The curtain is pulled back on FromSoftware's previously-elusive Elden Ring, an open world role-playing game (RPG) that combines the difficult combat, larger-than-life monsters and mythic figures of past "Soulsborne" games like Demon's Souls and Bloodborne. As part of E3 2021, FromSoftware president and Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki spoke with IGN about how the open world here really works.
Elden Ring is set in a world called The Lands Between, a name coined by author George R.R. Martin, with whom Miyazaki collaborated in creating the world of Elden Ring. There are six distinct regions each ruled by a demigod and while there's an "apparent" order to go through the regions, players aren't technically required to do so. They can also do so on horseback, a feature that's a first for a FromSoftware game.
“We wanted to give a free level of progression and exploration through the Lands Between, so there’s a lot of different ways. You won’t be able to access everything from the start, but there are a lot of different ways you can approach each area. And there’s a lot of freedom as to which order you tackle different areas as well,” Miyazaki says.
Finally, there's going to be a "hub" connecting these six regions, similar to how Firelink Shrine in Dark Souls served as a central connecting point for the different interconnecting pathways.
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Starting 2022 strong
Elden Ring is currently slated for a January 21, 2022 release date. It's coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, PS5 and PS4, with a free upgrade to the current-generation Xbox or PlayStation platforms if you initially grab the game on Xbox One or PS4.
You can play alone or with friends, as Elden Ring is confirmed to support four-player co-op multiplayer, too.
