FromSoftware has released 15 minutes of new gameplay footage from Elden Ring, the studio's highly anticipated next game.
The gameplay is comprised of multiple segments, each looking at Elden Ring's many fundamentals. While looking much like Dark Souls in many ways, there are clearly many differences in the way Elden Rings plays. The open world provides a somewhat Skyrim-like atmosphere, something particularly heightened when a dragon descends on the player character out of nowhere.
The gameplay reveals that Elden Ring's bonfire alternatives are known as a Site of Grace, and they project rays of guiding light that can be used to find new areas. The open world nature of the game means you can ignore such guidance and go wherever you please, though.
A map, built out using map fragments, can be customised using pins to highlight finds such as crafting materials or dangerous enemies. Much like in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, beacons can be placed on the map that appear as pillars of light in the game world, for use in navigation.
Much of the gameplay shown involves the discovery of Stormveil Castle, a big dungeon in the Limgrave region of the world. Here we see the difference in navigation between the big open areas of The Lands Between, which can be explored on horseback, and the more labyrinthine dungeon interiors.
A huge amount of combat is shown off in the gameplay, which demonstrates how magic is much more core to the experience this time compared to Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Bloodborne. We see spirits being summoned to attack enemies, flaming swords, and even the head of a dragon being summoned to work as a flamethrower. There are special magical attacks used with weapons, such as a wind strike that can be seen used to break an enemy's guard. And in the open world, combat can even be performed on horseback.
Of particular note in the gameplay is a boss fight with Godrick the Golden, who resides in Stormveil Castle. This multi-armed monstrosity swings a colossal golden axe, and is able to grapple your character with an arm that instead of a hand has a fire-breathing dragon head. If you've not noticed by now, dragons seem to be a pretty big deal in Elden Ring.
The gameplay demo concluded with the news that there will be special editions of the game now available for pre-order. The Collector's Edition will come with the game in a steelbook case, a 40-page artbook, a digital soundtrack, and a 23cm tall statue of Malenia, Blade of Miquella (the red-haired, helmeted character who was seen in the very first reveal of Elden Ring). The Premium version of the Collector's Edition, meanwhile, comes with all that plus a 1:1 scale replica of Malenia's winged helmet. The Premium Collector's Edition is exclusive to the Bandai Namco store.
Elden Ring will release on February 25, 2022, although those who signed up for the closed network test may be able to play a small section from November 12-14. Previously, IGN was able to see 15 minutes of gameplay which we spoke about in the first Elden Ring preview. Over time, we've learned a lot about Elden Ring, including its soul-collecting mechanic, and how its large, free-form map works.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.