Do you remember when Elden Ring first came out? That beautiful moment dates back to E3 2019, when FromSoftware rode the wave of critical acclaim for Dark Souls and Bloodborne with a new take on its signature hardcore fantasy RPG formula. It’s like Dark Souls, but not quite. A new world, a new spin. Those moments before we were able to start this new adventure were truly special and I would love to experience that feeling again. again and again.
Fast forward to today, and we can play not only Elden Ring, but its major expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree. If you’re like me, you’ve immersed yourself in new lore and tried out new weapons and amulets like a mad scientist. Elden Ring was a hit. There is no way around this problem. But rather than go back to The Lands Between and capitalize on its ridiculous popularity, I’d rather FromSoftware get back in the kitchen and cook up something new again.
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I admit, FromSoftware could go down an exciting path with a hypothetical Elden Ring 2. The creation of an entire cosmic arena of competing forces is fascinating. The Invisible Mother, the Sealed Scarlet God. The stars themselves have ambitions and motivations, and their path through the sky is a march toward their heavenly destiny. Seeing more of these characters, and the destinies between lands long after Marika’s Golden Order, was tempting, but ultimately unnecessary.
Not just because it might take some of the shine away from the player-chosen New Order in Elden Ring’s ending, forcing everyone to start a new game from a starting point, but also because of the appeal of Elden Ring The degree comes from close relationships. Marika’s relatives, most of whom are dead by the end of the game, are a big part of what makes the game special. Kelid is great, and not just because of its dungeons, boss fights, and scenery. It’s cool because it’s permeated with very personal lore. The battle between Radarn and Malenia, their armies fighting through the disaster, and the player’s role in uncovering the truth behind these events.
If you leave the environment—not just the land itself, but the time—you’re separated from the juices that make Elden Ring so rich and sweet. You need a whole new cast, a fresh narrative on a similar scale, a new backstory about war and betrayal. If you do, you might as well pack up camp and settle down in a brand new place.
With this initiative, FromSoftware is able to do some of the things it does well. Improve and develop. Take inspiration from previous games and take them to strange and interesting places. Take a look at the Smithscript weapons in Shadow of the Erdtree and the variety of hand-to-hand weapons and soul ember included. Looking back at the bigger picture – blowing up the mostly linear Souls format into a vast open world that rewards exploration more than most games I can think of. Create the Solaire class NPC questline not just once, but multiple times. FromSoftware’s games have never been better.
It’s these leaps in quality that make FromSoftware so high in my book. Being able to pull Bloodborne or Sekiro out of the hat and deliver an action RPG that surprises both new players and long-time fans of FromSoftware. Of course, these leaps do occur between sequels. We saw this with Dark Souls 2 and the culminating (if somewhat fan-favorite) Dark Souls 3. , it seems to feel more substantial and worthy of celebration.
Perhaps this perspective has found a home in my larger-than-life heart. I do enjoy booting up a new Souls game and trying to iron out all the kinks, trying to put the pieces together before VaatiVidya or another reel master lands on my YouTube page in a two-hour video. I love new areas and really like FromSoftware’s approach to game design. My taste for both leaves me craving brave new adventures in rich new worlds.
