Like previous releases from the developer, FromSoftware's Elden Ring will feature a central hub which links the game's various areas. The highly anticipated role-playing game will feature a large open world for players to explore on foot or horseback. Elden Ring's setting, The Lands Between, has been created as a collaboration between Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki and A Song of Ice and Fire writer George R. R. Martin.
After years of silence following the game's announcement at E3 2019, excitement for Elden Ring was reignited by a gameplay trailer which premiered during Summer Game Fest 2021's kickoff event. The trailer, and information released after the trailer's premiere, has shed new light on the previously mysterious role-playing title. Elden Ring will allow players to freely explore The Lands Between in search of several demigod figures who the player character seeks to destroy. Defeating these demigods will allow the lowly Tarnished to rise up and become an Elden Lord, although considering FromSoftware's track record the path will no doubt be difficult. The game will also feature multiplayer, allowing up to four Elden Ring players to cooperate in overcoming the game's deadly trials.
In an interview with IGN, Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki confirms that the game will feature a central hub which connects the game's six different regions. The IGN article explains, "There’s even a “hub” – not unlike Dark Souls' Firelink Shrine – which players can branch out from that can be accessed a little later in the game." However, it is not explained what purpose this hub area will serve other than joining the game's six areas into a single open world. While it can be assumed that friendly characters will be present in the hub to provide services to the player, this has not been specified.
While Elden Ring is a clear evolution of the template used by FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki's past titles, there are some common elements which are being carried into this new game. A cloaked woman glimpsed in the recent gameplay trailer bears a striking resemblance to a Fire Keeper from the Dark Souls franchise. These helpful figures, serving to assist the player character in leveling up or maintaining the safe haven of Firelink Shrine, were also reflected in FromSoftware's other games like Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The developer's newest title also appears to take inspiration from Bloodborne in terms of enemy design, as Elden Ring's grotesque foes employ body horror imagery that was ever-present in the gothic 2015 title.
Elden Ring looks to be a perfect middle ground between innovation and tradition, breaking new ground while also maintaining the features that FromSoftware fans adore. The game's massive open world will be a first for the developer, but the presence of a Firelink Shrine-style hub area to connect various regions is something that all of the developer's recent releases have utilized. While Elden Ring will allow players to ride horseback across a huge fantasy location, this hub location will hopefully provide a safe haven for gamers to rest and relax.
Elden Ring will release on January 21, 2022.
Source: IGN