Originally posted as a review in progress, our jaunt through From Soft's critically received Elden Ring has culminated in a dominant near 100-hour level of investment, incidentally leading us to level 150 in the game. So, you know, we know a little bit about it at this point...

And that point is that in that time, we've finally seen the credits, but know also that this isn't over, by any measure. At least that's what we've gleaned from our very own Joaby who took up review duties.

Here's a snippet from his final, definitive submission:

When you're level 150, like I am, it's not that big a deal to take him down, halting framerate or not. But for those looking to use him as an early injection of souls, the frame stutter issue can make him damn near impossible.

For many, this will be the legacy of Elden Ring. The bargain you make with From Soft when you play a Souls game is simple — you trade your willingness to accept and learn from your own shortcomings in return for a game that will never cheat you out of victory. But Elden Ring, at least on launch, doesn't hold up its side of the bargain. It's not often, and it didn't stop me from finishing the game — the frame hitching never happened during any main path boss fights, for example — but I was cheated out of some runes, and that's all there is to it.

Click here for our full in-depth Elden Ring review.