Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has the same crippling claustrophobia I haven't felt since this 27-year-old console horror slasher scared the crap out of me

GamesAction RpgElden RingElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has the same crippling claustrophobia I haven’t felt since this 27-year-old console horror slasher scared the crap out of meWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesAction RpgElden RingElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has the same crippling claustrophobia I haven’t felt since this 27-year-old console horror slasher scared the crap out of meWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Activision) There’s a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’ve barely breached the bounds of Castle Ensis, an early location inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, but something’s amiss. I’ve so far ran the gamut against hordes of half-dead, a towering giant whose thirst for blood was antithetical of Roald Dahl’s greatest children’s novel, and a huddle or intermittently disappearing mages who showered blue piercing sorcery on me without a second thought. But now it’s quiet. Too quiet. As I move towards the crest of a hill that leads to a clearing, I crouch in the opportune long grass that hugs the cliff face to my left. I edge forward, slowly, before pausing. Nothing. I rise to my feet, take two steps forward and – BLOODY HELL! Where did that zombie dog come from, and why has half of my health bar vanished? It’s a tale as old as time, isn’t it? Just when you think you’re safe in these types of games, you, very clearly, are not. Just likeDark Souls. Just likeBloodborne. Just likeDemon’s Souls. And just like Kalisto Entertainment’s Nightmare Creatures, a game whose unnerving claustrophobia still haunts me to this day. Teach an old dog (Image credit: Activision) Double the scares(Image credit: FromSoftware)One area in Shadow of the Erdtree provesFromSoftware should make a horror game Double the scares (Image credit: FromSoftware)One area in Shadow of the Erdtree provesFromSoftware should make a horror game (Image credit: FromSoftware) One area in Shadow of the Erdtree provesFromSoftware should make a horror game From there, the occult takes hold with a host of nefarious agents, unreliable narrators and generally untrustworthy bastards vying for absolute control of a mythical, possibly-not-real but eternally revered object. Sound familiar? Of course it does, but these thematic cornerstones reflectFromSoftwaregames on a ubiquitous scale as opposed to anything specific. Visually and indeed narratively, Nightmare Creatures' Lovecraftian veneer likely flies closer to Bloodborne than Elden Ring, in fact. But it’s Shadow of the Erdtree’s unrelenting sense of claustrophobia that’s kept me thinking of a PS1 game from 27 years ago throughout my time in The Realm of Shadow. Shadow of the Erdtree’s masterful balance of open and closed spaces prevents you from settling and finding a rhythm, lending melee battles in tight walkways an extra anxiety-inducing edge. The same could generally be said about Elden Ring, but while the base game keenly shows players just how big it is from the outset – this is a marked departure from the Souls series, after all – Shadow of the Erdtree is a reminder of just how brutal these games can be when you’re under pressure. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more (Image credit: Activision) Having not long turned 11 years old in 1997, I’d picked up the Official PlayStation Magazine volume 2, issue 7 to read the print publication’s Abe’s Odyssey: Oddworld review. I played the accompanying demo disc knowing nothing about Nightmare Creatures, before it sunk its rusted hooks into me from the off. Its brutal melee horror and ensemble of grotesque monsters kicked my ass, but what I really loved was the claustrophobic level design that kept me constantly on edge. Even in its rare stretches of down time, Nightmare Creatures force-feeds its omnipresent unease, making you second guess every shadow, blind corner, and narrow walkway. I might not have described it like this in so many words back then, but Nightmare Creatures messed with your head. Bear in mind, it arrived beforeSilent Hill’s terrifying realm-shifting horror, before Parasite Eve’s unorthodox horror-RPG combination, and beforeResident Evil’s action-oriented shift of the early 2000s. It toyed with your sensitive disposition like nothing I’d played at the time, and while Shadow of the Erdtree is hardly a horror game, it has scared the crap out of me more than any otherFromSoftwaregame, Bloodborne included. Can you blame me? Around every tight, unsighted and claustrophobia-inducing corner awaits a huddle of Cleaver Ghosts, a gang of Mutated Lantern Heads, a murder of Undead Priests. And a long-grass-hiding zombie bastarding dog. I will happily wait another 27 years before being scared so shitless again. It’s definitely spooky, butis Shadow of the Erdtree too difficult? 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Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: 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