This is it. Elden Ring, created by the developers of Dark Souls and Bloodbourne, has finally gotten its’ first gameplay trailer during Summer Gamefest, and it looks like an experience few players will want to miss. Headed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, genius game designer, and George R. R. Martin, writer of the Game of Thrones series, Elden Ring promises both engaging minute-t0-minute gameplay and a well-written, lore-based story to dive into. Gamers have been hungry for more information on the game ever since its reveal trailer in 2019, but it looks like that development time has paid off in spades. The trailer showed off some new mechanics to master, sprawling environments to explore, and of course, new bosses to conquer. In fact, the gameplay was so action-packed that it might be easy to miss some important clues, but luckily Miyazaki himself sat down with IGN to talk about his new game.

The developer says that George R. R. Martin’s involvement has been hugely helpful in bringing the story of Elden Ring to life. Miyazaki also explained the premise of the game and the player’s role as one a Tarnished. Elden Ring is set The Lands Between, a world “blessed by the presence of the Elden Ring and by the Erdtree, which symbolizes its’ presence,” Miyazaki explains. The blessing of the Elden Ring manifests as a glow behind the eyes of the people populating The Lands Between. Some have slowly lost this glow and have become “Tarnished” and thrown out of The Lands Between. However, after a massive event shatters the Elden Ring, these Tarnished are summoned, setting off the events of the game. As for what this all means, Miyazaki only says “we want the player to discover for themselves what that means and how they want to begin their adventure.”

Miyazaki also took some time to explain the design of the bosses showcased during the gameplay trailer. “One main theme of the main bosses of the game, in particular, are that they are essentially demigods,” says Miyazaki. These demigods have inherited separate pieces of the shattered Elden Ring, each of which contains a different power which these bosses will draw upon to mercilessly punish any players brave enough to fight them.

We wanted to depict these beings as not just creatures and horrible monsters, but have an element of heroism and an element of mythology to them. Essentially, they are the old gods of this world.

And yet, in true Fromsoftware fashion, each of these demigods have fallen into their own madness, leaving them little more than desolate shells of their past selves.

Each major boss will hold domain over one of the six main areas of Elden Ring, which can be taken on in any order the player chooses, although Miyazaki also confirmed that these areas are lined up in a way that promotes a specific path without forcing it upon players. “There is a mainline route that they can follow, but at any time they’re free to break off this route and to take the untrodden path,” Miyazaki comments.

This sense of freedom extends not just to the exploration, but the combat as well. Most notably, players will get the chance to summon defeated enemies to help them in battle, not unlike a grim-fantasy pokémon. These summons will each have unique abilities, offering an entirely new element to customizing your character. Whether you decide to use summons strategically or just use the ones that fit your aesthetic is up to you. You can watch the full gameplay trailer for Elden Ring below.

Elden Ring is set to release on Xbox One, Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC on January 21, 2022. For more updates on Elden Ring’s development, stick with us at Mxdwn.