Summary
WhenDemon’s Souls first launched in 2009 and became a cult hit, I never expected that 15 years later I would be sitting in London’s Royal Albert Hall listening to music from the latest, world-dominating entry in FromSoftware’s catalogue. TheElden RingSymphonic Adventure was this past weekend, and I had a chance to witness one of the best game scores in recent years brought to life by a world-renowned orchestra. It was incredible.
Video game orchestras are normally themed around series where music has become a core part of their identity.Final Fantasyhas been doing the global rounds for years now with its ‘Distant World’ productions, while shows focused on specific games have also become a thing. I’ve been to concerts focusing on everything fromSonictoKingdom Hearts, and all of them are produced with a tangible reverence for the source material that is much more than purely reproducing sights and sounds from sheet music. Instead, it’s a worthy spectacle all its own. For Elden Ring, that meant pulling you into its world and refusing to let go.
I attended with someone who hadn’t played the game, or any other FromSoftware title, but I had imparted enough knowledge over the years that my excitement was sufficient for the both of us. The Symphonic Adventure begins with a recreation of the first cutscene as a haunting narrator recounts the shattering, and all of the deadly creatures and monarchs it allowed to rise in its place. The orchestra started strong, pulling the auditorium into an utterly haunting state of attention that didn’t subside for the next two hours. The words ‘loathsomeDung Eater’ really hit different when a live choir is helping bring them to life.
I would love to see a similar production held that compiled the greatest tracks from all of FromSoftware’s library. Imagine a symphonic adventure that encompassed not only Elden Ring, but Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and so much more.
At first, I was worried that creating a linear narrative experience that befits an orchestra about Elden Ring would be impossible. It’s a sprawling game where you can go anywhere and can do just about anything, and no two players will have beaten it in the same way. Turns out the solution was to cover all the bases, albeit in a streamlined sense.
The concert covers almost every single major boss and ending, treating them as standalone tracks that the audience journeys along with, wincing in response to every close shave or hard fought victory as a live orchestra cheers alongside you. It was hauntingly effective, and I also found out that there were a handful of bosses and endings I’m yet to experience myself, only making me further intrigued to finally start my replay before Shadow of the Erdtree drops in June.
Between every few bosses, we’d be whisked away to a new zone, the orchestra helping to establish the atmosphere and how far we’d come, with the occasional nugget of narration by key characters helping to establish stakes regardless of whether you’d played the game or not. I’ve long appreciated the majesty of Elden Ring’s world, but only through a production like this am I able to finally acknowledge how vast, varied, and uncompromised it really is.
Sneak in your own drinks. The most depressing part of this whole ordeal was spending eight quid on two cokes during the interval. The Dark Souls of beverage stands.
There are few games in the medium that can stand up to orchestral recreation, and this is the most concrete evidence of this testament I’ve ever seen. The gameplay footage utilised throughout the concert only served to take this achievement further, with the trial-and-error boss battles transformed into cinematic epics where the user interface was wiped away and bespoke camera angles helped present each encounter as fresh victories through the eyes of a valiant hero.
Elden Ring’s music has always been incredible, but aside from a few key moments, I have never formed memories that linked specific tunes to specific parts of the game like I might with Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts. This musical adventure helped change that. It’s altered my perception and helped me develop a greater appreciation for a game I already hold a deep admiration for.
If this ever comes around again, you need to check it out.
Elden Ring
WHERE TO PLAY
With worldbuilding from Game of Thrones scribe George R.R. Martin and developed by FromSoftware, Elden Ring is a masterpiece in what has become known as the ‘Soulslike’ genre of action role-playing games.
