Elden Ring

Elden Ring is a 2022  action role-playing game  developed by  FromSoftware  and published by  Bandai Namco Entertainment . Directed by  Hidetaka Miyazaki  with  worldbuilding  provided by  fantasy  writer  George R. R. Martin , it was released for  PlayStation 4 ,  PlayStation 5 ,  Windows ,  Xbox One , and  Xbox Series X/S  on February 25. In the game, players control a customizable  player character  on a journey to repair the titular Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord. Elden Ring  is presented through a  third-person  perspective, with players  freely roaming  its interactive  open world . The six main areas are traversed using the  player character's  steed Torrent as the primary mode of transportation, while linear hidden dungeons can be explored to find useful items. Combat is facilitated by several types of weapons and magic spells, including non-direct engagement enabled by  stealth  mechanics. Checkpoints located throughout the open world allow for the player to improve their  attributes  using an in-game currency called Runes, as well as acting as locations that enable  fast travel .  Elden Ring  features online  multiplayer , with players able to join each other for both cooperative and  player versus player  combat. FromSoftware wanted to create an open-world game with gameplay similar to  Dark Souls , intending  Elden Ring  to act as an evolution of  the first game  in the series. Miyazaki admired Martin's work and hoped his contributions would produce a more accessible narrative than FromSoftware's previous games. Martin was given the freedom to design the backstory without restriction, while Miyazaki remained lead writer for the story taking place during gameplay. The developers concentrated on environmental scale, roleplaying, and the story as the main elements, with the scale requiring the construction of several separate structures inside the open world. Elden Ring  received critical acclaim, with praise directed towards its open-world, gameplay systems, and setting, although some criticism went towards its technical performance. It won several  Game of the Year  awards and sold more than 17.5 million copies by October 2022.