Now that the new trailer revealed the release date for Elden Ring as January 21, 2022, it seems that publisher Bandai Namco and developer FromSoftware are finally ready to start talking about what, exactly, Elden Ring is and its features. Case in point: several interviews have since been published with FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki in which he talks about everything from George R.R. Martin‘s exact influence, the world of Elden Ring in general, and more. One of the more notable tidbits to come out of all of this is that Elden Ring will, in fact, include a hub area — and also fast travel.
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More specifically, Miyazaki confirmed to IGN as part of a larger interview that there would be a hub area in Elden Ring that is not accessible from the start but eventually opens up. There are six main areas with their own dungeons and bosses, and players will be able to fast travel between them. It is implied that plays will need to uncover the map first before fast travel unlocks, which is fairly typical.
“Yes, fast travel is present,” said Miyazaki when asked whether there would be a fast travel system of some sort. “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.”
“With ELDEN RING, we have applied all our dark fantasy and action-RPG expertise cultivated throughout the Dark Souls series, in order to create a bold, classical evolution of the genre,” Miyazaki stated as part of the announcement when the recent trailer with the release date was revealed. “We’ve crafted a rich world with a staggering sense of scale, based off of legends written for the game by George R. R. Martin. ELDEN RING is a world full of mystery and peril, ready to be explored and discovered; a drama in which various characters flaunt their own mystique and ulterior motives. We sincerely hope you enjoy experiencing it for yourself.”
As noted above, Elden Ring is set to release on January 21, 2022 for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. Pre-orders are live on Amazon now. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the highly anticipated upcoming video game right here.
What do you think about what we have learned about Elden Ring at E3 2021 so far? Are you excited to check out the video game when it releases early next year? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!
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