ELDEN RING ★ A souls-like fantasy adventure

"Get better or don't!" This is the philosophy behind the video games from FromSoftware Inc. The Japanese studio's previous titles (Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice) are notorious for their high level of difficulty. Many an experienced gamer has cut their teeth on the boss battles in these games.

The company's new title, the action adventure ELDEN RINGfollows this approach. There will be no easy difficulty level. Instead, players can expect a dark fantasy world full of ruins, dungeons and dangerous warriors.

The best of the best

Nevertheless, ELDEN RING is not a simple copy of Dark Souls. It is more of a Souls-like RPG which combines elements of Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to create something new.

As with any Souls-like RPG, melee-based battles with seemingly overpowering fighters and creatures will be at the heart of the gameplay. Success depends on skillful dodging, quick blocking and the strategic use of magical abilities.

However, stealth elements, which were the main focus in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, are intended to add another tactical component to the battles. A completely new idea is that players will not find a classic skill tree that they unlock bit by bit. Instead, various skills are to be unlocked by exploring the openly designed Game world can be discovered.

An epic story in the realm of the interplanes

ELDEN RING is therefore even more focused on exploring a mysterious world than previous games from the Japanese developer. It is fitting that the head of the development team, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has teamed up with the American author George R.R. Martin. The latter is known for the novel series "The Song of Ice and Fire", which served as the basis for the popular TV series "Game of Thrones".

Martin was commissioned to develop an epic background story for the action adventure. In the fantasy realm of Zwischenland, the mighty Elden Ring of Queen Marika was broken. Her children - demigods and rulers of the plains of Zwischenland - seized the individual pieces and fought each other from then on. The players take on the role of a so-called Tainted, a doomed outsider who is given the task of reuniting the parts of the Elden Ring scattered across the realm and ascending to the rank of Elden Lord.