I don’t really get either “slapped together” or “cash grab”. We don’t yet know the diversity and depth we’ll get, but From has earned my trust enough to at least wait until they actually reveal more.

It’s just important to understand that, more than anything, it’s meant as a testbed for a couple of mechanics:

• more & more experimental combat styles
• better multiplayer integration
• randomizer runs (which are very popular with Elden Ring)

This honestly seems like a good approach to refine their style for the next big project. They’ll mostly focus on mechanics and hopefully make it a tight loop, but I expect some lore drops as well (since the timelines match up until the Shattering, I’m pretty sure it’s only current-day lore that won’t be affected).

The only “lazy” part would be the reused bosses, but again: let’s wait and see. It seems like the bosses have been overhauled. If this game is meant as a combat testbed, why not bring back beloved older bosses?

Elden Ring being a sequel to Dark Souls has always been semi-confirmed, so I’ll hold off on calling it lazy until we get the actual story.