What Can We Expect From Elden Ring?

ELDEN RING is the upcoming game by the notorious FromSoftware, the developers responsible for all of the broken controllers, screens, keyboards, and souls. Because let's be honest, their games have a knack for breaking apart our gamer spirit.

Whether you're at the edge of your seat for each passing day like me or anxiously awaiting in fear for your setup once again, we all have one thing in common: if we buy the game, we're going to die. At the very least, we should all be excited for the game together. Here is everything we know about the upcoming ELDEN RING!

Graphics & Gameplay

The events of ELDEN RING will transpire in the Lands Between, a dark, medieval-styled world. Since the game will be released eight years after the release ofDARK SOULS III — the original dark medieval world — we are expecting a significant graphical upgrade. And if the screenshots are to be believed, the game has seen some improvements.

As for the gameplay, it is no secret that ELDEN RING will feature gameplay similar to all of the games developed by FromSoftware: giant monsters, a cryptic storyline with rhymes straight out of Christmas, and soul-wrenching difficulty that is sure to have you crying. Tears of joy, the company expects.

Jokes aside, ELDEN RING's gameplay is expected to have a harsh difficulty much like all of the games released in the past by FromSoftware; however, the director Hidetaka Miyazaki has stated that he has the belief that more people will finish ELDEN RING, in large part due to the game's new approach options such as stealth allowing you to bypass enemies and bosses, and exploring the open world which will allow picking and choosing which challenge players will seek to overcome.

"In Elden Ring, we have not intentionally tried to lower the game’s difficulty, but I think more players will finish it this time." - Hidetaka Miyazaki.

Moreover, the game has been built to encourage a sense of freedom, as Hidetaka Miyazaki expresses hope for players to feel "unpressured, and that they can approach the game at their own pace". With this in mind, we know that the freedom exploration, paired with the stealth mechanics, will allow players to tackle ELDEN RING at a rate that they feel comfortable with, which might make this soulslike experience one of the most forgiving ones by FromSoftware.

That being said, it's important to keep in mind that the development of ELDEN RING overlapped with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, meaning that not many systems will be implemented from what they learned about 2019's GOTY. That being said, posture, stagger, and health will be implemented.

Music & Other Updates

No FromSoftware game would be complete without music composed by the one and only Yuka Kitamura (Sorry Motoi Sakuraba): who returned for ELDEN RING and composed the music we’ll hear whilst getting our arses kicked by the numerous foes.

ELDEN RING may not be a sequel to DARK SOULS III, but it's quite hard not to see it as such, when comparing the graphical styles and settings. That said, it does feature numerous differences like the story and location (which we will get to later), infinite stamina while sprinting, more forgiving fall damage and a quick travel system (possibly to encourage the open-world exploration), and so, so much more.

Story & Setting

Last but not least, ELDEN RING's story is set in the Lands Between, a gorgeous open world adorned by a graceful and bright tree visible known as the Erdtree, which is the remnants of what is now a long-gone time of peace.

With a dark and grim storyline, an environment filled with undead and monsters, and a tale of a time of peace long since passed, FromSoftware set its sights on none other than the legendary writer behind the infamous story for killing all of its characters violently and haphazardly. Yes, George R. R. Martin — the writer of Game of Thrones — was employed to write the mythos of the game.

What exactly is the mythos? Well, the lore and myths surrounding the world. George R. R. Martin was tasked with writing the foundations of a fictional world. Meaning, he was possibly the mind behind the tale of the Elden Ring (not an actual ring, like J. R. R. Tolkien's), the Erdtree, the stories that predate the game, and the aforementioned "times of peace".

I will not be going into too much detail in this article, predominantly to keep it informational, but additionally to allow the players to discover this

come the game's release. That being said...

Release Date

We all know it, and we are anticipating it greatly. ELDEN RING is expected to release on the 25th of February after a short delay that pushed it back from its original one back in January due to its complexity "exceeding" FromSoftware's expectations. I guess it's safe to say that ELDEN RING is hard, even in its development; not even the development team are safe from its notorious difficulty!

We are all excited, scared, anxious, jittery... I could go on, but honestly, I believe I have gushed enough as is. Until next time, everyone! Stay awesome.