From Software's Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin's heavily anticipated collaboration, Elden Ring, has had a lot of expectations and fan speculation behind it. Originally announced at E3 2019, the developers have intentionally stayed tight-lipped about the game for a long time. Hidetaka Miyazaki has famously touted Elden Ring to have a new "open-field" concept, which has sparked another wave of rumors about what the system might be and what implications the mechanic could have for future Souls games.
It seems that a lot of fan-questions have been seemingly answered very recently, as a leaked Elden Ring trailer surfaced on the internet. It may have only been a mere two minute clip, but it's enough for fans to reinvigorate the enthusiasm about the game and give a hint at what the system could be.
Elden Ring Could Be Dark Souls On a Bigger Scale
It may have come out as a surprise to some, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki had stated earlier that Elden Ring would be more like Dark Souls, and less like Bloodborne or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. It seems that the leaked trailer confirms the fact.
It's still true that Elden Ring might not be Dark Souls 4, as there are and could be more intricacies and nuances at play. Elden Ring's world seems to be of grandiose scale, much bigger than what fans have seen with previous entries. The leaked trailer shows a peculiar mountain off in the distance, akin to something like Death Mountain from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In addition to this, multiple other points of interest can be seen throughout the massive land, separated by huge swaths of plains and empty roads. These points of interest seem to range from anything, from an entrance to a dungeon, to a full-blown castle, and everything in between.
Covering this huge distance requires players to run down huge expanses of land, and this is when horse riding is added to the mix. Elden Ring was famously touted to be the first open-world Souls game to feature horseback riding, and it does look to deliver on the premise. However, it isn't known how much of Elden Ring's new concepts stem from this addition and how the game handles open world exploration.
Another point of concern stems from the ambiguity surrounding the navigational aid of horse travel throughout the open-world, as From Software is known for not holding a player's hand at all. There's a case both for and against including such aids in Elden Ring, and it remains to be seen how exactly this mechanic is implemented.
For now, it does look like pretty self-explanatory; players use horses to mostly travel across the aforementioned points of interest and occasionally engage in combat while riding. Considering how little is shown about the open field in the trailer, it isn't wrong to assume that there could be a lot more surprises, both planned and unplanned, in store for fans.
The Open-Field Concept Could Have A Lot of Surprises In Store
Elden Ring has a strong emphasis on making its open-field concept the focus, so it might entail a lot more than just being a literal expanse of land. It wasn't ever going to be like that, and the leaked trailer does tease some things, opening the door for speculation on a bunch of other factors.
The biggest piece of confirmed information seems to be the existence of enemies in the open field. Miyazaki's comparison of the concept to open-worlds seen in games like Shadow of the Colossus made a bunch of fans conscious about the field feeling a bit empty. However, the leaked trailer does confirm that enemy encounters would be a part of the equation, and fighting them on horseback is an option. This is specifically great as it could help players quite a bit in grinding experience points, as players find out the most efficient routes to take in an effort to complete personal grinding goals.
In addition to the fairly obvious points of interest, From Software could also add a bunch of hidden locations throughout the open-field for curious players to explore. The trailer shows the player jumping between two tiny ledges to reach what looks to be a secret area of sorts. Such secret areas could work in a way similar to the original Dark Souls, hiding anything from a chest to an entirely new area such as The Great Hollow and Ash Lake.
George R.R. Martin's creative prowess could also play a huge factor in making the open-field expansive, as Elden Ring's narrative and world history would be as obtuse as From Software's previous works. Many areas and secret places could offer a lot in terms of lore significance as it would help players piece together what happened before the shattering of the Elden Ring.
Elden Ring is in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.