FromSoftware Future Open-World Game Should Avoid SotE Gaius Boss Mistakes

Right now, the future of FromSoftware is unclear. The studio has wrapped development on Elden Ring and its expansion Shadow of the Erdtree, and continues releasing sporadic patches for them and 2023’s Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. An external Elden Ring adaptation has been teased by game director Hidetaka Miyazaki, and an Armored Core 6 expansion has been rumored, but that’s all fans know of. If no news follows Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree by the end of 2024, then the FromSoftware community will once again be left in the dark.

Developer statements have implied that FromSoftware is scaling back its scope from Elden Ring’s open world, at least for a little while. The enormous Soulslike represents the furthest extent that FromSoftware feels it can take the Souls formula, and the return of Armored Core during Shadow of the Erdtree’s development proves that it can have several smaller projects on the go at once. Still, open worlds remain a popular design choice in modern games, and FromSoftware has plenty of lessons it can draw on the next time it revisits the format.

One Of Shadow of the Erdtree’s Remembrance Bosses Doesn’t Stand Out

Some problem areas include balancing the distribution of collectibles and repeated content like minibosses and catacomb dungeons, but there is a particular mistake in Shadow of the Erdtree that FromSoftware should avoid. Even in an open world, important Souls bosses need to be given the right amount of flair. Like Elden Ring itself, Shadow of the Erdtree is normally good at this, distinguishing important fights through visuals, surroundings, and even cutscenes when the time is right. There is only one time in Shadow of the Erdtree when all of that deserts a boss who desperately needs it.

Commander Gaius Is The Least Spectacular Remembrance Boss In Elden Ring

Many roads in the Land of Shadow lead in and out of the Shadow Keep Legacy Dungeon, and the Back Gate in particular deposits players in front of Commander Gaius. Ignoring the polarizing parts of his battle that can give some players an especially hard time, this fight commits a unique sin in Elden Ring by assigning a Remembrance to a rather plain boss. Gaius has a unique fighting style, but his first phase feels like a variant of the horseback bosses that frequently dot Elden Ring’s overworld. Even after the second phase’s gravity magic reveal, it may still come as a surprise afterward that this random boss held a Remembrance.

Major Souls Bosses Can’t Afford To Blend In With The Surrounding Open World

Why that is can be attributed to the circumstances of Commander Gaius’ fight. Having him charge the player from a distance as soon as they step into Scadu Altus is conceptually cool, but the resulting “arena” is just an outdoor battlefield that needs force fields to keep players from just leaving. Torrent is also allowed in this fight, which isn’t unheard of among Elden Ring’s Remembrance holders, but is normally associated with open-world bosses. Gaius’ first phase lacks flash, cinematics, and voice lines, ensuring that the only ways this boss will stand out are for the wrong reasons.

It Doesn’t Take Much To Make A Remembrance Boss Feel Like One

Fortunately, Elden Ring has other examples of “lesser” Remembrance bosses that bypass Gaius’ problems. Regal Ancestor Spirit, Lichdragon Fortissax, and Astel, Naturalborn of the Void lacked many presentation qualities like Gaius, but they all had side quests building up to them and their distinct arenas. The Fire Giant could also be considered a Remembrance boss that was fought in the open world like Gaius, but was a unique boss on Elden Ring‘s main path and boasted a dramatic mid-fight cutscene. It only takes a couple extra touches to make one of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Remembrance bosses stand out, and FromSoftware needs to keep them in mind when populating a future game’s open world.