Why are fans of the Elden Ring criticising Ubisoft's open world games?

Since the release of Elden Ring, gamers have praised FromSoftware for eschewing some of the open-world design elements that Ubisoft favours.

With a reputation for creating some of the most acclaimed and well-received action games of all time, FromSoftware was under a lot of pressure leading up to the release of Elden Ring. Gamers' excitement was only heightened when it was revealed that Elden Ring will be an open-world game with writing by George R. R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire. Thankfully, when the game was ultimately launched, it garnered rave reviews, and it now ranks among the highest-rated games of all time on Opencritic.

Elden Ring is praised by gamers for bringing back FromSoftware's original teeth-grindingly challenging fighting while also introducing a slew of quality-of-life features that make it more approachable than the studio's previous titles. Many players are also impressed with how FromSoftware has approached the open-world model and made it feel thrilling while avoiding many of the clichés that have made open worlds feel drab in recent years. This is best demonstrated by contrasting Elden Ring's design patterns with those of Ubisoft's open-world games.

There are no microtransactions in the Elden Ring.

As gaming has grown in popularity and become a more prosperous industry over the previous two decades, a slew of undesirable trends have crept in, much to the chagrin of players. Microtransactions, which put content behind a paywall, are perhaps the most reviled gaming trend. Microtransactions are frequently utilised to attract gamers to purchase non-essential things such as apparel, weapon skins, and other cosmetic items. Microtransactions that make the game easier, offer players an edge, or allow players to skip grinding by purchasing in-game currency are occasionally inserted by developers.

Microtransactions are a common feature of Ubisoft's open-world games. This is depicted in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, a game set around the Viking invasion of the British Isles. Many goods are concealed behind paywalls, despite the fact that many weapons and armour may be unlocked just by playing the game. These things can be purchased with Helix Credits, an in-game currency that can be purchased with real money. Some players are irritated by the quantity of microtransactions, believing that developers are simply trying to milk them by charging for cosmetic stuff that should be free while neglecting to focus on useful updates.

Elden Ring, on the other hand, has no microtransactions and requires players to gain content by exploration and beating difficult monsters. Elden Ring, on the other hand, goes above and beyond simply not allowing microtransactions, instead delivering a wealth of free content to gamers. Pre-ordering Elden Ring grants access to the Adventure Guide, which summarises the game's short plot, provides instructions on how to explore the Lands Between, and offers some valuable crafting items. It's difficult not to feel like one is receiving good value for their money when looking at the lovely illustrations.

Elden Ring Takes It Easy on the Icons on the Map

Ubisoft's open-world games try to entice players by offering an endless array of activities. As a result, when one opens a map in a Ubisoft open-world game, thousands of symbols representing primary quests, secondary quests, areas of interest, and other icons indicating places to visit are likely to appear. When players play their first Ubisoft open-world game, the abundance of icons might make it feel like the game is jam-packed with content, resulting in a strong value-for-money experience.

However, when one spends more time with Ubisoft open-world games, it becomes clear that the abundance of icons isn't always a good thing, since the activities grow monotonous. Furthermore, when one has an easy icon to travel to instead of discovering things for oneself, natural curiosity is hindered.

Elden Ring intends to approach open-world design in a new way. The map that players are given is large but mostly empty, with just major roads and landmarks. Much of it is obscured by the fog of war, as it is in other open-world games, although exploration does not expose much more of the map. Instead, players are allowed to forge their own paths, with plenty of tools to help them along the way, including a variety of markers to set on the map and light beacons that can be seen during gameplay to aid navigation. Map fragments can be collected to add more information to the map, although they are difficult to come by.

Elden Ring's design concept runs counter to that of many modern games, which try to guide players and funnel them into specific activities. Elden Ring, on the other hand, allows players to wander, become lost, and make mistakes. It wasn't a horrible design choice, based on how well the game has been received.

Elden Ring has a straightforward user interface.

FromSoftware fans are well aware that the studio does things a little differently. The studio's games frequently have a unique button layout, don't allow players to pause, and have unusual elements like stamina. Because of the numerous options that must be traversed, the user interface might be a little complex for newbies. Elden Ring includes a lot of menus, but FromSoftware has worked hard to make the HUD and user interface more user-friendly. Only important information such as the player's stats, weaponry, and compass are visible when the HUD is enabled. If this is still too much, gamers can completely disable the HUD for a cleaner interface.

Ubisoft games, on the other hand, have been chastised for having cluttered HUDs that convey too much information and thus shatter immersion. A Reddit post by user u/gamboozino mocks this by imagining what Elden Ring might look like if it were developed by Ubisoft. As a result, the game has a screen that is cluttered with labels and icons.

Ubisoft has generated a number of excellent games throughout the years, which has allowed the company to grow to its current size. The Assassin's Creed series has allowed gamers to tour the globe, while the Far Cry series has allowed them to have some good old-fashioned gunplay. Ubisoft, on the other hand, exemplifies many of the open-world game themes that have irritated many gamers. Many gamers have expressed gratitude for Elden Ring's avoidance of several of these irritating trends, giving them hope that open-world games that dare to be different are still being developed.