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Elden Ringwas the culmination of a five-year development cycle for FromSoftware, and a step in a completely new direction for the storied Japanese developer.
But even though it’s different to their past titles, there’s still some overlap in ideas between FromSoftware’s last game,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, andElden Ring. Speaking withPlayStation Blog, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki revealed about howSekiroinfluenced their 2022 masterpiece.
Developmental Overlap Was The Main Reason Behind The Influences
Elden Ring‘s development started in 2017 alongsideSekiro, which released in 2019.Hidetaka Miyazakiexplained that since they were working on both games at the same time, there were a few cool references that were snuck into the former:
I’d have to say that, considering Sekiro’s development overlapped with Elden Ring’s to an extent, there’s nothing that directly came through from that project. But there were several indirect examples there.
The first is the stance break mechanic. InElden Ring, you can break an enemy’s stance in a very similar fashion to how you’d useSekiro‘s successful posture system. However, the gameplay parallels don’t end there.
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“We even referenced Sekiro’s player traversal for the horse mounting system and how you traverse the map in Elden Ring,” adds Miyazaki. InSekiro, you could use a grappling hook to climb up elevated terrain.
This idea carried over toElden Ring, but instead of the hook, you use yourtrusty horse, Torrent. Moreover, being able to ride Torrent around the map makes traversal easier and combat strategies more layered.
Elden Ring‘s Storytelling Was Improved Due To Sekiro
The most interesting waySekiroinfluencedElden Ring, though, is the story, as Miyazaki explains:
In terms of the narrative and how we tell character stories, Sekiro was a lot more direct than our previous Souls-like titles. While we’re still maintaining Elden Ring’s world with a sense of depth and a fragmented narrative–we’re still upholding our storytelling philosophy–there’s more focus on human elements and drama than before. We definitely took some inspiration from how Sekiro handled that and tried to apply the good parts to Elden Ring.
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In most FromSoftware games, the story istold in a fragmented way. It’s on the players to piece it together by finding textual clues in the world or through in-game items. However,Sekiro‘s story was very different in that regard.
Sekirowasless of an RPGthan previous FromSoftware games, as it had a fixed protagonist and a more straightforward story.Elden Ring‘s narrative finds itself somewhere in the middle – it’s still deep and mysterious, but there’s also a heightened focus on the characters and the “drama” of the world.
Learning aboutSekiro‘s subtle influences inElden Ringproves FromSoftware’s tendency to innovate the art of making games, all while remembering what makes their games great.
Hidetaka Miyazaki Didn’t Add a Critical Feature from Dark Souls, Bloodborne to Handicap Sekiro Players: “You must play as a ninja”
Borrowing tried-and-tested mechanics and story ideas from past games doesn’t makeElden Ringany less original, just more authentic and rewarding to play.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Content Writer
Articles Published :247
A lifelong gamer, lover of cars, and Master’s student of Automotive Journalism, Viraaj Bhatnagar is a gaming writer at FandomWire who aims to be one of the greats. When he’s not hunched over on his laptop typing out copy, he can be found lapping circuits in Gran Turismo or slaying draugr in God of War.
