Following its surprising and yet deliciously epic re-reveal at Summer Games Fest last week, FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki has given further details about how Elden Ring plays to both IGN and Famitsu. They’re both some pretty meaty interviews and well worth checking out.
Elden Ring will be structured in six major areas with each of them being ruled by a demigod. You can complete the areas in whatever order you wish – and there’s a hub connecting them. The game is described as the largest that FromSoftware has ever built with a much higher level of freedom than previously seen in the game. There’s a world map – though when you’re in dungeons there’s no maps.
It was confirmed earlier in the week that the game will support four-player co-op, though it appears that you won’t be able to ride your horses in multiplayer and the multiplayer is supported during exploration of the open areas. While not confirmed, I assume this means you won’t be able to co-op it up inside the game’s “dungeons”.
Another key gameplay detail is the spirits, which can be equipped for various effects. They’re one of the many ways Elden Ring is said to give players more freedom in how they approach battles – some bolster your attack, some bolster your defense, and others work as decoys. Each of your spirits can be upgraded too.
There are the things you’ll expect too – including a character creator, multiple endings, and optional bosses. The other FromSoftware standards like leaving messages for your friends and other people online returns, but they can be “prioritised” so you’ll see your friends’ own messages more often than random people.
Finally, on the release date, which I found to be a bit earlier than expected, Miyazaki insisted that he was confident the game will arrive on it’s release date.
Elden Ring releases on January 21st 2022 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and PC.
