'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Santa Monica Studio's God of War Ragnarok and FromSoftware's Elden Ring were two of the year's most highly-anticipated games that had their respective fanbases awaiting their release.
While the two games are wildly different from one another, both God of War Ragnarok and Elden Ring were often pitted against each other for the title of "Game of the Year" by many gaming publications and fans on social media platforms, such as Reddit and Twitter, even before the games launched.
It is really tough to say which game is truly the best, considering everything, from gameplay to story and even the general accessibility of the titles. Both God of War Ragnarok and Elden Ring deliver on their promises of a stellar single-player action-adventure game, free of any anti-consumer and borderline predatory practices that are made mainstream in most AAA releases.
God of War Ragnarok and Elden Ring are also among the few titles that released a finished product, free of any major technical shortcomings, which is more than what can be said about most AAA releases of the last two to three years. While Elden Ring did face some issues on the PC, due to its somewhat rudimentary implementation of DirectX12, it was quickly rectified with future updates to the game.
God of War and Elden Ring both one-up each other for different reasons, which not only makes them one of the best AAA games you can buy in 2022 but also makes them a potential Game of the Year winner.
Here are five things that make Elden Ring the perfect choice for Game of the Year, and five others that make God of War Ragnarok the clear winner.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.
Five reasons why Elden Ring deserves to take the crown of Game of the Year 2022
5) Fresh new take on the open-world experience
Elden Ring is arguably one of the best open-world games ever created, and that's a testament to developer FromSoftware's talent and dedication to their craft since this is the studio's first open-world project. Elden Ring perfectly nailed the exploration and discovery aspect of an open-world game, something that is mostly lacking in most modern AAA "open-world" titles.
4) The sense of discovery and wonder is perfectly accentuated by the game's grueling difficulty
FromSoftware is known for creating games that test players' mettle, whether it be in combat or environmental puzzle solving. As such, Elden Ring, despite following an open-world structure, is not a cakewalk.
Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and the studio's most recent souls-like title, Sekiro, Elden Ring is yet another challenging experience that will require patience and perseverance from gamers.
Elden Ring's brilliance is in the way it mixes its open-world exploration bits with a challenging difficulty level. This not only rewards players with an immense sense of pride and accomplishment but also encourages organic exploration, without requiring the use of map markers and other hand-holding techniques employed by most open-world titles.
3) The breathtaking visuals with some truly spectacular boss fights
FromSoftware is no stranger to creating truly memorable boss fights, be it Ornstein and Smough from the original Dark Souls or Sword Saint Isshin from Sekiro. Boss fights in FromSoftware's games possess an equal amount of challenges and spectacles, making these encounters memorable for most players.
FromSoftware was never one to push the boundaries of graphical fidelity in their games since their real focus was to deliver a stellar gameplay experience above everything else. However, with Elden Ring, FromSoftware has shown the world that they are more than capable of creating breathtakingly beautiful worlds.
Elden Ring, despite being based on the same graphics engine as Dark Souls 3, has received massive improvements to lighting and overall fidelity, making it one of the most visually appealing games of 2022.
2) Abstract storytelling that encourages exploration and interpretation
FromSoftware's non-traditional approach to storytelling continues with Elden Ring, delivering the game's immediate narrative via NPC interactions and short, very infrequent, and abstract cutscenes. Whereas, the game's lore and overarching narrative are conveyed through environmental storytelling.
From bosses to enemy placements, everything in Elden Ring is placed with immaculate precision to instill a sense of intrigue in players and to support the overarching narrative of the game. It is very rare to see a game of the scale and scope of Elden Ring put such great emphasis on attention to detail when it comes to environmental storytelling.
1) The most approachable souls-like experience
One of the toughest hurdles any souls-like game faces is to make the experience approachable for new players without compromising on the difficulty. While many games come close to doing that, such as Team Ninja's Nioh 2 or FromSoftware's own Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, none can compete with the approachability of Elden Ring.
The game single-handedly made the niche souls-like sub-genre of action role-playing games a household name. There are a number of new features implemented in Elden Ring's gameplay and progression system that allow players of any skill level to play the title at their own pace, tackle the challenges as they see fit, and overcome the plethora of enemies and bosses in whichever way they desire.
The variety of builds that players can create, a simple and easy-to-access co-op system, and a huge open world to explore with countless secrets and helpful items make the game one of the best souls-like titles for newcomers.
Five reasons why God of War Ragnarok might end up becoming the Game of the Year 2022
5) Jaw-dropping visuals and presentation for a cross-generation title
While Elden Ring's visuals might be great from an artistic standpoint, God of War Ragnarok easily bests FrosSoftware's open-world magnum opus with its sheer graphical fidelity and visual prowess. God of War Ragnarok is quite possibly one of the best-looking games of 2022, despite being a cross-generational title. While the game is arguably the best looking on the PlayStation 5, it still shines on the almost decade-old PS4 hardware.
Apart from being a visual powerhouse, God of War Ragnarok is an example of Santa Monica Studio's optimization skills. The game, despite its massive scope and graphical splendor, is free of any performance or technical issues, which is a common occurrence in most modern AAA games, especially at launch.
Even on the base model PlayStation 4 from 2013, God of War Ragnarok is a sight to behold, and that is without any compromises being made to its performance, which is more than anything that can be said about most AAA launches nowadays.
4) A really engaging narrative and a satisfying conclusion to Kratos' Norse saga
Elden Ring's narrative is more about the past of the Lands Between than about the Tarnished themselves, which often seems distant from what storytelling in a game should feel like. God of War Ragnarok takes a different and more mainstream approach to its narrative, which makes it much more easily digestible than the abstract storytelling of FromSoftware's games.
God of War Ragnarok delivers a much more personal story than the overarching narrative of the Lands Between. Continuing where the previous title left off, Ragnarok is the conclusion to Kratos' Norse saga and one that is easily the best video game story of recent times.
Filled with moments of joy, anguish, sorrow, and ultimately victory, God of War Ragnarok stands amongst some of the best narrative-driven action-adventure games, much like its predecessor and other magnificent story-driven titles like Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
3) A really satisfying, easy-to-pick-up, but hard-to-master combat system
Although God of War Ragnarok's strength is in its captivating and intimate narrative, the combat and moment-to-moment gameplay of the title are no slouch either. Based on the satisfying third-person hack-and-slash hybrid combat system of God of War (2018), Ragnarok improves and adds a lot to the overall feel of the game.
Players have access to both the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos right from the get-go, giving them full control over Kratos' melee and ranged attack options. The combat in God of War Ragnarok, especially in higher difficulties, is super satisfying, countering enemy attacks with a timed parry or a flashy runic attack is bound to get players hooked to the game's moment-to-moment gameplay.
While Elden Ring's build variety gives players way more options to toy with than God of War Ragnarok, nothing in FromSoftware's game can match the satisfaction of recalling the Leviathan Axe back to Kratos' hands at the end of a light and heavy attack combo.
2) Some really great side quests that deliver an equally engaging narrative as the main story
God of War Ragnarok's main story is its highlight, delivering an intimate narrative of Kratos and his son Atreus and their ever-changing relationship that affects the fate of the entire realm and the people they call friends. However, the side quests in the game are an equally spectacular showcase of storytelling and world-building that is rarely seen in most action-adventure games.
The storytelling in some of the game's side quests surpasses that of the main campaign in most modern action-adventure titles. From the intriguing tale of a lost king to rescuing a long-forgotten creature, the side quests in God of War Ragnarok can easily make for a game of their own, despite being completely optional.
Elden Ring also features a plethora of side quests, however, they mostly rely on players coming up with their own stories to fill in the blanks left by the vagueness of the narrative. God of War Ragnarok's side quests, much like the main narrative, are pretty straightforward, easy to understand, and satisfying to partake in.
1) Accessibility options make for one of the most approachable and easy-to-pick-up and play games for most players
Elden Ring might be the most approachable souls-like title, however, it still does not hold a candle to God of War Ragnarok when it comes to accessibility. The game not only offers a host of difficulty options but also features several "accessibility" options, making it much more accessible to the wider player base.
From colorblind modes and full controller remapping to mid-boss checkpoints, there are more than 60 accessibility options that players can tweak to tailor the experience to their liking. PlayStation has recently been pushing for accessibility in most of its first-party exclusives, starting with The Last of Us Part 2 in 2020, and now in God of War Ragnarok.
Accessibility is not about making the game easier or dumbing down its difficulty, it is about making it more "accessible" to players, irrespective of their physical differences. God of War Ragnarok is a shining example of "accessibility options" done right and is something that bears mentioning.
Both Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok are worthy contenders for the Game of the Year trophy, for reasons unique to their own gameplay and narrative designs. While every player will have their own bias or choice for which one should be the Game of the Year winner in 2022, either of them winning is a win for quality single-player games, something that is rare to come by in the day and age of live-service and free-to-play games.
The winner of the Game of the Year title will be announced during TGA 2022 on December 8, and fans are excited to know which of their favorite games will emerge victorious.
