Before Elden Ring, There Was Eternal Ring
thegamer.comFromSoftware has come a long way in the past two decades. When Demon’s Souls released for the PS3 in 2009 it began a chain reaction of blockbuster releases that put the once niche Japanese studio on the map. It was now a global powerhouse, with each new title bearing an unbearable weight of expectations it would somehow live up to time and time again.
But before Hidetaka Miyazaki rocked up and decided to change the medium forever, FromSoftware was a different beast. It still indulged in gothic fantasy and subtle horror, yet also loved to express its admiration of mechs with Armored Core, a series that has become a cult classic in its own right. There’s also Lost Kingdoms, Ninja Blade, Metal Wolf Chaos, Otogi, Kuon, and so many more that are remembered fondly.
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Its library is a vast collection of mid-tier bangers that never set the world on fire, but were popular enough to keep it afloat in order to explore bold new ideas. But before the unparalleled success of Elden Ring came an obscure RPG that shared both its namesake and cryptic philosophy, throwing the player into a sprawling fantasy world and asking them to fend for themselves with little expanation. You’ve got a sword, now get moving!
Following in the footsteps of King’s Field, Eternal Ring was a PS2 launch title in Japan and North America that was essentially the first RPG ever to grace Sony’s console. Given it would soon be home to countless classics in the genre, it helped cement a reputation that would be built upon by Final Fantasy, Disgaea, Persona, Xenogears, and so many other names that I’d be stuck here for hours listing them all. But we’re here to talk about Eternal Ring, a game that in
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