It feels like forever since we last got a look at the long-in-development new collaboration between Dark Souls series director Hidetaka Miyazaki and A Song of Ice and Fire creator George R.R. Martin, but yesterday we got both a new gameplay trailer and a release date thanks to Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest Kickoff show. Now, publisher Bandai Namco has released new story details for this highly anticipated release.
Bandai Namco updated its Elden Ring website with new details and information regarding the story of the game. It sounds like a typically bleak world to inhabit from the dark fantasy mind of Hidetaka Miyazaki, with worldbuilding and characters developed by George R.R. Martin. Given that the worlds of both the Dark Souls games and the A Song of Ice and Fire series are violent and oppressive lands, it looks like the player will be in for a rough time as you explore the game world. The story synopsis is below, in full.
“The Golden Order has been broken.
Rise, Tarnished, and be guided by grace to brandish the power of the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord in the Lands Between.
In the Lands Between ruled by Queen Marika the Eternal, the Elden Ring, the source of the Erdtree, has been shattered.
Marika's offspring, demigods all, claimed the shards of the Elden Ring known as the Great Runes, and the mad taint of their newfound strength triggered a war: The Shattering. A war that meant abandonment by the Greater Will.
And now the guidance of grace will be brought to the Tarnished who were spurned by the grace of gold and exiled from the Lands Between. Ye dead who yet live, your grace long lost, follow the path to the Lands Between beyond the foggy sea to stand before the Elden Ring.
And become the Elden Lord.”
As with any of From's recent action-RPGs, that plot summary is... somewhat vague, but it does seem to give us a better idea of the game's central quest – defeat Marika's demigod offspring, collect the Great Runes, piece back together the Elden Ring, and become the Elden Lord. If previous Souls games are anything to go by, that won't be a necessarily pleasant transformation.
According to other pieces of information on the website, players will be travelling through the Lands Between as they seek to gather the power of the Elden Ring. For the first time in a FromSoftware game, players will be able to ride mounts in order to traverse the open world environments, which should add some exciting mobility to gameplay. But just like the Dark Souls games, you will be able to create your character as you shape the world around you with your actions. Interestingly, it sounds like you have the choice to fight enemies, or pick them off stealthily instead – as well as play in multiplayer.
The reaction to Elden Ring since its reappearance at Summer Game Fest has been huge, and fans of the series quickly found a new favourite character in the adorable pot monster featured in the new trailer. For more about Elden Ring as we lead up to its release on January 21 2022, stay tuned to IGN, and you can check out 7 new things we learned from the latest trailer and fact sheets.
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Liam Wiseman is a Freelance News Writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @liamthewiseman
