All We Know About 'Elden Ring'

The only parallel universe in the entirety of the multiverse where Elden Ring is not the most anticipated game right now is that universe where it has already been released. There are many reasons for it to be the case, the most important probably being how it combines the culmination of everything the team behind the Dark Souls series has been working on for an entire decade, as well as the culmination of everything George R.R. Martin should have been working on for over a decade. Elden Ring is such a huge deal it will only end as either game of the year or blunder of the year. With its release date looming ever near, we better get you ready for the gargantuan adventure we have ahead of us via some of the most interesting bits of trivia we've been able to find about the ever-illusive title.

One of the game's highest-selling points is the aforementioned collaboration with the man responsible for those parts of Game Of Thrones that we all like. That's weird because, let's be honest, Miyazaki is an amazing storyteller who's able to do Lovecraft better than even the ol' racist himself. Turns out that Martin isn't actually writing the game's story but rather doing the game's worldbuilding. 

That's a good move since Elden Ring will be an entirely open-world experience and therefore feature the biggest playable area ever seen in any of From Software's games. 

We like the bold approach, but not without some reservations. One of the best aspects of the Souls series is the tight and inventive level design, so you can't blame players for worrying about how well that will translate to a world too large to be designed by hand. Miyazaki stated that while most of the terrain is computer-generated, everything was overseen and edited by real people. On top of that, players shouldn't worry too much, because much like in Zelda Breath Of The Wild, the overworld will serve mostly as connecting tissue to the most important part of the game: the dungeons. These will feature the traditionally devious FromSoft level design.

Another cool element that'll make the gigantic world more fun is the addition of a horse. Getting to ride a horse in a game is awesome but not a new thing, so the people at From Software just decided to kick things up a notch by adding a horse that jumps.

Players will also have all the staples of the series, such as online co-op, online invasions, as well as Sekiro's stealth. Most gameplay and game design information leave us seriously hyped about the project, so only one very serious question remains: What the hell is the damn Elden Ring? Well, come on, you can't expect the people behind a series so mysterious by design to just spill the beans so soon, right? Well, in truth, they've already revealed a lot about it. The Elden Ring isn't an actual ring that you can possess, but more of a spiritual thing or metaphysical construct. 

Huh, maybe this nice explanation is just Miyazaki's way of making up for all the headaches he caused when he one day enticed players into discovering the mystery behind the pendant from Dark Souls that turned out to be in the game just to troll players. Those worried about the Souls' series trademark difficulty should also rejoice, as Miyazaki says the game will be the easiest he's ever made. Maybe we should take that one with a grain of salt, though, as that's both the guy who came up with the aforementioned pendant, as well as the guy who refuses to ever play his own games.

Top Image: From Software