From Software has developed itself a fairly large catalog of games at this point, and many fans are excited to see whatElden Ringwill bring to thehardcore-rpg genrethat the company has dominated sinceDemon’s Souls. However, while this latest title will hopefully bring new themes and features, there are lessons that the studio can learn from past games, and one that can have the most impact isBloodborne.
The key feature that FromSoftware should carry over toElden Ringis the design and atmosphere thatBloodbornemanaged to establish within the rich Victorian setting. WhileElden Ringobviously doesn’t take place in a similar location, theGeorge R. R. Martin built worldwould do well to take a similar design philosophy to avoid blinding in with past games.
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The Evolving Skybox
This is a design aspect that many players may not have noticed inBloodborneuntil they’ve reached Hypogean Gaol after defeating Rom, the Vacuous Spider. What players may have found here is that the sky suddenly looks completely different than any other area of the game, and even from how this same area looked if it had been explored previously. However, this isn’t the first time that the skybox shifts within the game, as the night slowly becomes darker and darker as players push further into the game and cross different milestones.
The shifting and evolving skybox could be well worked intoElden Ring’s open-world design, with the sky changing to show both the player’s progression as well as the impending disaster following the the shattering of the titular Elden Ring. While this design was implemented perfectly inBloodborne, it was unfortunately missing fromDark Souls 3which came out later and chose instead to have a single skybox with the darksign always looming overhead.Sekiroimplemented a similar design, by having time pass from beginning to end as the story advanced, but that was more out of necessity for the more traditional storyline that the game followed.
The Beastly Fake Out
One thing that holdsBloodborneabove the other games, at least from a lore perspective, is the way that it shifts tones about halfway through and suddenly the beastly scourge is shown to be the surface of Eldritch horrors. The idea that what the player has been fighting up until they arrive at Byrgenwerth has only been a slim part of the picture is revolutionary for From Software. Other titles within the company’s portfolio, including the more recentDark Souls 3and theaward winningSekiro, have avoided adding this type of complexity to their stories, with no bombshells dropping like this did inBloodborne.
If From Software draws from this previous success,Elden Ring’s lore could outpaceDark Soulswith the influence of George R. R. Martin and his complex mythos. For players looking for the deep lore that From Software has become so well known for,Bloodbornestill stands as one of the best examples of lore building to date. To that degree, it wouldn’t be a surprise to find out some dark secret about the Elden Ring that sets off the characters journey, with a choice at the end to either end the cycle or revive it with the “goodness” of the decision being left up in the air.
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Blood
In the case ofBloodborne, the themes of blood not only make their way into every item description in the game, but also into the environment itself. Not only does blood shoot out of every enemy like a busted fire hydrant, it is also scattered around the world, pointing the way for the player to go and giving environmental hints on the events that lead to it being there. It may be a bit much, but it’s one of those smaller details that has made the game so beloved that fans are still clamoring for aBloodborne 2.
Now, in no way shouldElden Ringsimply take the blood theme fromBloodborneand copy paste it, but the game should keep that style of theming to create a through-line for the title. It’s difficult to say what the game’s theme will be, likely something about rings and cycles, but it can really give depth tolegendary weaponsand locals.
Drawing From Outside Sources
As a result, delving deep into how Martin andGame of Thronescan influenceElden Ringcan absolutely make this new game as beloved asBloodborne. How exactly that influence will act on FromSoftware’s new title is still a mystery, but that is exactly why so many fans are excited to get their hands on the game and begin seeing those influences for themselves.
Elden Ringis currently in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
