A fan has completely recreated the Elden Ring in Excel

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 monumental undertaking consumed approximately 40 hours—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 project, but the payoff was well worth the effort."

The impressive recreation boasts:

A sprawling 90,000-cell map;
Over 60 weapons;
More than 50 enemy types;
Character and weapon upgrade systems;
Three distinct character classes (tank, mage, assassin) with unique playstyles;
25+ armor sets;
Six NPCs with accompanying quests;
Four different game endings.

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

Interestingly, the game's Erdtree sparked a Christmas Eve discussion among Elden Ring fans, resembling a festive Christmas tree. User Independent-Design17 proposed that the Australian Christmas tree, Nuytsia floribunda, may have served as inspiration for the Erdtree's design.

He highlighted the striking resemblance between certain in-game "Small Erdtrees" and the Nuytsia floribunda. However, the similarities extend beyond superficial resemblance. The connection between the Erdtree's roots and the catacombs, where souls are guided in Elden Ring, mirrors the Aboriginal Australian culture's perception of Nuytsia as a "spirit tree." Its vibrant colors, associated with the sunset (believed to be the spirits' passage), and its individual flowering branches, symbolizing departed souls, further strengthen this parallel.