The verticality is absolutely the best part. My biggest gripe with Elden Rings world is that it's an "open world" game in kind of the same way Ubi games are. Traversal is largely trivial, so you stop paying attention to the map after you've reached major areas.

In my opinion, Dark Souls I is also an open world game, but instead of a 2D map all the zones are tangled up together in a confusing but interesting web.

Shadow of the Erdtree brought some of that back by having zones stacked on top of each other to a much heavier degree than the base game, while also segmenting off geographically close regions.

I wanted to be a level designer for a lot of years, so this is admittedly a bit of a soft spot for me, but I absolutely loved having the game world come at you as as a challenge, almost a character to be fought and bested, outside the legacy dungeons.

[–] rockerface@lemm.ee 2 points 3 months ago

Agree, it felt so satisfying reaching an area and realising "hey, I saw this spot from afar in the beginning of the game - and now I'm here"

[–] magic_lobster_party@kbin.run 12 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I think it took me longer to finish the DLC than my playthrough of Dark Souls. They really like to over deliver.

[–] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 4 points 3 months ago

I bought the DLC a month ago and chip away at the game whenever the kids are asleep. I've spent 80 hours already and nearing the finish line. It's crazy.

[–] MarcomachtKuchen 5 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Was it really? I've seen this figure thrown around a lot and why we can ignore the layers upon layers I still thought it to be bigger. At least the size of Limgrave + Weeping penisula

[–] simple@lemm.ee 21 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It's not, but when asked in an interview Miyazaki said it was the size of limgrave. Clearly it's way, way bigger.

[–] MarcomachtKuchen 3 points 3 months ago

Thank you. I missed some of the pre release interviews

[–] voracitude@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I think this was a reference to Miyazaki saying it's the size of Limgrave: https://gamerant.com/elden-ring-dlc-map-size-shadow-of-the-erdtree/

Like OP meant

Yeah okay Miyazaki, "smaller games", like how SotE was "the size of Limgrave"

[–] rockerface@lemm.ee 12 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Yep. What I'm saying is Fromsoft like to underpromise and overdeliver, which is a breath of fresh air compared to most other AAA studios and overall very based.

Also I might be biased from Brandon Sanderson's books, which seem to get thicker with every new novel despite his apparent efforts to have mercy on the publisher

[–] voracitude@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

Lol I think we were replying to the guy at the same time even - don't worry, I gotchu (⁠☞ﾟ⁠ヮﾟ⁠)⁠☞

And no you right, about FromSoft and Sanderson - that guy's a hero, in my book! I got my little sister into his work, she just finished the Mistborn/Alloy saga, so I gave her Stormlight to start on. So good.

[–] MarcomachtKuchen 2 points 3 months ago

Life before death!

[–] MarcomachtKuchen 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Thank you, I've missed the interviews before release.

[–] voracitude@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

Np dawg, I gotchu 🙌 I barely remembered myself, it's been a while!

[–] bassomitron@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

Technically Weeping Peninsula is just a sub section of Limgrave, along with the Eastern forested area of it right before Caelid.