FromSoftware’s upcoming fantasy action RPG Elden Ring will honor the Soulsborne tradition of secret areas and bosses.
In an interview with GamerBraves, producer Yasuhiro Kitao revealed that the game’s fantasy world, The Lands Between, will hold more than meets the eye for players seeking to challenge themselves. “First we should say that yes, there are some hidden areas that you can be transported to in Elden Ring’s world,” he said. Kitao clarified that entering these secret locales will not work similarly to the Nameless King– an optional boss from Dark Souls III, notorious for being almost as hard to find as he is to beat.
While the producer didn’t provide specific details on how to find Elden Ring‘s mysteries, he assured that “there will be some nice surprises for the players and some encounters and bosses that are maybe a little bit tricky to reach and we hope you discover each of these.”
Despite the lack of instructions, players might not find it impossible to discover some of the game’s secrets considering Kitao stated there was more to the world than just size. “It’s about the content and the motivation to explore it,” he explained. Elden Ring‘s gameplay preview also revealed the Tarnished will be granted various tools to help navigate The Lands Between, such as a map and removable beacons. Furthermore, they will be able to use a personal mount to hasten their journey through the overworld.
Elden Ring‘s seclusion of foes in difficult-to-reach areas is appropriate considering the trope’s prevalence in many of the fantasy works that influenced the game. Director Hidetaka Miyazaki stated it would be difficult to pin down what piece of media served as the biggest inspiration for Elden Ring, listing The Lord of the Rings, The Eternal Champion and RuneQuest as a few classic examples. Modern fantasy author George R. R. Martin even added his personal touch by providing Elden Ring with a detailed backstory.
“When Martin wrote these characters, and when he provided that origin story that mythos for the world of Elden Ring, these demigods were much closer to their original form,” Miyazaki said. The director also spoke about how his team interpreted the backstory of Martin’s champions, noting that it was “[FromSoftware’s] job to take these grand heroes and sort of misshape them and distort them into something they were not.”
Elden Ring launches for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC on Feb. 25.
Source: GamerBraves
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