As the Summer Games Fest Kickoff drew to a close after a jam packed stream of new releases, Geoff Keighley’s promised grand finale was as grand as it could get. After years of speculation, leaks and awards for most anticipated game, Elden Ring is FINALLY on the way… and sooner than we thought. The latest project from FromSoftware will be coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC on January 21, 2022.
In a move that stunned the chat, Keighley was elated to be liberated from secrecy as he introduced the Elden Ring trailer, containing brand new gameplay footage, mechanics and a whole new wave of story speculation. So don’t put away your tinfoil hats (or helms) just yet, because there is a lot to unpack.
“The Tarnished will soon return, guided by grace once lost.”
FromSoftware’s collaboration with A Song of Ice and Fire’s creator, George R. R. Martin, was teased back in 2019 and has seen its following grow substantially ever since. With so little to go on, speculation has run rampant, even winning an award for Most Anticipated Games at the Game Awards. Since the release of the award-winning, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Hidetaka Miyazaki, FromSoftware’s creative lead, has been beavering away. Weaving an intricate tale with the man considered this generation’s Tolkein. Martin’s influence can be seen not only in narrative but in the very design of the bosses and enemies, who have been warped and twisted by the influence of the titular Elden Ring.
So what can we glean from the trailer? What new mechanics and monsters does Miyazaki have in store for us? Perhaps the most prominent new addition, and something we’ve yet to see in a FromSoftware game, is the ability to ride a mount. As our Tarnished character rode into battle, they dragged their sword along a path and cut an enemy to ribbons. They also rode into a group of creatures and leapt from the mount as it disappeared into the aether.
Co-op play also looks set to return, as the player character appeared to summon phantom characters that, if the Souls series is anything to go by, are likely controlled by other players who will assist you on your journey. We also caught a glimpse at some bosses, including a many-armed menace, a lycanthropic knight and, perhaps most recognisably, the one-armed Valkyrie who made her debut in the very first teaser. If Elden Ring is anything like its progenitors, expect a great many challenges from these formidable foes. Only time will tell what woes they will bring (cries in Ornstein and Smough).
Since the release of Demon’s Souls in 2009, FromSoftware has become a studio reputed for its intuitive design and notorious difficulty. A formula they have only gone on to hone with the genre-defining Dark Souls trilogy, as well as my favourite game of all time, Bloodborne. While the Souls series has always been known for its sprawling, desolate worlds, Elden Ring looks set to expand this to a completely open-world setting as you take on the role of a forlorn Tarnished, in an elusive quest that I’m sure we’ll learn about in the coming months.
Elden Ring is set to be released January 21, 2022.
Words by Jack Roberts
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