FromSoftware's Elden Ring is one of gaming's hottest topics, with fans clamoring for more information about the game for quite some time. Many have started comparing the game to the likes of Half-Life 3, but there's still some time until Elden Ring reaches that level of hype and expectations.
As what happens with most overly silent game developers, Elden Ring fans have been hard at work in scouring the internet for any tidbits of information regarding the game. A leaked trailer surfaced online back in March this year, which showed off many of the game's aspects. Horse-riding seems to be an integral part of the Elden Ring experience. The game's transition to an "open-field" begs for a better way of moving around, and horse riding is a perfect fit. Even with a few seconds of horse-riding in the leaked trailer, it poses a bigger question regarding the role of this mechanic in the greater scheme of things.
Elden Ring's Horse Riding
While the leaked trailer did give fans some valuable insight into the horse riding aspects of Elden Ring, there are many questions still lingering. Creator Hidetaka Miyazaki has famously described the "open-field" concept as something similar to the open-world elements seen in Fumito Ueda's Shadow of the Colossus. Those comments have opened the door for further speculation of what's coming to Elden Ring.
The trailer did confirm some aspects, such as the presence of bosses in the open world, which should go a long way in making sure each trip across areas is as dangerous as rewarding. However, many fans are still perplexed about whether the horse would just be a means of getting around or perhaps something more important. Whether players will have the options to choose which weapons to use on horseback, and choose the horse they'd like to pick, there's so many questions.
Elden Ring Has A Shot At Making Horse Riding Great
With such an elongated gap between reveals, Elden Ring fans speculated that the game might be a radical departure from the series formula. However, it seems that Elden Ring might be more like Dark Souls than fans might've anticipated. That's not to say it's not good, but horse-riding might serve as a good way to innovate the series formula in a way.
While this is mostly fan speculation at this time, it'd be really great to see players getting to choose which breed of horse they'd like to pick during the character creator. Making the horse a companion to the journey might be a great tonal shift from the loneliness and hopelessness associated with FromSoftware games, which is plausible given the inspirations behind the game's open-field concept.
Furthermore, FromSoftware could build more elements around horse-riding such as a plethora of special horseback weaponry for players to look out for in the world. Players could either choose to be a lancer, or a legendary warrior swinging a high-dex Greatsword at high speeds. Again, players should be aware that this is mostly far-sighted speculation, and not expectations that should be banked on. That being said, horse-riding could potentially be more than just an option for traversal in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring is currently in development.