Elden Ring developer FromSoftware has no doubt made a name for itself by creating a bunch of exciting and distinguished worlds. These worlds gave players the kind of experiences that were not available through any other games. One would not be wrong if they said that FromSoftware gave the gaming industry a respite from all the shooters and typical open-world games with driving as a central mechanic. Even when they made Elden Ring, they gave open-world games a lot to be inspired by.
Thanks to these things, they have become a respectable name in gaming. Whenever they announce a new game, fans know by default that it will be an incredible success. Hence, it becomes weirdly surprising when they are revealed to be taking inspiration from other games.
Elden Ring’s most inventive mechanic was lifted from a very popular game
When the announcement trailer for Elden Ring was revealed, it was pretty obvious that it was going to be a grand adventure. As is usual with any other game, the announcement brought with it a bunch of rumors and even some leaks. And one of them suggested that players would be able to create their own bombs in the game.
At first, fans scoffed at this thing, but eventually, it became pretty evident. As the game launched and players got their hands on one of those cookbooks, it showed them the recipes for various kinds of pots. These are what those bombs were: pots of fire, poison, sleep, and many more things.
This changed the game; players now had grenades to play around with in a soulslike game. Although they were in limited quantity, they also required a lot of material to make. It was still fun and very useful equipment to have in one of those tough fights. Just drop 2 to 3 of sleep pots on those Godskin bosses and see the magic happen.
And now, two years after the launch of the original Elden Ring, FromSoftware is set to release Shadow of the Erdtree, the DLC for this massive game. And in the reveal trailer for this DLC, fans saw something mind-blowing: the player character using a pot bomb, but way larger. It’s like one of those massive cooking pots, but full of fire.
And what does this remind players of? Yep, Hollow Manservants, these large enemies are found in the undead settlement and road of sacrifices. These enemies carry massive pots, and they literally smash these pots on the head of the player character. It’s a unique enemy with a unique move set and massive damage.
So, did FromSoftware simply lift this pot bomb thing from Dark Souls 3? Maybe they did, but how much does it even matter? Both of these games are very distinctive in many other ways. Even the above-mentioned pot weapons have different applications in both games.
In one, it is used by an enemy character, while in another, players create it with their own materials. But it goes without saying that FromSoftware could have done better than just recycling something from its previous title.
But they have done this a number of times
While some might not feel so positive about FromSoftware taking inspiration from their own game for a weapon in their newer title, they haven’t done it for the first time. They have recycled a bunch of things from game to game and still provided fans with a unique experience without fail.
An example of this can be Patches, a character who is always there to just deceive player characters; he is everywhere, from Dark Souls to Elden Ring. Then there is the Moonlight Greatsword, a weapon that has become a staple for FromSoftware games to such an extent that it was in Demon Souls, the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, and now it’s in Elden Ring, heck, it’s even featured in Sekiro, but in the hands of a massive dragon boss. So yes, FromSoftware does this a lot, and players have a choice: find these things or enjoy the game.
