Elden Ring’s Gameplay Heavily Based On Dark Souls, Says Director

FromSoftware has cultivated a strong audience with their Souls titles that began with Demon’s Souls in 2009. For a decade, they’ve continued in that style, with tweaks here and there, and their fanbase has gone with them. This year’s Sekiro was probably the biggest departure from that formula, emphasizing a much more in your face action approach than the games in the Souls lineage. What about the upcoming Elden Ring? Well, according to the game’s director, and creator of the Souls franchise, it’ll be familiar.

Speaking with IGN, Hidetaka Miyazaki talked about the gameplay. He reiterated that the game will be an open world title, and that the gameplay is based on the Dark Souls framework. He did also say, however, that due to the change in game structure, the flow of combat could be a different beast for even experienced players.

“Elden Ring is a third-person action RPG with a fantasy setting. Gameplay-wise, it’s heavily based on Dark Souls,” he said. “However, that doesn’t mean that it plays out in the same way. With a more open and vast environment, the way combat plays out becomes fundamentally different.”

Elden Ring is currently announced for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Curious about what Elden Ring means? You can read what Miyazaki says about the name here.