Elden Ring – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Elden Ring

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

game2022

72%

WISE Score

94%

IGDB

Brutally difficult, hauntingly beautiful dark fantasy that will test your patience and reward your perseverance—if you can handle the gore.

Elden Ring

game

2022

72%

WISE Score

94%

IGDB

Brutally difficult, hauntingly beautiful dark fantasy that will test your patience and reward your perseverance—if you can handle the gore.

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Screenwise Verdict

Elden Ring is a masterpiece of game design—no question. The world is vast and imaginative, the gameplay is tight and rewarding, and there's zero monetization nonsense. It's one of the best games of the decade.

But let's be clear: this is not for kids. The violence is graphic, the imagery is disturbing, and the difficulty is genuinely punishing. If your 14-year-old is asking for this, think carefully about whether they can handle both the content and the emotional toll of dying 50 times to the same boss.

For older teens who love a challenge and can handle mature content, this is incredible. It teaches perseverance, strategic thinking, and rewards careful observation in ways few games do. Just know what you're signing up for—this is dark, difficult, and demanding. But if it clicks, it's unforgettable.

Age Fit

This is squarely for older teens (16+) and adults. The violence and disturbing imagery make it inappropriate for younger players, and the difficulty demands emotional maturity to handle repeated failure. If your teen loves challenging games and can handle dark fantasy content, this could be a great fit.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

This is a brutal, unforgiving game set in a dark fantasy world filled with death, decay, and grotesque enemies. The tone is bleak and oppressive. While there's no profanity or sexual content, the emotional landscape is grim—players die repeatedly, often brutally, and the world is filled with suffering. The gameplay loop is punishing by design. That said, it rewards perseverance and cooperation (players can summon help), and there's no toxicity baked into the design itself. It's mature, dark, and heavy—not emotionally healthy for younger players, but not gratuitously cruel either.

Imaginative

This is where Elden Ring absolutely soars. The open-world design invites exploration and discovery at every turn—hidden dungeons, secret passages, environmental storytelling, and a vast interconnected world that rewards curiosity. George R.R. Martin's world-building combined with FromSoftware's cryptic lore creates a rich, mysterious universe. Players experiment with builds, strategies, and playstyles. The creature and environment design is stunningly imaginative—grotesque, beautiful, weird, and memorable. This is a game that sparks endless theorizing, experimentation, and creative problem-solving.

Safe

Elden Ring is rated M for Mature for good reason. The violence is frequent and graphic—blood spurts, dismemberment, grotesque body horror, and disturbing enemy designs (bloated corpses, writhing masses, etc.). The IMDb parents guide rates 'Frightening & Intense Scenes' as Severe. There's no nudity, profanity is minimal, and there's no substance use. Critically for safety: no in-game purchases, no loot boxes, no online chat (though users can interact via summons). The main safety concern is content—this is intense, scary, and violent. Not appropriate for younger players, but for teens and adults who know what they're getting into, it's transparent about what it is.

Enriching

Elden Ring teaches resilience, pattern recognition, strategic thinking, and perseverance in ways few games can match. Players must learn from failure, adapt strategies, and push through frustration to succeed. The sense of accomplishment from overcoming a difficult boss is genuine and hard-earned. The game rewards exploration, careful observation, and experimentation. The lore encourages close reading and interpretation. It builds problem-solving skills and emotional regulation. That said, it's not for everyone—the difficulty can be demoralizing rather than enriching for some players. But for those who connect with it, it's profoundly rewarding.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Teaches genuine resilience and problem-solving—you will fail, and you will learn to try again with a different strategy
Stunning world design that rewards exploration and curiosity at every turn, with secrets hidden everywhere
Zero predatory monetization—buy it once, get the full experience, no microtransactions or battle passes
Encourages cooperation through summon mechanics, and the community is surprisingly helpful despite the game's difficulty
The sense of accomplishment from beating a tough boss is unmatched—kids who succeed will feel genuinely proud

⚠

What to Watch For

Graphic violence and disturbing imagery—blood, gore, body horror, and genuinely creepy enemy designs throughout
Punishing difficulty that can lead to frustration—some kids will find it demoralizing rather than motivating
Time investment is significant—this is a 60+ hour game that demands patience and persistence
Online interactions are limited but present—players can be summoned into each other's worlds, though there's no voice chat

Conversation Starters

"What's the toughest boss you've faced so far? What strategy finally worked?"
"How do you handle the frustration when you die over and over? What keeps you going?"
"What's the coolest area or enemy you've discovered? What made it memorable?"
"Do you prefer exploring solo or summoning help? Why?"
"What build are you running? How did you decide on that playstyle?"

Deep Dive

The "Zelda" comparison that isn't quite right

If your teen grew up on Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, they probably think they know what an "open world" looks like. Elden Ring takes that freedom and adds a massive dose of adrenaline and dread. While Nintendo rewards you for climbing a mountain with a pretty view or a little puzzle, FromSoftware rewards you with a boss the size of a skyscraper that can kill you in two hits.

It is a masterpiece of world design, but the vibe is "beautiful decay" rather than "adventure." If you want a deeper look at whether your kid is ready for this specific jump in intensity, check out our Elden Ring parents guide. The game doesn't hold your hand. There are no quest markers cluttering the map. You have to pay attention to the environment and actually listen to what the characters say. It demands a level of focus that most modern "map-clearing" games just don't require.

Why the M rating actually matters

Most parents see an M rating and assume it means a lot of F-bombs or sexual content. Elden Ring is different. There is almost no profanity and zero "adult" romance. The M rating is here for body horror.

We are talking about enemies made of dozens of grafted arms, giant spiders that are actually severed hands, and bosses that pull swords out of their own bodies. It is grotesque in a way that is artistically brilliant but potentially traumatizing for younger kids. It’s not just "red pixels" on the floor; it’s a deliberate, unsettling atmosphere. If your kid is sensitive to "creepy" stuff, this will be a lot. But if they are into dark fantasy or horror-adjacent media, they will likely find the creature designs from Hidetaka Miyazaki and the world-building from George R. R. Martin to be the coolest thing they've ever seen.

Turning failure into a win

You are going to hear a lot of shouting from the living room. "That’s cheap!" or "I definitely dodged that!" are standard Elden Ring soundtracks. This game is famously difficult, but it’s rarely unfair. It’s a literal exercise in building resilience through media.

Every death is a lesson. Did they get too greedy with their attacks? Did they forget to watch their stamina? The game forces players to analyze their mistakes and try a new strategy. When they finally beat a boss that has been killing them for three days, the sense of genuine accomplishment is something you don't get from easier titles.

The 2026 perspective

Even years after its debut, Elden Ring remains the gold standard for the genre. With its arrival on the Nintendo Switch 2 and the persistent rumors surrounding future expansions or a sequel, the conversation isn't going away.

One of the best things about it for parents is the lack of "live service" junk. There are no battle passes, no daily login rewards, and no pressure to spend money on skins. It’s a massive, self-contained epic that respects the player’s intelligence. If your teen is looking for a game that they will still be talking about six months from now, this is the one. Just make sure they have the emotional maturity to handle a "Game Over" screen without throwing a controller.

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