If you’re familiar with the Soulsborne games, then you’ll know the series often features intricate worlds with interweaving paths. From the vertical labyrinths of Lordan to the winding streets of Yharnam, FromSoftware’s level design is somewhat niche. Thankfully, FromSoftware’s president, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has pre-emptively explained the premise behind the upcoming RPG Elden Ring and its elaborate map.
During a recent interview with IGN, the Dark Souls director dived into the importance of Elden Ring’s setting. During the chat, Miyazaki added some content to the RPG’s setting, which has been dubbed “The Lands Between”:
What actually is The Lands Between?
“The Lands Between is actually a name that was invented by George R.R. Martin himself when he was coming up with the impetus for this world and writing its history and its deep mythos. And we hope that as well as taking away the idea of it being the sort of impetus and the starting place for the world, we want people to feel that it’s really like an invitation to this mysterious new land.”
Of course, while Elden Ring is set to be a Soulsborne game, its map is set to be more open than ever before. According to Miyazaki, players will be able to explore The Lands Between in a completely non-linear way:
“We wanted to give a free level of progression and exploration through the Lands Between, so there’s a lot of different ways. You won’t be able to access everything from the start, but there are a lot of different ways you can approach each area. And there’s a lot of freedom as to which order you tackle different areas as well.”
Yet, while Elden Ring will feature a sprawling open world, it’ll also contain “a wide variety of catacombs, castles and fortresses which are interspersed throughout the map.” Ultimately, this means there’s more to Elden Ring’s map than the player’s eye can see. Let’s just hope there’s nothing resembling Blighttown in this game.
Hopefully, Elden Ring’s ” The Lands Between” brings FromSoftware’s world design to new heights. While an open-world Soulsborne game will certainly shake up the genre, it’ll be interesting to see how Elden Ring naturally evolves the format.
Are you eager to explore Elden Ring? Let us know on our social media channels. You can also pre-order Elden Ring via the GameByte shop!
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Featured Image Credit: Bandai Namco