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 feat of programming prowess took approximately 40 hours—20 hours dedicated to coding and another 20 to rigorous testing and debugging. The creator proudly stated, "I made the top view version of the Elden Ring in Excel using formulas, spreadsheets and VBA. It was a long project, but the result was worth it."

The impressive recreation boasts:

A sprawling 90,000-cell map;
Over 60 weapons;
More than 50 enemies;
A robust character and weapon upgrade system;
Three distinct character classes (tank, mage, assassin) with unique playstyles;
25+ armor sets;
Six NPCs, each with their own quests;
Four different game endings.

While entirely free to play, controlling the game requires keyboard shortcuts: CTRL + WASD for movement and CTRL + E for interactions. 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 has sparked a fascinating connection to real-world flora. On Christmas Eve, some Elden Ring fans noted its resemblance to a Christmas tree. User Independent-Design17 proposed that the Australian Christmas tree, Nuytsia floribunda, may have served as inspiration. They highlighted the striking visual similarity between the game's smaller Erdtrees and the Nuytsia. Furthermore, the cultural significance of Nuytsia as a "spirit tree" in Australian Aboriginal culture, where its vibrant colors are associated with the sunset and the journey of spirits, mirrors the game's depiction of catacombs at the Erdtree's roots as the resting place of souls. This unexpected parallel adds another layer of depth to the already impressive Excel recreation.