The entire game, it can be said, officially entered the familiar feel of Stormveil Castle only after defeating Godrick the Grafted.
As an open world, Elden Ring, while amazing to many players, also brought a peculiar feeling – something was missing, it didn't quite feel like a souls-like game.
Even though the Grafted Scion at the beginning became the "refund teacher" for countless players, and exploring Limgrave led them into Caelid via a trap chest, the experience was so brutal they were left dazed.
Or, some players found the right path and arrived at the Weeping Peninsula, south of Limgrave.
But this was all part of the open-world gameplay. Players mostly felt like they were playing a traditional ARPG, just with higher difficulty, where three or five small enemies could kill them.
To be honest, this kind of large-map exploration made players feel the content was very rich.
There was a lot to interact with and explore, and almost everywhere they went, they made new discoveries.
Even on the map, for example, in Morne Castle on the Weeping Peninsula, players could see soldiers from different factions fighting each other.
Going deeper, they could understand the story of the region: the Weeping Peninsula was once the territory of the demibeast.
But later it was conquered by Godrick, and then incorporated into the Golden Lineage's domain.
After conquering Morne Castle, the Golden Lineage sent nobles and soldiers to garrison there and rule. Residents of the Lands Between also began to settle there.
Years later, due to experiments or reproduction among different species, mixed-breed demibeasts were born on the Weeping Peninsula. They had high intelligence and were controlled by the human nobles and soldiers of the region, becoming low-status slaves who suffered abuse.
As the Elden Ring shattered and the Golden Lineage weakened, Godrick in Stormveil Castle was unable to govern these border castles. Over the years, through reproduction, the number of mixed-breed demibeasts grew.
When the demibeast queen was captured and killed by humans, a rebellion finally broke out.
The mixed-breed demibeasts, as slaves, rose up and fired the first shot of the Lands Between uprising.
The former servants raised their cleavers and began to resist. Traces of battle were everywhere. The bodies of Godrick's knights lay scattered on the ground, like an inferno. Countless soldiers' and residents' bodies were piled high in the open spaces of the castle. The overwhelming stench and clouds of flies turned it into a dead city.
It can be said that from the boss battles to the fragmented lore, these aspects left players very satisfied.
But as a souls-like game, something players had been looking forward to was still missing.
That was the dungeon design.
Various dungeons, though filled with traps, were still a bit different from what players had envisioned.
Aside from the story and the difficulty of boss fights, what players looked forward to most in souls-like games was the meticulously designed map.
The three-dimensional maps in Dark Souls prequel, the intricate village of Yharnam in Bloodborne, and Ashina Castle and the Island Palace in Sekiro.
Combined with the unique monsters and various traps and mechanisms in the game, these were the things players anticipated.
But the wild map and various strongholds in Elden Ring didn't give players that feeling of intricate design.
Including the monsters in various ruins, aside from the treasures obtained through exploration, many players still felt it was just a random grouping of monsters.
Except for farming runes, and the initial excitement, players more often rode their spectral steed to bypass these troublesome small monsters.
But after arriving at Stormveil Castle, with its various interconnected three-dimensional designs, clever elevators and shortcuts, and the traps that run through the souls series, players exclaimed, "This feeling is back!"
...
After defeating Godrick the Grafted, Melina the "witch" triggered a dialogue cutscene. Ben arrived at the Roundtable Hold Site of Grace.
Here he met new friends, including a teacher who could teach him incantations, though he was an incredibly heroic knight.
He reinforced his weapon with the blacksmith and took the opportunity to experience Fia's embrace in a small room.
To be honest, this "Deathbed Companion" named Fia was practically a "fan service" character in Elden Ring!
Ben never expected there to be a hug feature.
The only thing that made him feel frustrated was that after the hug, it seemed his HP cap inexplicably decreased.
Another thing that really annoyed Ben was being invaded by an NPC red phantom in the main hall of the Roundtable Hold. This red phantom with a scythe beat him with no chance to retaliate.
Especially when summoning ashes, he couldn't even use them against this red phantom boss.
Fortunately, he had already spent all his runes before triggering this red phantom.
"Next, I should probably head to the main story at Stormveil Castle to find that Grafted one."
After preparing himself, Ben had no intention of delaying. Having just defeated Godrick the Grafted, he was brimming with confidence.
A red phantom in the Roundtable Hold?
That was just an accident.
Passing through the gate where he defeated Godrick the Grafted, the entrance to Stormveil Castle was behind it. Here, Ben encountered another NPC.
Fire flickered from the broken city walls nearby. There was a small room with an open door. Entering, Ben saw an NPC standing in the corner, speaking. He was tall, pale-faced, and even wore a huge shackle around his neck. Upon seeing the Tarnished, he greeted him proactively.
"Excuse me, the one over there... could you come here?"
"You're a Tarnished, right? If you want to enter the city, I advise you not to go through the main gate. Enter through that cave. I'm the only one who knows about that path."
Looking at the creepy NPC in front of him, Ben's gut feeling told him this guy was up to no good.
"Through the side path? There must be a trap!" Ben flatly refused.
"Alright... that's true. It's normal for you to be suspicious... I respect your choice. If you want to go through the main gate, I'll shout to open it."
"...But think about it again, is that a good idea? I suggest you think carefully."
After thinking it over, Ben still went to the main gate. After all, he had over a thousand souls, so what was there to lose? It was no big deal! Moreover, his intuition told him this NPC was definitely not a good person.
However, as the gate was pulled open, Ben's brow furrowed.
Because the bloodstains didn't lie. On the path ahead, Ben saw countless bloodstains, no less than those near the Grafted Scion when he first came out.
"How did these people die?" Ben ran forward, feeling a bit curious.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
A whistling sound came from the air. Soon, Ben understood how these people died.
Passing through the corner into a larger intersection, a group of soldiers stood ready. On the high walls on both sides were hidden ballistas.
Before he could react, he was shot into a hedgehog by arrows and bolts.
"So, this guy was actually a good person!?"
Resurrecting at the bonfire, he returned to the room. The previous NPC was gone.
At this moment, Ben felt a twinge of guilt.
He had misunderstood a good NPC!
Thinking back, when he first went to the church in Bloodborne, hadn't he also mistaken the eerie old woman in red for a bad person?
With this feeling of guilt and reflection, he proceeded along the seemingly safe side path. But soon, Ben felt that familiar souls-like vibe.
The path was secluded and narrow. Here, there were black wolves with sharp claws, often hiding in the woods to launch a surprise attack.
Here, Ben learned to constantly press the lock-on button.
Entering a small loft, small soldiers in the distance threw fire, and the wooden barrels that looked like roadblocks would actually explode, giving him a sense of pure malice.
Of course, this wasn't the most crucial part. What made him feel truly helpless was being backstabbed while searching for a key!
"So, the key should be here, right?" Entering a pitch-black room where he couldn't see his hand in front of his face, Ben immediately spotted a treasure chest hidden in a corner.
However, before he could run over to pick it up, he heard a strange laugh from behind him.
"Hehehehehehehe..."
Besides the eerie laughter, there was a despairing clanging sound.
The door he entered through was shut!
At the same time, a metallic clashing sound came from a corner in another direction. Pressing the target lock button, Ben silently swallowed.
There, a knight in silver-white armor, holding a sword and shield, menacingly walked towards him.
"Damn it! Who is it!"
As the knight emptied his health bar, Ben couldn't help but curse.
He hadn't even spent over ten thousand runes yet!
Resurrecting at the respawn point, he advanced cautiously. If he took even a little damage, Ben would drink a flask to ensure his safety.
Because if he died again, his runes would truly be gone.
He fought his way through and finally returned to the small dark room on the second floor. Ben entered trembling. However, to his surprise, the door to this small dark room was not shut again this time.
But then something even more confusing happened.
"Damn it! Who stole my money!? Why is over three thousand gone!"
(End of Chapter)