And as with all awards shows, the novelty bias is always at play. (There’s a reason it’s called Oscar season.) Ragnarok came out last month, while Elden Ring came out in February. Despite its continued brilliance, memory can fool you. In the end, FromSoftware took home the two biggest awards of the night – Game of the Year and Best Game Direction, capping off a great year for the Japanese developers.
Elden Ring vs. God of War Ragnarok: Open World Approach
Between Ragnarök and the Elden Ring, it is the latter that pushes gaming into new territory. The open world genre has taken a lot of abuse in recent years – Elden Ring has taken it apart, then remade it in his own image. It rejected the trappings of the genre, completely got rid of thematic markers, endless map icons, meaningless map activities and side missions, and really blew up the open world. There have been games that have done this before, most notably Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but Elden Ring builds on it. Where Breath of the Wild rewarded exploration and discovery he is The reward is in Elden’s ring.
Take the Elden Ring map for example. In most open world games, the maps are not really a cartographic representation of the lands the player is roaming. It’s just a checklist. All they communicate is, “Go here, do that. Now this way, do it again.” But the Elden Ring map encourages, no, players to look at it. Really look at the rock formation north of your site, or those ruins to the west. There are no icons telling the player what they’ll find there, but there’s a sense that it’s going to be a good thing.
The Elden Ring map invites players to take a closer look.
This is rare in video games. There are very few games out there that are brave enough to invite you on your own personal adventure, without feeling the need to become your guide. Just look at fellow Game of the Year nominee, Horizon Forbidden West, an open world adventure that constantly fears handing control over to the player. The many map icons catch you on every journey, belittling an otherwise good game. (Not to get lost – but Ragnarok, while not entirely open world, has a map too. However, throughout the gameplay, I didn’t really need it and felt purely beautiful.)
Elden Ring vs. God of War Ragnarok: Storytelling
The Elden Ring and Ragnarök also stand at opposite ends of the video game storytelling spectrum. Ragnarok, winner of Best Story at The Game Awards, truly tells a compelling, deeply personal story. It deals with complex themes of parenthood and puberty, grapples with prophecy and destiny, and delivers a blockbuster Hollywood-style finale to the Norse epic. It’s a good story. But it’s also traditional.
Ragnarök features some of the best video game writing of the year, but its narrative isn’t that different from a movie or a novel. It takes players for a spin, but never gives them reigns. This is where the true power of video game storytelling lies. Player agency distinguishes the medium from other art forms. Elden Ring excels there. It lets you write your own story. There is, of course, an intentional narrative in the game told through ambiguous item descriptions and scattered lore. And curious minds can always head to YouTube to find what they’ve been missing. But the stories you make up, as you wander the lands in between, are the ones that stay with you.
Game of the Year nominee A Plague Tale: Requiem is driven by its narrative.
Image source: Focus Entertainment
This is not to say that traditional storytelling always pales in comparison. Just look at narrative-driven games like The Last of Us, or A Plague Tale: Requiem, the latter a fellow Game of the Year nominee. These games tell unforgettable stories – but games that present a blank page, for players to fill in as they please, represent the medium’s true potential as an entirely unique art form that movies and books can’t imitate.
Representing the barren mercenary fantasy in Fallout: New Vegas and mythologizing my actions and decisions in the Mass Effect trilogy are some of my favorite gaming memories. In the Elden Ring, you can be a chivalrous knight helping maidens across its perilous landscape, or you can be a rebellious rebel vanquishing beasts and beauties. Or, if you’re really good, you can just be a naked guy with a giant club and wander through the minds of the game’s deadly bosses. it’s your choice.
Elden Ring vs God of War Ragnarök: The Real Game of the Year
To be fair, that’s part of the nature of role-playing games like Elden Ring. I’m not going to put up with the fact that God of War Ragnarök isn’t an RPG against it. It’s, like I said, a different game. It offers a curated experience that blends deep gameplay with emotional depth. And within the margins of its impressive combat sandbox, it’s surprisingly resilient. But Elden Ring takes the road less traveled – and allows players to find their treasure. Where Ragnarök excels in flowery moments, the Elden Ring exercises restraint, almost as a game mechanic, and stands as a true champion of the medium.
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