Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin's upcoming Elden Ring is one of the most hotly-anticipated games in recent years. After almost two years of silence, FromSoftware finally revealed a new look at Elden Ring at this year's Summer Game Fest, which has put a lot of things into perspective.
There's a lot of things to unpack from the trailer, but the fact that fans already knew a lot about the game owing to prior leaks. Whether it was the open-world-esque design hinted at previously, or the leaked trailer that came out prior, a lot of the information shown in Elden Ring's gameplay trailer aligned with several leaks prior.
Elden Ring's Open-Field Design
Elden Ring's biggest feature is undoubtedly its "open field" world design. Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki has touted the open-field concept to be an integral part of the game. Comparisons to Shadow of the Colossus formed the framework for most leaks and speculations, which suggested the concept to be an openly explorable area on horseback, which would house the main dungeons and castles in a structure similar to Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
To not much surprise, most leaks and rumors regarding the open field world design turned out to be accurate. Horseback riding is mostly confirmed to be an integral part of exploration, with the trailer showcasing horse gallops providing access to areas that might otherwise be unexplorable. There's still some air of mystery regarding the relationship of the horse and the player, but if Shadow of the Colossus comparisons is anything to go by, it should entail a lot more than simple traversal.
Traditional Souls Classes
The Souls games are known for their unique approach towards RPG classes. Unlike most RPGs where choosing a class can lock a player out of certain gear and builds, classes in Souls games are just a matter of starting stats. These can be freely upgraded later down the line, which allows players to pursue some absolutely creative builds for PvP.
After ditching the signature progression for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, leaks and rumors suggested the return of traditional classes in Elden Ring. The leaked trailer for Elden Ring showed many different builds with notable ones being a stealthy thief, a mage, and what looked to be a high dex warrior. Many of these same classes and more can be seen in Elden Ring's official trailer as well, which more or less confirms the return of these classes. Bandai Namco's website for Elden Ring later on confirmed that customizable classes are coming to the game, so expect to see more diverse builds as the game nears release.
Online Elements In Elden Ring
Much like the Souls games that came before, many fans expected Elden Ring to include online PvP and co-op elements after 2019's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice skipped on them for a strictly singleplayer experience. A notable leaker by the name of Omnipotent revealed that these elements would be making a return in Elden Ring, which also turned out to be true. The latest trailer shows online co-op play with what seems to be Elden Ring's version of summoned phantoms, and it's fair to expect invasion and PvP returning as well.
Release Dates
Contrary to what many might expect, most of the prominent Elden Ring leaks and rumors were indeed correct to a certain degree. Release dates were a mixed bag in a similar fashion, with many believing Elden Ring to drop this year. Of course, all such speculation and alleged leaks were denied when Bandai Namco announced that Elden Ring wouldn't release before 2022. Others who predicted a March 2022 or 2023 release were also proved wrong. Elden Ring releases early next year, far earlier than many might've expected.
Elden Ring launches January 21, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.