Elden Ring is without a doubt FromSoftware’s biggest game yet, both in scale and success. The game pushed everyone’s favorite soulslike genre to never-before-seen heights. There are numerous bosses to fight, a very large number of secrets to uncover, and a story that spans thousands of years. This game actually takes things beyond anyone’s imagination.
It looks like FromSoftware was just waiting to do this. Director Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team poured everything they learned over the years into this game to make it perfect. But if he is to be believed, there’s something else that makes Elden Ring better than any FromSoftware game that came before.
Here’s how FromSoftware made sure Elden Ring stood out among their other games
When Demon Souls launched years ago, it was a very linear game with players going from one location to another, defeating bosses, and coming back to the hub area. All those areas were not connected; players had to come back to the hub area to travel to the next place.
Dark Souls changed that; they created an interconnected map, and most of the map was connected in such a way that players could take a lift from one location to another. This level design got a lot of praise from gamers all over. It was an exciting prospect, traveling through the map and then finding out that one door or lift leads to the starting area.
And they kept on improving things with their upcoming games, from Bloodborne to Sekiro. This incredible way of connecting one area to another kept getting better. But Elden Ring was very different.
This game is an open-world title that gives players the freedom to go anywhere and do anything in a vast sandbox area. This sandbox is connected, but not the way the map of Dark Souls was connected.
There are smaller areas in the Elden Ring that are interconnected and full of shortcuts, such as Leyndell Royal Capital. That place is interconnected and works as an expanded version of Anor Londo in many ways.
But going anywhere one wants to, defeating bosses as one wants, and then deciding to just explore rather than continue the main story. This kind of freedom is something that makes Elden Ring very special.
It would be incredible to see if Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team at FromSoftware ever decide to work on a similar game again. When asked if he would consider making a game so big ever again, he said, “Yes, I do. I can’t say if it’s something I can get to right away, but if I am allowed, I want to try.”
Here’s hoping this time he gets around to making a horror game like Bloodborne in the open world. It would be an incredible title to play again and again.
There are no plans for a second Elden Ring DLC yet
When asked if FromSoftware is planning a second DLC for Elden Ring after the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, he said there are no plans for it as of yet. This makes sense too, as Shadow of the Erdtree is a huge expansion, and it must have exhausted the developers. Maybe they are also waiting to see how it performs before making a decision; after all, this would be their first title after they got a hold of Elden Ring IP.
While it would be great to see a second DLC from them, a sequel would be much more appreciated. The development of this second DLC would no doubt halt their next game for a while.
