LordOfChaos
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THE WORLD IS HUGE
For the first time, FromSoftware is tackling an open world. Called the “Land Between,” Elden Ring’s fantasy realm is a series of dungeons connected by a vast overworld. It’s a big change for the studio — and it involved a lot of iteration and learning.“When we first set out, we knew we wanted to create a very large world, and have that interspersed with these legacy dungeons, that sort of structure,” Kitao says. “But we thought the overworld would become a lot more flat and plain, and be there to connect these dungeons. As we built it out, we learned that we wanted the Lands Between to have a lot more character, and a lot more verticality, and more intricate design. So we ended up handcrafting a lot of this map, and trying to make it as interesting to explore as possible.”
YOU GET A GHOST HORSE
Maybe the best part of the open world is that you’ll get a horse, called a spirit steed, to move around quicker. It looks cool and can even accompany you into battle. More importantly — as has been the case in games like The Witcher 3 and Shadow of the Colossus — it sounds like you’ll be able to form a connection with your ethereal horse over the course of the journey.“We hope that players can form at least a small bond with the spirit steed,” says Kitao. “It is a unique creature that is inherited by the player, so it is unique to them. You can’t choose or ride any horse in the game. You will be able to do small interactions, such as feeding it to regain its health and small things like this. Hopefully through this the player will be able to form a small attachment.”
THE MONSTERS ARE TERRIFYING
One thing that hasn’t changed: Elden Ring still has the inventive and often horrifying monsters for which From games are known. During a brief gameplay video I witnessed gigantic dragons, a troll that look ripped from Attack on Titan, an unsettlingly stretchy snake-man, and a boss that looked like a whole bunch of dead bodies smushed together. At one point there was a giant bird with swords in its talons, tossing explosive barrels at the player. According to Kitao, the variety and creativity of From’s creature designs comes in part from the studio’s process.Three more points at the article
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