Summary
Elden Ringwas such a resounding success that some sort of sequel seems inevitable, regardless of whether it’s an actualElden Ringsequel or another open-world Soulslike of similarly epic proportions. Of course, FromSoftware has never been swayed by what has been most popular before—if so, there would’ve already been a PC port, 60FPS patch, orfull-blown remake forBloodborne. Either way,Elden Ringwill go down as a monumental pillar of open-world fantasy and yet there are still many ways FromSoftware could iterate on it in a future game.
FromSoftware has entered into a refreshingly modern era of its Soulslike experiences where quality-of-life features are becoming more prevalent within its rigid formula. Interestingly, theone FromSoftware game that is most divisively maligned isDark Souls 2, the only FromSoftware Soulslikegame where Miyazaki wasn’t one of its directors. Besides the perceived shortcomings ofDark Souls 2as a result, it should be commended howDark Souls 2swung for the fences with regard to how out-there and diverse its settings and enemies are.
Dark Souls 2’s Diverse Locations Should Be a Lesson Learned for Elden Ring 2
Elden Ring’s High Fantasy Doesn’t Leave as Big of a Mark as Dark Souls’ Did
Elden Ringis a stunning game with hundreds of hours of content and environments to peruse in its open world. That said, while the ethereal and fantastical nature of its overarching lore and quests give it authenticity, the Lands Between’s individual regions aren’t nearly as memorable or dynamic as those in FromSoftware action-RPGs that came before it.
Perhaps that’s due to how linear and niche those games can be, withBloodbornetaking the cake in terms of having unique settings and world-building. Even theDark Soulsfranchise manages to have regions that are artistically distinct regardless of how much each installment iterates upon previous entries and rehashes certain locations.
Elden Ringhas a lot of spacious vistas that are visually distinct based on a color scheme or biome. Still, aside from areas like Caelid, the Ainsel and Siofra Rivers, Nokstella, and the Academy of Raya Lucaria, a lot blends into obscurity in a game that long with that much time traveling to and from interconnected regions on horseback. Areas like Mt. Gelmir or the Consecrated Snowfield seem to mimicDark Souls 2’s Iron Keep and Eleum Loyce’s Frigid Outskirts, though arguably with less charm and notoriety.
Dark Souls 2’s Spider, Pirate, and Dwarf Iconography Help It Stand Out
One of the most common gripes aboutDark Souls 2is its lack of connectivity or congruence between regions, but that dissonance actually allowed it to have many diverse settings and represent fun aesthetics within Drangleic. Players can go from the unremarkable Shaded Woods and eventually make their way to thespider-infested Brightstone Cove Tseldora, for example, or go from Heide’s Tower of Flame and eventually make their way to No-man’s Wharf, a port town brimming with treasure and undead pirates galore.
Likewise,Dark Souls 2gives even more representation to popular fantasy depictions withDoors of Pharros’ Gyrm being reminiscent of dwarven craftsmen.
There’s a lot thatDark Souls 2stuffs into its base game and three DLC expansions and that’s sometimes to a fault, butDark Souls 2feasibly makes for a much more memorable experience in most of its settings due to how individualistic and identifiable they are. IfElden Ring 2can do the same with its individual regions, no matter how interconnected they are, then it will probably go a long way in making the player’s pilgrimage more engaging, too.
Elden Ring
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ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
