Elden Ring Deserved Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022. Here’s Why

Elden Ring, the epic fantasy role-playing game by FromSoftware, emerged as the winner of the prestigious Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2022, beating tough competition from God of War Ragnarök. Horizon Forbidden West, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Stray, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 were also in contention for the top honor, but ultimately it came down to Elden Ring and the PlayStation exclusive. Personally, I was delighted that Elden Ring emerged victorious, as it truly represents the pinnacle of modern video game excellence. While both games are extraordinary in their own right, only one captures the essence of the medium.

For a moment, it seemed like God of War Ragnarök, the most nominated title at The Game Awards 2022, would sweep the ceremony. Before the main event, Ragnarök had already claimed victory in six categories, including Best Narrative and Best Performance. As is often the case with awards shows, recency bias plays a role. Ragnarök was released just last month, while Elden Ring came out in February. Despite the sustained brilliance of Elden Ring, the passage of time can distort our memory. In the end, FromSoftware clinched the night’s two biggest awards—Game of the Year and Best Game Direction—culminating in a remarkable year for the Japanese developers.

Elden Ring vs God of War Ragnarök: The Open-World Approach

Among Ragnarök and Elden Ring, the latter is the game that dares to venture into uncharted territory. In recent years, the open-world genre has received its fair share of criticism, but Elden Ring dismantles it and reconstructs it in its own unique way. It discards the clichés associated with the genre, eliminating objective markers, excessive map icons, meaningless map activities, and side quests, and completely revolutionizes the open-world concept. While previous games like Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild have attempted this, Elden Ring takes it a step further. In Breath of the Wild, exploration was rewarded, but in Elden Ring, exploration is the ultimate reward.

Consider Elden Ring’s map, for example. In most open-world games, maps merely serve as checklists, directing players to perform specific tasks in a linear manner. Elden Ring’s map, on the other hand, invites players to truly observe and examine it. It encourages players to closely examine the rock formations to the north or the ruins to the west. There are no icons telling them what awaits, but a sense of anticipation that something extraordinary awaits them.

Elden Ring’s map invites players to take a closer look.

This level of engagement is rare in video games. Very few games have the audacity to invite players on their own personal adventure without holding their hands every step of the way. Take, for instance, fellow Game of the Year nominee Horizon Forbidden West—an open-world adventure that is constantly hesitant to relinquish control to the player. Its abundance of map icons feels suffocating and detracts from the wonder of an otherwise exceptional game. (It’s worth noting that Ragnarök, though not fully open-world, does have a map. However, throughout my playthrough, I rarely found the need to consult it, as it seemed purely aesthetic.)

Elden Ring vs God of War Ragnarök: Storytelling

Elden Ring and Ragnarök also diverge in terms of storytelling in video games. Ragnarök, winner of the Best Narrative award at The Game Awards, indeed presents a compelling and personal story, delving into themes of fatherhood, coming of age, prophecies, and fate, culminating in a cinematic ending worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster. Undoubtedly, it tells a good story, but it follows a more traditional narrative structure.

Ragnarök features some of the best writing in video games this year, but its storytelling isn’t too dissimilar from that of a film or novel. It takes players on a predetermined journey without granting them full control. This is where the true power of video game storytelling lies—player agency sets the medium apart from other forms of art. Elden Ring triumphs in this aspect. It allows players to craft their own stories. Of course, there is an intended narrative conveyed through item descriptions and scattered lore within the game. However, it’s the tales players invent as they traverse the Lands Between that leave a lasting impression.

Game of the Year nominee A Plague Tale: Requiem is driven by its narrative.
Photo Credit: Focus Entertainment

That being said, traditional storytelling should not always be dismissed. Just look at narrative-driven games like The Last of Us or A Plague Tale: Requiem, another Game of the Year nominee. These games deliver unforgettable stories. However, games that provide a blank canvas for players to fill in with their own experiences truly showcase the unique potential of the medium, something that films and books cannot replicate.

I fondly recall embodying the role of a wasteland mercenary in Fallout: New Vegas or forging my own mythical path in the Mass Effect trilogy. In Elden Ring, players can choose to be a chivalrous knight assisting damsels in a perilous landscape or a daring renegade conquering formidable foes. Or, if they dare, they can even roam around naked wielding a colossal club and engage in unconventional battles with the game’s deadly bosses. The choice is entirely theirs.

Elden Ring vs God of War Ragnarök: The True Game of the Year

To be fair, this distinction is partially due to the nature of role-playing games like Elden Ring. I won’t hold it against God of War Ragnarök for not being an RPG. It is, as I mentioned earlier, a different game altogether. It offers a curated experience that combines intense gameplay with emotional depth. Within the confines of its impressive combat sandbox, it surprises with its flexibility. However, Elden Ring chooses the less trodden path, allowing players to discover their own treasures. While Ragnarök excels in bombastic moments, Elden Ring exercises restraint, almost as if it’s a game mechanic, and stands as the true champion of the medium.

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