Chapter 830 - 830: I'm Destined to Be the Elden King!

The trailer for "Elden Ring" was released, and it was like a stone thrown into a calm pond, causing a huge ripple.

It wasn't because the quality of the game's CG was stunningly amazing, nor was it because players had been waiting for so long.

It was because the style and presentation in the trailer felt familiar to many players.

The obscure plot introduction, the slightly dark art style, combined with the so-called war of demigods and the shattering of the Elden Ring, resulting in a lack of a king.

These elements came together, making many players think of a game genre from Nebula Games: Soulslike games.

Considering the distinctive characteristics of Soulslike games, from the pioneering "Dark Souls" duology to later titles like "Bloodborne" and "Sekiro," these games have attracted a large number of fervent fans.

Of course, there are many players who are the kind who can spend 10 minutes fighting the first boss on their own but watch 20 hours of walkthrough videos.

However, the fame of Soulslike games among players is no less than that of some top-tier IP blockbusters.

"Holy crap, could it really be a Soulslike game? Epic fantasy plot, rich equipment system, with some puzzle elements, it seems like all the boxes are ticked!"

"It shouldn't be... right? After all, isn't this an open world? Soulslike games have always been about linear exploration, haven't they?"

"Not necessarily. Think about the prequel to Dark Souls. From the Firelink Shrine, you could go to the Catacombs, or to the Undead Burg and New Londo Ruins outside the city. That was already quite open."

"Exactly, exactly. Thinking about it that way, it doesn't seem impossible!"

"Everyone, hold on. This isn't confirmed yet, it might not be!"

"Even though it's not confirmed, doesn't that CG feel too familiar? And more importantly, Boss Lucas hasn't revealed anything, yet he seems to value it highly. Given Boss Lucas's personality, doesn't that feel strange?"

"Indeed! Boss Lucas is sneaky. If he's acting like this, it either means the plot will involve some painful twists and kill off one or two important characters, or it's just going to be brutally difficult to torment us."

Of course, many loyal players who enjoy Soulslike games also got excited at this point.

Even though so much time has passed, there are still many "Soul scholars" studying various elements within Soulslike games.

From the lore to the gameplay, and even speedrunning, players have continuously researched these aspects.

The possibility of "Elden Ring" being a Soulslike game made these players incredibly excited.

.........

Facing countless player questions and speculations, after releasing the first trailer, Lucas did not respond directly. Instead, he continued to release character art and related game settings.

For example, the Tarnished, and Melina, who guides players in gaining strength.

Although these revealed contents lacked actual gameplay footage, they gave players a common understanding: this might indeed be a Soulslike game.

Because based on the revealed settings and art style, the vibe was overwhelmingly strong!

Especially the red lions under General Radahn's swing and the Cleanrot Knights under the Valkyrie. Seeing the familiar armor immediately reminded players of Dark Souls.

Amidst these player discussions, expectations, and controversies.

"Elden Ring" officially ushered in its release day.

What was different from its previous iteration, besides the VR adaptation, was that Lucas had made two important directional changes to the game.

In its previous iteration, what players criticized about "Elden Ring" besides numerical issues was also input reading.

Input reading, to put it simply, is like Genichiro in "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice." In the first two phases, when the player uses a gourd, he would inevitably pull out his great bow and shoot the player. In the third phase, he would inevitably perform a thrust attack that could be parried.

In response, Lucas utilized AI to better plan the moves of bosses in the game.

Of course, it's still a process of memorizing patterns.

Secondly, for Ashes of War that summon spirits, bosses also have a dedicated aggro parsing system.

"I wonder if 'Elden Ring' is a Soulslike game! If it is, I think an open-world Soulslike game should be very interesting!" Ben and Zack were chatting on their voice channel while waiting for the game to go live.

"Don't worry, if you encounter a boss you can't beat, you can team up with me. Your friendly Sun Bro will help you beat bosses." Hearing Ben's words, Zack chuckled and quickly took advantage of the situation.

"Shut up, you noob! You used to ask me to team up to get souls when you couldn't beat bosses! Don't you remember?" Ben retorted contemptuously.

"Where's the evidence? A civilized society requires evidence, otherwise, you're slandering me!" Zack shamelessly argued.

"You're just being stubborn! I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going to check out the game!" Ben huffed. Seeing that it was the appointed time, he quickly entered the game.

The view before him slowly darkened, completely cut off by darkness.

Then, a golden beam of light appeared in his vision.

A hoarse narration sounded in his ear.

'Leaves carry a message: Beyond the fog, our homeland, the Lands Between, the great Elden Ring has been shattered...'

A colossal golden tree and the royal city appeared before Ben.

'[Eternal Queen] Marika has disappeared. On the Night of the Black Knives conspiracy, [Godwyn] the Golden became the first to die.'

'The children of Marika—the demigods all obtained shards of the Elden Ring, but they fell into madness due to that power and waged the Shattering War...'

Demigods fighting due to the war appeared before his eyes, and the screen finally froze on the battlefield between General Starscourage Radahn and the Valkyrie Malenia.

'At the end of that war devoid of kings, the Greater Will banished them.'

'Oh, so, Tarnished—the undead who still cannot rest!'

'The grace we lost long ago is calling out.'

Behind him, a giant lion-like monster and a warrior pierced by countless arrows.

'King of the Wilds: Hoarah Loux'

Like a sunflower, he fell on an altar inscribed with symbols, a mysterious person.

'The Golden Masked man'

A girl among countless corpses.

'The Deathbed Companion: Fia'

Hanging on a gallows, a strange man wearing clothing resembling octopus suckers, with a sun carved on his chest.

'The Scorned Dung Eater'

A knight lying in a sarcophagus covered in countless silver coins.

'Sir Gideon Ofnir'

In the darkness, a ray of light appeared.

'That lost grace has once again returned to the nameless Tarnished.'

'Advance towards the misty beyond, arrive at the Lands Between, seek the Elden Ring, and become the Elden King!'

As the opening CG concluded, Ben was already about 80% sure.

The tone of this CG!

It absolutely had that feel!

It was full of that "Dark Souls" vibe!

And as the CG ended, the character creation interface that appeared before him turned that 80% into 100%.

The traditional character creation system! And the familiar starting items.

"But it feels a bit like a spiritual successor to 'Dark Souls,' it looks so similar!"

Looking at the game's relevant interface, Ben couldn't help but smack his lips.

In terms of the story, isn't the Tarnished an Undead?

Isn't the Elden Ring something like the First Flame?

And the classes.

Knight, Thief, Astrologer, Warrior, Nobody... And the setting of choosing starting items later on, it's totally a "Dark Souls" vibe!

The only difference was that he saw an easter egg, a special class: Samurai.

Hailing from the Land of Reeds, this was clearly an easter egg corresponding to "Sekiro."

"Samurai, that class is pretty cool! Too bad I won't choose it." Ben smiled slightly and decisively chose Knight.

Since he was almost 100% sure that this was a Soulslike game.

There was almost only one choice for class, which was essential for the initial playthrough: Knight.

Although it was possible to be overweight and unable to move if he wore armor right from the start, like in the "Dark Souls" prequel, he could always just take off some clothing.

As for Astrologer, Nobody, and the other miscellaneous classes corresponding to mages, you couldn't choose them for an initial playthrough!

As a seasoned, excellent Undead, he knew too well!

As for starting items, there were many things he didn't understand, so after thinking about it, he chose a versatile [Golden Seed]. According to its description, it could add an extra Flask of Crimson Tears for him.

Clearly, the Flasks of Crimson Tears in "Elden Ring" corresponded to those in "Dark Souls" and "Sekiro," not like those in "Bloodborne."

With the class confirmed, after the darkness, Ben appeared in a room. From the corpse beside him, he obtained a piece of Tattered Note left by a Tarnished. As someone who had played Soulslike games, he was familiar with this item used to leave messages.

However, what surprised him most was that the game's controls were not a completely new combat system like in "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice."

Instead, it was the "Dark Souls" style. The only difference was that the Undead gained knees, allowing them to jump.

Ignoring the beginner tutorial messages on the ground, Ben in the dimly lit room practiced on his own and basically figured out the related move commands, given his experience.

He then opened the equipment interface and confirmed he was not overburdened.

"So, this is an open-world Dark Souls! Isn't that unbeatable?"

"As an experienced veteran of linking the fire, this journey to becoming king should be smooth sailing, right? I'm destined to be the Elden King!"

(End of Chapter)