A huge amount of new Elden Ring information has been provided via Gamescom 2021. Plenty of influencers and game journalists were invited to see a fifteen-minute long demo of Elden Ring and ask a couple of questions to the developers. The game is shaping up nicely, and while most fans have not been able to see the gameplay, they were treated to a few very impressive new screenshots. Elden Ring is really sounding like the zenith of FromSoftware game design, weaving together elements from all of its post-Demon's Souls titles into a massive tapestry filled with subtle and overt innovations. Early 2022 can't come soon enough for those keeping an eye on this game.
Of course, the comparisons between Dark Souls' trilogy and Elden Ring keep flowing. For every new piece of information added to the puzzle, Elden Ring looks both more and less like its spiritual predecessor. Elements like an open progression, fast travel from checkpoints, and dropping currency on death are all still present but packaged in a noticeably different way. Elden Ring's radically new structure and world open the door for plenty of mechanical differences between itself and FromSoftware's past games. There have been plenty of major changes, and Souls veterans are going to want to become intimately familiar with all of them.
Elden Ring Has a Much Different Structure From Dark Souls
One of Elden Ring's biggest selling points is that it's the biggest Souls game yet. The game has not gone fully open world, but rather "open field" like a Legend of Zelda title. While the Dark Souls games, especially DS1, made a point of allowing players to tackle the different areas from multiple angles and even in different orders, Elden Ring will give players the chance to plot out their own adventure across The Lands Between. Supposedly, this will also give players greater control over which ending they get, but as FromSoftware games are no stranger to having plenty of endings, it remains to be seen exactly how such a system will work.
Fortunately, they won't have to chart that journey alone. Elden Ring comes equipped with the first detailed map in modern FromSoftware history, far outdoing the artist's approximation of Ashina that Sekiro had. This map will need to have its pieces gathered to truly become useful, but it will definitely serve players well, especially when they are fast traveling to a Site of Lost Grace (Elden Ring's take on a Dark Souls bonfire). Players can fast travel to any unlocked Site from anywhere in the overworld, but not in a dungeon or legacy dungeon. These areas are more isolated locations that feature set enemy locations and particular bosses. They are meant to evoke the normal level design of Dark Souls, while the overworld feels like a brand new thing.
Dark Souls' Mechanics are Expanded in Elden Ring
The game's overall design changes feed into plenty of moment-to-moment differences in Elden Ring's gameplay. One of the biggest changes in Elden Ring is the new focus on stealth. Stealth has always been a part of the Souls games, but it took until the Tenchu spiritual successor Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for it to truly become a part of regular gameplay. Elden Ring will be taking Sekiro's approach to stealth takedowns, as well as incorporating its posture-breaking mechanic. However, in the spirit of Dark Souls, these will only serve as critical strikes, not instant-kills like in Sekiro. Stealth will also have new dynamics similar to Metal Gear Solid 5, where caravans of enemies ferrying treasure between several encampments can be encountered and freely engaged. Players can even use sleep arrows like Metal Gear's tranquilizer darts to more easily slip in and out of the caravans without being noticed.
If players like, they can shoot these arrows from on top of their new spirit horse. This steed and its extra-high jumping abilities bring new dynamics to the Souls formula and will allow players to exercise more mobility than ever before. Of course, Elden Ring has plenty of chances to fight enemies the old-fashioned way. Monsters will now have to deal with players sporting a host of upgrade-able spirits, custom special abilities that can be applied to weapons, and even a counterattack available after guarding an attack. It seems like Elden Ring player characters will be the strongest and most versatile in FromSoftware's games, and fans will no doubt be overjoyed to get their hands on the action.
The World of Elden Ring Offers a Whole New Adventure
"Action" was the clear intent when designing Elden Ring's world. Environments in Elden Ring will have a vertical focus, and traversal will take place fluidly throughout plains, cliffs, and ravines. While Souls titles have often kept verticality in mind, it was not until Sekiro that the player could really take advantage of the environment top-to-bottom, an approach that seems to be refined here. The Tarnished's own jumping ability, combined with the supernatural dexterity of their horse, makes the sky the limit as they pour over the world in search of conquest, treasure, and perhaps even companionship. Roaming enemies and even minibosses guarding Sites of Lost Grace can be found everywhere, so the hunt will last for a long time. A day and night cycle has also been implemented, bringing even more dynamic change to the world. Elden Ring will surely be enticing to a hardened Souls veteran looking for a new quest to get lost in.
Multiplayer has been an important part of Dark Souls since the beginning, and Elden Ring is no different. However, due to Elden Ring's new open structure, it must have constraints. A maximum of two co-op partners, potentially from a password-locked group, can follow their host throughout the game, though none can ride horseback. This is accommodated by the addition of infinite stamina outside of combat, but it will probably still lead to some inaccessible ares. More pressing is the state of Dark Souls' beloved PvP invasions, which FromSoftware is still working out. The current plan is to only allow invasions on players that have already summoned online help, while more typical 1v1 duels can be accessed through certain summoning items. This is a reasonable change, but FromSoftware and publisher Bandai Namco are open to suggestions. Fans who want a say on this are encouraged to contact official Elden Ring channels and help this promising game be the best it can be.
Elden Ring is set to release January 21, 2022, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.