The newly released and critically lauded Elden Ring's actual length was hidden before launch partly because it is impossible to estimate how long any one player will spend wandering the wilderness of the Lands Between, getting distracted for hours by whatever it is they find.
Although Dark Souls' Lordran is not nearly as expansive as the Lands Between, it's intertwined in such a way that makes it a joy to explore and figure out how every area is connected, especially when the game first came out in 2011. Both Dark Souls 2 and 3 have incredible atmosphere and jaw-dropping discoveries - the first look at Irithyll of the Boreal Valley in the latter, for instance, is captivating - but neither manage to capture the exact same feeling of facing the unknown. This may be partially due to the fact that both Drangleic and Lothric are just Lordran in a different era, but also because each have a larger footprint. Bloodborne managed to capture some of the same thrill of the unknown, especially when the game's Lovecraftian elements took hold - narrative devices that help make Elden Ring more like Bloodborne than many first assumed.
Much of the reason Dark Souls 2 and 3 don't live up to their originator's exploration may be due to experience. Those who's first foray into FromSoftware games was either of the sequels might feel the same way about that game instead. The original Dark Souls has a certain stacked, labyrinthine design to it that makes exploring Lordran fascinating, though. When a giant crow carries the Chosen Undead from the Undead Asylum and unceremoniously drops them at Firelink Shrine, the only instructions they get are from a half-mad, dejected man telling them to ring a couple bells. Dark Souls' NPC-filled Firelink Shrine deceptively hides the rest of the world from the player, and while large swathes of the Lands Between are on display almost immediately, Elden Ring constantly surprises with how much is around every corner.
Elden Ring's Scaleable Exploration Of The Unknown
Especially for those who avoided all promotional material prior to playing Elden Ring, the task of exploring the Lands Between in its entirety can quickly become overwhelming. FromSoftware is notorious for sequestering hidden areas and making certain levels entirely optional. Dedicated fans of the franchise pride themselves on combing every inch of each game, but Elden Ring makes it difficult with how broad the levels of exploration are. Previous games kept optional exploration to momentary divergences from the beaten path. At the bottom of Dark Souls' downtrodden and depressing Blighttown, for instance, players go the opposite direction from Quelaag's lair to reach the Great Hollow (hidden by an illusory wall), which leads to an expected descent into the mysterious Ash Lake.
Such detours have come to be expected of FromSoftware games, but now Elden Ring positively drowns the player in unknown territory. The first Site of Grace after the tutorial points the player northwest toward Stormveil Castle, but there are numerous other possibilities from the moment the player is set free in the Lands Between. Not only can any direction be explored, but there's small and large things to discover everywhere. Small caves and dungeons litter Limgrave's nooks, but a vast forest far to the east of Stormveil, Elden Ring's first Legacy Dungeon, holds secrets that could occupy the player for hours. Wander too far on Limgrave's eastward roads and players might end up in an oppressive hellscape called Caelid before they're ready to tackle such challenges. There's already so much to discover in Limgrave, but going anywhere just leads to more locations to add to the list.
Elden Ring Recreates Dark Souls' Mind-Boggling Verticality
The sheer amount of unknown territory in Elden Ring is one thing, but its sense of exploration recaptures that from Dark Souls by having a similar verticality to it. This is most immediately evident in Stormveil Castle, which appears large from a distance, but is absolutely towering from up close, and is dauntingly sprawled inside. If players follow the advice of Elden Ring's traditional FromSoftware maiden and head to Stormveil, the vertical scale of the Lands Between becomes increasingly apparent. First, players are met with an insurmountable cliff within which is the Stormgate, a structure that dwarfs the giant troll players fight there. The Stormhill area (which itself is littered with things to discover) is a constant incline until players arrive at Margit the Fell Omen's boss arena, situated at the base of the castle.
The entire trek is reminiscent of Dark Souls' first leg. Climbing up the aqueduct into the Undead Burg only reveals more of the ruined city above. Players get to the tower with Havel the Rock inside, and the Taurus Demon's bridge is towering overhead. Finally overcoming the Taurus Demon feels like a grand accomplishment, but the Undead Parish still looms above. Even while finally climbing to the roof that holds the Bell Gargoyles, players are likely already wondering how to open the gate to Sen's Fortress or where the door under Dark Souls' blacksmith Andre leads, and how to get past the Titanite Demon that guards it. The true, unexpected scope of Lordran only becomes clear once players start to delve into its depths. Few games manage to capture the same feeling players get from Dark Souls when looking up from Darkroot Basin and seeing the Undead Burg, or viewing the Demon Ruins' lava from the Tomb of the Giants far above then having the realization of how far the Chosen Undead has descended once they reach it.
Elden Ring accomplishes the same thrill in its unexpected underground caverns. Stumbling across Siofra River, for instance, is entirely unexpected. Elevators are a common sight in FromSoftware games, but a suspiciously long ride from one in the middle of a forest ends in a mesmerizing and surreal location. Ancient ruins reach toward a closed sky of laced tree roots, glowing like stars. The subterranean river runs through an area that spans half of Limgrave above. Elden Ring recreates Dark Souls' signature verticality on an absurd scale. Players can enter Siofra River in Limgrave and resurface in Caelid. Elden Ring has whole regions interconnected like the individual areas of Dark Souls, all packed with dungeons, enemies, and NPCs waiting to be discovered.