Now that the hype behind FromSoftware's Demon's Souls remake on PS5 has simmered down, rumors have been abundant on the internet about the studio's upcoming Elden Ring and its allegedly massive world. The title was announced back in E3 2019 and very little official information about the development of the game has surfaced since, but the game's rumors are starting to pile high and now it seems likely Elden Ring will feature Dark Souls-style gameplay set within a giant world. However, Dark Souls has traditionally played different from normal open world games like Breath of the Wild or Skyrim, so how will Elden Ring implement its Soulsborne features into such an ambitious environment?
Outside of the teaser trailer released back in 2019, fans of FromSoftware's work still know very little about Elden Ring. However, a Twitter user by the name of Okami13_ allegedly leaked that Elden Ring would feature a much larger map than the previous games the studio has worked on. Even Boletaria from the original Demon's Souls is a sizable world filled to the brim with countless secrets to discover, but now fans are likely expecting more, especially after this convincing rumor.
One of the most engaging things about Dark Souls' maps is how interconnected they all are. In the original game especially, players explore entire area only to discover a shortcut that loops back to a place they've already been to before. Because of this, Dark Souls maps are less like open worlds and instead much more like classic Metroidvanias. These games are primarily known for their methodical and rewarding combat, but their level design is also a significant part of why they're so fun to explore. Discovering where to head next is just as much a part of the challenge as the combat itself, so it will be interesting to see what a "larger map" might entail.
What Elden Ring's Bigger Map Needs To Include
If Elden Ring really is going to play like a Dark Souls game with a big mag, then it's crucial for FromSoftware to remember that Dark Souls isn't a traditional open world title. Games like Immortals Fenyx Rising and Genshin Impact mimicked Breath of the Wild and got away with it because those games featured core gameplay that meshes well with giant open spaces, climbing, and gliding. Dark Souls, on the other hand, is a brutally difficult game that punishes players by sending them back to their last checkpoint upon death and making them fetch their souls at the location of their untimely demise. If Elden Ring's world design mimicked these games, players might have to attempt to fetch their souls miles away from where they died, which could get really annoying.
Even though Dark Souls is a game about exploring a large world, it's not an open world game. Elden Ring should keep its map similar in structure to the original Dark Souls, in which players discover shortcuts that lead back to previous areas and even new ones. This would allow FromSoftware to continue balancing the placement of bonfires in its giant world by funneling a plethora of shortcuts back to it.
In other words, FromSoftware could make a larger map by adding more areas on top of each other and making them bigger than any Soulsborne experience before it, rather than having lots of empty space. This would enhance the scope of the world without making it overly tedious to traverse because of the brutal difficulty (which nearly all players are likely expecting the game to have). Elden Ring has the potential to be one of the best games FromSoftware has ever released, but it should definitely remember its roots and not copy what other popular open world games have accomplished.