Strong points
- The Elden Ring Symphonic Adventure came to London last weekend and told the beautiful story of FromSoftware's masterpiece.
- At first I thought that telling a narrative orchestral experience with a game like this was impossible, but it turns out I was dead wrong.
- Although The Land Between is depressing, it's not as sad as spending almost ten dollars on two drinks during intermission.
When Demon's Souls first launched in 2009 and became a cult hit, I never imagined that 15 years later I would be sitting at the Royal Albert Hall in London, listening to the music from the latest world-famous entry in FromSoftware's catalog. THE Ancient Ring Symphonic Adventure took place this past weekend and I was lucky enough to witness one of the best game scores in recent years, brought to life by a world-class orchestra. It was incredible.
Video game orchestras are usually themed around series where music has become an essential part of their identity. Final Fantasy has been touring the world for years now with its “Distant World” productions, while shows focused on specific games have also become a thing. I attended concerts focusing on everything from Sonic has Hearts of the Kingdom, and all are produced with a tangible respect for the source material that is much more than simply reproducing images and sounds from sheet music. Instead, it's a worthy spectacle in its own right. 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 passed on enough knowledge over the years that my enthusiasm was enough for both of us. The symphonic adventure begins with a reenactment of the first cutscene as a haunting narrator recounts the Shattering and all the mortal creatures and monarchs it allowed to rise in its place. The orchestra started strong, drawing the auditorium into a state of completely obsessive attention that did not subside for the next two hours. The words “disgusting dung eater” really sound different when a live choir helps bring them to life.
I would love to see a similar production that has compiled the best bits from the entire FromSoftware library. Imagine a symphonic adventure that encompassed not only Elden Ring, but Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne and more.
At first, I was worried that it would be impossible to create a linear, orchestral narrative experience around Elden Ring. It's a sprawling game where you can go anywhere and do just about anything, and no two players will beat it quite the same. It turns out the solution was to cover all the bases, albeit in a simplified way.
The concert covers almost every major boss and their ending, treating them as self-contained pieces that the audience journeys with, grimacing in response to each close shave or hard-won victory as a live orchestra cheers alongside you. It was hauntingly effective, and I also discovered that there were a handful of bosses and endings that I hadn't yet experienced myself, which only made me even more intrigued for finally start my reread before Shadow of the Erdtree comes out in June.
Between a few bosses, we'd be taken to a new area, the orchestra helping to establish the atmosphere and path traveled, with an occasional nugget of narration by key characters helping to establish the stakes, whether you're in or out. played the game or not. I've long appreciated the majesty of the world of Elden Ring, but it's only through a production like this that I can finally recognize how vast, varied, and uncompromising it is.
Sneak in your own drinks. The most depressing part of the whole ordeal was spending eight pounds on two Coca-Colas during the interval. The Dark Souls of drinks stands.
There are few games in this medium that can stand up to orchestral recreation, and this is the most concrete evidence of that testament I've ever seen. The gameplay footage used throughout the concert only served to push this feat further, with the trial-and-error boss fights transformed into cinematic epics where the UI was stripped away and camera angles on measure made it possible to present each encounter as new victories through the eyes of a valiant hero.
Elden Ring's music has always been incredible, but aside from a few key moments, I never formed memories connecting specific tracks to specific parts of the game like I would with Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts. This musical adventure helped change that. It changed my perception and helped me better appreciate a game I already have deep admiration for.
If this ever happens again, you'll need to check.
Ancient Ring
With world-building by Game of Thrones scribe George RR Martin and developed by FromSoftware, Elden Ring is a masterpiece in what has become known as the “Soulslike” action role-playing genre. .
