Excel Mastermind Crafts Elden Ring Replica

A Reddit user, brightyh360, shared an incredible project on the r/excel subreddit: a top-down version of Elden Ring, painstakingly recreated in Microsoft Excel.

This impressive feat required approximately 40 hours of work—20 hours dedicated to coding and another 20 to rigorous testing and debugging. The creator stated, "I built a top-down Elden Ring in Excel using formulas, spreadsheets, and VBA. It was a lengthy undertaking, but the outcome was well worth the effort."

The Excel game boasts an impressive array of features:

• A sprawling map encompassing 90,000 cells.
• Over 60 unique weapons.
• More than 50 different enemy types.
• A robust character and weapon upgrade system.
• Three distinct character classes (tank, mage, assassin), each with unique playstyles.
• 25+ armor sets to customize your character.
• Six non-player characters (NPCs) with engaging quests.
• Four distinct game endings.

While completely free to play, the game utilizes keyboard shortcuts for control: CTRL + WASD for movement and CTRL + E for interactions. Reddit moderators have verified the file's safety, however, users are advised to exercise caution due to the extensive use of macros.

Interestingly, the game's Erdtree sparked a festive comparison to a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. User Independent-Design17 suggested that the Australian Christmas tree, Nuytsia floribunda, may have served as inspiration for the in-game Erdtree. They pointed out striking visual similarities between the game's smaller Erdtrees and the Nuytsia floribunda. Further comparisons highlight deeper connections; the catacombs located at the base of the Erdtree in Elden Ring, where souls are guided, parallel the Aboriginal Australian perception of Nuytsia as a "spirit tree," with its vibrant colors associated with the sunset, the supposed journey of spirits, and each flowering branch representing a departed soul.