Unleashing Elden Ring: Breaking the Boundaries of Soulslike Gaming
Elden Ring's expansive open world presents both benefits and challenges that future Soulslike imitators must consider when attempting to recreate its formula This article explores the pros and cons of the game's enormity and emphasizes the importance of preserving the distinctiveness that sets Soulslikes apart
Highlights
Elden Ring's success is a testament to FromSoftware's formula, but future imitators shouldn't try to replicate its massive size.
The open-world design of Elden Ring balances exploration and meaningful encounters, although its size can sometimes feel overwhelming. In order to stand out, future Soulslike games should prioritize their own distinct features and mechanics instead of attempting to replicate Elden Ring's massive scale.
Recently, there has been a surge in the popularity of Soulslike games, and this trend is likely to continue as long as developers draw inspiration from FromSoftware. The success of Elden Ring indicates that FromSoftware will likely continue developing games using their tried-and-true formula, while also exploring new genres such as Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. However, future imitators should not try to replicate Elden Ring's vastness for their own benefit.
Elden Ring is a fully immersive open-world game, which could have easily overshadowed the core gameplay elements of a Souls-like action RPG. While crafting may not be as integral as it appears, the grand scale of the Lands Between adds value to each mechanic, depending on the ambitions of the players. If a future Soulslike game attempts to mimic Elden Ring, it is bound to face the same challenges that FromSoftware has encountered.
Elden Ring’s Size Comes with Pros and Cons
Elden Ring's map garnered early praise for its immense size, captivating players with its ability to surprise and restrict their exploration initially. This intriguing effect is best experienced when stumbling upon a teleporter that transports them to the northernmost point of the map, revealing the vast expanse lying between these two intersecting locations.
Progressing further becomes a daunting task due to the unparalleled freedom offered by Elden Ring. Fans have the liberty to venture in any direction they desire, avoiding intimidating bosses and adversaries in favor of exploring other areas. However, unlike other open-world games that often suffer from empty landscapes or excessive content, Elden Ring strikes a harmonious balance. Its locations are richly immersive and enjoyable, consistently offering exciting encounters and mysteries around every corner.
Each region of the Lands Between is also distinct enough to leave a lasting impression, whether players find themselves traversing the desolate red wasteland of Caelid or wading through the enchanting yet water-logged realm of Liurnia. However,
Soulslikes Should Stick to What Makes Them All Unique
becomes evident when enemies or bosses begin to be reused, particularly in the dungeons that players venture into. Furthermore, fans have debated that the linearity of Souls games is more desirable during subsequent playthroughs, as starting anew in Elden Ring's vast world can feel like a daunting task.
Soulslike games are rarely blatant copies of FromSoftware games. Instead, what sets them apart is their unique elements that make them compelling as games influenced by a specific formula and subgenre. Take Mortal Shell, for instance. At first glance, it closely resembles Dark Souls in a screenshot. However, once players actually try the game and discover the Shell system, they will find that its mechanics and level designs diverge significantly. This system dictates a specific playstyle and adds an intriguing layer to the gameplay experience.
The art direction of Lords of the Fallen follows a familiar dark fantasy approach, but what sets it apart is its ability to enter another plane of existence in real-time, which adds a unique and fascinating aspect to the game. The game Lies of P could be considered a successor to Bloodborne and is heavily inspired by Pinocchio. Its rally mechanic and adherence to another intellectual property allow it to offer character-driven narratives and dynamic consequences based on the protagonist's ability to lie, giving players choices and a distinct experience.
However, if a game in the style of Soulslike were to attempt to emulate the vastness of Elden Ring, it may fall short in comparison. It's important to remember that quantity does not always surpass quality. Elden Ring is still an exceptional game in terms of quality, but an imitator may struggle to execute these inspirations as brilliantly.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Series X/S.
