From Software has been experimenting a lot with the Dark Souls formula in their more recent games. As such some may be wondering what form the studio’s upcoming game Elden Ring might take. Now, it’s given word that Elden Ring evolves Dark Souls’ formula, only on a much larger scale.
Talking with IGN, From Software president Hidetake Miyazaki mentioned that the game was in the same genre as Dark Souls. “The gameplay is not so far from Dark Souls,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that the gameplay will be identical, but you could say that Elden Ring belongs to the same genre.”
Of course, From Software has been experimenting a lot with the gameplay of its games. For instance, last March’s Sekiro got rid of the stamina gauge that’s been one of the defining traits of the sub-genre. However, it seems likely that the action in Elden Ring‘s may hew closer to Dark Souls. Instead, the big changes will come from the fact that the game features a much more open world than the previous games.
“With a larger world, new systems and action mechanics inevitably become necessary,” Miyazaki said. “In that sense, I think that Elden Ring is a more natural evolution of Dark Souls.”
Miyazaki adds to this, stating “The more extensive world will form the base of Elden Ring’s gameplay, and its mechanics are designed with that type of environment in mind.”
As for why his team is going for a more open world game, Miyazaki stated three reasons. First, he wanted to explore the game’s world and lore on a much bigger scale, something helped by the involvement of A Song of Fire and Ice author George R. R. Martin. Second, he wanted to give the game’s exploration more freedom and depth than in previous games. Finally, he thinks that the larger world will give more depth to the game’s combat.
From Software has already confirmed one thing that demonstrates the third point. Unlike its previous games, players can now fight on horseback in Elden Ring.
Of course, with so little shown of the game, there’s still much to learn about how exactly Elden Ring evolves Dark Souls’ formula. Hopefully Miyazaki and his team will show us more of it in the coming months.
