At the 2020 Summer Games Fest, FromSoftware finally broke its silence about Elden Ring, one of the most highly anticipated upcoming titles. A stunning reveal trailer, announcing the collaboration of FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones' George R. R. Martin, was revealed in 2019. For two years, players have been eagerly anticipating a gameplay reveal, And for most fans it was well worth the wait.
After two years of having no new information about Elden Ring, now there's a ton of fan theories and speculation. It's much more of a traditional FromSoftware game than a lot of fans expected, but that's not inherently a bad thing, and George R. R. Martin clearly left his mark. The revealed game lore is incredible, and the art style is particularly striking. However, one of the first things players noticed about Elden Ring is how similar the combat looks to Dark Souls, FromSoftware's biggest franchise. This implies it could have a similar difficulty level.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the most recently released FromSoftware title, coming out in 2019. While extremely popular and critically acclaimed, Sekiro was impossible for many players to finish. That opened up a debate about gaming and accessibility, one that has remained present in the gaming community and always returns with the release of a particularly punishing game. By the looks of Elden Ring, the gaming industry is gearing up to have that debate yet again.
How Sekiro Sparked a Debate About Accessibility
Sekiro is a very difficult game. Some of FromSoftware's previous games like Demon's Souls allowed for limited co-op and even allowed players to leave tips for others throughout the game, but Sekiro didn't, at least not at launch. Elden Ring will bring back co-op, thankfully, but for Sekiro it increased the game's overall difficulty.
While there are more checkpoints in Sekiro than other FromSoftware games, the combat is incredibly punishing and requires players to have fast reflexes, analyzing patterns so they can time attacks exactly right. Striking a millisecond too late could be the difference between life and death.
A lot of players love that part about Sekiro, and it won Game of the Year in 2019, among countless other awards. Mastering a game like Sekiro is a unique challenge that some will rise to and some will not. Some can't even if they wanted to. Half the time with FromSoftware games, success isn't measured in skill — it's measured by patience and determination to master the system. Some fans really enjoy that, but the fact is that tons of players won't be able to master Sekiro's complex combat system, and it's not for a lack of determination. It might just be because they lack the physical ability to do so.
Is it more important for games to be inclusive, or is it more important to stay true to the artistic and technical vision the developer has? These are the types of questions that Sekiro brought up, and those questions have continued to haunt the gaming community with the release of titles like Returnal and the new Demon's Souls.
Elden Ring Looks Like It'll Stay True to FromSoftware's Trademark Difficulty
It's never been a secret that Elden Ring is a FromSoftware game, and everyone knows what kind of games the developer creates. FromSoftware games are famous for being incredibly difficult, with punishing systems and very precise combat. Button mashing won't get you anywhere in Sekiro or Dark Souls.
Elden Ring's combat looks very similar to the Souls games. It's methodical and calculated, and perhaps the game won't be quite as punishing as the developer's other games, but Elden Ring looks much closer to Dark Souls than anyone expected. For fans of FromSoftware's previous games, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but some were hoping that it would change up the traditional pattern.
Just by looking at the game, it's obvious that it's going to be challenging. The bosses shown are arguably more intimidating than the ones in FromSoftware's previous games, and the real clue is that there are only six main bosses — one for each of the six main areas in the Lands Between. There are some optional ones, but each entry in the Souls series has around 20 bosses, all of which are famously difficult. If Elden Ring is taking that number down to six, they're not going to be easy to get past.
Miyazaki has stated in an IGN interview that Elden Ring will be most similar to Sekiro, but won't be as difficult and many encounters are optional due to the more open format. That's encouraging for players intimidated by the developer's reputation, but that doesn't mean it will be an easy game.
Accessible Gaming Is Becoming An Industry Expectation
Accessibility has always been needed in the video game industry, but there has been a huge push for it in the past couple of years. Implementing accessibility tools requires a lot of research, creativity, and technical innovation that every studio may not be able to devote a team to, but it's great to see it become more common. Players with physical or cognitive disabilities benefit greatly from these efforts.
At the 2020 Game Awards, the Innovation in Accessibility award was added for the first time. The Last of Us Part 2 ended up winning, but all of the nominees made impressive strides, both big and small. Assassin's Creed: Valhalla added a ton of customization options so that players can transform the game into something that really works for them. Accessibility tools come in all shapes and sizes: Grounded, for example, added an arachnophobia mode for those who can't handle spiders. It's exciting to see studios being so creative about making their games available to the widest audience possible.
Microsoft has also been a pioneer in accessibility with its Xbox adaptive controller. Specifically designed for gamers with limited mobility, the adaptive controller allows players to create a custom controller that suits their needs. Because every disability is unique, the adaptive controller can be completely customizable. It works on both Xbox consoles and on PC, and is probably the most exciting innovation in accessibility the game industry has seen so far.
As time passes, accessibility in video games is becoming more commonplace. Overall, this is a huge step forward for video games and should be celebrated, but it does leave games like Sekiro, Returnal, and Dark Souls in an interesting position.
Having Accessibility Tools Doesn't Mean Having an Easy Mode
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a game being difficult, and FromSoftware's games tend to appeal to gamers who enjoy that particular challenge. The developer has been incredibly successful with its challenging games, and there's no reason that should change with Elden Ring. It's part of FromSoftware's identity and vision. However, when it comes to accessibility, there's no good reason not to include reasonable options.
Most games feature several options for difficulty ranging beyond just easy, medium, and hard, allowing players to customize their experience. The Souls series doesn't do that, and it's chiefly that omission that created a whole new genre of "Soulslike" games. It's been working for FromSoftware and other developers, but a lot of people with physical or cognitive disabilities are excluded from the challenge because of a lack of accessibility to that distinct challenge.
Having options doesn't mean making the game easy — it means that more people can partake in the challenge. Accessibility tools can come in the form of filters to help people with visual impairments or allowing the controls to be modified for those with motor impairments. For people hard of hearing, visual sound cues can make a world of difference. Disabling strobe effects or camera shaking can help gamers with epilepsy. Having simple tools like this available doesn't affect the average playthrough at all, but it opens up the game for so many more people to enjoy.
Elden Ring Might Have Accessibility Options, But the Debate Continues
The bottom line is that right now, there's no way of knowing whether or not FromSoftware decided to implement accessibility or difficulty options into Elden Ring. Maybe after the Sekiro debate, the developer decided to change its approach to accessibility, or maybe it felt that doing so would compromise the vision. Either option is within the realm of reason, but there will be a conversation about it regardless if there are options or not.
If Elden Ring does have accessibility options, there are some dedicated FromSoftware fans who will undoubtedly be disappointed in the developer. Many fans feel like adding options that could affect difficulty takes away from the accomplishment of successfully completing the game. It would also be a huge change for FromSoftware to see options implemented, and it would definitely make headlines for the highly anticipated game.
Elden Ring will release January 21, 2022, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One with next-gen upgrades to follow.