Continuous delays of FromSoftware's Elden Ring have made players desperate for insight into the game's undoubtedly spectacular story. It has been quite a while since the studio released a title that had little to no mystery surrounding it. So far all the information that can be gleaned is coming from the single Elden Ring trailer that was released early this year.
Fans of the Dark Souls series have been combing through every second of Elden Ring's trailer looking for hints about the game's setting and plot. While there's a ton of speculation surrounding the title, many theorists have overlooked a particularly interesting aspect of the trailer that could connect it to previous themes of the Souls series.
Dark Souls was a game that confounded many players and brought clarity to others. A good number of players have remarked that Dark Souls held numerous references to mental health and depression in particular. Some list the game as a piece of media that helped them cope with real-world issues in its own avant-garde way. There is evidence to suggest that Elden Ring may be continuing these themes when it finally releases.
How Dark Souls Addressed Depression
Dark Souls is a story of a world filled with people who are unable to die. According to Dark Souls' lore, living beings are forced to return as undead beings no matter how many times they are destroyed. This is an oppressive existence for the player character and everyone they meet along the way. The enemies that players face have all become Hollows because the struggle to remain human was so great that they all lost their will to go on.
Players are faced with this concept through Dark Souls' brutal difficulty. The game challenges the player at every turn and causes a great number of players to give up all together. By the game's lore, player characters that give up the fight will also go hollow and become a new crop of mindless enemies for the next player who tries to survive in this world.
For many, this story is one that parallels the experience of living with depression. Life can feel like a constant struggle filled with insurmountable challenges. Dark Souls presents this depressing reality, then gives players the tools to overcome these trials. Few games make the player feel quite as good about a victory that they overcame due to their own hard work. For a lot of players, not giving up and eventually succeeding is exactly how they have learned to think about life with mental illness.
Diehard Dark Souls fans often talk about the game as if it is a lifestyle as well as a game they enjoy. This mentality of approaching challenges head on, and failing without a loss of enthusiasm, leads people to an eventual victory. This is a skillful way of thought that can be applied to all aspects of real life, and Dark Souls fans embrace it.
How Elden Ring Might Be Addressing Mental Illness
Elden Ring's trailer starts out with quick flashes of a mighty blacksmith pounding a hammer into a stone. Players soon come to see that this blacksmith's hammer is broken and appears to have been damaged long ago. A shot from behind reveals that Elden Ring's blacksmith himself is cracked and on the brink of shattering, yet he continues to pound the stone relentlessly.
Players are also shown the image of a frail being holding up a disembodied arm. This visibly difficult task is followed up by the presence of six arms that grab the being and help them lift the arm into the air. This is immediately followed by a red-haired valkyrie attaching a strange metal arm to an empty space on her shoulder. After a shot of two characters in battle and the shattering of the titular Elden Ring, there is a shot of a large soldier kneeling down in pain and bursting into flames. The trailer then ends with the sight of the blacksmith crumbling under the weight of the task that has just been completed.
Elden Ring's trailer seems to feature a number of fractured and broken beings. They seem to be searching for body parts to make themselves complete again, but these pieces don't always fit the way they should. As they work to repair themselves, they are constantly faced with further destruction and pain. Many of them don't make it, and many more fall prey to their tasks even after completion.
It is possible that Elden Ring is going to continue this allegory of life with mental illness in a unique way. People who suffer from mental illness may feel like they are breaking down with every action, and that their pain will eventually consume them. Luckily, there are always plenty of helping hands that can reach out and lend some assistance.
Players will have to wait to see what Elden Ring's story is really all about. Regardless of its overall message, it is clear that FromSoftware has made yet another game that will beg players to ask deep questions and come up with theories. After all, the mystery is the most exciting part of the experience.