FromSoftware, the makers of the popular Dark Souls series, released a video showcasing a huge chunk of gameplay from their latest work — Elden Ring.
Here’s your shortcuts guide to Elden Ring, and what dropped today.
What is Elden Ring?
It’s a brand new IP from FromSoftware and its super-famous video game creator Hidetaka Miyazaki. They’re the makers of the Dark Souls series, and its offshoots Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
But Elden Ring is much closer to the dark fantasy of the Souls franchise than FromSoftware’s other outings. Swords, big armour, spooky forest and castles are all here.
People would’ve been hyped anyway for Elden Ring (Dark Souls has legions of fans for good reason), but there’s a reason the hype train for this is in overdrive.
This game is a collab between Miyazaki and author George R R Martin.
The Game of Thrones guy?
Yep!
Martin isn’t a game developer, obviously. But he’s worked super closely with Miyazaki on all the worldbuilding of Elden Ring.
Now before you get all mad about the Game of Thrones finale again, hold up. Martin doesn’t have that kind of direct involvement here.
Basically, Martin is in charge of all the backstory and narrative rules that will apply to the game’s universe, while Miyazaki and his crew are in charge of making the game and the story players will progress through.
This is definitely one of those “name a more iconic duo” moments in pop culture.
Have I been hearing about this for ages?
You sure have.
It was first announced at E3 all the way back in 2019.
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That’s when the Xbox Series X was only known as Project Scarlett. the Playstation 5 didn’t have a name yet and Cyberpunk: 2077 was the darling of the internet after Keanu Reeves charmed the pants off everyone.
Simpler times. But all we got was an animated trailer that didn’t really show what kind of game it would be.
We heard almost nothing about the game until June 2021, when it got an official release date. Until today, we had no official idea of what Elden Ring was, or what it actually looked like in action.
But FromSoftware opened the buffet with its new 15-minute trailer (which you can watch at the top of the story or right here), giving the world the first good look at its big new title.
So what is it?
If you’ve played any of the Souls series before, the new trailer showed off plenty you’d be familiar with.
Precise, weighty combat with all manner of big swords, polearms and clubs? Check.
Giant enemies leaning into a body horror aesthetic that fill up the entire screen and are more aggressive than an heiress’s chihuahua? Check.
Dodgerolling, dragons and summoning friends for shenanigans? Check, check and check.
So what’s new with Elden Ring’s gameplay?
There’s a horse.
And that horse can double-jump.
Which is a big deal for fans of the series.
The trailer also showed off the newer direction for the series, emphasising its version of an open world, which is at the core of games like Assassin’s Creed and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
It’s why you need a horse now. There’s a lot of map, and you can only dodgeroll so fast.
Is it going to be hard?
This is Miyazaki. It’s going to make you want to throw your controller across the room at some point.
When asked if this new title would carry across the famous difficult-but-fair feel of his previous works, Miyazaki said the game would be “very difficult, but it can be handled“.
He went on to explain that with Elden Ring, FromSoftware wanted to give players more choices in how they beat difficult content, rather than leaning back on the old “git gud” advice that struggling players were met with in previous incarnations.
What’s Elden Ring’s release date?
Supposedly on February 25 next year. You’ll be able to play it on all the current-generation consoles (PS5, Xbox Series X/S), the previous generation consoles (PS4, Xbox One) and PC.
But you’d be forgiven for holding on to some cynicism, given the rather ephemeral nature of Elden Ring for nearly two years, the involvement of an author who notoriously can’t finish a book and the fact that it’s already been delayed once.
But if the February release date holds, your time to practice in other games and git gud is running out.
