“
IGN: You mentioned The Lands Between, which I think is an interesting name, because it's not really a traditional name for a world, like Dark Souls’ Lordran, Dark Souls 2’s Drangleic and so forth. Can you explain the significance of The Lands Between as a setting for this game?
HM: We’re happy you picked up on that because The Lands Between is actually a name that was invented by George R.R. Martin himself, when he was coming up with the impetus for this world and writing its history and its deep mythos. So we wanted to implement that into the game.
We hope that as well as taking away the idea of it being the sort of impetus and the starting place for the world, people feel that it's really like an invitation to this mysterious new land. There's a lot of elements of exile and return, and The Lands Between is supposed to invoke this feeling of something that's very mysterious and very ethereal – and we hope that when players play the game, they're going to experience that.
IGN: I was hoping that you could kind of define some terms that we were just made aware of by the trailer. The player-character is known as a Tarnished. And can you explain what the Elden Ring is, and the significance of it being shattered?
HM: So this may get a little lengthy. So first of all, in the world of Elden Ring, The Lands Between are blessed by the presence of the Elden Ring and by the Erdtree, which symbolizes its presence, and this has given grace or blessing to the people throughout the land, great and small. What this represented in them is this sort of golden light, or this golden aura, that's specifically shown in their eyes. And this symbolizes the blessing or the grace of the Erdtree. However, after a time, there were some individuals who lost this grace, and the light faded from their eyes. And these are what are known as the Tarnished.
So, the Tarnished, you could call them tarnished individuals who have lost grace. And this was a long time preceding the setting of the game, a long time before. The ancestors of the characters that are present in the world were banished and exiled from The Lands Between, these Tarnished. Then a long time after that, the Elden Ring was shattered in a historical event. This triggers the return of this lost grace and it calls out to the Tarnished, who were once exiled from The Lands Between, and it guides them back. So this is the starting point, or the impetus for the game itself, the Tarnished being called by the lost grace and returning to The Lands Between.
I feel like one of the main themes of the game is how the player, the Tarnished, approaches or treats this new-found grace and this return to the land that they were once banished from, how they interpret this and the meaning. It's not just the player-character, of course, it's lots of characters in the game, who are all beckoned back and will have their own adventures and motives. We want the player to discover for themselves what that means and how they want to begin their adventure.
Elden Ring Gameplay Trailer 4K Screenshots - Summer of Games
IGN: One of the things that really struck me in the trailer was the enemy designs – some of the wildest designs I've ever seen, really. I wonder if there's any sort of unifying theme or inspiration that you use when coming up with the enemies and the bosses for this game, and if you can elaborate a little bit about them?
HM: I'm glad you picked up on that. There are several themes to the enemy designs. One main theme of the main bosses of the game, in particular, are that they are essentially demigods – and characters who are written, again, by George R.R. Martin – and they inherited the mad tainted power of the Elden Ring shards once it was shattered. We wanted to depict these beings as not just creatures and horrible monsters, but have an element of heroism and an element of mythology to them. Essentially, they are the old gods of this world.
And part of the design of these major characters is that in inheriting the shards of the Elden Ring, they each inherited a different power or element, so to speak, and each was twisted and warped in its own way, and it brought a tainted strength to each of them. They each fell to madness and fell to ruin in their own individual ways. So while there is heroic and mythological elements to them, they are also going to have this very mad taint and this deep-seated ruin to them. We hope players enjoy discovering each of them for themselves.
IGN: This is a very personal question. Mimics are very, very scary to me, and Dark Souls' Mimics are the scariest of any Mimics in any video game I've ever played. Are there Mimics in Elden Ring?
HM: You probably won't find Mimics in that exact same form. It's a different world to Dark Souls, but we hope to give you surprises in some way, let's put it that way.
There is a mainline route through the open world, but at any time players are free to break off this route and take the untrodden path.
“
IGN: Oh no. So I've learned that there are six areas in Elden Ring. Can you go into a little detail about each of them? And is this the kind of thing where you can go to any of these areas at any time, or is there a specific order?
HM: So the Lands Between is made up mainly of these six large areas. It's divided into six major areas, and these are the domains of the major demigod characters who we just talked about. While the areas are lined up in a way so that you would normally tackle them in a specific order, you don’t have to follow it. We wanted to give a free level of progression and exploration throughout the Lands Between, so there's a lot of different ways. You won't be able to access everything from the start, but there are a lot of different ways you can approach each area. And there's a lot of freedom as to which order you tackle different areas as well.
One of our big themes for development of this new world was that, because of the grandeur and sense of scale of it, we didn't want players to get lost and not have any clue of what to do or where to go. So there is an element of guidance, particularly at the beginning. There is a mainline route that they can follow, but at any time they're free to break off this route and to take the untrodden path. We wanted to focus on a design that caters to that high level of freedom, that free order of progression throughout the world - which order you choose to tackle the different areas, the different bosses, and how you approach each of them as well. You may get sent to a couple of areas against your will, but there's a lot of ways that you can explore and approach these different situations.
Elden Ring - First Gameplay Reveal Trailer
3:02
Autoplay setting: On
IGN: Can relate that back to any of your previous works, in terms of how the open world is structured? Is there a central hub, like Firelink Shrine from Dark Souls, one that expands outwards into multiple paths? Or is it something different than that?
HM: So first, yes, not directly from the start, but there is a hub area that you can access a little later into the game. And as well as this hub, which you can branch out from, there are the six main areas of the Lands Between, and each of these six areas will house its own mainline dungeon map, which is again seamlessly connected to the Lands Between itself. These will be the domains or the areas of the main demigod bosses. From here, you're able to explore not only these mainline dungeon areas, but also a wide variety of catacombs, castles, and fortresses, which are interspersed throughout the map. These have a range of scale and scope, but the main dungeons are these six – these are the ones that you're going to be heading to on your adventures throughout the main world.
IGN: Is there a fast travel system that lets you quickly move around between these six areas? Or do you got between them entirely on horseback?
HM: Yes, fast travel is present. Of course, we do want users to enjoy the aspect of exploration and uncover the map for themselves, but we also wanted to take into account that level of comfort and ease of play. So we have incorporated fast travel for those long distances, yes.
There are six main areas of the Lands Between, and each of these six areas will house its own mainline dungeon map. These will be the domains or the areas of the main demigod bosses.
“
IGN: Switching gears a little bit, how do you approach leveling up in a game like this, which is much more open than projects that you've previously worked on? Is it a similar system of gaining currency from defeating enemies, and potentially losing that level up currency when you die? Are there any differences in how you're approaching level ups in Elden Ring?
HM: So yes, with this increased sense of scale and this vast new map, we had to allow for a certain amount of progression and reward no matter which direction the player took and which path they take because of that high level of freedom. You will find those elements to battle and those elements to just exploring the world, which will allow you to keep that going. You can customize and craft items on the go by using materials found in the world. There are also more resources to recover health on the way as you will be fighting for a longer time than before. The key word I think is 'retention', and retaining a sense of progression, so we wanted them to keep going, to keep that flow as they explore and they journey through the map.
So to give an example from a previous game, you could call the resurrection mechanic in Sekiro a retention of the sense of progress and not wanting to spoil that sense of rhythm or tempo the player has as they play. So we have a couple of elements in Elden Ring, which come from a similar kind of breed. Something that will keep them going and keep them encouraged to explore further. But you won't be able to resurrect in this game.
Elden Ring Release Date and New Gameplay Trailer Revealed - IGN News
0:52
Autoplay setting: On
IGN: The Souls games, Bloodborne, Sekiro, they all have a very similar and distinct flavor of combat, even though they're all fundamentally very different in terms of their focus. Can you describe how the combat will work in Elden Ring and how it differs from previous games?
HM: We think rather than recommending a specific way for players to tackle each encounter, one of the things we wanted to stress in this game was, again, that freedom to choose how to take on encounters and how to approach these various situations. So there's a large variety of ways you can approach combat, and a large range of abilities you can acquire. We wanted to allow the player to combine these different elements to find their own strategy, and even take indirect approaches to combat if they wanted to. So yes, this is something that we wanted to explore more so than our previous games and really focus on, is this level of variety and this level of freedom in combat.
IGN: Will there be a stamina meter like in the Souls and Bloodborne games, or will there be no stamina meter like there was in Sekiro?
HM: Yes, the stamina bar exists in Elden Ring, but we feel it has less influence on the player overall. We wanted to make it feel less restrictive and contribute to that level of freedom more so than our previous titles.
You're free to combine your different skills with different weapons. You're free to build your character with different weapons and equipment. You're free to learn magic as well. We think the build customization is going to be even richer and even more varied than before.
“
IGN: Throughout the trailer, we see a bunch of different techniques. We see a horse leaping up a cliffside, an attack jumping off of horseback, and there's a magic attack that extends your sword. Can you shed some light on these abilities, how they're earned? Does acquiring a technique lend itself to exploring more of the world?
HM: Yes. A part of making this new world with this new huge sense of scale was adding enjoyment to that sense of exploration, having players feel encouraged, and give them a desire to explore as much as they want. And so that could be through acquiring new weapons and magic spells and abilities such as the different spirit summons. We wanted to place these elements so the players will enjoy exploring the map and discovering these elements for themselves. There are cases in which you can buy them [arts, magic, etc.] at stores or learn them from NPCs, but generally they are hidden throughout the game’s world for the player to discover through exploration, rather than unlocking them through a skill tree as in previous titles.
I think one thing that's worth mentioning is the skills, which is a returning feature from previous games, but, again, we're concentrating on the level of freedom that it gives the player. So before, where there was a certain skill attached to a certain weapon, now you're actually able to freely interchange skills between a large variety of weapons. There are, I believe, around a hundred skills in total. Obviously you're free to combine your different skills with different weapons. You're free to build your character with different weapons and equipment. You're free to learn magic as well. So if you throw all of these things in, we think the build customization is going to be even richer and even more varied than before.
Elden Ring: New Plot Synopsis Revealed - IGN News
1:03
Autoplay setting: On
IGN: Can you talk a little bit about how stealth plays a role in Elden Ring? There's one part in the trailer where we see the character slowly creeping up behind a group of enemies.
HM: We think it's a relatively simple implementation of stealth, but it has a wide variety of uses. And again, it contributes to this level of player freedom, we feel. So you're able to crouch, you're able to sneak and be less easily detected in long grass for instance. You're able to use that to your advantage to sneak up on the enemy, get a back stab, get a stealth attack. But you're also able to use it to bypass certain areas and to assess situations from afar. We wanted to create these opportunities for players to see what lies ahead of them and below them and around them and to assess how they're going to confront that, or not as the case may be. So stealth, while again it's a simple implementation, it allows for a lot more of these possibilities.
IGN: You mentioned earlier that one of the aspects of freedom was that you can summon spirits to help you. Summoning players online has always been a big part of these games. And I was wondering in the trailer, when you see the character summon a bunch of blue phantoms, if that was online play or was that summoning spirits to help you.
HM: Yes. Those ones you saw in the trailer, those were the spirit summons we mentioned earlier. Usually they're enemy characters, but you can summon them as allies to assist you in battle. So those were the local offline summons.
And these spirit summons, we feel like – as well as there being a large variety to them – they're a nice collectable hidden element within the game world to discover and to equip as you go. They offer a lot of different strategic options, but also the player might find that they just like a certain enemy tagging along with them, a certain summon pleases them aesthetically. So there's a lot of strategic and a lot of personal touch to these summons. And we hope that players will also enjoy discovering their own progression elements as well.
And of course, in Elden Ring, you will still be able to summon fellow players for co-operative play.
Spirit summons are a nice collectable hidden element. They offer a lot of different strategic options, but also the player might find that they just like a certain enemy tagging along with them.
“
IGN: I was reading back some older interviews with you, and in 2016 you said, "I think my philosophy towards game development is first, set a certain game system and then apply a worldview that matches that." Has that philosophy changed at all since then? And if it hasn't, how has that philosophy informed the development of Elden Ring?
HM: It's still intact largely, but we think one main difference is having the involvement of George R.R. Martin from the start and having him paint that picture of the world's history and the mythos. We sort of had an element of the world building first, to then explore the game systems and the rest of the game from that. This was quite a fresh approach and rather than imposing new restrictions on the game, George Martin himself was very open to us prioritizing the game systems and leaving out anything we didn't want to explore – but it ended up not being like that. It ended up being a huge source of inspiration and impetus for the design of the game, so the world building and the systems went hand-in-hand. It was a really great collaboration.
We had this initial impetus from George R.R. Martin's mythos and we used that to paint the foundation and the initial layers of the game. An example of that would be how [key characters are] Tarnished and they lost grace. This is the initial spurring moment for the player-character. But then on top of that, we're obviously going to build a lot of our own world building and our own story elements and other gameplay elements that are necessary to the game, and necessary to the players' guidance, and how they find a footing in the world.
Right from the start, we do have elements in place that are going to lead the player down that mainline track that they're free to branch off from any time they like. But on top of that, there are the fragmented pieces of the story that they're able to find and to decipher as they go. This element of world building and lore has not changed from previous titles, but it's obviously built on that foundation of George Martin's lore. So again, the game and the narrative go hand-in-hand in that respect.
Elden Ring Summer Game Fest Trailer Screenshots
IGN: I guess this is similar to what you're saying, but obviously with the Souls games and Bloodborne, you've gained a reputation for a very specific type of storytelling that's told within the margins of the actual game. That changed a bit with Sekiro, where it's a little more traditional. I wonder, do you find your approach to storytelling as something that's evolving, and how do you describe that style of storytelling as it pertains to Elden Ring?
HM: I'm not sure if we'd personally call it an evolution, we feel like we might get laughed at for that, but what we want to do is retain that sense of the player discovering things for themselves and enjoying uncovering the world both in terms of action and narrative for themselves. We don't want to force anything on the player. That much has not changed.
There are two things we wanted to really concentrate on with this topic you brought up. One is the ease of understanding, the level of understanding the players have of the story and the narrative and we feel like, because this is a game that's based around its characters, this is a lot easier to understand, a lot easier to approach in that sense. So it's less abstract. While the player-character themselves is, as you might be familiar with other games, a little more nameless, a little more of a blank slate for the player to project themselves onto, other characters will provide that sense of depth and that sense of color and multifarious motives and ulterior motives that are going to keep them engaged and keep them second guessing as they explore through the world.
We hope that that level of understanding is easy to access, but then again there's a lot more depth there as they explore. And this depth, again, this idea of uncovering the world as you go, picking up its many little pieces, it's multilayered, it's complex, it's very fascinating. This is something I myself enjoy a lot in these games, and in other RPGs I play. We had the greedy approach of wanting to make these two elements stand together, of wanting it to be easy to understand, but also give it a lot of depth. But we feel that with the help of George R.R. Martin and the story base that he provided for us, this has been not only attainable, but very successful this time.
IGN: I think that wraps up all my questions. Thank you so much.
HM: I hope it was OK. This is actually our first interview for Elden Ring, so we really appreciate your time. In a single interview, it's very hard to go into a great deal of detail and to answer all of your questions. I imagine there's a lot that's difficult to imagine, difficult to grasp, but as far as I'm concerned, after my 10 years or so of directing games, this really feels like a culmination of everything that I've enjoyed about game development and everything I've brought to this point. I really, really hope that as a fan of the games, you'll enjoy it.
On behalf of the whole team at From, this is a compilation of everyone's passion here and everyone's dedication, so we just were really enthusiastic about this project and we can't wait for people to play it.
