The reveal of Elden Ring as the finale to Summer Game Fest's kickoff event has now opened the floodgates for the once mysterious game by From Software. Although some fans were worried the game was stuck in developmental hell, its reveal was timed by Hidetaka Miyazaki himself, who reportedly requested Elden Ring's trailer as the Summer Games Fest finale. Miyazaki now seems to be sharing plenty of information about the game's world and its development process in a new video from IGN.
Although gamers who kept up with Elden Ring before its reveal knew the game would shake up the Souls series formula slightly with an open-field concept, no one knew exactly how this world would be laid out. Souls games are known for the interconnected nature of their environments, and these environments are traditionally self-contained with secret passages or tunnels to connect them. With Elden Ring, Miyazaki encourages players to travel via horseback across the expanse called The Lands Between, which has six main areas connected to it and many other smaller places to explore.
But before players can explore the massive world of Elden Ring, they must first understand who they are. Elden Ring is essentially the "evolution" of the Dark Souls series, and like in the games that inspired it, players will control a customizable blank slate character. This time they are the Tarnished, former inhabitants of The Lands Between who have somehow lost the grace provided by the Elden Ring and another relic, the Heir Tree. When the Elden Ring is shattered, players must return to collect the pieces from bosses around the world.
As players search for these Elden Ring fragments, Miyazaki hopes they take full advantage of Elden Ring's approach to exploration. There are a large variety of weapons and spells to be found in the nooks and crannies of The Lands Between and over 100 different weapon skills for build variety. Elden Ring's emphasis on player freedom also extends to the game's narrative. While there is a story to follow, deep understanding of the game's bosses and lore will only come through discovery and exploration.
Elden Ring's bosses are worth the extra exploration, though. Miyazaki claims these powerful entities are primarily George R.R. Martin's conception, and that his work on them will help the game be "more character-focused." Little is currently known about these bosses other than they were old world gods corrupted by the shattered pieces of the Elden Ring. Miyazaki indicated that From Software worked to mesh the design of these bosses with Martin's mythology, focusing on a dichotomy of heroism and ruin.
Elden Ring releases on January 21, 2022 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
