With 2020 taking a real toll on us and 2021 being no better, we think it’s time for a change of pace. That’s where we think Elden Ring can fill the gap.
After its E3 2019 reveal, not much else was said and revealed about the Souls-like game as developer FromSoftware continued working on it behind closed doors. Well, the wait is over and the game is making its way to our screens just two weeks from now!
Luckily for you, we went through all the test videos and gameplay reveals on YouTube so you don’t have to. As you count down the days to the official Elden Ring launch, here’s a list of things you can expect to see really soon.
To get a better sense of what the FromSoftware game has in store, you can take a look at the story trailer. While this fairly explicit piece only gives us a slight insight into the game’s narrative, it alone allows one to learn more about the lands, gods and what the story behind Elden Ring really is.
The gameplay reveal, however, opens your eyes in a whole new light; so let’s dive right into that.
How long does Elden Ring last?
At the 2022 Taipei Game Show, Elden Ring’s producer Yasuhiro Kitao confirmed that the game can easily be completed.
“This will differ significantly by player, but in terms of the targets set during development, the idea is that the main route should be able to be completed within around 30 hours,” he said when asked approximately how many hours it would take to complete the game.
Of course, we’re just talking about the main route here. Kitao subsequently added, “The game as a whole is quite massive, and contains many dozens more hours worth of gameplay.”
Let’s talk combat
Moving on to the aspect everyone is dying to know about when we talk about action RPG games. So, what will Elden Ring’s combat style look like?
For starters, the game’s combat isn’t all that different from other games produced by FromSoftware. As a matter of fact, you can expect to see familiarities like large bosses as well as moves like dodge rolling, blocking and spellcasting.
Players who paid hundreds of dollars to test the game early got to try their hand at battling bosses such as the Tree Sentinel (pictured) and a Flying Dragon Agheel.
In terms of the stamina/health bar, the team at FromSoftware feels that it doesn’t have a large influence over the player. Additionally, Kitao mentioned that significant focus was placed on reducing player stress.
“With the game’s world being so large, that can produce real depth and breadth of enjoyment, but it can also lead to unnecessary stress for some players. The (development) team has been very careful to avoid that where possible.”
He went on to state that players can actually choose to respawn near their location of demise and pick up their runes before proceeding where they left off, rather than going back to the starting point every time they die.
What’s different (From Dark Souls) this time?
One thing you can look forward to seeing is the new mounted combat style, which allows you to slash at your enemies while riding a horse. This, in a way, gives you an added advantage over some monsters because you can easily, quite literally, hit and run.
On top of having the ability to ‘horse around’, you can summon characters in the game to help you in battles. In contrast to other games where players can only summon the spirits of friendly characters, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring strategically allows you to decide what type of character you want as an ally at any point of a battle.
Yes, characters you would normally consider your enemies can actually fight with you instead of against you.
When asked to elaborate in an IGN interview, Elden Ring’s creator and director Hidetaka Miyazaki, better known as the Godfather of Souls, said this: “(These spirit summons) offer a lot of different strategic options, but also the player might find that they just like a certain enemy tagging along with them, a certain summon pleases them aesthetically. So there’s a lot of strategic and a lot of personal touch to these summons.”
What Elden Ring classes are available?
The team at FromSoftware has revealed the five best player classes to choose from, with each having two available body types.
You can look forward to being equipped with the gear and stats of the following:
- Warrior
- Enchanted Knight
- Prophet
- Champion
- Bloody Wolf
These aren’t all the available classes. More will be revealed in the coming days…and if not, you won’t have to wait too long to find out, anyway.
When picking your class, however, a piece of advice from Miyazaki is to avoid the wretch because it is admittedly the toughest starting class to play.
Why? Probably because almost nothing is known about it yet, so it’s best you work your way up to that one.
So…is Elden Ring worth it?
As if it weren’t already clear where our opinion lies on this matter, yes, we do think it’d be worth it to buy the game. Even if it’s just to try it out.
You can play with your friends, as the Elden Ring specs support co-op games of up to four players. Although, they might end up looking like the phantoms and spirits of other characters you summon.
The map of the world is pretty big, so you’ll have plenty of things to explore. It’s unlikely that you’ll run out of things to do and baddies to fight.
And lastly: Elden Ring has officially gone gold. Not only is it available for purchase on online platforms like Steam, it is also ready to be put onto discs for physical sale. Yes, you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and 5.
Elden Rings officially launches on February 25.
