Let's Talk FromSoftware

Messmer is my favourite boss in any of the Soulsborne games. Throughout the first half of Elden Ring’s DLC; Shadow of the Erdtree (SOTE), he is foreshadowed as the big bad standing in-wait for you. But when you reach him, a much more tragic tale is unveiled. A son abandoned for lacking the grace of gold due to the power confined within him. A son who did unspeakable things in the name of his mother's cause. When you enter his chamber, he can’t quite believe that his mother (Marika) has sanctioned you, (a tarnished) as her lord. The line “Mother, wouldst thou truly lordship sanction, in one so bereft of light?” will forever live in my head rent free. I spent several hours trying to defeat Messmer, but as each hour passed by, I slowly improved my dodges and whittled his health bar down further. Messmer is an incredibly challenging boss, but his moves feel fair as it’s evident where you have gone wrong by mistiming a dodge or attacking when you shouldn’t have. Once you’ve got his mo...

The community of Elden Ring has played the biggest role in keeping it alive since 2022, as passionate continue to produce a vast range of content related to the game. My favourite aspect of replaying Elden Ring has been learning how to engage properly with it’s fantastic bosses. It is my belief that the boss lineup and design in Elden Ring is the best of any Soulsborne title. I am yet to complete Sekiro, but from what I have heard, it is not considered a part of the Soulsborne series as it’s not really a spiritual successor to Dark Souls like Elden Ring is.  I find Elden Ring bosses significantly more enjoyable - but also initially more difficult when compared with their predecessors because of how frenetic they are. Players must often dodge several fast attacks before they can get a single hit in, and the player isn’t even awarded faster weapons, or a dodge roll to compensate for boss’s increased speed and combo length. The weapons in Elden ring have a slower move set compared to ...

With the success and mainstream popularity of Elden Ring, it's undeniable that FromSoftware are larger than they ever have been. As of June 2024, the developer’s titular game has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, with its DLC Shadow of the Erdtree selling 5 million copies within 3 days of its release in June. These are numbers for a single game that FromSoftware have never come close to before. The question is, where do they go now after this massive success?  Hidetaka Miyazaki, the visionary director behind Elden Ring and its predecessors Bloodborne and the Dark Souls trilogy, has said that it's likely he will hand over the responsibility of director to others for future projects. Thankfully, the president of the company has said that he will continue to direct his own projects, but has stressed the importance of nurturing young talent, and allowing them to proceed with their own vision on games they direct without him overseeing in a supervisory role. This could indicate...