It’s hard to think of a developer that loves poison swamps as much as FromSoftware does. From Demon’s Souls to Dark Souls to Bloodborne, the developer has time and time again managed to find a way to put poison swamps into their games, and these areas tend to put up a very particular kind of challenge- one that’s become notorious amongst fans of FromSoftware.
If you’re in the group that can’t get enough of From’s poison swamps- well, you’re in luck. Apparently, the upcoming Elden Ring is going to have lot of them. Speaking recently with Game Informer, FromSoftware president and Elden Ring’s director Hidetaka Miyazki (who also directed the aforementioned Soulsborne games) said that while developing the upcoming action RPG, he rediscovered his love for making poison swamps.
“In terms of how the player feels when they encounter this area that is a different story,” Miyazaki said. “But when making the game I rediscovered my love for making poison swamps. I know how people feel about them, but you know, suddenly I realize I’m in the middle of making one and I just can’t help myself. It just happens.”
Miyazaki also talked about “Scarlet Rot”, describing it as “something that is especially horrible that exists and persists” in Elden Ring’s world, suggesting that players might have to contend with this new phenomenon somewhat along the lines of poison and toxic conditions.
“In terms of Elden Ring’s story and setting there is something that is especially horrible that exists and persists in this world,” he said. “I’ll go ahead and say the name so it’s something that you can look forward to, it’s called the Scarlet Rot this is something that is separate a little bit from poison or toxicity but I hope you look forward to it.”
Clearly, Elden Ring is going throw plenty of challenges at its players- though Miyazaki believes that more people are going to finish it than past FromSoftware games.
New gameplay videos of Elden Ring have also been released of late, revealing a new dungeon called “Castle Moure”, and a new area called “Liurnia of the Lakes”.
Elden Ring launches on February 25 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.