Elden Ring as we know after the E3 2019 announcement, is upcoming From Software video game made in collaboration with George RR. Martin, writer of the Game Of Thrones book series. This is all we currently know about it, with this new info being an addition upon that.
Speaking to IGN, Hidetya Miyazaki, creative director at From Software, stated that the vast open world of Elden Ring will not have any form of NPC populated towns or villages. Here’s his exact quote:
“Creating a new type of game is a big challenge for us. If we would add towns on top of that, it would become a bit too much, so we decided to create an open world style game focused on what we are best at.”
This is good news for any From Software fan of the Dark Souls series because it means that we’ll re-experience the feeling of loneliness in a harsh world. Considering the game features horseback riding further indicates how vast the world will be. The bigger it is, the lonelier it’ll feel.
The absence of NPC towns implies that the world of Elden Ring will be rather desolate. This reminds me of Breath of the Wild albeit it did have some NPC towns. Overall, the world was set after a catastrophic tragedy which looks like we’ll be seeing again in Elden Ring.
From Software also described how they don’t want their hands full as another reason for excluding populated towns. This means we can still expect good investment put into things like combat and role playing elements that the studio has been good at in the past. It will also keep the essence of a souls-borne games.
Now, does this mean the game’s story will be interpretive the way it was in the Dark Souls games? Or will it be more highlighted the way Sekiro Shadows Die Twice did? All of these questions will be answered when we get information beyond the cinematic teaser trailer.
I reckon the game will recapture the Souls series feel of ruins and remains of once great cityscapes/villages. This will be accompanied by the occasional mad NPC that talks in some sort of convoluted riddle with a little ominous laugh at the end of their line. Wouldn’t be a From Software game without that.
Although, there isn’t much information on Elden Ring yet, we have curated all the known information (including theories and speculations) in an article so if you want to know more, you can read on that too.
