Elden Ringmay not release for some time yet, but loyal fans are already anticipating a worthyfollow-up inElden Ringto the likes ofDark Souls,Bloodborne, andSekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Over the years, From Software has created a long line of brilliant games with consistent quality and groundbreaking design philosophy, andElden Ringwill have to live up to that tradition. It is easy to assume that FromS oftware will strike again with its newest game, but looking at the success of past titles, the changes thatElden Ringwill make, and the stiff competition that the game will likely have, the gargantuan task of makingElden Ringstand out as yet another masterpiece becomes clear.
Elden Ringis arguably the most new and revolutionary game that From Software has ever made, even more so thanSekiro, which was no small fry. With a much larger open world, collaboration with George RR Martin ofGame of Thrones, a return to From Software’s traditional dark fantasy, and the introduction of new Norse lore elements and even deeper RPG mechanics,Elden Ringrepresents the synthesis of many highly-ambitious elements into a single promising package. Whether or not it can live up to the hype that each of those elements inspires is a big question, but From Software rarely lets its fans down.
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Elden Ring’s Heavy Competition
The first major challenge thatElden Ringwill have is due to its setting and mechanics. It’s not that making a large-scale, challenging, Norse-inspired, triple-A RPG is too much of a challenge for From Software, but it’s that there will be a lot of great games that fit that exact description to contend with.Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok,God of War 2, andElden Ringwill all bebig-budget RPGs with Norse-inspired settingsif all the fairly robust leaks and rumors are to be believed.
Elden Ringwill most likely take a more original approach to Norse mythologythan the likes of the rumoredAssassin’s CreedandGod of War 2, but the broad similarities remain in genre, mechanics, and themes. Even ifElden Ringmanages to exceed the expectations set on it as a scion of theDark Soulslineage, it will have to contend with some very heavy hitting titles that will look strikingly similar to it at first glance.
How Elden Ring can Live Up to Dark Souls
Dark Soulsleft behind a huge legacythat changed games, and especially RPGs, permanently. Games likeBloodborne,Dark Souls 3, andSekiroall continued to live up to that legacy by expanding on the original game’s ideas and bringing fans more of From Software’s signature level design, lore, and challenging combat. That also leaves some huge shoes forElden Ringto fill though, especially since it will likely be a lot closer toDark SoulsthanSekiroandBloodborne.
Elden Ringwill be going back to dark fantasy, and that means that it will be compared much more closely toDark Souls. It is practically impossible to completely live up to such a groundbreaking title, but nonetheless there will be a lot of scrutiny placed onElden Ring. Seemingly, the game will be much bigger, more beautiful, and more polished thanDark Soulsnow that From Software has that many more years of experience, but its similarities to the original mean thatElden Ringwill doubtlessly be compared to the impact thatDark Soulshad in its own time.
The other big similarity thatElden Ringshares withDark Soulsis its RPG sensibilities. While the game has been teased to have evendeeper RPG mechanics, it will be an ideological return to what the originalDark Soulswas meant to be.BloodborneandSekiroshied away from a heavy RPG formula, butElden Ringseems to be a way for From Software to expand on the other side of theSouls-like formula.
How Elden Ring Could Surpass Sekiro
The other big title thatElden Ringneeds to live up to isSekiro: Shadows Die Twice.Sekirowas so important because it was a major evolution inSouls-like combat and traversal, but it also had the biggest budget, largest scale, and most polish of any From Software game up to that point.Elden Ringwill be even bigger, and it will definitely have to deliver on that scale.Elden Ringwill take a very different approach to its design thanSekiro, but its polish and originality will have to be at least on par for it to be considered a worthy successor.
To surpassSekiro,Elden Ringneeds to learn from previous titles, but also set itself apart. The most tantalizing aspect of the game’s unique evolution on theDark Soulsformula isElden Ring’s open-field concept, which would go a long way towards changing up the traditional From Software level design that fans have come to know and love.Sekirochanged it up with the introduction of a grappling hook, butElden Ring’s entirely different level structure is another step beyond its typical vertical level design.
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A fresh new mythos sourced from acollaboration with George RR Martinis also a big step in the right direction, since it will go a long way towards preventing repetition and stagnation in From Software’s storytelling. There is more storytelling gold to mine from Miyazaki’s signature focus on cycles, nihilism, and rebirth from decay, but the injection of just a little outside influence promises to freshen up the storytelling to the direct benefit of players and lore-hounds.
Of course, that also means thatElden Ringwill have to live up to the reputation of George RR Martin, whoseGame of Thronesmythosis one of the most iconic fantasy settings in recent memory. With so many legendary creators involved and such a pedigree behind it,Elden Ringseems like it will have to be good to meet fan expectations. That being said, From Software has churned out a lot of great games, and for now, it seems nigh infallible.
Elden Ringis in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
