'Shadow of the Erdtree' Should NOT Win Game of the Year
Elden Ring's 'Shadow of the Erdtree' expansion is stirring up buzz once again for its controversial nomination at the 2024 Game Awards.
Since Elden Ring’s guidance of grace first attracted droves of Tarnished back in 2022, From Software’s open-world action RPG has reserved a space in my mind. My first playthrough two years ago enthralled me in an 80+ hour experience chock-full of valiant victories and countless moments of frustration. I dove deep into understanding the game’s labyrinthian lore (shoutout VaatiVidya on YouTube), sweatily gripped my Playstation controller for hours at a time and chipped away at my sanity like a marble statue as I heard “I am Malenia. Blade of Miquella. And I have never known defeat,” for the hundredth time. It was everything I wanted in a video game.
Like many other From Software fans earlier this year, I eagerly counted down the days in my calendar until June 21st: the release date for the long-awaited ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ DLC for Elden Ring. I could not wait to re-immerse myself in the new dimension that was the Realm of Shadow and experience every last drop of exploration and combat possible. Saying I was satisfied is an understatement. The expansion featured revelatory lore implications, a cornucopia of new gear to wield and some of the most jaw-dropping visuals I have ever seen rendered on a graphics card — yet, it was still familiar enough for me to feel like I had never left the majestic miasma that is The Lands Between.
But that’s the problem. It’s not a new game. It’s just Elden Ring. A ‘Messmer-izing’ coat of paint has been slapped on, sure. But at the end of the day, it still is Elden Ring — which won Game of the Year two years ago. And it should not win it again. Especially not this year.
People were surprised when the nominees for 2024 Game of the Year were announced Monday, as ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ placed among stellar standouts like Metaphor:ReFantazio, Astro Bot and Black Myth Wukong. Not only are these games also outstanding, they are actually new video games! Not expansions to preexisting releases, but separate ones with their own physical game discs and their own original save files. You cannot even enjoy the content in ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ without sinking a considerable amount of time into the base game of Elden Ring.
Game Rant reported on Nov. 15 that The Game Awards recently added a clarification to their FAQ page regarding the eligibility of expansion packs and remakes/remasters, which states, “The Game Awards aims to recognize the best creative and technical work each year, irrespective of the format of that content’s release. Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes and remasters are eligible in all categories, if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nomination. Factors such as the newness of the content and its price/value should be taken into consideration.”
I don’t think this decision is entirely bad, but in the case of ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’, it doesn’t work. If a DLC or expansion brings a completely new experience to the table, then sure, I think that would be fair. But with ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’, it doesn’t hit that mark. The expansion brings a new playable area, the Shadow Realm, along with some minor game mechanic changes and dozens of new gear options and enemies, which does not qualify as a completely new experience.
The Scadutree fragments system is a great way to balance game difficulty for high-level players, but is not-so-much an optional mechanic as it is an essential one — if you do not collect those damn fragments, scattered about in random places across the gargantuan map, you will get absolutely destroyed. No questions asked. And it doesn’t change the way the game plays at all, it just modifies your stats so that you’re more on par with the insane health pools and damage output of the expansion’s beefed up bosses.
The same feel of the Elden Ring experience is there — and although it is a great one, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. They even reuse plenty of bosses and basic enemies from the base game, like fingercreepers, death rite birds and fallingstar beasts. And the fact that it’s basically impossible to carve your own path in the DLC without finding the Scadutree fragments takes away a core part of what made Elden Ring so incredible: the freedom to tackle the game however you want.
One X (formerly Twitter) user NightSkyPrince said, “I don’t think a single person alive with any credibility is questioning the quality of Shadow of the Erdtree, but this really does feel like an excuse to give Elden Ring goty twice.”
It’s not the first time a DLC has been considered for The Game Awards. In 2016, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s ‘Blood and Wine’ expansion won the award for Best Role Playing Game, and in 2023, Cyberpunk 2077’s ‘Phantom Liberty’ DLC was nominated for three awards, including Best Narrative and Best Performance (for Idris Elba as Sol Reed). But let’s take a look at what those expansions offered. ‘Blood and Wine’ featured a brand new map as well, yes, but it also had a new ability customization system that made use of the loads of unused mutagens Geralt gathered along his travels, adding new combat mechanics and strategies that made gameplay noticeably more engaging. ‘Phantom Liberty’ also added the new district of Dogtown, as well as a Relic skill tree featuring nine new abilities and a comprehensive main questline to boot. Now these weren’t eligible at the time for the coveted Game of the Year award, but they make a more convincing case than ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ does.
In any other year, I’d feel a little better about ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ being a Game of the Year contender. I mean, I absolutely loved it. It was really fun. But the thing is, this year had so many other actual new games that deserve the title more than another Elden Ring win.
Take Metaphor:ReFantazio for example: the newest JRPG from the wizards over at Atlus that completely redefines the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei style of turn-based combat. It's up for six awards this year, including Best Narrative, Best Role Playing Game and, of course, Game of the Year. And rightfully so. My experience playing Metaphor kept me couch locked for a full week as I spent every waking moment immersed in the political machinations of Euchronia. The story, characters and worldbuilding left me begging for more. With over 60 hours played, I still have two dungeons to go, but if I wasn’t so busy with my final semester of my master’s program, you can bet I would be finishing it as soon as possible.
And who can forget Astro Bot, one of the most fun 3D platforming games I’ve played in years? The amount of detail is astounding, and the PS5 DualSense controls like butter. Each level feels truly unique, with gorgeous visuals and fun platforming challenges that never overstay their welcome. The challenge levels add a breadth of precision to the relatively relaxing base experience, throwing in a bit of sweatiness for those seeking an extra layer of difficulty. Astro Bot is a breath of fresh air with hints of Playstation nostalgia, and an easy contender for the honor of Game of the Year.
Black Myth Wukong, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Balatro also bring some competitiveness to the group of nominees, each being extremely popular and noteworthy among gamers this year, especially Balatro as an indie game by a single developer. But ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ just shouldn’t be there. Not because it’s bad — it’s far from it — but because it’s time to let other games and developers have their roses. From Software is well-respected for a reason, and that’s because they produce amazing gaming experiences. But that’s nothing new, and there are other studios working just as hard and creating excellent games, too.
If it’s so important to recognize an expansion like ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’, why not just make a separate category for expansions? Is it really that hard to do? It would assuage a lot of complaints and allow for studios to be recognized for their work outside of just the Best Ongoing Game category.
Believe me, I am a From Software superfan, and I really loved ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’. But I’d much rather see another game take home the Game of the Year honor that deserves it more. Sometimes, you just need to let the Age of Fire die out.