The soulslike genre is well known for its grueling combat and high overall difficulty, but it’s also a genre known for horrific monster design and unsettling stories. FromSoftware’s dark fantasy titles helped establish the conventions of the genre, but the studio’s latest title,Elden Ring, appears to adhere more closely to the aesthetics of medical European fantasy. However, oneElden Ringplayer shares an unsettling clip that shows how it can still function as a horror game.
Previous FromSoftware Soulsborne titles likeBloodbornedrew on stories like Draculaand the works of Lovecraft to create a mix of cosmic horror and gothic horror.Elden Ringappears to be going for more of a wartime tragedy feel, but it can still leave unwary players feeling chilled to the bone.
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A Redditor shared a short, 11-second-long clip that chronicles their encounter with some truly unsettling imagery inElden Ring. Interestingly, the scares come from the interaction of another player with one of the game’s key mechanics - the ability to see thephantoms of other players who have died. In the video, the player is shown walking up a flight of stairs when the phantom of another player appears at the top.
Things rapidly take a turn for the worse when the phantom approaches the stairs before suddenly turning toward an unseen enemy. The specter is then yanked into the air, shaken around like a rag doll, and flung over the side of the staircase into the abyss. The player character is shown staring for several seconds, then immediately turns around and begins going down the staircase, away from whatever caused that ugly death.Elden Ringcharacters have died in a lot of embarrassing ways, but this video is a reminder that some deaths in this game can be just plain horrifying.
As of writing, it appears that manyotherElden Ringfansagree that this death was a little intense. Several users replied with comments on how the player decisively turns around and leaves, while others posted comedic quotes connected to the idea of destroying someone in a fight without touching them. Another group of users began drawing connections between the one-sided beat down and a moment from an episode ofSpongeBob SquarePants. Still, more users began discussing other horrifying elements ofElden Ring’s story, such as the Three Fingers NPC. While this video features very little story or context, it may not need them to remind gamers thatElden Ringcan still be considered a horror game.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
