Elden Ring is, hands down, one of the most anticipated video game releases of 2022, and it’s set to release in just a few weeks. Although it went an incredibly long time without much information, the pedigree of FromSoftware really pushed it through the silence. And now that the release is actually close, more and more information about the game has been shared through interviews, trailers, and unfortunately, even Elden Ring leaks.
Recently, everything from weapons and the hardest class in Elden Ring to difficulty and endings has been discussed by FromSoftware and director Hidetaka Miyazaki. One of the recent discussions even honed in on Miyazaki’s love for swamps, as much as many Souls fans do not.
As many fans know, some swamps in Souls games are just overtly deadly. Not necessarily because of enemies, but just because of the area users find themselves in. The Valley of Defilement in Demon’s Souls, Blighttown in Dark Souls, Ashina Depths in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and more all exemplify how deadly swamps can be in Souls games. But Miyazaki cannot help himself, he revealed in an interview with Game Informer.
“[W]hen making the game, I rediscovered my love for making poison swamps,” Miyazaki says, “I know how people feel about them, but you know, suddenly I realize I’m in the middle of making one and I just can’t help myself. It just happens.” On top of that, the director would go on to say how Elden Ring swamps (there is more than one) don’t just have the toxicity and poison seen in past games. There’s also something called Scarlet Rot.
Unfortunately, Miyazaki doesn’t go too deep into Scarlet Rot mechanics, but Game Informer suggests—based on their experience with the game—that it’s highly important, mentioned a lot, and could potentially be why a lot of characters hide their faces. How it impacts Elden Ring’s story, setting, and swamps remains to be seen, but there are swamps as deadly as ever—if not more so given Elden Ring’s more open-world design.
Elden Ring is less than a month from release, so everything from character builds and swamps to story and setting is just on the horizon. Elden Ring has slowly been lifting the veil around its mystery for some time now, but soon, fans will be diving into another bonafide FromSoftware Souls game.
Elden Ring releases February 25 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Game Informer
