Young Tarnished: Brave, motivated and created equal among the tarnished heroes that walk the lands between. Elden Ring, created by George R. R Martian and Hidetaka Miyazaki bring to life a world of chaos, beauty, challenge and growth. When playing Elden Ring, it was easy to see its direction and motivation, but as the story went on, it became more complex in its motive and in the message it wanted to convey to its players. The bigger question here is what Elden Ring represents, not just as a game, but as a subjective journey since every playthrough is so vastly different for each person.
An Undying Faith: The Elden Beast is the spiritual/primordial manifestation of a tarnished's faith structure. Psychologically, Marika/The Elden Beast has a strong hold on the tarnished. This game not only has our hero question their faith to the fingers (creation), but they have the choice on how the world will burn with what ending is acquired. Picking your poison in this game creates your own narrative, a story for the ages. Being a fighter for the ring and your very beliefs puts you in a hunger games type situation, fighting for your wants and a new era to be ushered in. As I progressed through the game I had the same feeling exploring this game, as I did exploring Dark Souls one for the first time. I wasn’t sure where I was heading, but was excited and nervous about the journey. The psychology behind Elden Ring is an enhanced version of Dark Souls One, where originally a young hallow had to find the meaning of the world around them and through their ending would dictate if the age of man would become the new world, or a continued rose colored world would flourish where each hallow gives their life to the bonfire. Now, in Elden Ring we not only have to find the meaning of the world around us but we have to understand our creation, and become the new ruler of chaos or indifference. There is no in-between, with six endings in this game you go from just ok, to a tiny bit better to really bad.
A playground of Opportunity: When diving into Elden Ring, I didn’t quite realize how subjective the whole game is. With a cacophony of themes, motifs, psychological and philosophical concepts it felt like my playground to be fully mentally immersed in. Yes, you can look up as many guides and walkthroughs as you like, but the experience of the game is so vastly determined on the play style of the individual playing the game. I was a magic and faith build and getting through this game was both easy and very much a puzzle to figure out. Some bosses aren’t as affected by magic, some you really have to study their move set to even make any damage at all, much like Sekiro. While this game for me was easy in the first half and a wonderful challenge in the last half of the game, I can see how new soulsborne players might have difficulty with it considering the fact that a lot of the bosses look more intimidating then they actually are. These games create the illusion of being difficult, while actually they are reasonable challenge for the player.
Creation: The creation of man is the creation of life itself. In the painting, the creation of Adam by Michelangelo we see that god is not touching Adam, Adam is waiting for the gift of life from god. In the gap between the fingers it could represent a separation from god and man the same way the fingers represent the holy aspect of Elden Ring, the finger in this game act as a point of creation. While the character still has the free will to do what they please they seek the guidance of the fingers the same way religion acts as a point of guidance for many people. We could also look at this form a psychological perspective as well, where the painting of the creation of Adam could represent both half’s of the human brain, god being the right, Adam and life’s creation being the left. Whatever the young tarnished decide to do in this game, the universe, much like real life has opportunities for good, bad or indifferent.
Becoming Elden Lord: Elden ring holds a special place in my heart, from the stunning visuals to intricate main story bosses, to several places you can visit from multiple dungeons, and mini bosses to exquisite landscapes the sprawl and go on forever. The concept, the emotions evoked and Easter eggs from soulsborne games previous its no wonder the game is a masterpiece. It’s the best of all of Fromsoftwears games put into one universe that approaches the game from standpoint that knows it’s players well, and for newer fans who want a more beginner friendly experience.
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