Elden Ring might be FromSoftware’s Breath of the Wild
FromSoftware’sFromSoftware’s Elden Ring, at first blush, looks like a sort of Super Dark Souls, a spiritual continuation of that action RPG series in a vast, vaguely familiar fantasy world of sword and sorcery. The developer of bloody challenging games such as Bloodborne and Sekiro Shadows Die Twice has decided to do something bigger with Elden Ring’s vast open world.
This fantasy land is so large that it requires an in-game map. Past FromSoftware games did not offer this feature. By exploring the dungeons and castles of Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Sekiro, players learned how to map their worlds. In Elden Ring’s the Lands Between, players will place markers on a map to receive directions on where to go next.
Players will encounter giant castles and dungeons as they travel through densely packed Lands Between. There’s also the possibility of dragons bursting out of the skies to attack them. Yasuhiro Kanao, FromSoftware’s producer, stated that the Lands Between should be full of threats and discoveries. He also described the large map as “not just big to impress Polygon” and showed various settings, including a wintry plain, an autumnal forest and a flooded city.
Kitao stated that the dungeons found in the Lands Between would be varied. There are cemeteries and caves, and they are handcrafted. They’re not procedurally generated like those of Bloodborne. Players may feel a bit familiar in the dungeons with their traps, contraptions and torch-lit tunnels. There is also treasure and minibosses throughout.
The Tarnished in Elden Ring is a name for players who will encounter horrible monsters and enemy troops. There are large, powerful ashen dragons and armoured Knights. Some enemies are quite bizarre, with some having dozens of weapons and others with snake-like bodies. One fight saw an enormous falcon, with its swords attached to its talons, slice at the player while throwing powder kegs at it.
To deal with the threats in the Lands Between, Tarnished will be able to use various combat techniques: archery, magic spells and stealth. They will also have arrows that will put their enemies to sleep.
Players can summon help, just like Dark Souls. Players can summon their Spirit Steed, a horse-like creature that aids them in traversing and mounted combat. To aid them in cooperative multiplayer, players can summon up to two other players at once. Another option is to summon AI-controlled allies from other types. Kitao spoke of “tanky defenses” and “assault type” that can be summoned from the ashes of the dead. Although he didn’t give many details, it seems like the Elden Ring creatures you kill may be available to assist in the afterlife as consumable, disposable allies.
Moving through the world of Elden Ring can be quite different. Players can also jump with the help of the Spirit Steed, which can double jump over ravines and launch up to 100 feet high using mystical jump pads. Elden Ring players can leap and bound through the environment like the Wolf of Sekiro Shadows Die Twice. Some areas require a lot of jumping, such as crumbling castles and rocky terrain.
Stormwind Castle was one of the sections. We watched a Tarnished enter the gates. However, a friendly character greeted them and told them not to go through the front door. He suggested a safer route. The player chose the harder path and had the gates opened for him. He was welcomed immediately with a volley of arrows. We were forced to retrace our steps and choose the more difficult, less direct path. It involved a lot jumping, sneaking, fighting with unarmed, but well-prepared guards. The giant troll was also present — if the player had chosen the more direct path, it would have been face-to-face. They took the secret path and let it lie with a sleep-arrow.
Another section had the player approaching a caravan that contained treasure hidden under the night. The players hid in tall grass and shot a sleep-arrow at a guard to finish him with their blade. Alerted, the other guards were sent to their aid with a curved sword, magical skills, and a weapon infused with magic. The task was quick and the treasure was soon earned. The summoning of four red-eyed phantoms and their ashes helped to dispatch more guards. The battle was unlike any I had seen in FromSoftware games: the player, five ghostly creatures and half-dozen soldiers fighting simultaneously…
