Praise the sun; The day has finally arrived. After years of waiting, FromSoftware fans got their first real glimpse of the developer's upcoming action-RPG, Elden Ring, on the first day of Summer Game Fest. Additionally, the release date of Elden Ring has also been revealed. The game will be released on January 21, 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Publisher Bandai Namco has released a nearly 3-minute gameplay trailer, seen below, which showcases a dark world full of swords and sorcery known as Lands Between. The trailer showed the game in action and provided the first story bits, highlighting the journey of "a humble tarnished" in search of the titular elden ring. Of course, fire, light, and darkness also play key roles, it seems.
Much of what is shown will certainly be familiar to fans of Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. While the world feels much more open than anything found in these games - Bandai Namco said it "features vast, fantastical landscapes and intricate, dark dungeons that are seamlessly connected" - the combat feels strikingly to these games, something that is sure to excite fans. The trailer also shows players working together and against each other much like other games in the greater Souls verse.
We know from the publisher that there will be several different biomes in Elden Ring, at the very least, according to a provided information sheet. These include "grassy plains, sweltering swamps, spiraling mountains and looming castles...".
The inclusion of a horse is perhaps the most obvious for Souls fans. It was rumored that Elden Ring would include mounts of some type, but the gameplay trailer confirmed it. The mount isn't just used for travel, it seems: the trailer hints that it can also be used in combat, attacking enemies and bosses on horseback.
The datasheet shared by Bandai Namco after the reveal also confirmed that Elden Ring will get a free upgrade from PS4 to PS5, and Xbox One to Xbox Series X|S will use SmartDelivery.
Elden Ring was announced at E3 2019, but following the reveal, From Software and Bandai Namco went silent. As a joint venture between Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki and Game of Thrones author George RR Martin, the project immediately caught the eye. With a penchant for digging into deep and often oblique lore, some Souls fans turned Elden Ring fans have even taken to writing their own narrative, creating their own art, and more.
Now, it seems, the wait for the official game is almost over. Stay tuned for more on Elden Ring as we learn.
