Every FromSoftware game has a similar, if not identical, life cycle. It goes from kicking everybody's butt, to dataminers finding out all sorts of secrets, to the first players beating it without levelling up, and eventually, to speedrunners hilariously breaking the game. Somewhere down the line, there's an art book or a half-decent comic… but wait. What's this? A manga that reads as a comedy? This is unheard of! Just what is FromSoftware up to? Trust no one!
Elden Ring Gets An Official Manga, And It's A Comedy
Elden Ring now has an official manga, and while the art is beautiful, and the storytelling is great, it's a comedy. If you're wondering how that works, the writers have included the comedic elements in a way that can only be considered genius. They have made the Tarnished in the manga react to their trials and tribulations in the same way a first-time player would, scared and confused.
"Aseo, a poor, Tarnished wretch, finds himself cast out into Limgrave—naked, penniless, hopeless, and maidenless," reads the summary for the manga series. "His only hope in his harsh, unforgiving new home is a mysterious woman named Melina. She urges him to follow the guidance of grace to the Erdtree that looms over the Lands Between."
It's Also Got A Set Of Two 800-Page Art Books
Elden Ring can be quite beautiful, when you're not getting the life stomped out of you by some nightmarish hand spiders and javelin-wielding undead horsemen. Keeping in line with FromSoftware's tradition, Bandai Namco has published two art books, each 400 pages long and retailing at $31.
There's also an Ultra Edition, which comes with both volumes in a fancy, three-sided box, along with framed concept art for Godfrey – that will setyou back $125. Volume 1 of the art book covers concept art of locations, NPCs and armour, while Volume 2 contains the same for enemies, weapons and items. You can see just how those spider hands came to fruition.
Speedrunner Beats The Game In Under An Hour With No Glitches
The circle of life is inevitable, and in time, a FromSoftware game always meets someone who will humiliate it – either by breaking it, or just being stupidly good at it. Speedrunner KEMIST_C10_H15N has completed an Any% Glitchless run in with a time of 59:41, setting a new record for the category, while also becoming the first to do so in under an hour.
Kemist uses all kinds of items to buff themselves, along with their knowledge of the game, to absolutely melt bosses in a matter of seconds. You can check it out through the link above.
Things Get Creepy With Fan-Made Creepypasta
As if things aren't unsettling enough, some content creators have gone ahead and made creepypasta videos featuring some of Elden Ring's enemies and locations. One such creator is YouTuber king bore haha, who uses mods to create short, creepy videos set in The Lands Between.
For instance, one video, titled Saint's Descent, shows what appears to be a normal trip down a cave, but ends in a rather eerie manner. As with most creepypasta, no context or explanation was provided.
Sony And Tencent Together Acquire 30 Percent Of Elden Ring Developer FromSoftware
Rumours were floating around for a while, but it finally happened. While it's not a complete acquisition, Sony and Tencent together, now own 30 percent of the Elden Ring developer. The former owns 14.69 percent, while the latter owns 16.25 percent.
Kadokawa Group is still the majority shareholder with 69.66 percent of the stock. "With an eye on further expansion of the Game Business, the Group recognizes the enhancement capabilities for the creation, development and deployment of game IP as one of the Group's highest priorities," said a statement by Kadokawa.