Elden Ring offers the thoughtful fighting that has become standard for games of this genre, but it is thoroughly polished here. You swing, the adversary swings, and both of you can perfectly time your counterattacks. Like the finest Souls bouts, the best Elden Ring fights require you to watch how an opponent lunges at you and look for opportunities to harm them when they miss. As you make your move and wait for the opposition to make theirs, it almost feels turn-based in action.

It rarely feels like the adversaries play by a separate set of rules in these games, so when you manage to win, whether it be through magic spells or explosive bombs, it feels like you outsmarted a dungeon master. With towering bosses and hordes of enemies that make it difficult to decide which to prioritize, Elden Ring mirrors some of the best fights in the series. However, it also mirrors some of the worst, giving its late-game enemies and bosses excessive health so that defeating them can be tedious rather than enjoyable.