How Elden Ring uses architecture to freak you out

Elden Ring is an excellent — and massive — open-world game. But there are plenty of locations in the Lands Between that are much more in line with FromSoftware's traditional Soulslike games. Castles and cities full of looping paths, dark hallways, and horrible enemies. But it's the contrast between these two styles of gameplay that really make Elden Ring feel so special to play. Polygon's Simone de Rochefort talks about the architectural principles of compression and expansion, and how they apply to Elden Ring's worldbuilding.

0:00 Open-world games have a "big map" problem
0:40 Video games and architecture
1:51 How Elden Ring uses space
2:41 Space alleviates monotony
3:39 Claustrophobic spaces freak us out
4:06 Contrast makes Elden Ring special

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