FromSoftware has gripped players worldwide with its dark fantasy games, even years after each of their titles' release. Hidetaka Miyazaki is the creative mind behind these morose masterpieces. Now, he has collaborated with George R. R. Martin to bring the gaming world a new and highly anticipated experience: Elden Ring.

RELATED: Action RPGs To Play While Waiting For Elden RingFans can't help but think of it as another Dark Souls game. Although the upcoming release does take inspiration from the infamously difficult Dark Souls series (which inspired a range of infamously difficult Soulslikes), it will also be a unique and intriguing new adventure. FromSoftware's classic DNA is clear to see regardless, though, as the similarities found in the footage that has been showcased so far (and the words of Miyazaki himself) make clear.

10 The Title Of The Protagonist

The Tarnished. The very title the protagonist of Elden Ring will bear throughout their journey. It's similar to the titles of the Dark Souls series, namely: The Chosen Undead, Bearer of the Curse, and Ashen One. Each of these titles reveals the protagonist's specific goal, towards an ending that players can often choose for themselves (multiple endings are a hallmark of Dark Souls).

The Chosen Undead and Ashen one are destined to either sacrifice themselves extending the Age of Fire or choose to become the Dark Lord. The Bearer of the Curse succeeds the throne. Meanwhile, The Tarnished, a disowned noble, wishes to restore their glory by collecting fragments of the Elden Ring.

9 Character Creation And Customization

Miyazaki told IGN in 2019 that Elden Ring will not have a fixed protagonist (in terms of design), and that the game will "mostly leave it up to the player to decide the characteristics and personality of the character they create.” Instead of speaking during cutscenes, they will be silent. Just like in the Dark Souls series, then, the players are free to create and build their character to their heart's content. Whether it will be strictly a PVE build or the best and most competitive PVP build they could ever have, it's all up to them.

In Dark Souls, players can stick to melee-based weapons only or learn magic and become potent with spells. This is also the case with Elden Ring, except that there's a larger variety of weapons and around 100 skills to choose from and wield.

8 Freedom Of Progress

With FromSoftware, Miyazaki aims to create worlds where players can get creative with their ways of exploring, overcoming challenges and defeating enemies. In Dark Souls, players are free to enter some brutally challenging and optional locations even early in the game.

RELATED: Dark Souls: The Toughest Areas To Reach Without A Guide

Elden Ring will also have freedom of progress, but so much more of it compared to Dark Souls. After all, it's the first open-world game FromSoftware has created. There are bigger areas to explore, additional combat techniques to discover, and new game mechanics to learn.

7 Humanity-Like Collectibles And Multiplayer

In Dark Souls, humanity is used to restore the player's human form, boosting their health and defense. It's also a collectible that allows players to summon phantoms and be invaded. Elden Ring will also have a similar feature, although more details about this are yet to be revealed.

In an Elden Ring gameplay trailer, the character is seen using a curious dark cube, followed by two blue phantoms emerging from the ground. The cube-shaped item is key to the use of Spirits, collectibles that have a similar functionality to humanity. In this case, though, they summon phantoms of defeated enemies as allies.

6 Cooperative And Competitive Online Multiplayer

Dark Souls has an online multiplayer option. By using humanity or an ember, a player will turn into a multiplayer host. They can summon up to two White or Golden Phantoms (friendly) and can be invaded by Red Phantoms (hostile), instigating tricky PvP battles. Using a password will also bypass any matchmaking limitations.

Miyazaki also told IGN that Elden Ring will feature "souls-like player summons." There are asynchronous multiplayer elements added too. In Elden Ring, the host can summon up to three friendly phantoms. Series veterans eagerly await more details about this, and the all-important PVP.

5 Resting At Those Iconic Bonfires

The Elden Ring gameplay trailer showcases the protagonist resting at a bonfire, features that serve as a checkpoint in Dark Souls. At the bonfire, players can manage their storage, replenish their flasks and restore their humanity. They also allows players to fast travel and repair their weapons later in the game.

In Dark Souls 1, players can only fast travel to bonfires later in the game. The bonfires in Elden Ring will have the same feature as the bonfires in Dark Souls 2 and 3, allowing players to fast travel to bonfires in areas that have been uncovered early in the game.

4 A Range Of Potentially-Iconic Bosses And NPCs

In the Elden Ring gameplay trailer, there are more scenes of the characters that players will meet along the way. One of the bosses resembles Dark Souls' iconic powerhouse Executioner Smough in a Lord Vessel hat—wearing a heavy metallic armor around his large body and wielding a large weapon. Another character also resembles Dark Soul 3's Emma, High Priestess of Lothric Castle; but she's in white garments with a knight by her side.

RELATED: The Hardest Boss Fights In Dark Souls, Ranked

Every protagonist in the Dark Souls series is guided by a Fire Keeper, granting them more powers through leveling up in exchange for Souls. They're usually sworn to guide certain bonfires. Their presence keeps the flames alive, their absence douses it. The cloaked woman who narrates the Elden Ring trailer appears to be a Fire Keeper (or to have a similar role), although this has yet to be confirmed.

3 Firelink Shrine-Like Hub And More

In every Dark Souls game, there's a hub known as a Firelink Shrine, where the central bonfire is located. It's accessible early in the game, and it serves as the crossroads for shortcuts. It's also where vital NPCs like merchants gather, along with a Fire Keeper and a blacksmith.

Elden Ring will have a similar hub, but it appears that it may only be accessible later in the game. Certain locations from the game that resemble Anor Londo, the Crystal Cave, and the Catacombs have also been glimpsed.

2 Those Mystical And Deadly Dragons

The world of Dark Souls is not complete without its powerful dragons, steeped in fascinating lore. The first ever dragon players will encounter in the series is the HellKite Wyvern, which drops a rare dragon weapon called the Drake Sword if the player succeeds in cutting off its tail. It's a powerful weapon to use in the early game.

Elden Ring features dragons too, as the gameplay footage shown so far has revealed. There's a boss fight with a large, intimidating dragon that wields lightning as its weapon. Will there be more of these dark fantasy staples in the game? Will they drop neat weapons too? Questions like these have Elden Ring enthusiasts salivating.

1 Classic Level Design

The Dark Souls series' foreboding level design caught the eyes of hardcore gamers worldwide, turning them into huge fans. With the games featuring intricately designed and interconnected environments that are a deadly joy to explore, it's no wonder fans keep coming back to the series time and again.

Elden Ring will also feature such level design, though within a much bigger world and a more wider array of seamless interconnected environments. Fans can expect that everything in Elden Ring will be placed there with a purpose, just as everything is in Dark Souls.

NEXT: Elden Ring: Things George R. R. Martin Can Bring To The Game (& Things Hidetaka Miyazaki Can)