Elden Ring is a highly-anticipated 2022 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki and featuring worldbuilding by fantasy writer George R. R. Martin, the game is set to be released on February 25 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Players take on the role of a customizable character on a journey to repair the titular Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord in a beautifully crafted open world filled with various weapons and magic spells, as well as online multiplayer options for both cooperative and player versus player combat. The game has received critical acclaim and is expected to be a huge success.
Gameplay
Elden Ring is a highly-anticipated action role-playing game that offers players the ability to explore an open world filled with rich environments, challenging enemies, and unique weapons and magic spells. With a focus on combat and exploration, the game is set in an open world known as the Lands Between, which players can freely explore using their mount, Torrent, as a primary mode of transportation. Throughout their journey, players will encounter various NPCs and enemies, including powerful demigods who serve as the game’s main bosses. In addition to the open-world areas, the game also features hidden dungeons that offer players the chance to fight bosses and collect helpful items. Players can also choose a character class at the start of the game, which determines their starting spells, equipment, and attributes. With a range of weapons and magic spells at their disposal, players can engage in both melee and ranged combat, using stealth mechanics to avoid or target enemies for critical hits.
Elden Ring features checkpoints called Sites of Grace, which are scattered throughout the game’s areas and serve as places for players to increase their character’s attributes, change memorized spells, swap Ashes of War, and fast travel. Upon death, players will respawn at the last Site of Grace they interacted with, or can choose to respawn at certain locations marked by “Stakes of Marika” if they died nearby. To increase their attributes at Sites of Grace, players must spend Runes, an in-game currency obtained by defeating enemies. Runes can also be used to buy items and improve weapons and armor, but if a player dies, they will lose all the runes they have collected at that location, and if they die again before retrieving the runes, they will be permanently lost.
The game also includes crafting mechanics, allowing players to create items using materials and recipes found in collectibles called Cookbooks. Materials can be obtained by defeating enemies, exploring the world, or trading with merchant NPCs. Players can also summon friendly NPCs called spirits to fight enemies using Spirit Ashes, which can be discovered as the player explores the world. They can only be summoned near structures called Rebirth Monuments, which are primarily found in large areas and inside boss fight arenas.
Elden Ring also offers a multiplayer system that allows players to be summoned for both cooperative and player versus player (PvP) play over the Internet. Cooperative play involves placing a Summon Sign on the ground, which allows other players to enter the host’s world, while PvP combat involves directly challenging another player to a duel or invading their world using additional items. Hosts can also use a “Taunter’s Tongue” to increase the likelihood of invasions and decrease the time between them.
What is Elden Ring About?
Elden Ring is set in the Lands Between, a mysterious realm ruled by powerful demigods who once served under the immortal Queen Marika, the keeper of the Elden Ring – a legendary and powerful force that maintained order in the land. But when Queen Marika shattered the Elden Ring and disappeared, her demigod children began a fierce war for its pieces, an event known as the Shattering. Each demigod now holds a powerful shard of the Elden Ring, known as a Great Rune, which corrupts them with immense power.
Plot
The game begins with players taking on the role of a Tarnished, one of a group of exiles from the Lands Between who are summoned back to the realm to repair the Elden Ring and ascend to the throne.
As players embark on their quest, they will encounter a maiden named Melina who offers to act as their guide and companion, granting them the ability to turn runes into strength and providing them with a trusty steed, Torrent. Together, they journey to the Roundtable Hold, a gathering place for other Tarnished seeking to repair the Elden Ring, where they receive guidance from the Hold’s benefactor, the Two Fingers, to collect the Great Runes and bring them to the Erdtree, the home of the Elden Ring.
When players further explore the Lands Between and take on powerful demigods, they will uncover the secrets of the past and unravel the mysteries of the Elden Ring. Along the way, they will encounter a number of obstacles and challenges, including a wall of thorns blocking the interior of the Erdtree, which can only be burned away with the Flame of Ruin. Players must choose whether to journey to find the Flame of Ruin or harness the equally powerful Frenzied Flame, and depending on their choices, will lead to a different ending.
Elden Ring is an action-packed game filled with challenging combat, exploration and a captivating story. Players will be on the edge of their seats as they battle their way through the Lands Between, uncovering the secrets of the Elden Ring and ascending to the throne. With six different endings, there’s always a reason to come back and play again.
Most Challenging Game Ever Made?
Elden Ring is widely considered to be one of the most challenging games of recent years. The game received universal acclaim from critics, with many praising its open-world setting, exploration mechanics and artistic designs.
However, its difficulty level is what truly sets it apart, drawing comparisons to FromSoftware’s earlier Dark Souls games. The game’s challenging combat system and lack of easier modes have been both praised and criticized by reviewers.
Some reviewers considered Elden Ring the most accessible Souls game, saying that the player could choose to avoid difficult threats and return with more experience, while others found it to be one of the most difficult games they’ve played.
The game’s difficulty level is not for the faint of heart, and it requires players to be prepared for a challenging and rewarding experience. The game’s poor performance on PC and a number of menu and accessibility systems have also been criticized.
Despite this, the game’s high level of difficulty has been praised for offering players a challenging and rewarding experience, making it a must-play for fans of the genre.
Elden Ring Sales
Elden Ring was a massive commercial success, selling a staggering 13.4 million copies worldwide by the end of March 2022 and reaching over 17.5 million copies by September of the same year.
It was the best-selling game in multiple regions during the months of February and March, and it’s the fastest-selling game in Bandai Namco’s history. The game was a huge hit in the US, ranking as the second-best-selling game of 2022, behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, and it also performed well in Europe and Japan, becoming the tenth best-selling game in those regions.
Elden Ring’s success is a testament to the game’s captivating gameplay, challenging difficulty level and its immersive open-world setting.