This reaction is likely to be stamped entirely on Earth.

I really don’t get how this got game of the year. If I can believe the GotY wiki, every respected software game has been at least in the top three. Then the jury calculates at 90%. And no one says which jury member voted on what. Everything is very transparent, it will undoubtedly have to do with sales.

Anyway, now complete Elden Ring 3 times for all PS Trophies. 1 real time and 2 x NG+.
The level design could be much better, the weird jumps that you have to do to get to certain places are really just awful. Openworld was ultimately ‘ok’ if you understand you don’t get scores, but it was hard to really find the logic where to go the first time around.
Also, many things have been corrected by the developers that don’t matter in my opinion, but the game is broken like a text dialog that stays on the screen and you can then walk but can’t press until you push it away. And also nice. Command queue, sometimes yes other times no, oh, go for another couple of horsepower gulps while you watch the boss come at you, dramatically.

The graphics were pretty bad, and the engine seemed to be 80% copy-paste from the previous Soulsborne game. The art style was great but that doesn’t make it good. Also in the cut scenes, for example, the flames that are displayed directly through objects and models, understand that you are cutting corners to finish that game, but it looks really bad.

The boss fights were a lot of fun, especially because you have no idea if you can handle him or what attacks will come the first time around. And one can always come back later with more equipment or a special item that can help you.
It’s now true that the head AI switches to specific attacks when you’re in range or melee, which made it interesting. And the flexibility of the game allows you to do it at all. One does not get stuck in an organized fight where one has to fight in range or melee.

TLDR. No game of the year, brilliant boss fights.