FromSoftware, a studio with a reputation for crafting detailed fantasy worlds filled with formidable foes for players to combat, is close to releasing its next, highly anticipated project, Elden Ring. The game will take players to the Lands Between where they will have to retrieve the shards of the destroyed Elden Ring. It will not be an easy task, because the shards are being held by the offspring of Queen Marika the Eternal, and they are being corrupted by the ring’s power.
Elden Ring is likely to draw in an audience that is unfamiliar with FromSoftware games partly because of its more conventional open-world style as opposed to the intricate webs that form the maps of prior FromSoftware games. Interest will also come partly because it features writing from George R. R. Martin, author of the bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire series. Newcomers should know that FromSoftware games do not hand out victories easily, and the best way Elden Ring can teach players this is by taking a few tips from Bloodborne’s introduction.
Prepare to Die
Since FromSoftware released Demon’s Souls in 2009, it has consistently delivered games that are praised by critics for the intricate world design and atmosphere crafted. However, games from the studio are also exceedingly tough and unforgiving, and players can expect plenty of deaths in a single playthrough. While the difficulty proves to be too frustrating for many, a niche set of gamers have fallen in love with FromSoftware games and the challenging combat they present.
While they may feel impossible at first, completing FromSoftware games is a doable feat. It takes a willingness to make mistakes, die, try again, and then do it again dozens more times. There is a steep learning curve, but once essentials like parrying and managing stamina are mastered, everything suddenly flows like fluid, frustration is alleviated, and combat becomes a source of addictive adrenaline rushes.
Bloodborne and the Wolf
When players begin Bloodborne, they first craft their character. After being given the bare skeletons of the plot, they are thrust into Iosefka's Clinic. Players do not have time to rest for long because, in the 1st Floor Sickroom of the clinic, they find themselves up against a fierce wolf. Although with some skill and a little luck, it is possible to defeat the wolf bare-handed, almost all players will likely die at this point, causing them to go to the Hunter’s Dream where they finally acquire weapons and learn a few tips about the game's combat. Armed, players have a better chance against the wolf.
Although this may seem like a way to needlessly torture players, it serves as an excellent introduction for Bloodborne because it prepares players for what is to come. Firstly, it normalizes the idea of dying to the player and alerts them early on that it is a normal part of the game. Secondly, it lets the player know that the world of Bloodborne is a brutal one, and only the best hunters will survive. Casual play will not be an option.
Elden Ring's Introduction
When discussing Elden Ring, the game’s director, Hidetaka Miyazaki has stated that it has been designed to offer a less stressful experience. Hence, fast travel will be available, players will be able to summon a horse to help them traverse the expansive map, and the horse will be able to ride air currents up mountains. Despite this, players can still expect a tough time when it comes to dealing with enemies.
To prepare players for the challenges that the Lands Between will throw at them, it would be useful for Elden Ring to feature an introduction that is not unlike Bloodborne’s. Players should get used to the idea of dying as well as the idea of tough combat. Instead of starting gamers off with an easy grunt, players should have to deal with a towering behemoth that tests all the skills that will be required from then onwards.
The difficulty should not be there to make the game unnecessarily restrictive. However, gamers have come to love FromSoftware games because, after suffering through the challenges they provide, there is the sweet ecstasy of victory. With the right introduction, Elden Ring will able be to demonstrate to newcomers exactly why it is worth going through the struggle.
Elden Ring is set to release on February 25, 2022, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
