Weirdly, Elden Ring Won't Have Police Chases
Someone call the Medieval Five-O - Elden Ring players are demanding police chases in FromSoftware's Souls-like epic when it releases in 2022. From what we've seen, Elden Ring will be one of next year's biggest games, but could it be improved by the Lands Between PD?
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of FromSoftware's beloved Souls series, Elden Ring is the next step in the franchise. We've already seen an anthropomorphic pot man grab headlines, while others have discovered a giant bear boss, but apparently, a magical police department is just too fanciful.
Why Aren't There Police Chases In Elden Ring?
The notion of police chases in Elden Ring has become a hot topic thanks to Cyberpunk 2077 (of all things). Despite CD Projekt Red's maligned 2020 game teasing it would include neon-splashed police chases, it was one of the many features missing at launch. Apparently, they aren't on the way - but how does this relate to Elden Ring?
With fans still calling out CDPR for its misleading marketing, Cyberpunk 2077 Quest Director Pawel Sasko was criticised (via VGC) that "all" open-world games have these kinds of encounters. It's true that a wanted-style system players out in a lot of modern titles, but as Sasko reminded us, "I don’t think that the Sonic or the Elden Ring open-world game will have it."
Seeing a speedy Sonic being chased by Doctor Robotnik's police forces sounds like a hilarious addition to Sonic Frontiers, however, having the Tarnished chased by goblins in police carriages sounds like a much better idea. We've seen a similar concept work in Red Dead Redemption, so it's not outside the realm of possibility.
What Have Fans Said About Police Chases In Elden Ring?
Even if police chases in Elden Ring are just a mythical concept, Sasko's headline-grabbing quip has become an idea some people can't get rid of. Posting on Twitter, one fan joked, "'I say lowly tarnished come hither forth with. Thine has 12 parchments on the winds for thine capture' - Elden Ring NPC Probably."
Someone else said, "I mean, if there’s another Covenant like the Blue Sentinels from Dark Souls 2, id technically consider that a police chase." A third noted that Skyrim had its own twist on police chases as they explained, "If a game from 2011 can have bounty hunters come after me across provinces and guards recognize me for past crimes, a game from 2020 can have police chases."
As for Cyberpunk 2077, Sasko admitted imitations meant police chases were cut: "The thing is that because of various limitations, you know, that we had, and in this specific case, it was just a technical limitation. We simply didn’t manage to make it." CDPR has just settled a court case against Cyberpunk 2077, with plaintiffs winning $1.85 million.
We're calling it now, but as long as Elden Ring isn't delayed, it should do much better than Cyberpunk 2077 did at launch. Then again, FromSoftware has been pretty secretive with Elden Ring, so there could be a police chase waiting just around the corner.