Players have been enjoying Elden Ring has already become one of Twitch's most viewed games. While the new game from the makers of Dark Souls has proved a challenge for many, Elden Ring does more to help players progress than previous FromSoftware games.
Games developed by FromSoftware have gained a reputation for being difficult. Although Elden Ring contains challenging gameplay that punishes players for repeatedly making the same mistakes, it also has many tools that can help players progress. New additions like the Spirit Ashes and the game's much-improved coop multiplayer allow players to summon help from ghostly NPC's or real players. One system returns from previous Souls games that allow players to leave messages throughout the game's world. One player's message has been found to encourage others to use stealth with a clever nod to Metal Gear Solid.
While attempting to conquer an enemy camp, Reddit discovered one of Elden Ring's illuminated messages that said, "snake, Try stealth." The helpful hint, reported by GameRant, encourages players to try being sneaky in one of the game's first large enemy camps is also a reference to Metal Gear Solid. The MGS series is known as one of the best stealth games of all time, which features a legendary soldier known as Snake. Although Elden Ring does not feature the ability to hide in cardboard boxes or blow up enemies with a remote-controlled rocket launcher like in the MGS series, the game does allow players to use stealth to defeat enemies or avoid them altogether.
Although Elden Ring has seen a few performance issues prevent the game from having a perfect launch, many players are having a great time with the game. With ten different starting classes, players have been able to try Elden Ring with many different playstyles. Some players enjoy playing Souls games with the largest weapon they can find while others have fun with the game's powerful magic spells. However, the game's stealth mechanics can also be very rewarding. Elden Ring's intricate level design and varied environments allow players to hide and even transform into different objects to hide from an enemy until the time to strike or escape presents itself. Some players have already recreated their versions of MGS's Legendary Snake in Elden Ring.
Like previous Souls games, player messages in Elden Ring can lead to secret bosses, essential objectives, and hidden treasures. Hint messages can also be pranks that encourage players to leap off of cliffs found in the game with promises of hidden areas, to only be greeted with the infamous "You Died" words. Since 2009's Demon's Souls, messages glowing on the ground can either be liked or disliked, and seeing those rankings can sometimes help players decide if the message is helpful, clever, or a great prank. Approving the message will heal the player who placed the message, so hopefully, the Metal Gear Solid fan who left the message in Elden Ring is enjoying a lot of healing.
Elden Ring is available on PlayStation 4, Ps5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Sources: Ravgn/Reddit, GameRant
