The world is carved into six different areas, each belonging to a demigod that you’ll have to kill. That sounds quite different to the more claustrophobic nature of Dark Souls, then, but we’re sure there’ll be just as much pressure and intimidation in the scale as there was in the suffocating realms of From’s celebrated series. Whether you’ve been eagerly devouring them since Demon Souls or only got hooked with Sekiro or Bloodborne, there will be something familiar for you to latch onto here.Įlden Ring Credit: FromSoftware Elden Ring worldĮlden Ring takes place in The Lands Between, a location that has been painstakingly designed by FromSoftware to inspire the feelings of “an enormous sense of scale and this broadness and openness”.

Elden Ring pushes a lot of fresh ideas, but it’s comforting to know that elements from each of FromSoftware’s soulslikes are exerting their influence here.

Stealth feels completely at home here, and there’s a grim satisfaction in knowing that every clean takedown saves you a fight that could very easily risk progress. You able to will be able to “put off” bosses you’re struggling with, which will allow you to return to difficult fights much later in the game – probably when you’re very over-powered – if you prefer. Finishing moves and guard breaks make a return from Sekiro, giving players with quick wits and good reflexes the opportunity to get the upper hand, too. There are some new elements to the game that make things a bit easier, too for a start, more stealth options have been added to your repertoire, allowing you to instantly kill certain enemies if you’re canny enough. Miyazaki explains that he feels “the difficulty level as a pure action game is lower.” Instead, Miyazaki states “I think that the closest image of difficulty is Dark Souls III.”

Veteran Soulsbourne players, eat your hearts out. The game may have been designed for “all sorts of players” and not just “hardened veterans” (as per FromSoftware marketing and communications manager Yasuhiro Kitao) but don’t let that dissuade you if you are a hardcore fan: game director and master of all things sadistic Hidetaka Miyazaki says that Elden Ring is about as hard as Dark Souls 3.Īs per the director, the game has been made so that players will find it “very difficult, but it can be handled.” Don’t expect difficulty settings, then, or any hand-holding throughout the entire experience. Resting at Sites of Grace, Elden Ring’s answer to bonfires, gives you a small pointer in which direction you should go next, and although you’re under no obligation to do that, it’s nice that there’s a path in place to keep you moving in the right direction.įirst things first: you want to know how hard this game is, right? “How hard is Elden Ring?” we hear you ask. Speaking of that open-world, FromSoftware has done a fantastic job of transitioning the fairly linear Dark Souls experience into a huge, explorable setting. The environment spans much further than the ones that fans might be used to, but Elden Ring hasn’t lost any of the Soulsmagic that makes every location feels tangibly, physically connected, no matter how far apart they lie. Simply put, Elden Ring‘s open-world is gorgeous. It feels like a lot of thought has been put into making sure players understand the mechanics of a Souls game before they’re set loose in the new big, scary world.

All you’ve got to do is listen to a ghost who tells you to jump into a pit, and voila: you’re taking your first baby steps into the world of Souls, learning to backstab, dodge and fight with the best of ’em. Which is easier said than done of course…Īs revealed in our special preview piece, Elden Ring‘s tutorial offers one of the best teaching systems in a FromSoftware game to date. Your job? To follow the path to the Lands Between beyond the foggy sea to stand before the Elden Ring and become the Elden Lord. The ruling Queen’s offspring and demigods alike have claimed shards of the Elden Ring known as the Great Runes, including a so-called Death Rune. Taking place in the Lands Between, the Elden Ring, the source of the Erdtree, has been shattered, causing chaos in the realm. You can pre-order all editions, including standard, at Bandi Namco’s official website. Then there’s the premium collectors edition at an eye-watering £259.99, which includes the aforementioned items, along with an official helmet replica of Malenia.

Elden ring closed beta