Elden Ring was mysteriously introduced back in 2019, and was never mentioned again. Until now, that is, as publisher Bandai Namco unveiled a new trailer for the game. And with it, comes a quick glimpse of gameplay, and a release date.
The gameplay will be very familiar to those who have experienced the Soulsborne series. In fact, some bosses shown in the trailer have a similar Lovecraftian vibe to them the way Bloodborne did. The lore behind the game’s setting is as vague as ever, but that’s to be expected from a trailer. All that has been revealed in that the eponymous Elden Ring is the name of the central McGuffin.
According to VGC, the game will also feature online multiplayer for up to four players. The scope of this is unclear as of yet. But considering its roots, it will likely be similar to the way the Soulsborne titles have had them implemented.
The report also quotes Yasuo Miyakawa, CEO of Bandai Namco, as saying the publisher plans to develop Elden Ring outside of games. On one hand, we have seen mainly adaptations of games, mostly by Netflix these days, getting positive reception.
But on the other, we have the cautionary tale that is Final Fantasy XV. It had a single story being split into a prequel anime, the Kingsglaive movie, and the game itself. Which is itself split into the base game and multiple DLCs. All this made for a very fragmented experience for what could’ve been a great story.
But enough of all that gloom and doom from me. Elden Ring will be available on both console generations and PC on 21 January of 2022.
(Source: Bandai Namco / Youtube, VGC)
