After leaking last week, FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin fantasy action-RPG, Elden Ring, has been officially announced by Bandai Namco during the Xbox E3 2019 briefing.
The collaborative effort between Sekiro-creator Hidetaka Miyazaki and the author of the books behind the Game of Thrones TV series reeks of Dark Souls both aesthetically and in tone with a dark, brooding ambiance, cryptic symbolism, and a cinematic trailer as confusing as it is enticing.
Severed arms are a recurring theme as is some heavy Norse imaginary notably with what appears to be a helmet-clad Valkyrie, a towering Dam troll-like creature, hair and all, and a bearded blacksmith crafting the eponymous runic Elden Ring.
The voice-over does little to illuminate what the game is about other than a heavy focus on the supernatural powers of the Elden Ring. Thanks to last week’s leak, we do know Elden Ring has ”danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to-date.”
The consensus is that rather than striking a happy medium between Dark Souls/Sekiro and A Song of Ice and Fire very much a project spearheaded by Miyazaki, which should regale fans of his back catalog of uniquely difficult and sombre games.
The trailer confirms rumors that Elden Ring is releasing on the usual trifecta of PC, PS4, and Xbox One. No word on a release date though.