Ahead of the Summer Games Fest, I had only a passing interest in Elden Ring due to all of the excitement about it and my own growing interest in FromSoftware’s games.
Because of course, one of the big selling points is that it’s open world, and I’m not the biggest fan of open world games.
The trailer revealed during the Summer Game Fest was pretty cool, but it’s the details revealed about the game since then that have really made me more interested in following it.
In IGN’s interview with Miyazaki, he explains a little more about the world structure, saying that the world is split into six main areas.
You have a hub, which leads to the six areas, each of which has its own major dungeon as well as optional areas.
A large Famitsu interview with Miyazaki, translated here, also goes into more detail. In the discussion about exploration (found in Part 3 of the translation), Miyazaki mentions that in addition to the “large open field,” there are areas structured more like areas in Dark Souls. These “legacy” areas appear to be the six major dungeons.
When discussing the field (in Part 4 of the translation), Miyazaki reveals that the open field areas have a world map where you can set waypoints, but the dungeon areas do not have a map. There are also barriers blocking your progress to some areas that you’ll need to overcome.
So overall, it sounds like there is a big open area that connects to the world’s major areas, and the main dungeons are structured more like Dark Souls.
I’m cautiously optimistic about that. While it’s still open world, it sounds like it might be the sort of structure that I’ll find enjoyable. A big hub leading to more traditional areas sounds good to me. So for now, I’m much more interested than I was before… and keeping my eye on Elden Ring news despite not being completely sold yet.
What are your thoughts on Elden Ring’s open world structure?
On June 24, there will be a special live stream to celebrate Falcom’s 40th anniversary.
I know what you’re thinking: didn’t we already do this? Wasn’t it the 40th anniversary live stream where they finally showed Kuro no Kiseki’s combat system?
Well, this is another 40th anniversary celebration being held in connection with New Game+ Expo, which revealed that it will include “performances by Falcom jdk BAND, a message from president Toshihiro Kondo, and special announcements.”
It seems geared more toward the west, NIS America is involved and promised surprises, and so everyone is hoping for Hajimari localization news.
…Or Crossbell. There’s still a chance!
It’s less likely that Falcom will announce a brand new game due to the event’s focus, but who knows?
Anyway, the live stream will be on June 24 at 10 PM PT / June 25 at 1 AM ET. I’ll probably catch the news after the fact both because of the time and because I’m still too early in the Trails series to risk seeing spoilers! Here’s hoping we get some exciting news.
What do you think will be announced at the New Game+ Expo Falcom 40th Anniversary live stream?
Today was the Nintendo Direct, the final show of E3 2021, and I was hopeful that it would rise above the recent lackluster shows.
They started with the latest character being added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Kazuya from the Tekken series. Then they announced that Life is Strange Remastered Collection and True Colors are both coming to the Switch (with an animated trailer that had me curious at first, but that’s just the trailer).
After seeing Guardians of the Galaxy again and then Worms Rumble, we got to see Astria Ascending. I’ve been intrigued by Astria Ascending since it was first announced. It’s a console remake of a mobile JRPG, and I think it looks pretty interesting. It’ll be out on September 30, right after all the other games I’m looking forward to this year.
Two Point Campus was shown again, followed by the announcement of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, which leaked earlier this week. It’s a remastered collection of the first three Super Monkey Ball games.
Then they announced a new Mario Party game! Mario Party Superstars brings together 5 boards and 100 minigames from the series, with both local and online play, and I’m kinda interested even though I’m not much of a multiplayer person. I’ve had fun with Mario Party.
They followed that by saying they don’t have anything to show about Metroid Prime 4 just yet… but instead they announced Metroid Dread, a new 2D Metroid game and the next mainline game. It looks so good, and I want it. It comes out on October 8, which at least gives me a little breathing room after the rush of games.
(So far, I’ve only played Metroid Fusion, but I want to play more Metroid games.)
Just Dance 2022 and Cruis’n Blast were shown next, followed by the much-rumored announcement that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is coming to the Switch along with its A New Power Awakens DLC. The rumors of this port kept being denied, but now it’s official! I was actually tempted to buy Kakarot a few times, but kept holding off because of the Switch rumors. It’ll be out on September 24, of course, on top of everything else I’m looking forward to.
Mario Golf: Super Rush got a new trailer, and so did Monster Hunter Stories 2. The world in Monster Hunter Stories 2 looks beautiful, and I’m excited for it.
There’s also going to be a new WarioWare game called WarioWare: Get It Together!
Then they showed the new trailer for Shin Megami Tensei V, including its leaked release date of November 12 (11 in Japan). I’ve never played a mainline SMT game, but it looks pretty cool. I’m tempted to try the series sometime.
Danganronpa is also coming to the Switch in a special collection called Danganronpa Decadence, which includes all three games and the new expanded spin-off Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp.
Now, one of my specific hopes for this E3 was that we’d get some Fatal Frame news. I was hoping for a new entry, a collection of the older games, or at least for Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water to escape dying on the Wii U. And I got my wish, because Maiden of Black Water is actually coming to all major platforms later this year!
They showed some stuff for Doom Eternal, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2, and Strange Brigade, then showed Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope again.
Next… Advance Wars is back? Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is a remake of the first two games, and it’ll be out on December 3. I tried the first Advance Wars and couldn’t really get into it, but I’m happy for all the fans who were hoping this series would be revived.
They ended with Legend of Zelda news: a look at the Age of Calamity DLC, a new trailer for Skyward Sword HD, the announcement of a special Legend of Zelda Game & Watch system, and then the moment most people were waiting for, a new trailer for the sequel to Breath of the Wild.
Personally, I couldn’t stick with Breath of the Wild and the new trailer does nothing to convince people, but I know people are really excited for it.
Phew, what a Nintendo Direct! No sign of Bayonetta 3 or a new game from Monolith Soft, which were my top hopes, but we’ve got a Fatal Frame port, a new Metroid game, and lots of other exciting announcements! As far as I’m concerned, this Nintendo Direct was a success and the best show of E3 2021.
Bandai Namco’s show is apparently just going to be House of Ashes, so that’s it for our E3 2021 coverage! I’ll be watching the Nintendo Treehouse gameplay segments, so I’ll write a new post if they reveal anything that I should have included here.
What did you think of E3 2021 and the Nintendo Direct?
Ahead of the Summer Games Fest, I had only a passing interest in Elden Ring due to all of the excitement about it and my own growing interest in FromSoftware’s games.