The brand-new FromSoftware title Elden Ring is about to release, and it feels like a fitting end to the Souls series that brings in gameplay and thematic elements from every game the developer has created since Demon’s Souls. From trailers, gameplay footage, and early reviews, Elden Ring seems to be a heady mix of all of the studio’s hard work, taking features from every FromSoftware IP made so far and mixing in its own elements, resulting in a title that’s been eagerly anticipated since its announcement. Although it’s entirely possible that FromSoftware will continue making games in this vein, or perhaps sequels to Elden Ring, players would probably be satisfied (if not happy) if the lineage ended with Elden Ring.
Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s newest IP, created with help from George R.R. Martin, the author of the acclaimed Song of Ice and Fire series of novels that inspired the HBO show Game of Thrones. There might be more Bloodborne in Elden Ring than players think, but it’s also got the Souls DNA baked into it at a core level. Players will explore the Lands Between as a descendent of the Tarnished, warriors that were once banished from the land. They will attempt to take on the demigod descendants of Queen Marika the Eternal in the hope of eventually become the Elden Lord.
The gameplay and themes of Elden Ring are a blend of the Souls series and FromSoftware’s other titles. All of its new features like stealth and character customization mean that it takes everything the studio has done up to this point, including the ability to jump for traversal and use stealth to get the drop on enemies that Sekiro added to the mix, and expands upon them. The fact that it’s a new IP makes it exciting, but doesn’t detract from it feeling like a FromSoftware title and a worthy game in the Souls lineage – FromSoftware games always have a maiden, Elden Ring included. The fact that it’s all set in an open world, with a massive map and extensive exploration options, means that it’s still very much its own adventure with its own unique twists, but one that largely remains true to other FromSoftware games.
Elden Ring’s Gameplay Is A FromSoftware Love Letter
The gameplay of FromSoftware games is often described as “brutal”. The studio is famous for making games with unforgiving difficulty that require careful timing and generous use of items, and Elden Ring is no different. Cutting through swathes of dangerous enemies is to be expected, as are the massive (and numerous) bosses fans have come to expect from titles like Bloodborne and the Dark Souls games. Souls fans are well-versed in studying the attack patterns of FromSoftware’s beastiary, which will be a useful skill to have for Elden Ring as well. Early reports indicate more than 70 bosses in the game, from the strong to the annoying to the bizarre.
Elden Ring‘s starting classes have their own differences and advantages, offering dozens of different ways to play from the outset, and all of which are open-ended, allowing for endless experimentation. An array of customizable weapons and armor is something else that veteran Souls players are used to, and Elden Ring promises a vast array of armaments to choose from. The large selection of skills, weapons, armor, and magical spells are enough to create any number of different characters and playstyles, including some that may have been impossible – or at least less viable – in previous FromSoftware titles. From powerful mages to heavily-armored tanks, players will be able to customize their character to fit their preferences more than any Souls game has allowed so far.
FromSoftware’s Elden Ring Feels Like A Dark Souls Sequel (& More Than That)
Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Armored Core are all beloved FromSoftware series, and Elden Ring looks to rise as a new member of the roster. The studio tends to focus on new IPs more than sequels, but Elden Ring manages to look both new and familiar at the same time. Early footage and trailers have held spoilers for Elden Ring, so it’s likely best to avoid them for fans waiting for the game’s release, but all the available footage so far shows a game that will be intimately familiar to FromSoftware veterans even as it stretches its own gameplay and worldbuilding elements into new territory. The environments and atmosphere call back to Souls games with their striking castles and Gothic architecture, and the quick pace and disturbing monster designs are more than a touch reminiscent of Bloodborne.
At the same time, Elden Ring manages to feel new and exciting, and like it’s breaking the mold of what previous FromSoftware titles before it have done. Verdant greenery is something that’s been few and far between in the ruined cities of Souls games, and especially so in Bloodborne‘s Yharnam. Elden Ring features forests and plains in addition to ruins, villages, and castles, which means that Souls fans should find plenty of exciting new visual and thematic material to explore. Whether Elden Ring is a Souls game or not is something that will likely spark a hot debate post-release, but either way, it promises to go beyond what Souls has done and show players a FromSoftware world that they could only dream of.
Elden Ring’s Open World Brings In Myriad Elements Of Past Souls Games
Unlike past FromSoftware IPs, Elden Ring will feature an open-world map, which is huge for the studio, but despite this being such a major departure from its past development ideologies, there are a number of ways that it draws from the artistic and mechanical design elements of previous games. While past FromSoftware titles have been somewhat more linear experiences, with plenty of opportunity for exploration but less opportunity to deviate from a central difficulty curve, the Lands Between are open and provide a freedom that fans of the studio may be unfamiliar with. Despite this, the game’s Legacy Dungeons will be immediately familiar to Souls fans, even as they feature some of the mood of Bloodborne and the verticality of Sekiro.
Elden Ring may not take longer to beat than other FromSoftware games from the perspective of simply making it to the end, but the way it’s brought in open-world elements and scattered dungeons through the world means that fans will likely be able to spend considerably more time with it should they choose to really explore its many environments. Although it sets the game apart from other series, it’s also an evolution from them. Smaller catacombs and caves feel a lot like Bloodborne’s Chalice Dungeons, but without their repetitive nature, and the expanded range of traversal options feels like it’s borrowed heavily from lessons learned during Sekiro’s development.
In addition to its open world, Elden Ring contains a host of new features either not found or underutilized in past FromSoftware games. Players have been able to sneak up on enemies in Sekiro, and even in Bloodborne and Souls games to a degree, but Elden Ring will have further options for stealth-based characters. Skills are also found scattered across the map, and weapons can be altered using Ashes of War in addition to the usual upgrade paths. Elden Ring‘s co-op and spirit summoning aren’t exactly new, but they do promise to change the game in new ways through new permutations on established ideas – a theme that rings true for many of Elden Ring’s mechanics.
Elden Ring feels like a true blend of every FromSoftware IP that came before it, and a true culmination of the Souls games and other IPs. Elden Ring may not be the final end of the Souls series, but it feels like a game worthy to hold the title, and would make a fitting end to the games that players love to rage at.
