This article contains early-game spoilers for “Elden Ring.”
Operant conditioning is defined in psychology as the notion that reward increases the behavior that precedes it. For example, if a dog is praised after sitting or shaking, they will be more likely to do it again, if given the reward.
The release of the highly anticipated video game “Elden Ring” revives the discussions on video game developer FromSoftware’s catalog of notoriously rigorous games. Dubbed the “Soulsborne” series by fans, it consists of titles such as “Demon’s Souls,” the “Dark Souls” trilogy, “Bloodborne,” “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” and now, “Elden Ring.”
These games often include third-person gameplay where the protagonist slashes through bizarre creatures and monsters. The settings are often confined at first but loop back to where they started via shortcuts and puzzles. Meanwhile, a vague story plays out in the backdrop of the game as players piece together the hidden lore with the scraps of information given from item descriptions and NPC dialogue.
Although, what is most infamous about these games is the hundreds of deaths that are tallied up through playtime. The player is pushed to their limits by hordes of enemies and towering bosses as they stumble their way to the end of the game. For many, the difficulty would be an immediate turn-off, yet “Elden Ring” shattered records in being the most-watched Soulsborne game on Twitch, raking in nearly 900,000 viewers on its release date.
So, what makes these games so appealing?
In the tutorial phases of several of their games, FromSoftware explicitly creates a situation where the protagonist dies right less than a few minutes into the game. For example, in “Bloodborne,” a starved werewolf mauls you to death while in “Demon’s Souls,” a large demon crushes you with his ax. In doing so, it creates a situation where death is no longer a loss, but a mere part of the experience. In both the aforementioned games, the player awakens in a hub of safety— a home, of sorts— where they can level up, find their next destination or restock on items.
The area of Blighttown in “Dark Souls” is a prime example of this. Through all of it, the player is attacked by fire-breathing spiders, mosquitoes and boulder-throwing trolls in a swamp that slowly drains your health with poison. Though, after beating the boss and ringing a bell, the player can finally exhale with relief that the first phase of their troubles is over. However, the story is not finished; a giant opens a gate to a trap-filled fortress and the player—confident in their abilities—carries on and the unforgiving cycle continues.
The feeling of excitement and ease at the end of their battles is what drives players to carry on. Not long after, they look back on their struggles and say, “That wasn’t so bad” and may even return to these areas for additional loot, secrets missed and plotlines left to linger. As this constant mood of victory hits them again and again, players are more and more encouraged to keep fighting until the end despite the intense difficulty.
“Elden Ring” is no exception, but approaches this trope with a twist. The open-world format of the game gives players unique flexibility, which is rare when compared to other Soulsborne games, while also providing an experience that combines the difficulty scale of different regions into a single playing field.
Upon entering the Lands Between, many players may expect to be greeted by ordinary, manageable enemies, but at times the player might be surprised by the impossibly hard bosses roaming alongside the grunts. A golden-armored Tree Sentinel or a massive dragon might tempt users into a potential fight, but oftentimes the player soon realizes that they have bitten off more than they could chew. Other times, they might open a trap chest, and instead of loot, a white fog whisks them away to a dungeon clearly designed for more experienced players. The only way out is to find an exit to teleport home, but that’s assuming that they can dash past the challenging mobs that stalk the dungeon walls.
The next roadblock they may come across is the first required boss: Margit the Fell Omen. While Soulsborne players have come to expect more manageable early game bosses with the likes of Phalanx in “Demon’s Souls” and the Asylum Demon in “Dark Souls,” Margit shatters these preconceived notions s and utterly shocks the player into realizing the level of difficulty the game expects from them. Margit’s slow, but powerful jabs with his staff juxtapose his agile sword attacks. And when he reaches about half health, he summons a great hammer to pummel his enemies. When players are put into this position, they are given two options, both equally valid in the eyes of “Elden Ring.”
On one hand, its open-world gives players the opportunity to leave and explore the environment, fighting enemies and traversing smaller dungeons with more doable bosses. When they find themselves ready, they can face Margit again, and hopefully, they are better prepared for his relentless attacks. On the other, some players may choose to stay and fight, hoping to gain an early victory before further exploration. In spending more and more time (and often, more and more defeats) against him, players can grow better at fighting him. The programming and design of this boss are a masterwork in enemy creation, as his actions can be telegraphed and the players can better find new strategies to adapt to his moveset. There is a sort of rhythm with bosses like Margit, and it allows the player to develop their own counter rhythm in response. The exciting fighting style coupled with visual cues and a unique “poise-breaking” feature that deals additional damage aids players in strategically taking down this adversary.
With this game, developer Hidetaka Miyazaki has perfected the method of making these difficult games palatable for players. “Elden Ring” marks the culmination of his work thus far by making a game that mixes in all of the classic Soulsborne tropes into a setting that gives players the opportunity to truly carve their own path in discovering the world (partially crafted by “A Song of Ice and Fire” author George R.R. Martin). The game makes facing the hardships of the game accessible, as there are an infinite amount of ways to conquer their enemies. Whether it be spending more time developing their characters, finding new strategies to fight, using online mode to call friends for help or using classic “cheese” methods where players find small “cheats” in their environment to avoid direct confrontation—the player tests all possibilities.
The latest installment in the “Soulsborne” series shows that FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki do not plan on letting up on their desire to give players a challenge. Rather, it seems that they hope to find new, creative ways to bring a greater audience to their demanding world. Not only does it further accentuate the satisfaction of overcoming great odds, but gives players the chance to develop methods and styles of gaming tailored to their own play style. Still, when the difficulties occasionally overwhelm the player, the abundance of Lost Graces and teleport points let players take a breather, fill up on healing flasks or maybe have a chat with their companion Melina before returning to battle.
“Elden Ring” is now available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.