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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review - a visually resplendent living text made less alive

Eurogamer's review of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, an expansion that delivers more of the same gruelling beauty, but too much signposting and empty space.

The Ancient Ruins of Rauh is a verdant jungle-infused hell interspersed with cavernous tunnels – there's a real sense of relief in bursting out into greenery after being cornered by mobs in dangerously musty halls – that offers a stunning panoramic view of the Shadow Realm's mysteries. Image credit: Eurogamer / Bandai Namco One of my biggest issues with this DLC is how explicitly it abandons the core appeal of Elden Ring as a living text to be read and learned, and ambiently, lovingly communicated across realms through vague multiplayer messages. Despite its strange dispersion of "active" areas, and uncharacteristically infantilising hand-holding for encounters that should be learned through repeated failure, Shadow still has its share of Elden Ring's brilliance – weird little dudes and obscure secrets and goofy cheesing and all.

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