Elden Ring Hands-on Preview

With FromSoftware’s open world action-RPG Elden Ring set to go live later this month, Game Informer brings us this massive preview based on roughly ten hours with the game. In short, Elden Ring definitely looks like a spiritual successor to Dark Souls, as opposed to From’s more action-focused spin-offs.

Now, if you wouldn’t mind knowing what the game actually has in store for you, you should definitely check the preview out. Alternatively, if you’re not looking for spoilers, you might still want to skim it for some quotes from the game’s director Hidetaka Miyazaki.

A couple of paragraphs to get you started:

From Software brings everything it’s achieved in the last decade of releases into this singular, massive entity that brings the best bits of its previous creations into a vibrant open world. As always, From Software’s honed duality of challenge and triumph go hand in hand, and players will find themselves continually tested against brutal opponents and unforgiving environments. With perseverance, any opponent can be felled. However, with the vastness of a gigantic, multi-biome universe to explore, players can enjoy an experience where they won’t ever feel that taking on the next titanic enemy is the only course of action at any given time. There are always new secrets to discover and abilities to find.

In addition, From Software has added conveniences that don’t interfere with its signature style but take away some frustrations, like adding respawn locations near bosses to help get right back into the battle after death instead of running back under harassment. To me, these games have never been about the perceived difficulty. Instead, they are about the sense of unparalleled adventure through atmospheric environments and the rush of victory that comes with overcoming the impossible.

Join me on a journey that spans close to 10 hours of gameplay, taking me into Limgrave, Stormveil, and the exciting areas beyond. In this adventure, I battle a major boss, learn how traveling the open world makes this unlike any other From Software experience to date, and even get a bit of color from game director Hidetaka Miyazaki himself. Did you know that there are other rather large dungeons mixed in with the gargantuan legacy dungeons and mini caves, coves, and catacombs? Let’s explore and learn exactly how Elden Ring works from character creation all the way to the dazzling crystalline backdrop of the game’s “second” zone.