In addition to winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022, Elden Ring also triumphed in categories like Game Direction, Art Design, and Best RPG. Here's why Elden Ring truly earned the top honor.
Elden Ring’s Victory at The Game Awards 2022
FromSoftware’s epic fantasy RPG, Elden Ring, took home four prestigious awards at The Game Awards 2022, including the coveted Game of the Year title. Despite fierce competition from God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Stray, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, it was Elden Ring that ultimately emerged victorious. While all these titles were exceptional in their own right, Elden Ring stood out, capturing the very essence of modern gaming and pushing the medium to new frontiers.
At first, it seemed like God of War Ragnarök, with its record number of nominations, might sweep the evening. It had already taken home six awards, including Best Narrative and Best Performance. However, despite its recent release and the natural recency bias that often affects awards shows, Elden Ring managed to steal the spotlight, winning both Game of the Year and Best Game Direction, rounding off an incredible year for FromSoftware.
Elden Ring vs. God of War Ragnarök: A New Approach to Open World
While God of War Ragnarök delivered an outstanding narrative and breathtaking gameplay, Elden Ring truly pushed the boundaries of the open-world genre. The open-world experience has been somewhat overused in recent years, often criticized for being filled with meaningless side activities and over-cluttered maps. Elden Ring redefined this genre by stripping away the usual elements — no objective markers, no endless map icons, and no filler content — instead focusing purely on exploration as the key reward.
Although The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild had already reimagined open-world exploration, Elden Ring takes this concept a step further. In Elden Ring, the world itself is the reward — the joy is in the discovery, the exploration, and the freedom it offers to players, rather than the promise of filling up a checklist. This innovation in world-building is one of the reasons Elden Ring deserves its Game of the Year title.
Elden Ring vs. God of War Ragnarök: Storytelling
Both games excel in storytelling, but in different ways. God of War Ragnarök focuses on a deeply personal journey, with rich character development and emotional depth. It’s a narrative-driven experience where the story takes center stage. However, Elden Ring offers a more enigmatic and open-ended approach, with a world that encourages players to piece together the lore through environmental storytelling and exploration.
In Elden Ring, players are not handed a linear narrative but instead discover the world’s secrets on their own terms, making the experience far more immersive and rewarding for those willing to invest time in understanding its cryptic story.
Conclusion: Elden Ring Is the True Game of the Year
Ultimately, while God of War Ragnarök is a deserving title and offers a fantastic narrative-driven experience, Elden Ringrepresents a bold leap forward in game design. Its innovative take on open-world exploration and storytelling, coupled with its immense world-building, pushes the gaming industry into new and exciting territory. For these reasons, Elden Ring rightfully earned its Game of the Year title at The Game Awards 2022.
