The Soulsborne community is collectively going hollow during the wait for lore.
FromSoftware's latest title, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, was a more tailored experience than its Soulsborne predecessors. There was a dedicated protagonist, very little RPG elements, and a rhythmic new combat system. Sekiro was an absolute success, but it did represent a departure from certain game mechanics that Elden Ring could benefit from: FromSoftware's unique multiplayer.
First introduced in 2009's Demon's Souls, the novel multiplayer experience revolving around friendly and hostile phantoms traveling betwixt worlds has greatly increased the lifespan of each game. This multiplayer was notably absent in Sekiro for many reasons, including lack of narrative impetus and the possibility of the tightly designed, parry-centric combat system not holding up with more player characters. Elden Ring offers FromSoftware a chance to bring back their iconic multiplayer experience and even expand it greatly.
Elden Ring Has the Potential to Deliver FromSoft's Best Multiplayer
Every FromSoftware game since Demon's Souls has utilized carefully designed and intricate levels. The promise of an expansive open world for Elden Ring is exciting, but it's difficult to imagine how exactly the FromSoft combat formula will translate, especially when the logistics of multiplayer are involved. Co-op and invasions always took place in a predetermined area beginning with a bonfire (or in Bloodborne's case, lamps) and ending in a boss. Players and phantoms were confined by fog walls until the instance had concluded.
The entire experience might need an overhaul to fit into Elden Ring's design. Miyazaki has claimed that the maze-like level design will return when the player enters dungeons scattered around Elden Ring's world, so maybe co-op and PvP will only be possible in those more linear areas. It would seem like a disappointing use of multiplayer if that is the case.
Hopefully FromSoftware is looking to make multiplayer as integral to Elden Ring as it is to Dark Souls or Bloodborne, where it is almost universally available. Roaming the open world of Elden Ring would be incredible in a party of multiple players, and would help deliver the scale that has become the game's primary talking point. Soulsborne games usually reserve the largest enemies for boss fights, but the thought of stumbling upon some terrifying and massive creature with two or three friends is too exciting to not speculate about.
The very little that has been officially said about Elden Ring makes it sound like an evolution of Dark Souls – a more ambitious reimagining of a game that already spawned its own genre. With any luck, multiplayer will be considered in this evolution of the FromSoftware formula. There are very few complaints to be made about Sekiro, but the exclusion of multiplayer is noticeable. Elden Ring offers the opportunity for FromSoft's unique multiplayer experience to return, and possibly make it better than ever.
