Well, I’m very glad I don’t have to keep this a secret any more. We were lucky enough to be invited for an extended gameplay preview of Elden Ring this week, followed by a chat with From Software’s Yasuhiro Kitao – who answered questions about what we’d just seen. Now, I am sorry to report that we aren’t allowed to actually show that gameplay – we just have a couple of new screenshots to share with you instead – but, what I am going to do is try my best to to paint as detailed a picture of that gameplay as I possibly can for you, because there are a lot of new details to share – and some of them are pretty huge.
Elden Ring previewPublisher: Bandai NamcoDeveloper: From SoftwareAvailability: Out January 21st 2022 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X
In typical From fashion, Elden Ring’s story is fragmented; the studio hasn’t changed its basic principle of providing players with an ambiguous narrative and a world they can choose to interpret for themselves. But it also feels like From was hinting that Elden Ring’s story would be perhaps more character-based than From’s previous titles, where most of the lore is gleaned offscreen from fragments and relics found after the fact, rather than seeing it played out in front of you.
“We’re often told that our games have stories that are difficult to understand, but this time we feel that, rather than focusing on just the world itself, the characters and the drama surrounding them will paint a clearer picture of the mainline story and help players become more immersed in the story than ever before,” Kitao told us.
We’ve Seen 17 Minutes of Elden Ring Gameplay – Here’s our Breakdown of Every Little Detail Watch on YouTube
That’s not to say that the structure and setting of the world doesn’t have a huge role to play still. One thing From was very keen to impress was that Elden Ring centres around a vast and interconnected Overworld, and one that’s not just big for the sake of being big. Branching out from this open area are numerous dungeons which are seamlessly connected within the Overworld, containing treasures and fearsome bosses. “The Land Between is truly dense with dangers and secrets,” Kitao says, “and our aim is for the player to make these discoveries and have these chance encounters just through the act of exploring.”