Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree’s Story Trailer Drops From Nowhere, Stealing Hellblade 2’s Thunder and No-one Talking About the Xbox Exclusive

Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree story trailer was released today, after several months of high anticipation for the long-awaited expansion pack.  While this is great news for fans, the timing couldn’t be worse for another highly anticipated title that was just released today – Ninja Theory’s Hellblade 2.

Does Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree Steal the Glory From Hellblade 2?

While Elden Ring’s trailer may have unintentionally taken the spotlight, there’s still plenty of room for both titles to shine. The player base for both games does overlap quite a bit, with the only exception being that Hellblade 2 isn’t available on PlayStation, but Shadow of the Erdtree will be available on Xbox, Playstation, and PC when it releases on June 21, 2024.

Did FromSoftware intentionally release the trailer to coincide with Hellblade 2? Probably not, as the trailer for the expansion was recently released on May 21, exactly 30 days before its release. FromSoftware has released similar story or final trailers for their games just 30 days before they’re out. Moreover, the expansion only received a story trailer, while Hellblade 2 is already out and ready to play, so it’s not like fans will have to split their time between the two games.

The hype for the expansion is clearly at an all-time high, as this is the first additional content that the game will receive since its release more than two years ago. The game has held up extremely strong after its overwhelmingly positive release in 2022 and has managed to stay relevant and kept a very high and consistent player base ever since.

It’s no surprise that fans are so excited and hopeful for the upcoming expansion, as FromSoftware has a strong track record when it comes to expansions to their already amazing games. Dark Souls’ Artoriss of the Abyss, Bloodborne’s The Old Hunters, and Dark Souls 3’s Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City are some very high-quality expansions that immediately come to mind, so we can expect similar quality for the expansion to the base game.

What Are Critics and Fans Saying About Hellblade 2?

Hellblade 2 was just released on May 21, to overall positive reviews from critics. Almost everyone who has played the game is in complete awe of its photorealistic visuals and graphical fidelity. Sound design, production quality, and psychological themes are also being consistently praised.

Most of the criticism has been towards the narrative and gameplay. Many feel that the story and execution aren’t quite as good as Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and don’t quite have the same emotional depth and impact compared to the groundbreaking first installment.

The gameplay has also been criticized, for lacking depth and variety. This is something that could’ve used more innovation, but it’s more or less the same as before. It can also be somewhat repetitive since there are only three combat functions – light attack, strong attack, and parry. You can only fight a single enemy at a time, and most combat encounters play out the same way.

What are some new things you hope to see in the expansion? Let us know in the comments.