My game of the year is Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree because, yes, you are actually allowed to choose DLC

The best expansions are unrecognizably grounded in their core gameplay, but take all of their strongest ideas and boil them down to a more refined, self-contained experience that not only celebrates its -everything that made the original great, but takes it a bit further. , too.

Shadow of the Erdtree it's just the wonderful, old-fashioned, soulful frivolity Elden Circle your knowledge of it in the present, but obedience From softwarein the past and a view of his future as well.

It all kicks off in true Souls style, with one of the year's best horror moments followed by a legacy dungeon that could come from anywhere in FromSoftware's storied back catalog – full of the rafters with hidden ambushes, unfair fights and a cataclysmic boss battle to the top. all of it.

However, while revealing the secrets of the universe in a labyrinthine of secret tunnels and passages that belie the true incredible scale of the area, this is the gothic ambiance of. Land of Shadows that steals the show. This is another special situation from FromSoftware, in another special situation from FromSoftware: Fromception.

Crucially though, this is also one of FromSoftware's clearest statements – certainly in a Souls game – but that does nothing to diminish the mystery and ethereal wonder of the places you visit and the characters. to spoil whom you meet. It's this storytelling evolution that makes Shadow of the Erdtree a must-have in its own right, as well as a completely unique addition to Elden Ring's base game (obviously a GOTY contender in its own right, too, of course ).

Shadow of the Erdtree is easily one of the most memorable, interesting, and engaging things to drop this year, and can be heard alongside The Shivering Islands, Phantom Liberty, and Undead Nightmare on the Mount Rushmore of game DLCs. great video.

In fact, we have a podcast dedicated to this very topic: Which expansions are better than the main game? From The Shivering Isles to Toussaint, some downloadable content is worth every penny. Twice. The fact that Shadow of the Erdtree quickly and effortlessly adds to these iconic names says it all, really; in a year of incredibly strong, memorable games, it's an expansion that really sticks in my head as we head into 2025.