It finally happened: we now have an Elden Ring release date. Previously announced at the Microsoft E3 conference a few years ago, Elden Ring is coming to Windows PC, produced by Bandai Namco and developed by Hidetaka Miyazaki’s studio, FromSoftware.
With the Dark Souls and Sekiro director at the helm, we already know we’re in for mystery, nightmarish boss designs, and a whole lot of dying. The announcement trailer gives off some very Dark Souls vibes. Although Miyazaki confirms that Elden Ring gameplay is similar to the Souls series, combat will play out very differently due to the “open and vast environment”.
Keeping things FromSoft, Elden Ring is also a third person open-world dark fantasy RPG, but what’s new is that it features a collaboration with Game of Thrones writer and author of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin. As a result, we’re anticipating plenty more in terms of storytelling than we’re used to from Miyazaki, without sacrificing any of the rich, lore-soaked environment and boss designs we know and love from the Souls games. Elden Ring also features music from Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro composer Yuka Kitamura.
Elden Ring release date
Elden Ring will release on February 25, 2022. It was originally scheduled to release on January 23, 2022, but was delayed in an announcement by FromSoft. To get your PC ready, here are the Elden Ring system requirements.
Elden Ring trailer
Alongside the release date, we also got to see a bit more of the open-world game in action, as our nameless ‘tarnished’ rides on their spectral horse through the bleak countryside, slicing through monsters with their blade, and leaping on glyphs to reach new heights.
In addition to the E3 announcement, FromSoftware released a teaser to mark the reveal of the new RPG. Although this teaser doesn’t show us any gameplay, Soulsborne fans have drawn parallels between Elden Ring and Celtic folklore, specifically a character from Irish history called Nuada. The latest trailer shows stabbing players after grabbing them.
Elden Ring gameplay preview
After two years, fans were treated to a 15-minute gameplay clip that showcased many mechanics in Elden Ring. The most revealing detail appears to be a new map system, very reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Check out the gameplay preview to see what the fundamentals of Elden Ring look like, including world traversal, combat against regular mobs, and boss battles.
Yes, Elden Ring gameplay will be hard, very much like Dark Souls, and we should expect difficult combat and big boss fights. However, Miyazaki confirmed that the game will also have a more “manageable” difficulty than previous Souls games. Although it has melee combat, it sounds like Elden Ring will also draw from RPG elements and focus more on magic, unlike the recent Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Since it’s more open-world than Dark Souls, From Software has confirmed fast travel will be in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring is an entirely new mythos, co-created with George R.R. Martin, where players will be able to “design and control their own unique character”. FromSoftware’s business director reached out to Martin, as Miyazaki was a fan himself, especially of Martin’s lesser-known title Fevre Dream, a vampire novel set in 1982. In an interview with IGN, Miyazaki confirmed that Martin’s involvement was not in the writing of the main story, but in crafting the lore, and that “thanks to Martin’s lore, Elden Ring’s world and characters naturally have a lot more depth and personality”.
The 15 minute gameplay preview highlighted some of Elden Ring’s multiplayer features. It appears players can summon their friends from different worlds to play the game cooperatively, and you can participate in PvP combat through the invasion system.
Elden Ring open world
Unlike Dark Souls, Elden Ring will be open-world, and the gameplay, combat and narrative will have to adapt to player exploration. In an interview with IGN, Miyazaki confirms the game will not have towns or settlements, but will be traversable on horseback saying “If we would add towns on top of that, it would become a bit too much, so we decided to create an open-world style game focused on what we are best at.”
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Miyazaki went on to say that “Creating a new type of game is a big challenge for us,” and we can only imagine that the open-world environment will shift the style of gameplay from the Souls series.
As for how the world will be structured, a more recent interview with IGN confirmed that the realm will be split into six distinct areas, each one ruled by a demi-god that serves as that area’s boss. The demi-gods have a piece of the Elden Ring, which the ‘tarnished’ player is seeking. These areas have more traditional Souls-like areas, including catacombs, caves, and fortresses. A hub area links together every area and you can explore it at will. Some monsters were shown in the trailers, including these adorable sentient pots.
Stay tuned for the latest news on the game as it develops, including the Elden Ring system requirements, trailers, and gameplay details.