Highlights
- Ballad of Antara shows resemblances to Elden Ring, possibly sparking a new wave of games.
- The upcoming title features a mysterious world and story, multiplayer support, and unique "Emissary" classes.
- The game's premiere at Sony's State of Play hints at a rise in Elden Ring-inspired games, potentially ushering in a new era of "Ring-likes."
Sony's State of Play Showcase recently aired, and among some of the intriguing titles revealed, Infold Games and TipsWorks Studio's Ballad of Antara stood out in at least one noticeable regard. Stated to be a third-person action-RPG and PlayStation exclusive (at launch) coming in 2025 for the PS5, Ballad of Antara's trailer was striking for some of its resemblances in its presentation and other elements to one of the most popular games in recent memory, FromSoftware's epic dark fantasy, Elden Ring.
Hailed upon its 2022 release as a huge success in its own right, and arguably FromSoft's most ambitious and impressive work, Elden Ring has left a mark on design in the industry since. The acclaimed studio, of course, is largely credited with previously inventing its own genre, and in the wake, Soulslike games have bloomed. The popularity and versatility of Soulslikes' core foundations and ideas have seen them utilized in a range of games produced across the AAA and indie sectors. Ballad of Antara appears poised as an early adopter for developers that are seemingly taking more direct inspiration from Elden Ring as a base, and infusing its designs with their own creative and iterative spins to possibly usher in a new wave of titles doing the same.
Elden Ring 's upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is thought to be its last significant expansion if it adheres to past patterns.
Best Games To Play If You Like Elden Ring
Those looking for something as engaging and entertaining as Elden Ring can turn to some of these games to get their fix.
Ballad of Antara Has Serious Elden Ring Vibes
How Ballad of Antara Looks to be Channeling Elden Ring
As described on its official PlayStation blog by TipsWorks head, Yang Yang, Ballad of Antara's vision entails:
...A normal version of this world, where common folk reside. In another version, called "Para," peculiar sightings and encounters await. Fundamental essences of the living world are taken away and trapped inside the Para by the invasion of an ancient power. Those who are called "Emissaries” possess the power to traverse the two worlds, and each Emissary has their own unique class, gameplay capabilities, and stories."
Based on that and from what appeared in the trailer, fans will be exploring a mysterious and beautiful but hostile fantasy/supernatural world, with third-person combat, and the above-mentioned mechanics. Perhaps what gamers may want to keep their eye on most, though, is the fact that Ballad of Antara will offer "an engrossing single-player narrative as well as multiplayer support for up to 3 players." This could almost be taken as an attempt to be the natural next step for the summoning mechanic in Elden Ring and preceding games that has also become one of its ingrained and beloved aspects. Ballad of Antara's general tone and style appears to be quite reminiscent of Elden Ring in this and various other ways.
More 'Elden Ring-Likes' Could Be on the Cusp of Arrival
While many excellent titles continue to be released under the banner, Soulslikes and even the Soulslite semi-subgenre have become more widespread, competition fiercer, and the risk of over-saturation as seen in prior generations with other genres is also a factor to consider. There have been a few previous games that might be said to be more akin to Elden Ring than others under the same broad umbrella. Nintendo's work on the two most recent Legend of Zelda entries, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, was compared to Elden Ring in terms of overall approach and philosophy of giving players free rein to explore and experiment at their leisure and curiosity within their vast and detailed game worlds.
With Ballad of Antara, it could be the case that TipsWorks and other studios have been turning their attention to thinking about and working on methods of implementing their own fresh visions into Elden Ring's overall structure and components. Players may thus be about to see a rise in the coming years in this area, and Ballad of Antara may be one of the first to herald an upcoming generation of games that might end up being called "Ring-likes."
Ballad of Antara is currently in development for PS5 with a 2025 release planned.
