7 possible crazy references to the Elden Ring (2023)

FromSoftware CEO Hidetaka Miyazaki's love for late Kentaro Miura's manga and animeOut of controlit's the worst kept secret in the gaming industry. Although he avoids directly discussing the connections between his games andOut of controlit is clear that every project led by Miyazaki since 2009Demon Soulsin one way or another influenced the dark fantasy epic that Miura wrote for over 30 yearshis death in 2021.

This tendency to reportOut of controlnaturally extends toElder Ring,soulsthe heir was releasedlast month. Even before the game's release, fans eagerly skimmed through every promotional piece to pay attention to what this armor looked likeOut of controlor that the enemy's design seemed to come from Miura's work. Having spent almost 100 hours with the game over the past few weeks, I couldn't help but notice these similarities.

Below are spoilers for bothElder RingIOut of controlbut really, what are you doing here if you want to avoid them?

Additional reporting by Isaiah Colbert

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2/8

Let's take the most obviousOut of controlfirst a tribute from the belt.

Elder RingIts vast world includes many areas that I have called "fields of swords". Admittedly, the name isn't very creative: it's literally little fields covered with swords that have been driven into the ground with a blade so that they can stand up. In the center of each is a much larger sword with an inscription that usually provides obscure information about the game's plot.

When I first saw one of these sword fields, it immediately reminded me of itOut of controlit's iconicHill of Swords. In the manga and anime, the Hill of Swords is meant to be a memorial to the fallen soldiers of the Band of the Hawk, a mercenary force that serves as the main protagonists of the series for much of its beginnings. Rickert, one of the few surviving members of the army, forges countless blades of Sword Hill as a tribute to his former countrymen.

This is my personal beliefElder RingSword fields serve the same purpose. I like to think they're meant to celebrate Miura, whose death had a huge impact on those who know his work. Or added toElder Ringwe'll probably never know, before or after his death, but it's a fitting tribute to a man who influenced many of the game's predecessors.

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3/8

ExceptStar Plague Radahnone of my favorite characters inElder Ringhe's a great guy with that nameMisolykos. As the name suggests, it is a cross between a human and a wolf, and its appearance has generated a lot of interestOut of controlfans from the matchJune 2021 Game Announcement. This brief glimpse of Blaidd screaming over the ruins of the Misty Forest was immediately likened to Miura's work.

WOut of control, the series' protagonist Guts is finally assignedTotal Berserker, terrifying gear that draws from the wearer's negative emotions to imbue them with unspeakable power. While it looks like normal - if slightly pointy - armor most of the time, it takes on a monstrous, wolf-like appearance whenever Guts allows it to feed its wrath in combat.

Just as Guts was gifted Berserker Armor, you will eventually receive Blaidd's ArmorElder Ringso you can realize your dreams of developed FromSoftwareOut of controlgame. I won't go into detailsHowBlaidd's armor comes into your possession, but only if you have experience with the previous onessoulsgames, you can probably guess. It's not a pleasant thing.

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4/8

If Blaidd is Courage in his Berserker Armor, then I think that's what he would doElder Ringa fan favoriteRani, the witchsimilar toOut of control'smallSchierke? While this is a bit far-fetched considering Ranni is one of the most powerful people in the Lands Between and Schierke is a young witch-in-training, I think it makes sense given their separate relationships with wolf-like men. .

I'm not a Vaati, but it's clear that Ranni and Blaidd have a close relationship. As far as I know, Blaidd was specifically created to guide Ranni to her goal as a potential god figure by an unseen, supernatural force known asGreater Will. However, as Ranni strays from this path, Blaidd grows wilder and wilder until he finally loses his humanity altogether towards the end of his story.

Schierke, in turn, becomes one of Guts' companions after decimating the Hawk Gang. He soon finds himself the only one who can help him control his primal instincts while under the influence of the Berserker armor. As such, Schierke and Guts become inseparable during battle, and the young witch often astrally sends her spirit into his consciousness to calm his mind and prevent him from completely succumbing to the armor.

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5/8

Elder Ringintroduces an area around the center of the game known as the Caelid. Unlike the previous regions, Caelid is a miserable and disgusting placeMalenia Kommeniusing the power of the poisonous Crimson Rot to curse his half-brotherStarscrouge Radahnduring the total war that followedBreakzElder Ring.

It's okay if none of this makes sense to you, because I barely understand itElder Ringknowledge after a full month of playing.

What is important is how Caelid looks in her landscapeEclipse, a phenomenon occurring inOut of controlafter a rare introduction of a new member toGods' hand, a group of divine demons. Guts and the Band of the Hawk are lured to this ceremony by their supposed friend and leaderGriffithawho wants to unite with the hand of God to fulfill his life's dream of becoming the ruler of his own kingdom covering the whole world.

What Eclipse does is basically open a portal to an alternate plane of existence where the Hand of God takes the victims of the introductory (in Griffith's case, the soldiers of the Hawk Gang) and transforms them into a demonic entity. Those unlucky enough to be transported to this dimension are greeted by a vast, bloody space inhabited by hellish creatures, that's more or less how I would describe what awaits themElder RingCaelid players.

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6/8

I'm combining two things here, because I don't want to write separate entries for both.

Before Eclipse takes him into God's hands, the man once known as Griffith undergoes a year of endless torture for sleeping with the princess of an influential kingdom. His tongue was cut out, his skin peeled off, and he was forced to wear an iron mask at all times. After being rescued by Goots and other members of the Hawk Gang, Griffith slowly recovers, but the mask remains to hide the scars of his brutal ordeal.

Elder RingPlayers compared Griffith's iron mask to his ownPrisoner classPlayers can choose at the beginning of the game. Of course, this is not a 1:1 report, but a masked eyePrisoner hatscoincides perfectly with the fact thatOut of controlhe rarely shows Griffith standing in front of the mask, preferring mostly to depict the tortured mercenary with one eye obscured by the mask's shadow.

In addition,Winged steering wheelworn byElder RingMaleni's boss, and the players eventually getting him, can easily be seen as a homage to similar armorOut of controlcompetitor - becomes an allyFarneseshe wears while in commandHoly Knights of the Iron Chain. Sure, this could easily be dismissed as inspired by medieval Valkyrie depictions, but I prefer to see them as directly related because it's funnier.

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7/8

And finally my favoriteOut of controlRefers toElder Ringexcept for sword fields.

Elder Ringjust like the previous onesoulsGames hides most of the world building elements in item descriptions. This is often the best way to find out why so-and-so did something important or who is related to whom.Out of controlthey can also be hidden in this flavor text.

Take the roadElder Ringdescribes its generalgreat sword, For example:

A thick piece of iron from an extremely large sword.

He mows down enemies using his incredible weight.

While wielding it probably requires its wielder to transcend the realm of the common man, it is precisely for this reason that these weapons are used to murder even non-human foes.

This is very similar to the comments about GutsDragonslayerWOut of control, which is already referred to in the first chapter of the manga as "a simple pile of iron" that is "too big to be called a sword". Characters are often put off by the fact that Guts can wield such weapons due to his enormous size, but due to his inhuman strength, he is able to cut down almost anything in his path.

The two weapons even look similar, although this may be because they are both huge, fearsome swords.

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