Announced via the game’s official Japanese website, the series will debut online later this year. An official statement (translated by Google) confirms that the show will be "an original story set in the Sinnoh region", and "is scheduled to be released in early summer 2022.”
The series will be produced by WIT Studio which worked on Pokémon the Movie: Everyone's Story as well as popular anime show Attack on Titan.
Along with the announcement, The Pokémon Company teased a glimpse of the upcoming anime series with a rather cool image (below). We see a trainer trudging through a snowy forest while glancing back towards a Pokémon which seems to be following them – the shadow of a Hisuian Zorua cast ominously on the snow behind them.
The Hisuian Zorua is a regional variant of the popular Pokémon which can only be found in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Described as an “online series”, it’s likely that the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Arceus anime will debut on the official Pokémon YouTube channel later this year.
This would be similar to last year’s release of Pokémon Evolutions – an eight-part series that explored the different Pokémon regions during the game’s 25th anniversary.
Arceus takes the Pokémon series back in time, placing players amid the history of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl's Sinnoh location, in a time where Pokémon were feared more than they were friends.
IGN’s review of Pokémon Legends: Arceus described it as “an ambitious revamp that successfully revolutionizes the defining Pokémon experiences of catching and battling, but is unfortunately set in a drab, empty, and at times tedious world.”
Elden Ring has already dominated the gaming sphere since it launched on February 25 and, at least on Steam, it's only growing in popularity.
Per SteamDB data, Elden Ring has hit record peak concurrent users every day since it was released. More than 764,000 played Elden Ring on February 25, followed by more than 861,000 the next day, and more than 891,000 the day after.
Elden Ring's peak concurrent users is 891,638, placing it seventh in the all-time list behind only New World, Cyberpunk 2077, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: GO, Lost Ark, and PUBG: Battlegrounds in first.
But it's fast approaching sixth place. Elden Ring is currently just 21,996 peak concurrent users behind New World, meaning if the trend continues and even more people play it today, February 28, then it could move even higher up the list. That may be a tough task immediately – weekdays tend to see lower player numbers than weekends – but it feels increasingly likely to come down the line.
In our 10/10 review, IGN said: "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path."
I can't put a finger on why Borderlands 3 never clicked with me, but outside of its excellent expansions, I never felt enamored with its world. It wasn't until my chance to play a few hours of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands I think I unraveled my feelings towards the last numbered entry in the series: the stakes felt too high and were often at odds with the humor Borderlands is known for. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, on the other hand, is pure fantasy, in more ways than one.
Its story is completely self-contained, and so while I was playing through the quests offered during the four-hour preview, I never got the dissonance I felt from Borderlands 3. Instead I felt exactly how I want to feel when I'm playing Borderlands: invested in the story so much as it helps guide my path to more loot and ridiculous enemy battles. I was really excited by the creative flexing the Gearbox team is able to do within the self-contained Wonderlands universe, and its ties to the Borderlands series gives it that extra sense of familiarity without feeling stale. In other words, as far as Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is concerned, I'm pretty optimistic about the final product, even if I did run into a few Borderlands staples I'm less than fond of.
Finally Fantasy
Borderlands has always worn its RPG roots on its sleeve, so it's really awesome to see the Gearbox team go all-in with Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. If you haven't been paying attention to our IGN First coverage, here's a brief to help you orient yourself: Pandora's most popular tabletop RPG, Bunkers and Badasses, is back, with everyone's favorite BM (that's Bunker Master, what did you think it meant?) at the helm. You're Fatemaker and you're tasked with stopping the evil Dragonlord from doing his evil Dragonlord things. The most recent preview dropped me right into the start of a quest to liberate a group of goblins from the oppressive shackles of their overseers inside an ore mine. It sounds like it's pretty serious, but trust me: it's Borderlands distilled through a Tiny Tina filter. It's silly and lighthearted, not super-serious and dark.
The best-feeling parts of Borderlands' environments are here, they're just given a new fantasy facelift.
Right away, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands feels like Borderlands... in Skyrim. I started off at the edge of a massive mountain ridge, with gorgeous green grasses swaying in the breeze. Those grasslands quickly give way to a craggy mountain range inhabited by element-spewing wyverns and other fantastical creatures of the realm. I really liked how it at once feels familiar but also new. The best-feeling parts of Borderlands' environments—how they branch out to guide you on your path but also leave just enough wiggle room to discover a chest or two hidden out of sight—are here, they're just given a new fantasy facelift. I played through one part that gave me a distinct Caustic Caverns feel, which is one of my favorite areas from Borderlands 2, but it didn't feel derivative. It felt like its own thing while still giving me a little tickle in the nostalgia glands.
Aesthetically, Gearbox really knocked it out of the park with Wonderlands. I think it's the best looking Borderlands game to date. The environments feel really alive, and even the dankest, darkest caves have a vibrance about them. Audio design, too, is quite nice. I couldn't help but notice the sounds of birds chirping as I explored the overworld. Well, I heard them after I blasted my way through a few waves of Bunkers and Badasses' uh… badasses. But once they were all dead and the loot gathered, the subtle chirp of birds in the high mountain village was music to my ears.
In my time with Tiny Tina's Wonderlands' extended preview, I freed the aforementioned goblins and I also had a run-in with Claptrap, whose exterior appearance has been adapted to fit Tiny Tina's vision of what a robot would look like in a fantasy world. I definitely enjoyed making my way through the quests, but they do feel… familiar. The classic Borderlands quest formula of move to point A, defeat baddies, smash or shoot or loot quest item, then move to point B and repeat until quest is over is in the preview I played.
I'm happy to say the quests move along at a nice pace, but one of the things I found disagreeable about Borderlands 3 was how each part of the quest tended to get bogged down in expositional dialogue. What dialogue is here is funny and actually fits the concept of a tabletop RPG really well, though. For example, your gaming companion Valentine wonders why they don't just steal the magical items they're tasked with retrieving, while another member of the party, Frette, reminds Valentine about how the heroes they're roleplaying would act. This little conversation, which is over in less than a minute, helped nail the feeling of playing a game inside a game.
The mechanics of Wonderlands are solid, built on the tried and true Borderlands formula, and its pedigree is undeniable. While I do have my worries the quests might feel a little too arbitrarily broken up, the little touches from having Tina running a tabletop game makes it feel more substantial that it otherwise would without the double-layer of a game inside a game. I'm very interested to see how the final game shapes up.
Seth Macy is Executive Editor, IGN Commerce, and just wants to be your friend. You can find him hosting the Nintendo Voice Chat podcast.
The latest batch of game consoles have not exactly been easy to find in stock. That has only recently changed, and only really for the Xbox Series S and Nintendo Switch OLED, both of which can often be found in stock at various retailers. But right now, for the first time, you can grab an Xbox Series S on sale for $249.99, a full $50 off the MSRP. The deal is live at Woot, and it's only available today for as long as supplies last. If you could use one, now's the time to grab it. This is the best Xbox Series S deal we've seen yet.
Xbox Series S: Save $50
Woot is owned by Amazon, and Amazon Prime members get free shipping on the deal (you can sign up here). Otherwise, shipping is $6, which still puts it comfortably in "the best Xbox Series S deal we've ever seen" territory.
The Xbox Series S is the digital-only model of the latest-generation console from Microsoft. It can run all the same games the Series X can run, but it does so at a lower resolution, making it a good choice for people who don't plan on upgrading to a 4K TV anytime soon. It also makes a good second console for anyone who might not have access to their main TV all the time (thanks, roommates/kids/etc.).
Being a digital-only console, the Series S lacks a disc drive, which means you can only play downloadable games on it. This is fine for many people, especially if you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, which gets you access to a huge library of Xbox games, including all first-party titles on day one. That means you can play games like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, along with tons of indies and third-party titles like The Sims 4 and Back 4 Blood (and other games, potentially even ones without the number four in the title).
This is by far the best deal we've seen yet on a new-gen console. In fact, it's one of the only deals we've seen yet. So if you want it, grab it. It's not likely to stick around for long.
The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet reveal trailer is full of brand new information, but eagle-eyed fans believe it also helps prove there was a hint to the new games inside 2019's Sword and Shield.
Reddit user DDD-HERO posted an image of Sword and Shield's Hotel Ionia in Circhester. Since launch the hotel has featured a roped-off room with wallpaper decorated with oranges and grapes, seemingly not seen elsewhere in the game.
While this sounds odd, oranges and grapes also appear to be a part of the visual theming in Scarlet and Violet. The new games' location appears to be based on Spain, which is known for its blood oranges and grapes – both fruits feature throughout the new trailer, and could be seen to represent the colours of scarlet and violet.
The gameplay clips don't reference this too much - although we do see a few orange trees in the new open world - but the live-action portion of the trailer shows mounted shields featuring the two fruits, and a fruit bowl full of them too.
Fans therefore think that developer Game Freak was teasing Scarlet and Violet in Sword and Shield by including the cordoned-off area. Other theories go as far as to presume the area will be opened up and include cross-generation interactivity when the new games are released.
You can see the images of oranges and grapes in the Scarlet and Violet trailer below:
An update to DDD-HERO hero's Reddit post includes what's being seen as another potential reference to the future games, this time in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. In the original Diamond and Pearl, a patch of flowers in the games' starting town were white, but the remakes change them to a scarlet and violet pattern.
Coming in late 2022, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are promised to be an "evolutionary" step for the franchise set in an "open world where various towns with no borders blend seamlessly into the wilderness."
The Batman's Robert Pattinson has shared his love for Final Fantasy 7 and the Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa "love triangle" that caused him a lot of (Cloud) strife growing up.
Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz were being interviewed by Clique and Pattinson began excitedly talking about Final Fantasy 7, specifically the difficult choice of having to choose to fall in love with Aerith or Tifa.
“I was in love with Aeris & Tifa.” -robert pattinson about the Final Fantasy 7 love triangle pic.twitter.com/cnHmhpJmm7
"I was in love with Aeris & Tifa," Pattinson revealed. "It’s the two options of girls… It’s a love triangle where Aeris, or Aerith depending on what version of the game you have… its sometimes mistranslated. She’s really kind girl that has superpowers to heal everyone and make the world a better place…"
"Poor women, we have to heal everyone," Kravitz interjected. "It's exhausting."
"And Tifa is this sexy little thing, she’s like a thief and wears this short skirt, and you’re like, ‘I can’t decide!' Then Aerith, right at her peak, gets killed," Pattinson continued. "This is how every guy who plays figures out what love is..."
"The one that’s going to heal everything and the one in the short skirt? These are the options? Oh my god, this is the problem with the world,” Kravitz responded.
During his press tour for Tenet, Robert Pattinson revealed to GameSpot that Final Fantasy 7 was his favorite game of all time. He even admitted that it was one of the few times he cried in his life when Aeirth, his "first love," was killed by Sephiroth.
Today is Pokemon's 26th birthday, and The Pokemon Company celebrated by sharing a Pokemon Presents that revealed, among other things, that the open world Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be headed to the Nintendo Switch in 2022.
Pokemon Day 2022 also unveiled new updates for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and many more. To help ensure you don't miss a thing, we've gathered all the biggest announcements below.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet Announced for Late 2022
Generation 9 will officially begin later this year when Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet arrive on Nintendo Switch in 2022. This open world game "where various towns with no borders blend seamlessly into the wilderness" will be an "evolutionary" step for the Pokemon franchise.
We were also introduced to the starter Pokemon, and they are wonderful. When Trainer begin their journey, they will choose between the Grass Cat Sprigatito, the Fire Croc Fuecoco, or the Water Duckling Quaxly.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus Daybreak Update Arrives Later Today
Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Daybreak update (Ver. 1.1.0) will arrive later today and will have Trainers "investigating mysterious mass outbreaks of Pokemon that are popping up all over the HIsui region." They will also be able to battle "powerful opponnents - like Legendary Pokemon and Wardens - adding yet more options to the Pokemon battle experience."
Players will also be able to recieve 30 Ultra Balls, Gigaton Balls, and Jet Balls by entering the password ARCEUSADVENTURE in the Mystery Gifts menu before March 31, 2022.
Furthermore, there will be an online animated series set in Pokemon Legends: Arceus' Hisui region that will launch later in 2022 with an original story.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Trainers Will Be Able to Add Shaymin to Their Party
By using an item called Oak's Letter, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl players will be able to catch the Mythical Pokemon Shaymin by talking to Professor Oak on Route 224.
Pokemon GO to Add Pokemon From the Alolan Region on March 1
Pokemon that call Pokemon Sun and Moon's Alola region home will begin appearing in Pokemon GO on March 1. Until then, Alolan Form Exeggutor will be available to catch.
Pokemon Masters EX Celebrates 2.5 Years With Free Gifts
In celebration of Pokemon Day and it being 2.5 years since Pokemon Masters EX was released, players can earn 3,000 gems and scout 10 sync pairs each day for 10 days for free. Trainers May, Skyla, and Raihan will also become available in special outfits.
Pokemon Cafe ReMix Adds Bonuses for Pokemon Day 2022
In celebration of Pokemon Day 2022, Pokemon Cafe Remix players will be able to enjoy a log-in bonus of a celebratory outfit for Bulbasaur, a "four-day period of an increased chance of Shiny Piplup appearing," and that chance to try out the game's new Delivery feature 11 times for free.
Pokemon Unite Players Can Try Out Mythical Pokemon Hoopa and Earn Its License
The Mythical Pokemon Hoopa has joined Pokemon UNITE and all players can try them out for free in celebration of Pokemon Day 2022. Additionally, those who log in between now and March 14 will receive a Pokemon Day hat and t-shirt in-game. Lastly, full-fury battles were shown and Duraludon was revealed as the next Pokemon to join the roster.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email tonewstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter@AdamBankhurstand onTwitch.
The Pokemon Company has announced that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, a brand new open world Pokemon adventure, will be released on Nintendo Switch in late 2022.
Announced During Pokemon Day 2022's Pokemon Presents, these two new Game Freak-developed games will feature a new region and its three starters have already been revealed. At the beginning of the game, Trainers will need to choose between the Grass Cat Sprigatito, the Fire Croc Fuecoco, or the Water Duckling Quaxly.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are an "evolutionary" step for the Pokemon franchise and feature an "open world where various towns with no borders blend seamlessly into the wilderness." The Pokemon Company also notes that "Pokemon can be seen everywhere in this wide-open world - in the skies, in the sea, and on the streets."
While we obviously don't all the differences between the two versions, it has been revealed that Trainers will "have a different outfit depending on which game thye are playing."
Sprigatito the Grass Cat has the Overgrow ability and its description says they are "capricious" and "attention-seeking." Fuecoco the Fire Croc has the Blaze ability and is "laid-back" and "does things at its own pace." Quaxly the Water Duckling has the Torrent ability and is "earnest and tidy."
Nintendo has made the decision to not have any Super Smash Bros. game be part of EVO 2022, the world's largest fighting game tournament that is now owned by Sony, for the first time since 2007.
EVO shared a letter announcing the news on Twitter ahead of the EVO 2022 announcement show on March 8 at 5pm PTT/8pm ET.
"Please join us March 8 at 5pm PST on twitch.tv/evo for the EVO 2022 announcement show," EVO wrote. "While we're thankful for all the amazing games joining us later this year in Las Vegas, we want to let you know in advance that Super Smash Bros. will not be making a return appearance.
"Since 2007, we've seen historic Super Smash Bros. moments created at EVO's events. We are saddened that Nintendo has chosen not to continue that legacy with us this year. In the future, we hope to once again celebrate the Super Smash Bros. community alongside them."
Nintendo's choice to not be part of EVO follows Sony's purchase of the fighting game tournament in 2021. At the time of the acquisition announcement, Nintendo said that it wishes the show's organizers the best and that it will continue to assess EVO in the future. That decision, at least for now, appears to have been made.
"Nintendo has enjoyed engaging with fans at past Evo tournaments and wish the show organizers the best with their new venture. We will continue to assess Evo, and other opportunities, as we plan for future online and offline Super Smash Bros. tournament activity.” A spokesperson for Nintendo said in March 2021.
EVO 2022 is currently set to take place from August 5-7 in Las Vegas.
So, not only will 2022 be the first year without new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate content as in 2021 Sora was the final DLC fighter to be released, but fans will also have to look elsewhere to see competitive Smash battles.
Every good JRPG usually ends with the player killing God. But never has a game made me want to defeat an all-powerful deity more than Pokemon Legends: Arceus has.
That's because the titular character of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, aka the Pokemon God themself, is far from a benevolent, kind being that cares about their creation. Instead, Arceus is a massive evil jerkward that doesn't care about the world a bit, and provokes the most tragic story a Pokemon game has ever told.
Warning: This article and the video embedded contain major spoilers for the entire storyline of Pokemon: Legends Arceus, including the post-game. Watch only if you don't care about spoilers or have finished the entire main story quest.
In this video breakdown of the game's ending, I go over the ways in which Arceus proves themself throughout Pokemon Legends to be not merely chaotic neutral, but thoroughly evil. Its crimes include kidnapping children, causing permanent amnesia in train conductors, trapping benevolent demigods in horrible upside down dimensions, ignoring the plight of the people they're meant to protect, foisting all its responsibilities onto others who are less equipped to handle them, and ditching their godly responsibilities to play collect-a-thon games and go off on larks across the country. You know, for funsies.
And unlike the major tragedies of other Pokemon games, Pokemon Legends: Arceus doesn't get a happy ending for those Arceus made to suffer the most. Unless, of course, DLC is coming, in which case we have to pay extra money for a satisfying ending to these divinely-inflicted tragedies.
In the end, Pokemon Legends: Arceus doesn't let us kill God, but the Pokemon God sure proves they would deserve it if it did.
Marvel and Fortnite are once again teaming up for a new comic mini-series that will launch in June 2022 and star Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, and Shuri.
As detailed on Marvel.com, Fortnite X Marvel: Zero War follows 2020's Fortnite X Marvel - Nexus War: Thor and has our heroes on the hunt for a crystallized fragment of the Zero Point that was sent to the Marvel Universe. Spider-Man and Wolverine will team up with Shuri and "several fan-favorites from Fortnite" to find this Zero Shard.
Spider-Geddon's Christos Gage will be writing the story and he is teaming up with Epic Games' CCO Donald Mustard and artist Sergio Davila (Captain Marvel) to bring this series to life that will have "enormous ramifications for both universes."
Fortnite X Marvel: Zero War will contain five issues and those who are subscribed to Marvel Unlimited and read all of the comics will be able to unlock a code for a cosmetic in Fortnite. Each first print issue will also contain a code to unlock a bonus digital cosmetic in the battle royale.
One week following each book's release, the cosmetics will be made available for purchase in Fortnite's Item Shop. Details on what these items will be will come at a later date.
“At its heart, the series is an adventure story, with characters from both universes coming together to go on a treasure hunt into the deepest, darkest depths of the Marvel Universe.” Marvel Comics editor Alanna Smith said, “Donald Mustard and Christos Gage have such a deep love for both Fortnite and Marvel, and Sergio Davíla is turning in some absolutely unreal pages. Having the amazing Leinil Francis Yu on main covers and a killer lineup of Marvel artists on variants has been a real gift as well. This is going to be the ultimate team-up, where the best of both Fortnite and Marvel are represented.”
Elden Ring is finally out now, and it's been verified to work well on Steam Deck – which is also released today.
Valve has already confirmed that Elden Ring, the wildly popular new release from FromSoftware, is “fully functional” on the company’s handheld gaming device.
“Valve’s testing indicates that Elden Ring is Verified on Steam Deck,” reads the compatibility checker. This game is fully functional on Steam Deck and works great with built-in controls and display.”
What exactly does this mean? Well, games that are given the “verified” status must satisfy four different criteria:
Input: The game has full controller support, uses appropriate controller input icons, and automatically brings up the on-screen keyboard when needed.
Display: The game supports the default Steam Deck resolution (1280x800 or 1280x720), has good default settings, and in-game text is legible.
Seamlessness: The game doesn’t display any compatibility warnings, and if there’s a launcher it’s navigable with a controller.
System Support: If running through Proton (which allows Windows software to run on Linux systems) the game and its middleware are supported. This includes anti-cheat support.
Valve’s Steam Deck was officially released today, alongside Elden Ring, and offers gamers more or less the only chance to play the punishing action RPG on the go, since the game hasn't launched on Nintendo Switch.
“Even after 87 hours of blood, sweat, and tears that included some of the most challenging fights I’ve ever fought, and innumerable surprises, there are still bosses that I left on the table, secrets that I’ve yet to uncover.”
Check out our Elden Ring wiki for guides and walkthroughs to help you take your first steps through the Lands Beyond.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him onTwitter.
Bandai Namco has apologized for a number of performance issues affecting Elden Ring players, including numerous complaints of frame rate issues on PC.
In a post on its website, the publisher acknowledged that the game is "currently experiencing some issues that are preventing the game from playing properly under some conditions," and apologized while asking for patience.
By far the biggest compaint around the game's current state is about frame rate and stuttering issues on PC. The game is currently seeing "Mixed" reviews on Steam, with many complaints focused on the above issues. That issue has been exacerbated by the fact that console versions received a patch to alleviate frame rate problems (among other things) on launch day, with no such update for PC
"Struggling to maintain 60FPS/1080p on a 3080," wrote Steam player shmoople, summing up many similar messages "massive stuttering and drops to the mid 20s, crashed 4 times within 2 hours of game time, 60 FPS cap, and no ultrawide support."
Bandai Namco acknowledged the problems, saying that it would be "constantly working to improve the game so that it can be played comfortably on various PC environments and platforms." The publisher also suggested that updating graphics card drivers could help alleviate the issues.
The notes cover a three other key areas too, comprising issues with mouse sensitivity, Easy Anti-Cheat, and games not saving properly on PS5. You can read the full notes below:
Elden Ring Performance Issues Statement
Regarding the problem of the mouse being too sensitive in the PC version
We will be sending out a patch for this issue in the near future.
Regarding the problem of Easy Anti-Cheat failing to launch when the Steam account name is set to 2-byte characters.
We are aware of the cause of this issue and will be providing a patch in the near future.
Regarding the phenomenon of frame rate and other performance-related issues during gameplayWe will be constantly working to improve the game so that it can be played comfortably on various PC environments and platforms.
For the PC version, updating your graphics card drivers to the latest version may significantly improve performance.
About the phenomenon of game data that does not save correctly in the PlayStation 5 version
If the PS5 console is unexpectedly turned off while playing a game or in rest mode, saved data may not be saved correctly.
We are aware of the cause of this issue and are working on a patch to correct it, but until the patch is released, please save your game manually by exiting the game regularly.
Game data will be saved correctly if you quit the game by opening the system menu using the OPTION button and selecting "Quit Game.”
Over on console, things are a different story – our performance review of new-gen versions found issues with all formats, but concluded that the PS5 version is currently the most stable console version.
Aside from performance, Elden Ring's reception is a different story. We awarded it a full 10/10, saying it brings "relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path." It's currently one of the best-reviewed games in modern history.
Our Elden Ring guide will be growing over time — make sure you give it a look if you need help through The Lands Between.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him onTwitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email tonewstips@ign.com.
Warning: this article contains mild spoilers for Elden Ring.
In the lead up to Elden Ring’s launch, there’s been one breakout character who has been embraced by the community: Pot Boy. Later called Pot Friend by Bandai Namco, this sentient ceramic has captured the hearts of thousands.
But we’ve got bad news about the pot boys. They’re definitely not all friends.
The most famous of the pot boys is Alexander. He’s the one you may have seen in gameplay clips who is stuck in the ground in need of aid. Don’t worry about this big lad; he’s a friend, and will even clue you in on an important location.
But not every one of his kin is so friendly. Within the walls of some of Elden Ring’s dungeons, you’ll come across both small and large versions of these pot boys. Officially known as Living Jars, the large versions can be particularly aggressive, and use a variety of rolling and slamming attacks to pulverize your health bar. Your only options in these instances are to either run away or - more likely - shatter that ceramic exterior so the jar’s red liquid insides can splatter all over the floor and walls.
Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama has said that he'd like to someday return to psychological horror and create another game like his spooky classic.
Talking as part of a Q&A session about his new studio, Bokeh Game Studio, Toyama explained that he does hope to one day create something similar to Silent Hill, but that right now he has the ability to make something more action-packed, and so that's what he wants to chase with Bokeh's first game, Slitterhead.
"I want someday to do something with some classic psychological horror themes like I did with Silent Hill," he said. "However, I’d rather do that when working with really limited resources, such as budget or having to focus on one individual. Right now, we have staff with the ability to work on action. I want to leverage their skills to go in another direction."
"Still, I also want to make something more personal someday," he concluded.
Slitterhead features action and combat sequences, but also involves aspects of more cerebral horror. "I wanted a game that could be enjoyed for its action, yet whose concept doesn’t solely revolve around killing enemies," Toyama explained. "It conflicts with the mind, making the players reluctant to enter certain fights. I want to achieve both action and drama with this game."
So while Slitterhead won't be like Silent Hill, there's still more to the game than just fighting human-eating monsters. Bokeh aims to use horror to "deepen the sense of immersion for the player" and won't just focus on gore.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Elden Ring’s first location.
Elden Ring has continued FromSoftware’s long running in-joke by once again including a character that Souls fans love to hate.
In Elden Ring’s opening location of Limgrave players can find Patches, the bald trickster who has constantly pulled pranks on players throughout the Soulsborne series of games.
This time around, Patches can be found in the Murkwater Cave. Should you wish to find him you’ll want to follow the river north and keep your eye out for a dungeon entrance. Once again he can be a valuable ally thanks to his collection of wares on sale (you might want to inspect his inventory before heading into Stormveil Castle) but he’ll prove a nuisance before offering you any help, naturally.
This is the sixth incarnation of Patches. He first appeared in Demon’s Souls as Patches the Hyena, and was later seen in Dark Souls (as Trusty Patches), Bloodborne (as Patches the Spider), and Dark Souls 3 and its Ringed City DLC (as Unbreakable Patches). Dark Souls 2 also features a Patches-style character, but was known as Mild-Mannered Pate.
Warning: This article contains descriptions of graphic content, including bodily mutilation, sexual content, and more. This article also contains what could be considered spoilers - proceed at your own discretion.
Having spoken to publisher Wired Interactive, and consulted with IGN's reviewer, we now know that the PlayStation version has removed interactivity from scenes where players slice and peel off a corpse's face and cut open a corpse's womb with scissors.
References to masturbation were also removed, and the PlayStation version features more detailed content warnings at the start of the game than other platforms.
An optional censored mode was also added to the PS4 and PS5 versions that, if turned on, entirely removes the face peeling and womb cutting scenes, alongside scenes depicting miscarriage and suicide. All versions of the game feature an option to censor scenes of self harm in the final chapter, but Xbox and PC versions do not include the expanded censored mode on PlayStation.
Charity Safe In Our World was approached by developer LKA to include a message within Martha is Dead to help players struggling with mental health issues, and this is now displayed at the beginning and end of the game on all versions, including Xbox and PC.
The changes were announced on February 14, ten days before the game launched on February 24, alongside news that the physical PlayStation versions of the game would be delayed for a short period of time. However, at the time, the details of what was changed were not available.
Neil Broadhead, marketing head at publisher Wired Productions, told IGN that these changes were made due to talks with Sony itself: "The changes in content were made as a result of conversations with PlayStation in the lead up to our launch.
"Although the changes were not planned and the modifications did result in a slight delay in being able to start production on the physical edition, PlayStation fully supported us to help minimise this delay."
Ratings board the ESRB, rated Martha is Dead M for Mature on all platforms. A spokesperson for the board told IGN that it's unusual for companies like PlayStation to take decisions about what's appropriate into their own hands. They clarified that "platforms and retailers always have the option to make choices about the content they want to offer their consumers," though "situations like this are uncommon".
PlayStation declined to comment when approached by IGN about Martha Is Dead, and it remains unclear if the changes were made due to an overall policy on game content at the company, or if this was a decision made based on this single case.
LKA's founder and CEO Luca Dalcò said the modified scenes are a very small part of the game, and "PlayStation players can still experience the story we’re trying to tell.
"This is a vast and complex subject, and the changes that have been made [do not] distort the gaming experience."
Regarding the interactivity removed from the face peeling and womb cutting scenes, Dalcò said: "In most circumstances, Martha is Dead is a game primarily focused on giving the player choice, both in the actions they take and the moves they make.
"However, there are naturally some cutscenes built into the experience that play out like a movie, but in the original version we allow some levels of interaction from the player in order to maintain immersion."
Dalcò explained that LKA heavily researched the subject material for Martha is Dead, set in 1944 Italy, and was supported by the European Commission for audio-visual works of cultural interest with Media Creative Europe.
"This is a vast and complex subject, and the changes that have been made [do not] distort the gaming experience."
In terms of the removed masturbation references, Dalcò made clear there's no visualisation of masturbation or sex in the game but "it's the context that has been considered inappropriate".
That context is that the references take place while the player is in a psychiatric hospital that practices religious as well as medical treatments. Dalcò says this is based on historical fact and real-life accounts.
"These were places where patients were compulsorily admitted and where they often spent their entire lives," he explained. "They were total institutions, like prisons, restricting every facet of a person's life and, as such, masturbation was one of the few things patients were able to do.
"In terms of this specific scene in Martha is Dead, the player walks in a field dotted with huge crosses with mask-wearing dolls hanging from them. A voice-over narrates the experience of living in an asylum, commenting that 'there was this one young woman who would pleasure herself all day long... incessantly, to the point where she would bleed.'"
He added: "It’s important to note this is a very dramatic moment in which the suffering of the forgotten is recounted. Unfortunately, part of this speech will not be present on the PlayStation version of the game."
Martha is Dead is now available digitally on PS4 and PS5, and physically or digitally on Xbox, and PC. The physical PlayStation versions will be released in a "small number of weeks".
In our 7/10 review, IGN said Martha is Dead was "a confronting, compelling, and increasingly disorientating detour into darkness," that made us "appropriately uncomfortable at times but ultimately unfulfilled by its inconclusive ending."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.
What is Martha is Dead? Three words that neither Batman nor Superman ever want to hear. I’m sorry, but I feel the need to open this review with a joke since things are going to get pretty dark from here. Martha is Dead spins a torturous tale of psychological horror that focuses on the tragic death of a young woman and the subsequent mental and emotional torment suffered by her surviving twin sister, all set against the backdrop of one of the most harrowing times in human history, World War II. This feel-bad romp takes you on a trip through a small but fastidiously crafted slice of Italian countryside and into body horror-heavy nightmares that are not for the squeamish. It’s an engrossing and at times gruesome five-hour journey, but one that left me feeling slightly more perplexed than I was perturbed by the time I had reached its end.
After she discovers the body of her identical twin Martha drowned in a lake near her family home, Giulia inadvertently assumes her sister’s identity when her grieving mother mistakes her for the wrong sibling. Knowing that Martha has always been the favourite child, Giulia neglects to clear up the confusion and instead pretends to be Martha while investigating the suspicious circumstances around her sister’s death. It’s the combined stresses of living a lie while also uncovering the disturbing details surrounding the real Martha’s demise that drags Gulia down into the depths of madness, turning her into an increasingly unreliable narrator and making for a gripping ordeal as her genuinely distressing dreams become indistinct from her grief-stricken reality.
Fatal Frame
Unraveling the mystery surrounding Martha’s death relies largely on heading to specific spots around the family estate, taking photos with a vintage camera or recovering lost rolls of film, and returning to a basement darkroom in order to develop each shot. Giulia’s camera, which can be augmented with additional lenses and flashbulbs, isn’t just an excuse for yet another in-game photo mode — it also provides an opportunity for the ominous atmosphere to get under your skin in subtle ways, with infrared film revealing hidden messages, and demonic moans and whispers seeping in from the woodland surroundings while your peripheral vision is obscured by the confines of the camera’s viewfinder.
Manipulating the camera’s aperture setting and carefully completing the steps to process film affords you the most hands-on freedom in Martha is Dead, since almost every other story objective is of the strict go-here-and-collect-that variety. An optional task that allowed me to decipher a telegraph message sent via Morse code was the one stimulating exception, and I wish there were a few more puzzle-solving sections like it along the way to make me feel a bit more involved in the investigation side of things. Yet while there might not have been much of an incentive to analyze every inch of its environment, I did appreciate the work put into reinforcing its 1944 setting, such as the daily newspapers and ambient radio broadcasts detailing the horrors unfolding across Europe.
Martha is Dead features some actions that are distressing enough to make a Mortal Kombat fighter soil their NetherRealms.
Listening to news from the World War II frontline is one of the least disturbing experiences in Martha is Dead, however, since many of its story chapters are punctuated by grisly interludes that make Heavy Rain’s infamous finger severing scene seem about as startling as a stubbed toe. Some of these moments are entirely passive, such as stumbling upon the freshly dismembered corpse of a landmine victim in the woods, while others are more interactive - forcing you to manually carve the skin off a certain character’s face using the jagged edge of a necklace pendant, for instance. These are a couple of the comparatively mild examples, and indeed Martha is Dead features some actions that are distressing enough to make a Mortal Kombat fighter soil their NetherRealms.
Super Marionette
As shocking as these moments may be, I ultimately found them to leave less of a lasting impression than the peculiar late game puppeteering sequences that occur on the mechanical stage found on Giulia’s bedroom floor. By manipulating marionettes of her family members, Giulia is able to relive repressed memories from her childhood, with the blow from each traumatic act softened somewhat when portrayed by Giulia’s playful mimicry of her mother and father. Aside from being wonderfully distinct departures in a visual sense, these miniature performances brought invaluable insight into Giulia’s upbringing, which in turn better contextualized the violent visions she suffers over the course of Martha is Dead’s story.
Other storytelling tricks are less effective, though, such as the sections that send you running through a series of forked paths marked by contrasting words you need to choose between in order to complete an unknown phrase, annoyingly forcing you to restart if you guess incorrectly. These cumbersome detours aren’t the only ingredients in Martha is Dead that feel unnecessary, much like the in-game bicycle which seems to move only slightly faster than Giulia’s running speed despite being noticeably more unwieldy to steer.
Still, it’s the broadly ambiguous nature of Martha is Dead’s storytelling that contributed most to me feeling somewhat underwhelmed by its outcome, despite being consistently intrigued for the bulk of its journey. As Giulia’s mental state continues to unravel and further casualties are inflicted, it becomes increasingly unclear as to what is a dream and what is reality. Who killed Martha? What exactly is going on? Is any of this even real? I don’t really have a definitive answer to any of these questions, and while I don’t have a problem with art being open to interpretation, it’s a bit frustrating to be presented with a mystery to solve that ultimately feels unsolvable. I certainly have my suspicions, but it’s like deducing the killer’s identity in a game of Clue, only to triumphantly open the case file envelope and have nothing but confetti spill out.
Elden Ring has seen the release of a 1.02 patch that addresses a few elements, such as controls and frame rate drops – and Bandai Namco says you should update before playing the game.
Announced in a news post, the 1.02 patch is coming for PlayStation and Xbox versions of the game, with no word on a PC equivalent just yet. The patch is primarily being used "to improve the stability of the gameplay."
You can check out the full patch notes below:
Elden Ring 1.02 Patch Notes
Improved player controls
Addition and adjustment of BGM
Text adjustments
Balance adjustments
NPC event fixes and adjustments
Fixed frame rate drops under certain conditions
Fixed text bug in some languages
Fixed a bug that prevented the Xbox wireless headset from working properly
Bandai Namco was keen to say that this patch should be installed before playing the game, asking players to manually check for updates before starting. The publisher also said to apply the patch to the Digital Art Book & Soundtrack included in the Digital Deluxe Edition.
Our Elden Ring guide will be growing over time — make sure you give it a look if you need help through The Lands Between.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him onTwitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email tonewstips@ign.com.
Final Fantasy 6 Pixel Remaster includes a bizarre omission, adapting the lengthy original opening credits sequence – but leaving off the actual credits themselves. The result is a two-minute scene of watching mechs walk across an empty landscape.
The recent Pixel Remasters of Final Fantasy have come under fire for a few unpopular changes to the original games, but this might be the strangest so far. As you can see in this video, the original version of FF6 included a scene that invoked classic cinema, as a sweeping score accompanied the opening credits while we saw the kidnapping of key character, Terra.
As noted by shinimomi on Twitter (below), the Pixel Remaster entirely removes the credit text. IGN has independently confirmed that this is the state of the currently available game.
AHHHH
The opening of FF6 Pixel Remaster doesn't have the actual credits show up in the horizon so you just... walk.
The Pixel Remasters of early Final Fantasy games have all removed opening credits (presumably to avoid confusion about who worked on the original and the remasters), so this appears to be an intentional choice. The problem is , in a scene built entirely around those credits appearing, their removal turns a cinematic into, well, nothing much at all.
As it is, we now watch what amounts to a single animation play out for 2 minutes and 2 seconds, before getting to interact with the game again. We've contacted Square Enix for comment.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him onTwitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email tonewstips@ign.com.
Considering you might be asked to pay up to £70 for a new video game in the UK right now, Elden Ring is seemingly an outlier and a certified bargain to boot. Costing just £45 from Amazon for the Launch Edition, this is probably one of the most affordable new games to launch in a long while. While PS5 exclusives and the likes of Battlefield, Call of Duty, or FIFA publishers are looking to charge British gamers a premium to play on new-gen consoles - Elden Ring is cross-generation, and costs the same across the board.
£70 is a huge ask for gamers in the UK, considering the average price for a new game has been about £55 for a few years at least. But, Elden Ring is even undercutting that, dropping to just £45 on PS5, PS4, and Xbox. This isn't an omen on its quality either. Elden Ring is currently one of the best-reviewed games of all time - and IGN itself even gave it a 10/10 'Masterpiece' review.
Not only that, but Elden Ring is quickly starting to sound like one of the most approachable FromSoftware games ever made. That's not to say it isn't difficult — it absolutely will be. But with the open-world elements, the sheer number of class choices, the possibility for co-op multiplayer action (and assistance), there's no doubt Elden Ring will attract an even wider audience beyond the usual mould. It sounds like both hardcore fans, and those being newly introduced to FromSoft games, have plenty of reasons to be excited.
Elden Ring will likely attract even more gamers intrigued by the overwhelmingly positive reviews and drastically lower price-point than we would expect from one of the biggest releases of the year. If you want to preorder the game, I've left links just below.
Preorder Elden Ring Launch Edition in the UK
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him@robertliam21on Twitter.
Elden Ring is set to release for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC this Friday, February 25, 2022 (see it at Amazon). If you haven't checked it out yet, our Elden Ring review is live and spoiler: it's incredible. Anyone who buys the PS4 or Xbox One version will get a free next-gen upgrade as well, which is always nice to see. Elden Ring is the next game from the makers of tough-but-satisfying action RPGs like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. You can check out our Elden Ring hands-on preview for full details about the gameplay.
The game comes in a standard edition as well as a cool-looking collector's edition, and it's available for preorder now. Read on to see what comes in each edition and where you can lock in your Elden Ring preorder.
Preorder the collector's edition of Elden Ring, and you'll receive the game itself along with the following items:
Statue of Malenia - Blade of Miquella (9 inches)
Exclusive steelbook
40-page hardcover artbook
Digital soundtrack
Elden Ring Preorder Bonus
Preorder Elden Ring, and you'll receive a digital adventure guide, as well as a "bonus gesture." Additionally, Best Buy offers the following preorder bonus.
Anyone who buys Elden Ring for PS4 will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free. The same goes for Xbox: buy it for Xbox One, and you'll get a free upgrade to the Xbox Series X or Series S version. That's something of a relief, as many games don't offer a free upgrade path, and many PS5/Series X|S games cost $69.99 instead of $59.99.
What is Elden Ring?
Elden Ring is an action-RPG that represents a confluence of fandoms. On one hand, you have From Software's Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the exceptional, brooding games mentioned above. On the other, you have George R.R. Martin, the mind that brought you Game of Thrones, helping build out the story.
As for the game itself, it's an action RPG that doesn't look like it will stray far from the gameplay popularized in the Dark Souls franchise. You can expect super-precise combat controls and towering bosses to take down. These games are certainly challenging, but if you keep trying, you'll likely learn the enemies' moves and improve your skills enough to succeed.
As for the story? From Software's games have never been very forthcoming with their stories, even within the games themselves. Bandai Namco released an Elden Ring plot summary, but it doesn't help all that much, either. As far as I can tell, a bunch of demigods each have a piece of the powerful Elden Ring. Your job is to relieve them of these pieces in order to put the ring back together.
Other Preorder Guides
Chris Reed is IGN's shopping and commerce editor. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.
FromSoftware has made playing Elden Ring in co-op much easier than in its previous games – and easier than the previous network test made it seem.
Elden Ring features a system broadly similar to Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, and Bloodborne, in that you must first use a consumable item to open your world up and allow co-op allies to visit you. However, rather than demanding a semi-rare item that you must scour the world for, Elden Ring uses an item that can be crafted from incredibly common materials.
This item - called the Furlcalling Finger Remedy - is made using two Erdleaf Flowers, a plant that grows, at least in the opening area of the game, all over the place. This means that within the first few hours of Elden Ring you can create many, many Remedies, and thus be able to frequently summon allied players with ease.
As ever, offering help is easier than requesting it; you simply create a summon sign using the infinitely reusable Tarnished’s Furled Finger. Those using Furlcalling Finger Remedies can then see those signs and summon you into their world.
In Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, and Bloodborne, you must use an item (Humanity/Ember, Stone of Ephemeral Eyes, and Madman’s Knowledge respectively) to allow your character to summon co-op allies. Dying stops you from doing this, and so on particularly difficult bosses you can easily burn through several of these items as you try over and over to score victory. While Elden Ring uses pretty much this exact same system, making Furlcalling Finger Remedies so easy to acquire notably changes the way players can approach co-op.
In the Souls games and Bloodborne, these items are best held onto in anticipation of boss fights, as they are the moments you’ll want another sword by your side. But with it simply being a case of bashing two common flowers together in Elden Ring, up to four people could happily just explore the world of The Lands Between, with the host player not being too upset about using resources to make that happen. And it’s a world perfectly suited to co-operative adventure; it’s so much larger than any other FromSoftware game that there’s value in traveling and discovering new things together.
Furthermore, Elden Ring allows you to summon NPC allies without the use of a Remedy. Simply find their golden summoning sign (usually just outside boss encounters) to bring them along for the ride.
Elden Ring is not a co-operative game in the traditional sense, but this small change to FromSoftware’s usual approach does mean that it’s easier than ever to play it as a co-op game. This will no doubt be a fantastic thing for those less experienced with Souls-like games; the ability to summon friends and play together makes the world less daunting and perhaps a little easier to progress through.
Elden Ring offers what is probably FromSoftware’s best ever introduction for new players, thanks to an optional tutorial dungeon located just before you enter the main world of The Lands Between.
The Souls studio has what could charitably be called a patchy history when it comes to teaching you how to play its games. A few messages on the ground to explain basic attacks, guards, and parries is pretty much all you usually get in its action-RPGs, with everything else taught through experimentation, failure, and usually a lot of help from other players.
Elden Ring’s tutorial dungeon is a different story. Called the Cave of Knowledge, this optional series of chambers introduces Elden Ring’s fundamental mechanics one by one. Starting with the use of Sites of Grace (similar to Souls’ Bonfires), it goes on to cover familiar things such as light/heavy attacks, weapon skills, and blocking, as well as new mechanics such as the Stakes of Marika checkpoint system, guard counters, and how to best use long grass and stealth to overcome your enemies. Each system is explained by a pop-up window that offers much much more transparent detail than FromSoftware has typically done in the past.
This tutorial culminates in a boss fight. However, unlike other FromSoft ‘tutorial’ bosses such as the Asylum Demon or Iudex Gundyr, this is not the actual first boss of the game; it’s essentially a generic training enemy to introduce you to the concept of big health bar boss fights. Completing the Cave of Knowledge will reward you with a new gesture, so there’s a small reward for even seasoned FromSoft veterans.
In execution, there are similarities to Dark Souls 2’s Things Betwixt, which offered a more comprehensive tutorial zone than other Souls games via its collection of optional training chambers. But the concept of Things Betwixt is combined with Sekiro’s more direct teaching approach with the use of pop-up directions, creating something that feels distinctly like a crash course for Elden Ring.
It’s the most new player-friendly introduction that FromSoftware has produced for a Soulslike game so far, and possibly a recognition that Elden Ring stands to be the company’s biggest hit with players from beyond the traditional Souls community. Plus, if you really want the old-school, no hand-holding approach, you can skip it entirely.
For more from Elden Ring, check out our glowing review. If you're concerned about surviving, you can always use the easier than ever co-op system to explore the game with friends. Our Elden Ring guide is already in progress, but will grow when the game is released, helping you across The Lands Between.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
In the 87 hours that it took me to beat Elden Ring, I was put through an absolute wringer of emotion: Anger as I was beaten down by its toughest challenges, exhilaration when I finally overcame them, and a fair amount of sorrow for the mountains of exp I lost along the way to some of the toughest boss encounters FromSoftware has ever conceived. But more than anything else I was in near-constant awe – from the many absolutely jaw-dropping vistas, the sheer scope of an absolutely enormous world, the frequently harrowing enemies, and the way in which Elden Ring nearly always rewarded my curiosity with either an interesting encounter, a valuable reward, or something even greater. FromSoftware takes the ball that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild got rolling and runs with it, creating a fascinating and dense open world about freedom and exploration above all else, while also somehow managing to seamlessly weave a full-on Dark Souls game into the middle of it. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Elden Ring ended up as one of the most unforgettable gaming experiences I’ve ever had.
To set the stage, all you know from the outset is that you play as a “Tarnished” of no renown, blessed by grace, and are compelled to make the journey to The Lands Between and become an Elden Lord. What that actually means, how one might go about doing that, and what the deal is with that giant glowing golden tree are all things that you have to discover yourself. Like other FromSoft games, the grand story is hard to fully digest on a first playthrough, especially because there’s no in-game journal to refresh you on the events, characters, or unique terms you encounter across dozens of hours. There really should be, but it is a story I nonetheless enjoyed trying to piece together for myself. I look forward to supplementing that knowledge with the inevitable painstakingly detailed lore videos that emerge from the community later.
It ended up being the organic side stories that kept me most enthralled rather than the grand overarching plot that credits Game of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin as its scenario writer. FromSoft smartly doesn’t change much in its approach to these from the Souls games, Bloodborne, or Sekiro; you’ll just naturally meet characters as you explore and discover the world and become involved in their problems. There are no “!” markers on the map, no waypoints to guide you to them, and these characters don’t always flag you down or initially want or need anything from you. They’re just people with their own agendas and goals, whose stories are impacted based on your own actions or inactions.
I never once felt the open-world fatigue that usually sets in when my brain gets overloaded by a map.
That was actually kind of refreshing in an open world as vast as this one, and it was always exciting to see a familiar face pop up again later as I was eager to learn about what brought them to this new part of the world and how their journey had progressed. The trade-off, of course, is that without any markers, quest log, or journal, it becomes very easy to forget about certain plot threads and accidentally leave them unresolved by the end. That’s a bummer, and I’ve already felt regret at missing out on stories that some of my colleagues have had – but for me it was worth it, because even after 87 hours, I never once felt the open-world fatigue that usually sets in when my brain gets overloaded by a map absolutely full of unresolved sidequest markers. Besides, any missed quests give me extra incentive to continue onto New Game+.
“Freedom” is the word that every aspect of Elden Ring’s design connects back to. From the moment you set foot in Limgrave, the first of many interconnected regions of The Lands Between, you are completely free to go wherever you want. And sure, that’s far from a new concept in open-world games, but the way it's handled here is truly extraordinary. If you wanted to, you could be an explorer and spend hours upon hours in Limgrave, delving into every mini dungeon, fighting every boss, discovering every NPC, and leveling yourself up to better prepare for what’s next. Alternatively, you could follow the Light of Grace, guiding you toward the main path and the first major dungeon – or you could find a hidden path to a new region that’s meant for higher levels and completely bypass the first major dungeon entirely! Maybe even steal yourself a cool weapon early while you’re there.
A few things set Elden Ring apart from games like Skyrim that provide a similar openness.
Again, this is not unprecedented, but a few things set Elden Ring apart from games like Skyrim that provide a similar openness. For one, Elden Ring doesn’t scale enemy levels to match your own at all, so jumping into a later region means you’re always dealing with stronger enemies, making the risk/reward prospect of doing so very real. But perhaps more notably, the way its different areas are connected makes finding these new ones more than a simple matter of choosing a direction and heading towards it. Limgrave is designed very specifically with a main path in mind that takes you through Stormveil Castle, and finding a way around that truly feels like you’ve discovered a hidden passage or alternate route, which is a super cool feeling not present in most open worlds I’ve explored.
You also have more freedom in how you approach combat than any previous FromSoft game thanks to a bunch of familiar new systems that are used in interesting ways here. Stealth is a more viable option thanks to the addition of crouch-walking, which finally lets you sneak by tough enemies or get behind them for a critical hit; there’s now horseback combat in large, open areas which gives you more mobility and the ability to attack on both sides with your right-handed weapon, but has the drawback of taking away your ability to roll out of the way of big attacks; you can craft items on the fly using materials found in the world so you can be ready for whatever a situation calls for; you can summon a large variety of creatures to fight for you, each with their own unique abilities and situational advantages; and most substantially, you can equip Ashes of War to your weapons and completely change their affinity and skill.
Elden Ring's difficulty surprised me, even as a veteran of the Soulslike genre.
The Ashes of War system essentially combines two elements of prior Souls games – weapon affinities and weapon skills – by making them items that you can freely equip to your armaments. For example, let’s say I find a really good rapier and I really like the moveset, but I’m building my character with a focus on the Intelligence stat, which means it won’t get the kind of damage bonuses it needs to be a viable weapon. If I find an Art of War that bestows a magic spell onto a weapon, I can equip it and transform it into a magic weapon, thereby giving it Intelligence scaling on top of whatever skill the Ash of War has. Best of all, if I eventually decide to respec into a different build, I can still keep the same weapon and just put a different Ash of War onto it. Of course, you also have to find a specific item to unlock the different affinities, but it's nonetheless an incredibly smart addition that allows for a ton of variety in your preferred weapons.
The most important element of Elden Ring’s philosophy, though, is the freedom to just walk away and do something else when you hit a wall. Elden Ring is hard – which is to be expected from a FromSoft game – but its difficulty surprised me, even as a veteran of the Soulslike genre. I hit multiple points, even all the way up until the moment when I reached the very last boss, where I’d unlocked paths to several bosses and simply could not make headway on any of them. But even though I hit dead ends on those paths, there was always somewhere else I could go – a region I hadn’t thoroughly explored, an NPC quest that I had set aside for later, a Light of Grace indicator that I had not yet followed. There was never a point in Elden Ring when I was at a complete loss of what to do, and every time I explored those other regions and followed those alternate paths I would find new gear and items, level up my stats, or learn new spells or skills that would eventually give me the extra edge I needed to power through a boss that had given me problems.
It isn’t just the promise of making my numbers go up that called me to turn over every stone on the map: The Lands Between is positively brimming with riches, intrigue, and danger at every turn. Much of what Elden Ring’s open world does well can be traced directly back to things that made Breath of the Wild stand out from the many open-world games that came before it. (The PC version of Elden Ring also unfortunately borrows some of Breath of the Wild’s stuttery framerate woes). It’s that same feeling of starting out in a world with little explicit guidance, finding something that piques your curiosity on your own, doing whatever it takes to get there, and then being rewarded for that curiosity.
In Elden Ring, very rarely did my predictions come true.
The big difference is that in Breath of the Wild I could usually predict what’s going to happen when I get to that orange glowy thing off in the distance. I’ll do a puzzle, unearth a shrine, do another puzzle, and probably get a cool temporary weapon and a spirit orb. That’s not to take anything away from Breath of the Wild – it was awesome, but that pattern became somewhat routine well before the end. In Elden Ring, by contrast, very rarely did my predictions come true. I’d head to a lake and all of a sudden get ambushed by a dragon, follow a river expecting to collect some minor crafting materials only to find a dungeon filled with enemies and traps, enter a cave and get ambushed by little goblin men, or take a seemingly unimposing elevator and find that it just keeps going down further and further and further… until eventually I found myself not in a small dungeon but one of its many awe-inspiring new regions.
Best of all, each of these little excursions rewards your curiosity with something worthwhile. That could be a new weapon, a new Ash of War, a valuable consumable, a new creature for you to summon, a new spell, or a new NPC to talk to. There are so many valuable rewards available that I never felt disappointed by my prize, regardless of the amount of effort it took.
I never felt disappointed by my prize, regardless of the amount of effort it took.
FromSoftware makes all of this especially painless thanks to a number of uncharacteristically friendly features. There’s a generous fast-travel system with a ton of points strewn all across the map; a marker system that lets you drop points on the map to denote things like NPCs, boss locations, out-of-reach treasure, materials, and more; and a speedy spectral horse named Torrent that allows you to quickly cover ground and easily mount and dismount as the situation requires.
But the thing that’s most impressive about Elden Ring is that, in between all of this brilliant open world design, there are also a handful of Legacy Dungeons that still deliver those “wide linear” levels that Souls fans have come to expect. These are gigantic castles, forts, manors, underground labyrinths, and more that are packed with secret areas, challenging bosses, and multiple paths that are linked via one-way shortcut doors. If they were strung all together without being tied to an open world, they could probably exist on their own as Dark Souls 4.
Bottom line: Elden Ring’s open-world exploration is a new benchmark. It’s constantly exciting, rewarding, and full of moments that made me go “Holy shit” in a host of different ways.
It’s constantly exciting, rewarding, and full of moments that made me go “Holy shit.”
As far as combat goes, Elden Ring is certainly closest to Dark Souls 3 when compared to other games in FromSoftware’s library of action-RPGs, characterized by weighty attacks, careful stamina management, and a bit of a slower pace than games like Bloodborne and Sekiro. The two big new additions are the ability to use a guard counter by blocking an attack with your shield and immediately pressing the strong attack button to follow up with a crushing strike that can leave weaker enemies in a crumpled state, and a jump attack which gives melee weapon wielders a new type of heavy attack that can also be used to stun enemies and leave them open for a critical hit.
They’re both great additions that offer melee classes fun new tools, but for the most part, FromSoftware has certainly adopted an “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach. What really makes the combat in Elden Ring so good though is its enemy design and variety. Not only are a fair number of them horrifying (not quite up to Bloodborne levels of grotesquerie, but still some weapons-grade nightmare fuel) but some of these baddies are absolutely vicious, coming at you with wild swings and combos that seemingly go on forever and can hit from 10 feet away. Others are more methodical and hide behind their shields to wait for the right opportunity to either parry you or catch you while you’re winding up. Others still are weak, but can be huge threats when they ambush you with a grab that kills in one hit. Many are designed to punish those who just mash the dodge-roll button without care, which makes Elden Ring a very hard game, but it’s a good style of difficulty; one that’s less about fast reaction speeds and twitch reflexes (though those certainly help) and more about learning, adapting, and finding the planted weaknesses in an enemy’s attack patterns. Deciphering those tells and acting upon each moment of opportunity is a large part of why these games are so much fun.
And then there are the bosses. I don’t want to spoil them, but there are a handful that are some of the most visually and mechanically impressive FromSoftware has ever crafted. Some of the later ones got really close to crossing the line in terms of what I’d deem fair and reasonable when it comes to life-restoring second phases after already brutally tough first phases and two or three-against-one handicap battles, but fortunately, as mentioned before, any walls I hit were surmountable once I took the time to do something else and come back stronger.
