Dark Souls and Bloodborne developer From Software built its reputation on creating video games which had a certain level of masochistic charm to them. “Prepare to die” became the rallying cry for anything that the studio produced, but Elden Ring might just be the most approachable game yet from the team.
Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki traded words with Japanese gaming outlet Famitsu, with translations by Frontline Gaming Japan, and explained the tone of difficulty that the game had. Miyazaki compared Elden Ring’s challenge to Dark Souls 3, adding that the open-world nature, stealth gameplay, and other customisable elements of the new game made for a less overwhelming experience.
In addition to that Miyazaki hinted at the multiplayer making things easier by callingin for back-up, although he didn’t specifically mention exactly how multiplayer actually works in the game. Some outlets ran a story about a fact-sheet mentioning co-op multiplayer with up to three other friends, but I honestly haven’t seen anything like that officially mentioned by Bandai Namco or From Software.
There will be allied spirits can be summoned to fight alongside the player at specific locations, each one having different uses such as a tank spirit that you can use as a shield or an archer that can pepper your foe with arrows as they take a rearguard position. Heck, you can even use these spirits as decoys and do a sneaky backstab on a distracted enemy.
Plus, you’ll still be able to leave a message for travellers, urging them to be careful of the dangers that lie ahead. Or you can be a dick and lead them straight into danger, with hilariously lethal consequences. Miyazaki also mentioned that due to the sandbox nature of Elden Ring, players will have the freedom to avoid some bosses. Nice.
However the game decides to ultimately craft its challenge, it’ll likely still be something that starts a new debate on whether difficult video games should stick to their guns or provide more options for players who just want to have a chill time and get the experience under their belt. On that note, it’s great to hear that From Software is trying to shake up its formula a bit, and get more eyeballs on its product when it hits the scene in January 2022.
Last Updated: June 18, 2021
