From Software tends to be relatively tight-lipped when it comes to upcoming games, and, roughly one month removed from the February release of the highly-anticipated action RPG Elden Ring, there’s still a good bit of information to which fans aren’t privy even after the game's delay and subsequent network test. Fortunately, producer Yasuhiro Kitao sat down for an interview during the Taipei Game Show 2022 to elucidate a few things about the game, most notably its projected length.
While results are certain to vary between players and playthroughs, Kitao clarified that the average playthrough of Elden Ring should last about thirty hours. This is more or less in keeping with the studio’s previous output, as most gamers report finishing other soulsborne installments in somewhere between twenty-five and thirty-five hours.
However, a major focus of the recent Elden Ring presentation was the game’s open world. While many recent From Software titles featured semi-open worlds which wrapped around themselves and were interconnected in inventive ways, Elden Ring will feature a vast open-world environment wholly different from anything gamers have seen in Lordran, Lothric, and the like. This will, as a result, heavily impact playtime, as those dead set on seeing the ending as soon as possible may find themselves hours ahead of those who opted to explore.
Kitao admits this himself, remarking that playtimes will differ drastically from player to player. Yet, he intimates that From Software had a goal of capping the grand adventure at roughly thirty hours from early in development. Based on the studio’s previous output, Elden Ring is likely to launch with dozens of hours of optional content with items, boss encounters, and entire areas made accessible only to those willing to seek them out, and it has recently been confirmed that 100% completing Elden Ring won't be possible in a single playthrough. Consequently, offering a main quest demanding far in excess of thirty hours of commitment may have bordered on taxing for some.
Elden Ring seems to be an amalgamation of From Software’s output over the last twelve or so years; combining elements such as magic and miracles, weapon arts, stealth, and dungeon exploration, no two playthroughs are likely to be the same. Ambition can sometimes capsize the development of promising titles, but, from what has thus far been seen and experienced by the community, the award-winning Elden Ring looks to be an almost endlessly replayable title that will continue to deliver long after players pass the thirty-hour mark.
Elden Ring is set to release on February 25 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
