Elden Ring vs P.O.W.: Prisoners of War
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Elden Ring is a challenging open-world action RPG that brings FromSoftware’s punishing combat into a vast, explorable land conceived with George R. R. Martin. It rewards curiosity and mastery with deep build variety and cryptic, atmospheric storytelling.
P.O.W.: Prisoners of War is a 1988 SNK arcade beat‑em‑up where up to two players control prisoners Snake and Bart as they battle through four distinct stages—POW camp, warehouse, jungle, and enemy base—to escape Havana. The game features an eight‑way joystick, three action buttons, and special attack combos, plus weapon pickups like a throwing knife and a machine gun.
Around $59.99; Shadow of the Erdtree expansion sold separately.
- Massive, rewarding open world
- Incredible boss design
- Huge build freedom
- High replay value
- Co‑op gameplay encourages teamwork
- Simple yet deep control scheme
- Varied stages keep the action fresh
- Authentic retro graphics and sound
- Very difficult, steep learning curve
- Little hand-holding
- Performance issues at launch on some platforms
- Limited to arcade‑style difficulty, no modern difficulty settings
- No story depth beyond the escape premise
- Only available on a few modern platforms
What reviewers say
Elden Ring Reviews
4.0 (2)Love it
Sunk way too many hours into Elden Ring. Massive, rewarding open world. No real complaints. Would recommend.
Fun with caveats
Picked up Elden Ring recently. Upside: high replay value. Downside: very difficult, steep learning curve.
P.O.W.: Prisoners of War Reviews
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The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataElden Ring offers a deep, challenging open‑world RPG at a higher price and broader platform support, while P.O.W. provides a cheap, retro arcade beat‑em‑up with co‑op play but limited platforms.
Key differences
- •Genre & depth: open‑world action‑RPG vs 2‑D arcade beat‑em‑up
- •Price: ~ $59.99 (Elden Ring) vs $19.99 (P.O.W.)
- •Multiplayer: single‑player only vs cooperative two‑player mode
- •Platform reach: PC/PlayStation/Xbox vs only a few modern platforms
- •Content volume: massive world with replay value vs four stages with limited replay
Gameplay & fun factor
Elden Ring provides deep build variety, open‑world exploration and boss design; P.O.W. is limited to arcade beat‑em‑up stages.
Platform availability
Elden Ring runs on PC, PlayStation and Xbox; P.O.W. is only on a few modern platforms (unspecified).
Pricing & value
P.O.W. costs $19.99, far cheaper than Elden Ring’s approximate $59.99 price.
Multiplayer / co‑op
P.O.W. includes single‑player and cooperative modes; Elden Ring lists only a single‑player deployment.
Content & replayability
Elden Ring offers massive open world, hidden dungeons and high replay value; P.O.W. has four distinct environments.
Difficulty & accessibility
Elden Ring is described as very difficult with steep learning curve; P.O.W. has arcade‑style difficulty and no modern settings, making it easier.
Graphics & performance
Elden Ring features modern 3D graphics (despite launch performance issues); P.O.W. uses retro pixel art.
Choose Elden Ring if…
Players who want a deep, challenging open‑world RPG and are willing to pay premium.
Choose P.O.W.: Prisoners of War if…
Players seeking an inexpensive retro arcade beat‑em‑up with co‑op play.
Common questions
Which game is cheaper?
P.O.W.: Prisoners of War costs $19.99; Elden Ring is around $59.99.
Do either of these support cooperative multiplayer?
Only P.O.W. offers co‑op for two players; Elden Ring is single‑player only.
What platforms can I play each game on?
Elden Ring runs on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. P.O.W. is available on only a few modern platforms (unspecified).