Elden Ring is overwhelming. Once you are free from the usual FromSoftware introduction area, you will find yourself facing a serious and unusual problem in the Souls game: which direction should I explore now?
FromSoftware’s new RPG will take you into a vast open world with zero disclosure direction. When you first step into Limgrave of The Lands between, your eyes will be immediately attracted by several conspiracies. On your left is a rocky beach. A warrior on horseback is patrolling in front of the forest looming in front of you. There is a destroyed building shell on your right. Behind you is a swamp full of vindictive dragons. All of this takes a few minutes. You can shop around.
Who knows what you might find in these areas, and the time is ripe for exploration? You may find Grace Point, Elden Ring version of the campfire, they are very rich, an NPC will be surprised that you find them and think about what you are doing here, or a group of armed warriors “come together to make you grit your teeth. Yes, all these areas during the opening hours of the Elden Ring-from ruins, bays and swamps-are instantly accessible and open to you, and where you can explore.
This is overwhelming in the best sense. For example, compare it to the beginning of Bloodborne. FromSoftware’s 2015 Gothic action game brings players into the center of Yanan City, allowing you to explore zero out of a street lined with vicious citizens and bloodthirsty dogs, gritting your teeth and cutting your throat . If you are trapped in the corridor where you made your debut-like I did for many days-the blood source shrugs and makes you hit the wall with your head, but there is a feeling in Elden Ring, where you are in the world, and where you are. , Is your control. If you are stuck in an area, just find another place to explore.
The Limgrave of Elden Ring feels more open and attractive than any place designed by FromSoftware. The vast open world map goes hand in hand with the new spectrum war horse. It can not only double jump like you just left a platform game, but it can also run on the map and eject you to an unreachable area, leaving you in this huge map. I feel a little bigger. Horseback riding is a bloody rage. You and another warrior on horseback swayed fiercely with each other in a crazy match, but this is just another opportunity and game style. Elden Ring is very happy to give it to you.
In other parts of the battle, FromSoftware veterans will find it a bit familiar. There is a limited stamina bar available, for example, to provide you with a lot of dodge and attack in battle, and a short FP bar, Elden Ring’s magic meter, through which you can cast spells. Somewhat surprisingly, Elden Ring’s dedicated jump button is hardly involved in combat, and a simple top-down attack is the only way to attack in the air. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice also has a dedicated jump button, which affects the battle when the nominal ninja jumps over an enemy attack, but here, at least in the early days of Elden Ring, the jump button feels more suitable for exploration than it does fighting.
Elden Ring has also cultivated the same “game style” that many past FromSoftware games have. Have your standard warrior, ready to wield multiple swords at the same time, prophet, cast spells and enchantments on enemies and allies, and magic knights, a mixture of the two. There is also the blood wolf, a combat expert who is good at parrying with a huge shield, and finally the champion, a broken brawler who even the enemy wants to stay away. All of these are provided in preset form in Elden Ring’s technical test, with zero options for customization.
The wonderful thing is how these roles work together in cooperation. Elden Ring allows three players to form a team at the same time. This is a joint game with the largest number of alliance players allowed in the “SoulsBorne” game. The result is fascinating. The blood wolf may take the lead in the charge, while the prophet hides behind and attacks the boss with long-range spells, while a group of magic knights and warriors may take turns to anger the boss, while the other sneaks behind him to quickly assassinate the back.
This is how Margit the Fell Omen, the ultimate leader of the technical test, works-the creepy multi-armed monster revealed by the 15-minute game. Our team of warriors, prophets, and blood wolves were a little too close to the magnificent entrance of Veil of the Storm, and Margit felt the need to fall and knock us down. Unsurprisingly, the blood wolf instantly became aggressive, the prophet hung behind to cast the enchantment, and the warrior lurked out of Margit’s reach, ready to rush in and react at any time. The increase in the number of players did not weaken the boss at all, and Margit was still able to send any of us to the grave with appropriate attacks.
We responded to each other’s needs, and we didn’t pass a word between us. If the blood wolf dodges a mistake and is hit within an inch of itself, the fighter will step in to anger the boss, and the former will step back for treatment. If the prophet finds out, it will cast a healing circle. Any one of us has no healing items and Poor health. FromSoftware has found a great way for players to stop and think about who they are summoning into their game and why, instead of clicking continue on any old players.
On the other hand, going it alone is a very viable option. Just as Sekiro forces its players into single-player worlds and brutal boss battles without the help of others, the bosses and worlds of Elden Ring are challenges you can overcome by yourself. Of course, this requires more patience, coupled with the ability to adapt and learn enemy attack patterns instantly, but when does any boss in the FromSoftware game need this? Elden Ring may provide a three-person cooperation mode, but fortunately, it does not stipulate it as an absolute requirement to overcome the most difficult enemies.
For Elden Ring, this is undoubtedly a very early time, but it has become very special, even according to FromSoftware’s lofty standards. The exciting fighting style as always, combined with fantastic new aspects such as open world exploration, as well as a sense of freedom for alluring new formulas. Elden Ring is doing many things different from the past soul games, such as four-person parties and horse-riding battles, but it feels like it is carefully considering how to integrate each game. The publicity around Elden Ring is already very hot, and this demo will only make this feeling more inspiring, only three months away from the release.
