@bladeofcreation: I actually think you're coming at it from the most popular perspective. Elden ring was seen as the opening game, the way people blossom into "getting" why people love this series of "dumb" games that are just hard for no reason as non-fans put it. The general consensus by non-players for years was the games had no story and as you say the limited story is just generic. In reality, the games have a story that's a lot more original than expected with the nuanced takes on each character's drives and reason and not overstating it and putting it in your face. The show don't tell of it all. Elden ring just has the most approachable story to gain more people, but in my opinion dark souls 1 and 3 have a nice throughline about the cycle of endless existentialism with the fact that they keep burning away their problem, and if they don't someone else eventually will, and their cursed to do this for eternity, but in reality, you learn that their all slaves to this fate including you the hero and you'll live long enough as the hero to be the villain...batman...and fight yourself, an omnipowerful person with all the abilities gained over countless deaths that is still surrounded by fallen swords but will be beaten by a lowly person who dodges real good. And in the end, those things won't matter cause much like our planet, eventually, it will all turn to ash in the face of a dead sun. It's a story that people lambasted basic a little to often cause it doesn't spell it out in my opinion. It's dark and not so feel-good so i get people not liking it.
I think the opacity of mechanics were a feature that they got rid of to cater to more people and if they go any further it will attract more people but really get rid of why people used to love the series. The creator if you read up on it had to secretly make the game in a way since those above him played an early build and like most on the net, though it was trash and the most obtuse stupid game they ever played that was too hard for its own good and no one would enjoy such a tedious slog dying and fighting to someday beat an unfair boss and not get a "story". It was correct in a marketing sense and on paper, marvel sells, making a movie about blue alien people in Pocahontas on paper doesn't, but both do well (avatar).
I'm biased as I said since I figured out the twist on horizon when she was a kid, "Aloy" really...people didn't 'get' that hint. And the constant showcase of destroyed old buildings and robots basically losing the soil. Not a bad story but everyone stating it's the best story ever written in gaming and how moved they were by the audacity that it even did the things it did made me a bit over expecting. I also play tons of rpgs with the same themes and story ideas. But again a lot of the stuff you think is ehhh is the features and as others put it flaws i like. The voice acting being of that era's expected tone, the sadness, and melancholy, the way NPCs don't think you're the great savior and live their own lives while you're saving the world, the way you just happen to meet them again on your adventure and they're like eh oh you beat the big dragon, i beat so and so, gonna die from this poison, nice meeting ya, oh you have an antidote, thanks or no antidote bye. Its all very unique to this series that people who copy it, star wars, lords of the fallen, etc don't get. It's not just slow as people say clunky gameplay and stamina management with no story and dumb hard fights.
But again I also think the souls series, gets hit on too much for being the same game just cause its a series. If they had different names or came from different companies people would like em more. No other series for the most part has that many sequels that are as successful besides the big dudes, Mario, etc, and they have different games each time, sunshine vs galaxy, etc. souls has bloodborne that even jeff liked and the mechanics of souls on paper doesn't seem like it would ever suit his interest, they have sekiro which I think is vastly different from dark souls, and the other games were just about 4 sequels, with Elden ring being different even if people keep saying its just open world dark souls 4 as a pejorative in a way. Assassins creed had 4 games before it changed with boats than different locals that were very different, no on gave them crap for not rewriting the formula after 2 games yet souls gets it even though the games were universally seen as pretty good. It's a weird feeling to see all the hate online for souls but i get that alot of people online also just got into it with Elden ring and only heard bad stuff about how hard it was over the years. The games also function in a way people wouldn't be used to with no waymarkers and limited cutscenes and gameplay that can feel cheap. so i get why people think their a little overrated.
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