E3 2021: Elden Ring, Trailer & Gameplay

Written by,
Sean Wall

Magic. Sword fights, & George R. R Martin give us a new game that has a lot to offer.

At the end of Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live event we got a special surprise from a long-awaited title, Elden Ring. Last we heard or saw any sort of update from the elusive title was back at E3 2019 that provided fans with plenty of PVE magic and swordplay while the player traversed through stunning environments via horseback. There’s no doubt that we’ll be getting more gameplay in the near future.

The action RPG is a collaboration project from FromSoftware and writer George R.R. Martin makes it way to next-Gen consoles on January 21, 2022. You sort of get this Bloodborne and Dark Souls reference as let’s be honest there’s many games that are taking that route of being a largely open world with a lot exploration.

In an interview with Xbox Wire, Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki revealed that he is a big fan of George R.R. Martin. He would also thank Executive Business Director Eiichi Nakajima but would start a creative process with Martin after “many free and creative conversations” about the game, which the author then used to write the “overarching mythos” of Elden Ring. The production team would then, utilize the interesting characters, drama as well as mythical and mysterious elements as inspiration.

The size and design of Elden Ring has allowed the team to do things they, “Weren’t able to do in the Dark Souls series,” according to Miyazaki. So expect to encounter mechanics and ideas well beyond the scope of what’s come before.

The trailer has a lot to unpack as you watch and this sort of feature may prove to add some dynamic style of gaming. Elden Ring promises that a day and night cycle will exist in the game along with a weather cycle. In the trailer the main character is seen resting at a bonfire with a massive, Yggdrasil-like Erdtree Tre in the background. In multiple games a day and night cycle triggered certain events only available during those times hopefully this is the case in Elden Ring, which means players might have to actually rest by the bonfire to restore health, get those exclusive items or complete a certain event.

When it comes to story, Miyazaki has hinted the Elden Ring is the “name given to a mysterious concept that defines the world itself.“

Here’s the what’s on the official website in terms of the story:

Rise, Tarnished, and be guided by grace to brandish the power of the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord in the Lands Between. In the Lands Between ruled by Queen Marika the Eternal, the Elden Ring, the source of the Erdtree, has been shattered. Marika’s offspring, demigods all, claimed the shards of the Elden Ring known as the Great Runes, and the mad taint of their newfound strength triggered a war: The Shattering. A war that meant abandonment by the Greater Will. And now the guidance of grace will be brought to the Tarnished who were spurned by the grace of gold and exiled from the Lands Between. Ye dead who yet live, your grace long lost, follow the path to the Lands Between beyond the foggy sea to stand before the Elden Ring. And become the Elden Lord.

Elden Ring is releasing on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC on January 21st, 2022.

For more check out the trailer below: