Elden Ring

Elden Ring is the next game in the FromSoftware studio's portfolio. With Demon's Souls in 2009, FromSoftware started the trend called soulslike: RPGs characterized by a high level of difficulty from the very first minutes of gameplay. As it happened during the creation of other flagship games of the studio - except Dark Souls II - the role of the main designer was performed by Hidetaka Miyazaki.

Plot

Following the model of games from the series commonly known as Soulsborne (which includes Demon's Souls, Dark Souls trilogy and Bloodborne), the main storyline in Elden Ring is only slightly outlined, and the player can try to uncover and piece together shreds of information while meticulously completing each stage of the game.

The action of the game takes place in the The Lands Between region, divided into six kingdoms. Each of them is ruled by one of the demigods, whom we have to defeat in order to get the fragments of the Elden Ring. It was the destruction of this mysterious object that triggered a cataclysmic event that brought the Lands Between to the brink of collapse. The protagonist, one of the Tarnished, Has returned to his homeland from exile to try and regain the once lost favor of the Erdtree, prove his worth and become the new Elden Lord.

In the creation of the story of the world of Elden Ring FromSoftware took the help of George R. R. Martin, best known for the book series A Song of Ice and Fire, on which the Game of Thrones series was based. His work was to some extent modified by the authors of the game, which resulted in creation of a complex and dark fantasy world.

Gameplay

At the beginning of the adventure we create our own protagonist, determining his gender and appearance, and by choosing one of ten character classes (vagabond, warrior, astrologer, hero, bandit, prophet, samurai, prisoner, confessor, wretch). It has an impact only on the initial stats and equipment of our Tarnished. Elden Ring focuses heavily on RPG elements, offering players freedom in character development, which together with a wide arsenal of weapons and spells allows you to adjust the appropriate tactics to each situation.

One of the main attractions of the game is the complex, arcade-style combat system. Confrontations with adversaries take place in a dynamic way, and each attack is very precise. FromSoftware is famous for creating demanding games and Elden Ring is no exception - every duel should be treated with carefulness, and the variety of enemies requires us to constantly invent new tactics.

An important element of the game are battles with powerful bosses. There are a hundred and twenty-nine of them in the game. The developers made sure that in Elden Ring every such battle was exciting and ruthlessly held the player accountable for his mistakes. As was the case in Soulsborne games, the design of individual bosses is well thought out and unique, and an aura of divinity and heroism has been created around the main antagonists due to the storyline.

The world design has undergone a significant change in relation to the studio's previous games. This time the available area is completely open, vast and filled with smaller locations with a more corridor-like structure. In order to move faster, we can use a spectral mount, Torrent, which can be summoned almost at any moment of the game. Moreover, nothing stands in the way of attacking and fighting enemies from his back.

Co-op

Apart from solo play, there is also an option to summon other players to our world and fight against enemies together with them in the co-op mode. As in Dark Souls, it is possible to connect with two other people at the same time, but cooperation lasts only until the moment of killing the boss.

Technical aspects

Despite using the same engine that powered, among others, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or Bloodborne, Elden Ring takes full advantage of the latest technologies, i.e. HDR and 4K Ultra HD. The adopted art style successfully reflects the darkness and harshness of the depicted world, and its design makes up for technical shortcomings with the texture quality and detailed models.

Last updated on August 21, 2019