A new image shows the lengths Elden Ring fans will go to in order to have couch co-op with the picture showing two TVs beside one another with both playing the game. Earlier this year, the latest FromSoftware game was released to high sales and critical praise and was publisher Bandai Namco's fastest-selling game. Like previous Soulsborne games, Elden Ring allows co-op between players but does not allow them to do so offline.
Co-op and multiplayer details for Elden Ring were originally revealed in mid-2021. Like the Dark Souls games, allies can be summoned from other worlds using special objects. Sadly, players have to be online in order to take advantage of these features, lacking any kind of couch co-op feature, and it isn't a full co-op experience.
In the past, arguments have been made in favor of and against bringing a full co-op mode to FromSoftware games, but some gamers have opted to take the idea further. In a recent post, Reddit user Up2KnowGood shared an image that showed two television side by side both running the PlayStation 5 version of Elden Ring. An actual couch can be seen in the reflection of the television with the caption calling it modern day couch co-op. The comments were divided on whether it was a good idea.
As mentioned above, co-op and multiplayer has been a feature of the various Soulsborne games since the original release of Demon Souls in 2009. Players are able to summon others in order to help them through particularly difficult areas, though the bosses and enemies will gain a boost in stats. This also allows players to invade the games and attack the players. In one instance, an Elden Ring invader defeated two players without using any armor and such scenarios can be found all over the internet. But now it appears that some fans simply long for the ability to play the game together while sitting beside one another.
The couch co-op feature was relatively common one up until the seventh generation of video game consoles where it was slowly phased out in favor of the growing popularity of online play. Some games and franchises continue to feature the mode and even some major upcoming releases such as Diablo 4 are said to have couch co-op. However, it's clear that a certain set of fans want this feature for Elden Ring and will take extreme measures in order to experience it.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.