5 things we loved in the 15 minutes of new Elden Ring gameplay

15 minutes of refreshing Elden Ring gameplay footage debuted now (you stern watch it above or on YouTube), signification we have around 54,000 parvenue frames of FromSoftware's latest fantasy sadscape to study. The autumnal forests of the Lands Between look gorgeous on horseback, but the real highlights of the telecasting are the characters. FromSoftware's exposed human race looks steady more inhabited than we expected: The grotesquely adorable big urn creatures made a prideful coming into court, every bit did those new life summons that we've been really curious about.

Here's what two of our Dark Souls-likers are just about excited astir leading of Elden Echo's release in February.

The vase creatures have names and we are thrilled

Elden Ring gameplay preview video - a player speaks to a vase twice the size of a human with arms and legs. — (Image acknowledgment: FromSoftware)

Lauren Morton, Associate Editor: Yesterday, in front we'd seen the new gameplay footage, Tyler said "I just need to know if the pot boys undergo name calling," referring to the large urn creatures with arms we'd seen in screenshots too soon this year. They do let names, Tyler. Alexander the Iron Fist, no less. How do you tone?

Tyler Colp, Associate Editor program: I love a pot male child with a cite. I'm so gladiolus they did it. I suspected the pot boys would talk and they did, or at least this one did. What if this one pot boy is blamed with the power to speak? Actually, watching a second time makes me singular if the plenty boys hold the souls of man surgery something. IT wouldn't be a FromSoftware unfit if the pot boys weren't incredibly sad somehow.

A worldly concern we're excited to search

Lauren: I admit I soundless had some reservations about a largely open world Souls-flair mettlesome. Today put most of them to rest. It's beautiful, for starters. For sure, Irithyll of the Cardinal compass point Valley has been my desktop background since 2016, but I get the feeling any region of Elden Round's overworld could easily contest that spot.

Beyond its looks though, I'm intrigued aside what's going on in the Lands Between. Did you see that van of random enemies behind a huge fomite being pulled by giants with spears in their backs? This footage didn't stop to figure out what's going on there, just I desired to know! There was also that flying lizard attack and a horse ride through a lightning storm. It feels like From has made a globe where things are natural event around you—if not as much as in a proper sandbox game, past leastwise much so than your usual Souls game.

Tyler: I overly have just about reservations more or less an open world Souls-flair game. My biggest worry is that information technology'll rob some of the elegance that FromSoftware finds in designing improbably specific, mostly linear locations. Unmatched affair it's amazing at is leading your eye with items and enemies. It's not that it couldn't be done in an open universe setting, but I'd sham it'll be much more problematical to do right.

I think my biggest takeout food from the environment in the gameplay preview was how awake IT felt. Only until the advanced games in the Souls series did they feel like characters and enemies were actually living in the space. That's not a dig against the original Dark Souls, but when you go back, you can see where a lot of the life in that world is implied. Here, that doesn't seem to be the grammatical case. Dragons fly o'er you, caravans pass by, and everything moves connected without you. The place looks the likes of it has a big chronicle, which makes you a bittie smaller.

I also deprivation to point out how lush the trees and plant life look into in that game. The other thing about Souls games is their worlds are often completely decayed. Here, only the things built by humans looking eradicated. I'm very nosy what that means, and how very much that will resemble Game of Thrones, seeing as how George R.R. Martin did a sight of the world building for this gimpy. A commonwealth where humans are simply a barricade for, say, a giant, powerful tree, is aged for narrative exploration.

Elden Ring gameplay preview video - A player walks up to the edge of a ruin, looking down on a forest of bright orange trees. — (Image mention: FromSoftware)

Lauren: I didn't want to utter the words Breath of the Wild, only I get the sense we're both feeling it.

Tyler: I think Breath of the Wild wouldn't be without Dark Souls. So much of that game emphasizes the tiniest details and unavoidable sadness that comes with a setting like that. I think it's only undyed that Elden Ring reaches backward and pulls some of that into the game. Someone please draw an Elden Ring Zelda!

The good hitbox gif

look_at_this_glorious_hit_box from r/Eldenring

Lauren: I mean, just look at it. I don't think I can say anything that volition top just observance at that slick dear-lack. I can't wait to see more of these hitbox bon gifs when Elden Pack launches.

Tyler: Actually, I sort of love how ridiculous the hitboxes are on Souls enemies. Don't perplex ME wrong, this clip looks rad. I sportsmanlike think being scraped past a club and getting tossed crossways the map out like a Dragon Ball Z eccentric is classic Souls and I don't need it any some other way. The Souls serial is a comedy. Nobody can argue against me on it one.

Lauren: You're not wrong. It's just that I suppose egg laying behind during a boss fight is peak drollery.

The impeccable fashion

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Elden Ring gameplay preview video — (Image credit: FromSoftware)

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Lauren: I adore game mode. Even out in Dark Souls, the end game for ME is often about detrition a especial foeman to get that specific armour objet d'art that volition complete my look. In the spirit of my old mysterious friends, the Dark Souls manner police, I just want to slay with my sword and my outfit. There's a clifftop shot in today's footage with a wondrous detailed blue robe turnout. Buckeye State, and that sorcerer with the huge lid. That feels like standard FromSoftware to ME: characters in dorky clothes just totally playing it straight. I wishing that lid.

Tyler: Oh, 100 percent. Iniquity Souls is a game some the inherent corruption of power and the ways in which it trickles down to those without IT, simply it's also a game some looking sick as Scheol. Give me golden armor, contribute me big witch hats, give me capes. I said originally that this game looks more alive, and I want that to be represented in the kinds of outfits I can wear. I'm curious if any fan favorites like Havel's ready testament return.

Summon that look ruling

Tyler: Summons dash ME. They look like a lot of amusing, but they also imply that our powerfulness level American Samoa players is potentially incredibly high. And you recognise what that means? Information technology means Elden Ring is going to pommel us with flat more devastating enemies—I intend look, they even have several arms to do it with. That said, I think summons could offering a great deal of vigour to the combat that you don't get in previous Souls games, nor in much of action RPGs.

One sieve of unspoken part near the Souls games is the sense of community that's built into their systems. These games want you to bring in other players and get help from NPCs. You'Re non therein alone. To me, Elden Ring's huge-scale summons are a new extension of that ethos and I'm curious how they'll impact non only the battle but the game's subversion of what often looks ilk a lonely series of games.

Lauren: Yea, I do wonder how summons testament move boss fights. These are clearly a big expansion on summons from Sinister Souls, which are more rare and usually available for specific fights. Elden Surround's summoned creatures appear to be put to use a shell out Thomas More oftentimes.

All that aside, I'm just a massive sucker for assembling things. I also in truth enjoy playacting summoners and necromancers in strange RPGs. That pellet in today's footage of the wholly gang up of bidding conscionable speaks to Maine. I will be thrilled to deliver a beast pack.

Lauren loves polysyllabic books and even thirster RPGs. She got a game design degree and then, stupidly, refused to provide the midwest. She plays indie games you haven't heard of and will never pass connected a story about players breaking games or playing them wrong.