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Elden Ring gives players more freedom than previous Souls games

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FromSoftware’s Elden Ring was easily one of the biggest reveals of the E3 season. In an interview with IGN, series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki revealed new details on the title, including its emphasis on player freedom

ELDEN RING - Official Gameplay Reveal

Elden Ring is the newest entry in what fans dub the “Souls series,” and it is taking a much more open approach to the formula that past games set. Miyazaki has called the game “the evolution of Dark Souls,” and now we know what that entails.

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Instead of being put on a relatively linear path, Elden Ring will take an approach similar to the open world of Breath of the Wild, where players are able to tackle the six areas of the game in any order they choose. There is also a mainline road for players who would rather stick to the norm and not get lost. To keep disorientation at a minimum, along with the mainline route, there is also fast travel.

In line with the new focus on freedom, Miyazaki made sure to keep rewardd and progression consistent in all possible routes of player travel. He says players will be able to find various elements and resources to craft items, weapons, and more, no matter which way they go, keeping the sense of growth steady despite how players choose to progress.

Along with freedom in the way that players traverse the world, there is going to be tons of creativity and liberty in combat. Much like in the Dark Souls series, the game will give no direction on how to handle different situations and enemy encounters, leaving players to decide if they want to stealthily take on enemies or go out guns blazing.

Adding to the combat freedom, Miyazaki says the character customization system will be going even further, with equipment taking a new approach to character builds.

“You’re free to combine your different skills with different weapons. You’re free to build your character with different weapons and equipment,” Miyazaki tells IGN. “You’re free to learn magic as well. So if you throw all of these things in, we think the build customization is going to be even richer and even more varied than before.”

Elden Ring will hit PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on January 21, 2022.

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DeAngelo Epps
DeAngelo Epps
Former Digital Trends Contributor
De'Angelo Epps is a gaming writer passionate about the culture, communities, and industry surrounding gaming. His work ranges…
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