Returning to Elden Ring for Shadow of the Erdtree
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- This full-spoiler video essay and critique of Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC delves deep into how the game makes a puzzle out of all its interactive elements. It covers lore, landscape, and many other points of interest across the Land of Shadow.
Audio editing by Nate Greene.
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If you enjoyed this video and want to contribute to the production of others like it, please consider donating through the crowdfunding website Patreon: / noahcaldwellgervais
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Man, what a great video. The way that you just “get it” and are able to articulate your appreciation and criticisms is such a delight, and hearing you say that this is one of your all time favorite games makes me so happy. You’re totally right about how combat is both a conversation and a puzzle, and that puzzle extends to exploring the world and piecing together the lore. The way you’ve fully engaged with these parts of the game is really satisfying to see, and I think trying to truly piece everything together and speculate is a very underrated part of the experience that many sadly don’t bother with. Anyway, I empathize a lot with people being kinda awful. It’s easy for people to say that you should just ignore it, but it’s rarely that easy especially when you account for the volume of comments. With that in mind, I fully accepted that I wouldn’t get the chance to hear your thoughts on Fromsoft titles any more, so seeing this video was such a great surprise. I hope you’re not too discouraged from tackling similar projects in the future because every friend, content creator, and video essayist I know who is familiar with your work consistently recognizes you as the best.
Absolutely heartwarming to hear someone like Pine say this
Thank you for saying what I wanted and tried to say to Noah much more eloquently.
Fore sooth, the Ferrous Fruit speaks true
what a suck up...
It really is great how Elden Ring managed to bring back those more diverse, complex elements that made Demon's Souls as well as Dark Souls 1 & 2 so special, by leaning into the old school RPG vibe of giving you lots of tools for each situation, something that I think Dark Souls 3 failed to accommodate for in favour of just combat options. If anything, Elden Ring and Dark Souls 2 both share so many of those same principles of giving you lots of options, from various items to optional directions to level yourself up, to summon and equipment. That is where their design is strongest, I think, even though so many people refuse to see FromSoft's SoulsBorneRing games as nothing but grueling singleplayer "true gamers only" boss-rushes.
Your Dark Souls videos are some of your *best* work. I’m not shocked they got backlash - real egos staked on fake video game achievements tend to be extremely fragile - but it bums me out thinking we might miss out on more great analysis of similar games because of it.
Agreed Geoff.
Praying for videos on the other souls games ^^
"Real egos staked on fake video game achievements tend to be extremely fragile."
I'd like to report a murder in the comments section. Perfect way to describe those weirdos.
I started with the Dark Souls videos and absolutely loved them, then went on to more videos afterwards. They are so very good.
agreed, I paused the video out of shock for exactly that reason
"I love this game more than you could ever _possibly_ hate me for playing it wrong" is a hell of a reason to make a video and I am _here for it._
Man I have called these games cozy and relaxing since dark souls 1. It’s wild to me that people aren’t able to accept or see how that could be, but you are not alone, and your insight and critique resonates loudly among so many players of these games. Thanks so much Noah.
The steady, methodical work of the Souls games (starting with DemSo just before DS1 first released) genuinely unlocked part of my brain that made coping with depression and (then undiagnosed) ADHD somehow much more manageable. I fully agree that they’re cozy, even at their most stressful.
Gene, love your work. It's such a spot on thing to say. Every time I'd hit a wall in the DLC I'd do what the base game taught me, go explore and upgrade. And it really made the DLC a fun journey of gaining strength and exploring this dense hidden world. Some of it was thrilling, but it was super cozy to play. I can't wait for my second run of the DLC.
So strange yet heartwarming to see all my favourite gaming writers converge in one place like this
Lazy boring and repetitive is what these game truly are…dark souls in a giant empty open world how revolutionary
@@hollandscottthomas I've been saying this for years, even the messages urging you forward and ability to call in a mysterious stranger who is doing it to help you are so heavily about overcoming depression.
it's unfathomable to me that people hate your past soulsborne videos. the inheritors video truly is one of my favorite ever posted to youtube, i return to it frequently. much love noah, i hope that backlash never happens again.
Delighted to see you here, Ro. And I couldn't agree more 🫶
Love that video and completely agree that it's very well done. I could never get into the Souls games themselves, but Bloodborne, Sekiro and Elden Ring are fantastic and hooked me before I even tried playing.
I enjoy all of Noah's work, and the soulsborne reviews as much as anything else he's made, but there's no question that the chip on his shoulder about some vocal minority is a constant detractor. I'd much prefer a version with that edited out entirely with only his commentary about the game itself and not the community. The opening of this video shows how much he loves the games and that's great but I really wish he'd just ignore those people and moderate his comment section rather than double down on whatever flame war those people are horny for.
@@GypsumGeneration Yeah, it is pretty sad how he dedicated so much of the video to aswering to those people. It really shows that they got to him, which I understand why, it is clear that he has a bit of inferiority complex.
But those comments are by far the minority, I have scrolled a lot and I see all positive comments. I don't know what kind of insecurities Noah has, but I hope the positive comments help him to not give a shit.
@@tofadeldesdot he's spoken numerous times about having quite serious depression, and as someone who also has severe depression, i totally understand how those minority voices can eat away at you because your depression convinces you they're correct.
Old and Busted: Soulslike
New Hotness: SSS - Sad Swordsman Simulator
Gods yes, sad swordsman simulator is a perfect genre title and we can also lump anything made by Yoko Taro into the genre as well as a side benefit!! To hell with lumping these games together based on similar combat mechanics and world building, lets just put all the game creators who want to wring the tears out of you like a sopping dish rag all into one genre.
To be a bit glib/cheeky, the name for the "sad swordsman" genre is just dark fantasy 😛
Also, do yourself a favour and google Elric of Melniboné, arguably the original sad swordsman with a soul-stealing sword (SSwaSSS?)
That old busted hotness ...
Bro it that a Men in Black 2 reference? My man.
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Cozy is right. You know how I played SotE? I got fucking blazed and went through the dlc at a SNAIL’S pace. I took three hundred pictures, I wrote dozens of funny and thematic messages which got thousands of reactions, I changed my build in name, look, theme, and stats every time I found a new weapon I loved. I was a Knightly Dragon Cult Apostle, a Beastly Cleric, an undead Paladin, a Frenzied Monk and a Fencing Valkyrie. I leveled up my dlc spirit ashes and used them in thematic and interesting ways. I spent entire evenings just helping people kill Mohg, just so I could see them excitedly SPRINT to Miquella’s cocoon. It was an incredible experience. It’ll always be among my fondest gaming memories.
Sounds lame
@@vladgabrielsandu9174 🤣
Man, this is just more thoroughly convincing me that I need to play Elden Ring. My only Soulslike so far (unless you count 2D metroidvanias that people say are like Dark Souls) is Bloodborne, and I played that game VERY differently than most people in that I proceeded through it slowly, methodically -- people often talk about Bloodborne like you have to be rushing through it in a frenzy, but it's really just the combat itself that's fast-paced. I enjoyed walking through an area for the first time, carefully evaluating enemy placements and capabilities, coming up with a plan of attack, then QUICKLY executing on my plan in line with the game's quick pace. It's extremely flattering to my ego to be able to throw myself into what looks like a frenzied, wild situation, while actually just executing on a thoughtful plan and having that actually work out for my slow ass.
Before, I had an impression of Elden Ring that it would be like my attempt to get into Dark Souls 1, where it felt like I would spend a full five minutes circling around those guys with spears and shields waiting for an opening after I had already cleared out all of their friends. Now I'm getting the impression that the snail-like shield playstyle is available in Elden Ring, but it's also a wide enough system that it probably accommodates my preferred playstyle of making a plan from safety, dipping in, playing fast and vicious, then dipping out to re-evaluate.
sounds awesome, more power to you!
I had genuinely forgotten how fun all the multiplayer elements were. I loved leaving messages, being summoned for bosses, the sense of everyone trying to figure out where all the secrets were. For all the talk about how "hardcore" these games are, the true joy really is in jolly cooperation.
Hey, just in relation to the segment about the feedback on the last Elden Ring review, I just wanted to let you know that that video has become one of my favourite of all time, and I frequently use it as a comfort watch when I've had a rough day. It's not only phenomenally made and written, but it changed how i view Souls games, and let me come at them with a more peaceful angle, helped me reccomend them to friends, and, as an aspiring/hobbyist developer, changed how I think about game design. So I just wanted to thank you, for helping me in ways i never would have expected. Your work has been genuinely touching and affecting for me, and i do a little giggle every time i see a new video youve made, or spot a new article you wrote in the wild. Thank you.
The section on sekiro is one of my favourite passages from any essay.
This exactly. I went back and engaged with Sekiro in a way I hadn't in years because of his review, and it went on to be in the top of my Fromsoft list. I've completely stopped caring about the hardcore Souls players opinions (at least when it comes to "the right way to play") and enjoy these and many other games much more because he articulated the reasons to play the way the game wants you to play. I was incredibly sad when it looked like Noah was going to retreat from all of this because of a bunch of trolls online, so much so that I was worried he was going to stop making essays altogether. I hope he's able to kick that little depression-fueled voice in his head in the ass every time it comes up from now on, because no one deserves to feel that poorly about something so well done.
It didn't affect me quite that profoundly but the ending segment about how the game provides you with the tools to beat it was what convinced me to buy the game, and then okay the whole thing basically in co-op with a friend. It was a great time, and even after the couple of months it took us to beat that way, we've kept talking about the world, the story, and themes until this day. Especially after the dlc, I expect it to come up now and then when we chat for years.
I second all of this. Hearing Noah be down on himself and the video was a little shocking to me, because it is truly one of my favorite talking-about-games videos of all time, and really helped me shape how I see From's games.
His from videos are some of my favorites on RUclips
For what it's worth, it's your videos on the FromSoft games that actually got me to finally try Dark Souls after assuming that they weren't for me, a mostly strategy/turn-based RPG player. Your essays on the series feel like the most accurate and honest takes after the massive inflation of difficulty these games have received in online discourse.
Same here - I completed dark souls 1, 2 and 3 because of this guy's video
Same here
On the second to last fight with all the NPCs, I found it to be the most emotionally compelling part of these game. It felt genuinely heart wrenching. I think it’s meant to drive home how unrealistic Miquellas vision of the future is. He wants a world free of strife and governed by kindness. Forcefully imposed kindness. And that kindness is palpable when its effect are full throttle on the NPCs under his spell. But the MOMENT that his charm is broken all of these fairly pleasant people are broken in some inconceivable way. It could only end in bloodshed bwcauae these people haven’t had a chance for so long to govern their own lives. Kindness must be found in the world around you, in your friends, you environment, and most importantly in yourself. Miquellas kindness was always a false one so ofcourse these psople would abandon it the moment it abandoned them
The thing that truly doomed Miquella to a road of villainy was the fact that he removed St Trina from himself. His vision of an era of "kindness" was already suspect to begin with due to how trigger happy he is to use his great rune and mind control people, but the thing that truly made me realize how much of a monster he was was reading his cross in the stone coffin fissure. Trina is the physical manifestation of his love, and he threw her away for the sake of obtaining godhood. Without love, how could you ever be truly kind?
A shame the fight is complete shit even with summons.
@@anonisnoone6125 maybe I’m built different cuz of the Bloodborne Hunter fights and how jank they could be but I really liked the group fight
@aydenlindsay8295 Eventhough the BB hunter fights annoyed me as well, the difference is that those fights were actually manageable cos u could interrupt their attacks more easily and heal from it. And u could separate the hikers if they were in a group. The npc fights in ER r all the same bs. They all come at u at once and even if u separate them, u can barely get a couple of attacks in before they start running towards u again.
I am looking forward to their next game because this dlc made the NPCs so much more active to the story as a whole. all the side characters are great in these games but this is the first time since sekiro where I felt everyone was not just part of their own smaller narratives but linked to everything else in the world. I mean the two npcs you bring to the final boss both get intro and death dialogue!
I had no idea people responded negatively to your previous fromsoft videos.
I thought they were a beautiful and eloquent way to present your experience with the games.
An experience that probably isn't that uncommon, but rather, a less often talked about one.
So I was really happy to see that perspective portrayed by such an excellent essayist like yourself because, as you said on those videos, the difficulty of these games is so often missrepresented that keeps players away because of that reputation alone.
Which is criminal.
Seeing those videos of yours pop-up on my feed was such a pleasant surprise and a welcomed addition to your already amazing collection of work.
The people that were negative to noah about those were just the usual suspects who felt like noah accurately describing the series they claimed to like made them loose big kid points.
His videos are the ones I recommend to people new to souls games or who aren't interested in playing but want to understand why people love them so much. They get the sense of wonder and the vibes from the games better than any 8hr lore dive ever could
I want to add my voice to this particular pile, because a) dadgummit, I *loved* those videos, and b) I actively cheered when Noah described feeling the same way about the difficulty of those games that I did.
Perhaps this stems from a conversation I had before the video came out. I was speaking with a close friend (who is definitely cleverer than me, and whose opinion I have very rarely found to be entirely without merit) who had never played the games, but HAD absorbed the Loud Internet Fuckwit take on them. When I indicated my experience in re: the contrast between the reality of the difficulty and the 'internet take' on it, he responded that, at some point, if the 'internet take' is sufficiently ubiquitous, it will become accepted truth for anybody prior to entry, and may continue to hold true for those people even in the face of contrary evidence when they DO play the games.
I reluctantly accepted that he might very well be right (he's largely a better judge of human behavior than I am), but held (albeit ineffectually) that contradictory evidence was an absolute defense.
Noah's video on the games, then, made me overwhelmingly glad that it *wasn't* just me, as it so often seemed to be, and that other people could see the thing in the same way I did when entering with fresh eyes, and for that I have always loved it.
(It's not my 'NCG comfort food' video - that's the one about Star Wars and the KOTOR games, with the Tyranny video as a runner-up - but my god I loved the Fromsoft Video Duology all the same.
Also, now that I think about it, it feels a bit weird to have an 'NCG comfort food' video, but such are the ways of my brain, I suppose.)
Like all the top comments were super positive and I guess I never scrolled down. I assumed everyone loved it as much as I did
@@kevinwillems8720the angry virgins no cap
Noah firing back all the shade he can against the people who tormented him with the other video is DELICIOUSLY satisfying.
It seemed a little unnecessary to me but I can see where he's coming from
Noah is everything I want to be as a RUclipsr, I envy him immensely, especially his writing talent. But man, I sincerely wish I could share with him some of my complete indifference to criticism. Soulsborne elitists are just... so eminently ignorable, I hate to see that they've so irked him. But as he suggests, that's probably more down to his depression than anything else.
Elden Ring elitists really need to get over themselves.
@@technoboop1890 Nah. It's relevant to Noah's experience and enjoyment of these games. It definitely warrants mentioning. And considering how polite and inoffensive he normally is I'd say he's more than earned a comeback.
@@DodderingOldMan True that, I think ultimately it would have been best to ignore them but I guess if it helps get it off his chest then thats fine too
When I first played Elden ring it's world made me think "this is the world as Don Quixote imagined it". the somehow coherent dream logic of it all, the tragedy, the scale, such a good game. And it is a cozy series, idk how ppl don't see it, once you learn it's movement and to accept the tools it gives you it is so cozy.
I genuinely thought the same thing once I realized charging at the fire golem was the exact same thing as charging a windmill: a comical failure resulting from overestimating one's capacity for victory, ending in a Monty Python-esque "RUN AWAY!" The world is fantastical, strange, and grand, but also quite funny in certain ways, often due to the player's own folly.
a cozy series. well said
genuinely such a beautiful and strange way to put it /pos
“Whether windmill or vile Wyrm, my LANCE STRIKES FORTH!”
sad swordsmen indeed
Speaking as a "No Summons Allowed" guy, I want to thank you for your previous Elden Ring video. I binged your whole Souls series just before this DLC came out, and it changed the way I approached SotE for the better. You spoke a lot about frustration rising to a point where it sapped the enjoyment out of the games. I took that to heart and for the DLC I allowed myself to use summons. I still abstained from using them on main bosses, because ultimately I am that guy who enjoys bashing his face against Gaius for 4 hours. But it was so nice to allow myself to fast forward past the umpteenth dragon fight or a particularly tedious catacomb boss, and quickly get back to the fun of exploring. It really upped my enjoyment, and in hindsight avoiding them is probably why the base game left me feeling so burnt out.
57:59 I sorta disagree that the final boss fight doesn't tell us more about Miquella. He started his story arc because he wanted to save Melania, because he loved her. When we fight him all he says about her is that she'll be remembered. In most people's games she is still alive at this point. But Miquella has already moved on to his glorious destiny, and without his "love" he no longer cares for a sister he has no use for. As such he has lost his very reason for becoming a god in the first place. I would argue that his choice to resurrect Radahn but not Leonard is another sign that he doesn't understand Radahn at all, by the end. The General's compassion was one of the things Miquella most admired. But instead of bringing back a caring man, and the mount he so cared for, Miquella brings back the caring man so that he can become Miquella's mount instead. Objectification writ large. And a compelling illustration of the tyrant that Miquella has become.
Imagine if the gate malfunctioned and he only resurrected prime Leonard.
Now THAT'S a boss fight, Loretta 2.0 with miquella doing magic on horseback
He has a childish mindset. When something doesn't work the exact way that he intended he abadons it (Malenia's needle, the Haligtree, etc.)
Have you seen that idea floating around that the Putrescent Knight is actually a manifestation of Radahn and Leonard by St Trina? The Promised Consort really does feel like a childhood ideation of Radahn, and not the Starscourge whom we gave a glorious death.
You make good points but why TF do people keep struggling to spell "Malenia" correctly.
Good comment.
I hope you don't actually believe your previous videos were actually hated. It is true some hate them but far more people feel seen and enlightened by your experience. To this day they are my favorite videos from you and have given me a brand new way to see these games, a way a part of me I discovered already knew of, but the rest of me needed to be told about.
Someone clear this up for me - hated by who? Where? He never really says and I can't even find any negative comments on the other video.
@@ZeroDarkMidnight Noah reacts very strongly to a very small number of comments. I've seen it happen with a lot of content creators. There is an ocean of positivity, but he laser focuses on the drop of negativity. I can understand the reaction, but I think he should really look at the sheer number of people singing his praises. I don't doubt negative comments exist, I just haven't seen them on the videos.
Its possible some of the hate came from less public means. But could also just be like myself where a little bit of hate can easily blot out a lot of good in one's perception. It sucks and takes active effort to avoid that trap
is weird to me the feedback he noticed the most was not even the criticism but aparently the hate comments he got from his video, assuming if wasnt that big as he made it lool like kinda shows the guy has an inmature side, specially in the way he responded, if a kid insult you, you basically ignore it, otherwise why lowering oneself if isnt really nothing to gain from people that just came to insult, even weirder because doesnt seem he adressed the criticism that was also in the comments, but i guess the ouder voice wins always.
@@setiem13 I think you may have mistaken my comment. I wasn't trying to call him out on "his immaturity". People have depression, there are better and there are worse days and it can make it impossible to see positivity even when its right there in front of us. It's not an issue of maturity but that of mental health and as a content creator he has to deal with far more hate than the average person. I simply hoped to highlight that despite it maybe appearing to him that the video was overall hated, it was in fact likely just a small group of people who decided to hate on it because they lack introspection and empathy.
That intro has real, "I'm gonna talk about the story of the Quake games, and there's nothing you fuckers can do to stop me" energy and I've never been more here for an energy than I have for this.
Truly an all-timer of an opener
Especially given how there is now a literal cottage industry talking of DOOM lore... a game where even its creators' state is about as strong and deep as tissue paper.
> Buckle up buttercups, because not only are my opinions bad, I have a lot of them.
What a god damn battlecry.
"Not only are my opinions bad, but I have a lot of em" is exactly the type of stuff I come back to this channel for. Great work, as always.
You found the secret weapon that many Fromsoft players never find! It's the weapon that breaks the chains that bind you to a correct way to play the games for the optimal feeling of reward. I find it fascinating that many players won't use a summon in a pickle but do use sleep potions or bows cheese without letting it register how arbitrary those self imposed rules are. The relentlessness of the attacks in the DLC are Miyazaki's way to mess with their heads. Sure! Don't summon! Spend 9 hours on a boss! And then act as if you ran a marathon. Thing is, I never felt good when I finally killed Melania with just a sword and I dropped the pretense right then and there and the DLC boss design strongly suggests that Miyazaki agrees.
Isshin Ashina style. "Just win your battles. That alone is the most important rule."
9:09 Dude- the internet is infinite in idiots with bad takes. Haters gonna hate. I think your Patreon speaks for itself in how appreciated your videos are.
I mean I like the guy but those "haters" were absolutely right about his excessive whining in those videos about the community.
@@luciusdebeers6176 nah they just proved him right
@ileutur6863 I wouldn't say that vocal unhinged minority proves anything about the community which I found to be one of the most friendly and helpful ones out there. Like op said, other metrics speak for themselves, depends on where you what to focus on I guess.
@@luciusdebeers6176It was in the past Elden Rings fostered community is shit and full of idiots
I read comments all the time, and never ever ever did i stumbled upon anything, but praise. Could you somehow point me to them?
8:50 - 11:52 EXTREMELY RELATABLE. Sorry you had to deal with those utter dafties. Your previous videos on Souls games were fantastic, and I'm super happy to see this one pop up too. Keep up the great work pal.
With more than ten hours of videos and god only knows how much more time writing up drafts, editing, and playing through this game *four* times, I'd say that Noah has spent far more time thinking about these games than any of these twits.
I mean, my goodness, there are some games that I *love* and would love to be able to play from a blank slate again, but I think the last game that I've played that many times was... Ocarina of Time?
Tragic that people who talk about these games aren't allowed to enjoy these games on their own terms according the loud, non grass touching, online minority that are git gud souls fans. You can only enjoy them exactly as they did to avoid their incessant caterwauling.
WritingOnGames and Noah Caldwell-Gervais is the crossover I didn't know I needed in my life. Two of my favourite video essayists! 🙌
@@habadasheryjones Please trust me they're a minority. The majority don't gaf about how anyone else plays these games as long as they're enjoying themselves
Dropped everything for this. Literally. My floor is so messed up you'd think Miyazaki made a new poison swamp.
Same. Was on an amphetamine-fueled coding sesh frenzy but immediately dropped it for this upload. It's generally hard to peel me off when in this state.
I shit and piss and came and vomited, simultaneously. My body looks like one of those cartoon firecrackers that blow out both of their ends.
Death light swamp lesgo
Noah, your Dark Souls video was my favorite. I really loved the delivery of your story with the fume knight. I put it on whenever I have the opportunity to. A long drive, can't get to sleep, burning the midnight oil on a project. I love that video. Whenever I watch it I get something new out of it but I always ALWAYS have that feeling of "Damn, this guy really knows how to THINK about video games" as you offer many insights or note details that I didn't absorb in my own playthroughs. Sorry this comment was so late. Thank you!
Yeah, I remember the deluge of maidenless comments in response to your previous video.
The fact that this dlc proves your experience to be the correct one over the self-imposed challenge running crowd is so satisfying.
Oh, and this video is lovely too. No one writes about games the way you do. Which is a shame, but it makes every one of your videos feel like a little treat.
“A suffering that grew from a small clearing in the land of shadow into the sinister, glowing glory of the Erdtree itself.”
And yet I cannot but be absolutely rocked by the poignancy of the Shaman’s Village. It is perhaps my most favorite location in the entire series. Somehow the weight of the history there, the spring-stone of all that pain that would flow out into the Lands Between, it feels as heavy to me as Ash Lake did in Dks1.
The music does a lot, it's instantly recognizable as the main theme of the game.
@@itsaUSBline Yeah I was galloping through the area on Torrent and as soon as that music faded in I fucking slowed to a walk and got chills. They did so much with so little
I was struck by that same spot - a moment to reflect on the experience as a whole.
Riding into Shaman Village for the first time gave me such a complex punch in the gut. The only thing I can compare it to was entering Leyndell, Capital of Ash for the first time and seeing how much it had changed - and seeing the Erdtree burning. What a haunting little moment.
Look at the pwetty flower “10/10 massapiece”
Your dark souls videos have helped me approach my own unconscious perspective on the “right” way to play them; I often unconsciously make things more difficult for myself. I have chronic pain and sometimes am kept awake by it-your dark souls videos have kept me company on many a difficult night. I am very glad it exists :)
❤
Don't you dare go hollow ❤🫶
It's so strange to me that people get mad at you for your Souls opinions, I've been a fan of these games since Dark Souls came out and I find myself agreeing with almost every word you say. I find these games unbelievably relaxing, and honestly they were a massive help in some of the toughest times of my life. Don't let anybody tell you how to play these games, the correct way to play them is the way you have the most fun.
People take themselves far too seriously. I also think they're my comfort game(s). Have happily spent hours lit af just riding around on Torrent or chilling in Majula.
Big same. And when I disagree, I know WHY I disagree, because Noah explains his opinions so thoroughly.
Elden piss fanboys not just regular people
The most infuriating thing about the negativity is that he's completely right about there being that subset of Souls players. It's shrunk over time, but I started playing with the US release of Demon's Souls, and every forum in the world hammered home how the only true way to say you had beaten the game was to do it in melee. Shields and Magic were frowned upon, summoning was unheard of, and any time anyone asked a question about how to beat something, at least half the replies were "Git Gud." Even if they went on to give actual advice, the overarching message was "if you can't beat this in one specific way, you aren't really beating it." It's truly hampered my ability to enjoy these games for a while, even though I loved playing them I felt actual guilt about the few times I did have to summon or rely on magic to get through sections. People claiming now that that never happened just weren't around in the early days, or are purposefully ignoring it. Noah specifically got me to realize how dumb it was to feel guilty about using the mechanics in the game to enjoy it, and I'm forever thankful because it's extended to other games as well (I don't feel bad about not beating a game on the Hard difficulty anymore). I hope he can accept that the negativity exists, it isn't specific to him, and can continue to enjoy things the way he likes.
It's important to note that the jars of the base game and the jars of the DLC do not follow the same rules. In the Shadow Realm, the jars were created from the flesh of shamans melded with other beings in a twisted effort by the Hornsent to ascend their victims' bodies to sainthood. The jars of the main game, however, are simply filled with the innards of great warriors. There is no punishment involved, and it is seen by everybody, including those placed in them after death (also important, as the jars of the DLC are very much alive during their torture), as a great honor. Marika allows this new practice very begrudgingly, as stated in an item description which I can't remember.
It isn't sainthood that shadow jar practice is about. According to what people found when checking the Japanese, it's making them become Good People, not saints.
Producing content on the internet and publishing it for hundred of thousands of people to see is literally an exercise in catching basically every possible reaction to your opinions that there can be. You're always going to get people who see things in a completely different way than you, and it's these people who are often going to be incredibly vocal about how they feel. Don't get worked up about it, because it's going to happen every time you express any opinion with a degree of nuance.
All your videos bring me such joy and comfort, Noah. Thank you for what you do. You're the best.
A sleepless night means I get to peep your work quite early! Always happy to see you continue to do The Work. Hope you're well!
Oh hey, we're in the same boat my good friend.
Hope you get some rest, going to sleep after an all-nighter is absolute shit
For what it’s worth, I hadn’t properly played a video game in decades before I watched your two previous Dark Souls videos in February, and now I own a PS5 and have played all of them (except Sekiro, which is in the post). Found your videos, and then the games an extremely profound experience, so regardless of how many other people hated them, those videos demonstrably, tangibly, literally improved my life.
Wow what a gaming comeback experience that must have been!
@@piotr78 it's been a real journey!
9:10 men I am sorry. At some point I was that kind of person. But now I see things diffrent. Elden Ring chaged my opinion, and I hope that after 2 yeas it changed some peoples too. Play the game, have fun and enjoy yourself. I am sorry for the toxsic comunity. But I am glad that your spiryt is strong. Be well. You are a wonderfull person
Can I say that it's cool that you're one of the only youtubers I've seen that have footage of themselves *doing co-op*? Like, even just summoning other players is something I've never seen happen, and yet my strongest memories of the DLC all have come from getting fed up with a boss and calling upon the power of friendship and these 8 cerulean flasks worth of Heal From Afar I found.
As someone who's been a diehard FromSoft fan for a decade, please know that your videos on these games are perfect. Thank you, Noah.
Personally I really like your dark souls videos, I think I've listened to the whole thing like 8 times now. It's funny that you bring up your depression because your videos are actually a great help to MY depression. They're amazing comfort-content, on top of being just really insightful.
To my delight, Hell has frozen over and Noah has released a video I never thought would see the light of day.
If this keeps up, we may even get "How Does Postal 4: No Regerts Compare to Previous Postals?" at some point!
(Kidding.)
God I hope he talks about the Postal movie in it too.
I didnt even know that movie was based on a game. I watched it stoned as hell wity my friends in high school @itsaUSBline
I've been an avid fan of your channel ever since I watched the Half Life video you made waaaay back when. I remember you talking about how you would probably never play a Souls game because you simply didn't consider yourself a skilled enough player to be able to handle them. I was incredibly (and pleasantly) surprised when I saw you upload the Dark Souls video, and your commentary on it was absolutely perfect and spot on. Since then seeing you tackle EVERY SINGLE game, including Sekiro, has been an absolute delight.
I *really* hope you are able to ignore the spite-fueled ichor that people seem to spew at you, because I know for a fact that those guys are in the minority and the work you do is phenomenal.
And honestly, the fact that these obsessed nerds are review bombing Shadow of the Erdtree on Steam because it is too hard and seeing you say it was easy breezy makes grin from ear to ear.
Keep on being a great person! I know I speak for most of us here when I say that we love your work.
0:01 Returning Shadow to for of the Elden Ring Erdtree
Don't dead open inside
"Prepare to Die" as a marketing campaign has done more to shape the fandom's reality of a series of games than any comparable example I can think of. It's happened to deeply frustrating effect, precisely for the reasons you outlined in an earlier video: it makes people miss the flexibility and openness of these games to meet players wherever they are.
But to that, I'd add another contributor is likely the cottage industry of Soulsborne playthroughs, no-hit runs, and gimmick runs (e.g., broken sword only or level-1 games). With this content being such a sizeable majority of related fan content, I have to assume this is why so many Soulsborne "fans" are closer to being Kaizo Soulsborne fans. It's like they insist on playing a different game than the one they have in front of them, a game which is afforded by the base game but still distinct from it.
In fairness to those folks, most people doing those sorts of runs seem to be chill. The problems mostly come from the mass of people not posting videos, which makes it hard not to suppose that a lot of the people yelling at everyone are those who place absurd amounts of their self-worth in their ability to beat video games and wish they were good enough to do some absurd no-hit no-heal blindfold run and are taking out their frustrations that they aren't.
Yes! And I think to take it a step further, I think when FromSoft leans into the whole "Prepare To Die" hype that lead to their worst content.
Honestly I think it's a misinterpretation of tone. I've always felt like a lot of the original "git gud" or "you're not really playing unless (X)" comes from miss reading of jokes or sarcasm. Even "prepare to die" sounds like an on the nose joke. They feel like a joking way of saying "there is no cheat, only refining your play" and "everything can be learned and played around regardless of gear"
Instead of being jokes they started to become actual terms/phrases people began to believe in and use as gatekeeping. It seems to have found residence in the area of gamers who make their accomplishments part of their personality. It's only gotten worse as the games become accessible because it adds more people who become indoctrinated into that way of thinking.
@@Nanoqtran its a time and place thing, "git gud" and "just dodge" aare deeply unhelpful unintresting unproductive statements to someone asking for actual help and advice while deep in frustrations
The sheer, palpable joy I have right now not only seeing a new Noah video in my feed but seeing that it's a continuation of his analysis of Fromsoft's body of work is absolute
Noah, your FromSoft videos are my favorite of your library. They made me realize that the lore of Dark Souls and Elden Ring are malleable just as the character build is. They gave me a new appreciation for, not only FromSoft games, but lore in games in general. I am happy you made a follow-up for Elden Ring. Thank you for all your hard work.
I am only 6 minutes in and you've mentioned one of my favorite elements of souls games, and one of Elden Ring's greatest strengths which culminates from years of FromSoft perfecting these games: these games are evocative of how things *feel*, realism is cast aside for a dreamscape, for aiding emotional and an almost spiritual entanglement. It's beautiful. It's why we get so immersed in these games. Elden Ring does this beautifully, the DLC only adding to that. What an achievement!
I have watched and/or listened to both your FromSoft essays a cumulative ten times at this point. Perhaps some people didn't enjoy them, but I hope it brings you some small comfort to know that those who do enjoy them treasure them as something near and dear. I'll never forget the heart-soaring elation I felt watching through that first time to find that you truly *got* why I love these games. I'll never forget it, because you're so eloquent and thoughtful that I still feel it every time I watch.
The OG Demons' Souls was the first game I imported because it wasn't available in Europe. I had no idea what it was. I just read Kevin Van Oord's glowing review and it clicked with me. When I sat down to play it I hadn't a clue what to do. I was dying on the first stairs in the oBletarian palce. As I played through I found various things to help me like being able to summon other players for bosses or specific items that could turn the tide on a boss. All these little additions to the game WERE the game for me. You had a baseline difficulty that, if you were skillful enough, could probably get through. But the joy, however, was being able to overcome something that most players would consider unsurmountable by using the various things on offer.
To me that's the beating heart of these games. These games are not particularly designed for a level 1 no hit playthrough. If they were then they would not provide so many ways of overcoming bosses and enemies.
I find the people who think there is only one "real way" to play these games among the most insufferable, gatekeeping and joyless assholes in all of gaming.
Pausing the video as you're talking about people's reactions to your previous FromSoft entries.
I'm genuinely heartbroken to hear that's how people received your work. I think that your videos are without question some of the best additions the the community our there. I've listened to them multiple times and pushed them on anyone who would listen.
It's the internet, people have their opinions, you can't hug every cat and all that, but I wanted to express just how much I've appreciated everything you've written and shared about a series I adore
It isn't. Go read the comments on the videos. It is endless positivity and appreciation. I have no idea where he's pulling this seemingly strong negative reaction from.
@@DemonLordSparda literally just went to check, latest comment from 23h ago complains that noah is imagining the git gud crowd, third from last comment is whining about "mischaracterization" of dimwits' favorite babygirl mauler lol
there are lots of commenters who appreciate noah's perspective, but there are absolutely people who just cant let go of their snobbism even all this time after. i can't blame anyone for getting upset at that
@@DemonLordSparda Do you honestly, I mean HONESTLY believe he's making it up? Like, to WHAT END?
I wonder if the never knows best review made the vitriol worse for Noah?
@@DemonLordSparda I remember seeing a lot of it when the videos came out, and on twitter too especially (who'd have thunk?).
Obviously popular opinion has gone in his direction, probably always has been, but the git gud dogmatic folks are vocal little pricks.
Noah - your previous two FromSoft videos are some of my all time favourite things you've put out on this channel. Your philosophy and approach to the Dark Souls games are what finally got me into them! People on the internet can be just so fucking awful - so I want you to know how much those videos meant to me and how much I appreciate everything you said in them.
1:07:32 The Crucible Knights... I don't believe they ever served Godwyn. The Crucible Knight's armor says it's the "Armor of the Crucible Knights who served Godfrey, the first Elden Lord." Godwyn is Godfrey's son, and a different person.
The Death Knights were former guards of Godwyn, who only became Death Knights once Godwyn had been slain, so they especially could not have been precursors, seeing as Godwyn's death happened near the end of Marika's reign, while the age of the Crucible from which the Crucible Knights arose was before the Erdtree.
Charo is one letter off from Charon, which is the name of the Mariner who operates the Ferry across the River Styx in Greek Myth; given the presence of a Tibia Mariner I reckon this is an specific nod to Charon being dead in this world, as natural death has been altered, causing death to wash ashore rather than be guided, thus the hidden grave of the ferryman himself.
Closest I could come, thanks to the lack of direct mention of Charo anywhwre in game.
I finished Disco Elysium recently, and was looking for people talking about it, and found your video on it. Really enjoyed the video and was curious about what else you made content on. The Souls series has been (kinda embarrassingly) a very core part of my life for almost 10 years now, and so, that was the second video I started watching, getting to about an hour, agreeing with almost everything that was said there, just when the notification for this video popped. Addressing just the first few minutes of the video, I want to say that I hear you, with what you said in the first hour of that video. The people you were criticizing very much do exist, and have made interactions in these communities worse. Fortunately, a lot of people do also recognize them and don't give a lot of room to their voices. So, I guess, in just a few words, as someone who has been in love with these games for more than a third of my life, I 100% hear you.
As someone who had a few disagreements with your dark souls video, It is fucking WILD to hear how incredibly UNHINGED people get when you have an opinion about a game they like.
Your writing on games has Impressed and inspired me consistently over the years, so much so that I would struggle to pick something you've written that I genuinely don't like, I hope that you continue to make in depth content like this and have confidence that what you make is truly quality.
@@noobsplooge101 he intentionally acts provocatively, even while writing the video, before anyone could have reacted negatively too it as if hes reponding to hate he hasnt gotten yet, while he fully knows exactly what people mean and why they respond with such critisism to similar takes that he feels like he needs to spend a significant portion of his videos justifying it firstly to himself then to the audience. Then he pulls some text that directly contradicts the games philosophy makes some deranged interpratation that he validates by the sheer power of him being right and you wrong
Your*
@@greekcomenterperson446 Uh, sorry, I wasn't able to hear you over the screeching about how large a hole he made in your butt and typos. Could you find a clue and try again? Preferably after you git gud and learn to inventory, scrub?
@@Leiliel1 r u off yur meds?
@@greekcomenterperson446 The only way you would find what he says provocative is if you feel personally called out by it, and by your comment you seem the type to have offered "criticism". The type of comments he's talking about always come from the worst parts of the Soulsborne community. Whether it be on reddit or twitter there are sad and annoying individuals that feel these games can only be played one way, and feel they intimately know "Miyazaki's Vison" of the games he's directed. Grown adults that soil themselves over how another adult plays these types of games "wrong" and don't understand them like they do have disappointingly always existed.
I've seen both videos he's made several times over the years, and have played the core of the Fromsoftware catalogue previously including Elden Ring and SOTE solo and with summons/ashes(Because I feel that's somehow important to you to know). I've found nothing he's said in his videos on this topic "deranged" or "contradictory" to the the perceived game philosophy. He's said nothing crazy that takes mental gymnastics to justify, especially since he very clearly presents his points of view as just that, his personal view. The core of what Noah says in all three of these Soulsborne videos is that anyone can play these games, anyone can beat these games, and anyone can learn to love these games despite the lack of perceived skill by using everything at their disposal. To interpret what he said as dogmatic and heavy-handedly telling other people how wrong they are and how correct Noah himself is, is either being intentionally obtuse about it or if you feel particularly called out and need to, as you put it, "validate" their preconceived ideas on the one true way to play and understand these games.
To contrast the bizarre hatred from losers who disliked your experiences with the Fromsoft games, I'll say that this whole journey has been nothing short of an excellent delight for me to watch, rewatch and rewatch again. The insight you have for these games is interesting, the honesty you have as you both retell your initial feelings and later analysis of the games and yourself, the delightful moments of humour and the same relaxed feeling I have with the videos that you mention with your cozy experiences with the games..
Seeing this video recommended had me immediately watch it, because doing otherwise was something that I didn't even consider.
They have given me deeper appreciation for the Soulsborne games, especially the ones I have played (perhaps one day I'll pick up Sekiro or the old Demon's Souls). While far more than just one, I'd like to say that your words have resonated deeply with me and likely far more people than those that would pointlessly deride you for sharing some wonderment, joy, frustration and thrills you had with it all.
Thank you, Noah. You really were the Dark Souls of Dark Souls players.
Just wanted to say that I appreciate all of your videos, and I love your perspective and humility and the ability to get this perspective even if I don't have enough time to finish or even start these games.
It sucks so many people are awful to you about from soft games, especially when you have such a wonderful and warm way of spelling out what makes them so resonate, I really do appreciate it.
I know it's not really possible to drown out the bizarre gamer anger or fully ignore it, but I hope I can add a little heartfelt message of appreciation here; I'd like to think most of your viewers feel the same as me.
I've always thought of summons as an immersive equivalent to a difficulty slider. Would I pick on someone for playing on easy? No. You play at the difficulty you enjoy, not what someone else enjoys.
I've never soulsed but as a casual gamer your essays have done more to sell me on the genre than a thousand soulslike fans
Something I really enjoy about videos discussing FromSoft games, especially this video where you now have several hundred hours in Elden Ring alone, is seeing just how diverse and different any given players experiences with the same game can be (even despite the gamers™ who think you are actually going to Hell for not recommending a NG+7 RL1 playthrough to new players).
My experience with my mostly blind play through of the base game was a perpetual death march that was really enjoyable, albeit with highs and lows. So when I picked up the DLC I decided to look up proper "Elden Ring Builds" and with hindsight it's easy to say that the reason I had so many problems is because nothing about my character made any fucking sense. I was under leveled, my attributes were disjointed at best, I used zero incantations or spells, my talismans were awful, my flasks were hardly upgraded at all, hell I never even bothered to mix my Wondrous Physick past the basic full heal. Really I was playing the game like an unoptimized challenge run because I wanted to whack bosses with a comically large unwieldy pizza wheel and the game let me do just that. It allowed me to run with my desired, albeit extremely suboptimal play style where I was barely denting enemies with a funny looking weapon that takes eighty years to swing.
So once I learned just how much was available in the game following the DLC's launch, Elden Ring quickly became one of my favorite games and I'm having so much more fun with it. My play style didn't change much in practice, like even with everything I know now I still prefer to roll with straightforward "physical builds" (Vigor, Dexterity, Strength, and Endurance only) with quality weapons because I heavily dislike prebuffing in RPGs, but just knowing what all is available and experimenting with all of the various ways to play the game completely transformed Elden Ring into a strangely relaxing game where I enter a flow state the second I load into the world. It's a genuine masterpiece.
I cannot tell you how happy it made me to hear you stand your ground on your previous Dark Souls video. I am tremendously grateful that you decided to say fuck it. I hope it felt as good to say as it was to hear
I am obviously an outlier but Elden Ring felt like more of the same. Genre fatigue has kicked in big time.
38:24 - "St. Trina's Lily is an extremely common crafting component" - funny thing about that, St. Trina's Lily is one of the few craftable items in Elden Ring that _doesn't respawn,_ and there are (in the base game at least) only 100 of them in the world. this means that everything you can craft with them are also very rare.
got that tidbit from Limit Breakers who did a whole video on just sleep that is almost as long as this video, pretty dang detailed and interesting
So glad we got this. I was a little disappointed the whole time playing Shadow of the erdtree that I wasn't going to get to hear how the experience impacted Noah's thoughts on elden Ring now that it is complete.
Legendary work on a legendary game. Every word of this. "It is not, primarily, an action game. It is a puzzle game." 10000%
Particularly, I do love when you inflict your opinions on the world. Welcome back, I was really eager to see your take on this.
Your excitement for these games is contagious. Watching this video I just wanted to play it all the way through again. The first time I played Dark Souls it was way back when it came out and I didn’t have internet, and nobody in my high school knew what it was. It was one of the loneliest, and most interesting gaming experiences I ever had. And i loved being lost in it, trying to make sense of the gameplay and the history of the world, the worldbuilding was overwhelming. I’m really glad you got to get lost in it all too.
This isn't the place for me try and to re-litigate how you feel about the art that you yourself produced, but I do want to say that your two previous Fromsoft series videos convinced me to try two games that I'd previously written off - Dark Souls 2 and Sekiro. I ended up falling in love with them, to such an extent that they're now my favorite Fromsoft games, ever. Your work directly led to a great deal of both engaging with art that deserved it, and the resulting joy that sprang from me enjoying just that. As for your Elden Ring analysis, the main portion and the DLC included, you produced insightful, fresh commentary that didn't discount or hand-wave away the Difficulty Arguments, but instead met them on their own ground and provided evidence as to why these games aren't simply masochism simulators, and in fact have many, many things to say that get covered up by the metaphorical noise outside of them. I love your videos, Noah, and eagerly watch every single one that comes up in my subscription feed, and I'm happy that I got to hear your thoughts on these specific games. You're an amazing critic and artist in your own right, and I mean that.
It baffles me that Noah gets any flack for his Fromsoft videos, they're some of my favourite videos I've watched. I previously had attributed much of my enjoyment of the Souls games on the challenge, but they really illuminated that the challenge is really one of the lesser of the 'positives' to them and how similarly others' approaches to the games, approaches that I thought would somewhat lessen the value of the experience, can create a nigh identical resonance with them. I'm super stubborn in my playstyle and I do think it is, for me, the "right way to play", but it is fantastic to hear about the experiences of someone who approached the series from the opposite direction to me yet found an equally deep enjoyment in them.
"Buckle up buttercups because not only are my opinions bad, I have a lot of 'em!"
How can such a soft spoken guy drop a line this hard?
No but forreal, when he said that I heard the Bill and Ted guitar riff in my head it was such a banger 😂
Your content as a games critic and a writer has always been incredible. You’ve shown me entirely new worlds and enriched me with them to the point I just had to try them myself or spark something new in experiences I wasn’t completely enraptured by. The Lincoln Highway video is still one of the best to grace this platform and got me into the amazing world of travel logs.
But with your souls videos, these are worlds I already adore to an ungodly degree. They are some of my favourite pieces of art ever, so few games revel in artistic metaphor and poetic mythology as a way of world building and creating thematic depth whilst having the mechanical and technical ability to back it up. Seeing someone fall in love with this series gave me the giddy feeling of showing a childhood friend a new game. Which although admittedly weird, was especially special considering it allowed me to relive the climb to the top, every challenge, every bit of wonder and every reason why people care so much. These videos are just fantastic and I hope you realise how much they do mean to people.
And you don’t need a stranger on the internet to tell you this, but you are never the asshole for people telling you that you “experienced the art wrong”. You’re not even just doing your job as a game critic and people not doing their job of basic courtesy, you’re just loving a video game and playing it. Full stop. This doesn’t need people’s interventions.
On my first playthrough of the dlc, I chose a faith build since the limited knowledge of miquella pre-dlc made me love the character enough that I wanted to be able wield anything relevant to them. I also just loved the colour scheme of yellow and white which influenced my decision. It was a completely arbitrary way to play the game, did I play it wrong for not using the most optimal or balanced build? I encountered the final boss at around scadu level 14 with a sword of light +10 and dryleaf seal +25 which were unsurprisingly ineffective. I didn’t use summons so the fight was tough but incredibly fun for me. That was the decision I made that the game allowed, the same as using spirit ashes or player summons. Miyazaki doesn’t keep adding these because it “ruins his artistic vision”. But I’m on well tread ground here so I’ll leave it there.
These games are just so awesome that I feel like trying to devalue anyone’s takes or experiences just makes such brightly resplendent and imaginative worlds just a little more dull.
I hope whoever’s reading this has a fantastic day even if you disagree.
It was shocking to me to learn that folks didn't like your DS videos. I loved them and think about them frequently!
Also "buckle up buttercups because not only are my opinions bad but I have a lot of them" is a FIRE line 😂
I remember when i was in middleschool, some heinous kid spat on the teacher's keyboard when nobody was looking and the whole class had to skip our break and sit through a lecture on respect and human decency.
If you're reading this Noah, stop. Stop reading comments. There is nothing down here but misery.
I have never in my entire life been so overjoyed to see a video drop. I was sad rewatching the Souls Inheritors video towards the end because I was wishing I could know your thoughts in relation to Shadow of the Erdtree. Thank you so much for what you do.
So many people returning to the base game for the DLC all over again has been such a joyful experience to share. I went into the DLC a day after release because I'd started another new game plus cycle on my main character and had to run through Radhan and use Varre's quest line to rush to Mohg, only to get around 3/4 of the way through the DLC and realize I wanted to start all over again and enter the DLC on a brand new character, who doesn't already have the levels and means to dual wield all of the unique weapons and so on. And it has been so much fun, I'm currently level 102 and making my way through the capital after exhausting the underground besides Moghwyn Palace. Having to go through the patient motions of leveling up strength and endurance enough just to be able to two-hand a Giant Crusher has been just as rewarding as it was the first time around. I don't know if it is my truly number one favorite game of all time, but it is so close that it may as well be and is purely circumstantial.
It's okay to type less, or at least more concise
@@jarlwhiterun7478It's okay to not reply
@@jarlwhiterun7478 Imagine, the very idea!
When I saw the notification, I swear I did a full on heart clutch like Sanford going “This is the big one! I’m coming for you Elizabeth!” I’m SO excited you made this!
dammit i thought i was being original with the sanford heart clutch, but you beat me by half an hour. i tip my hat to you!
Ignore the haters Noah! Your souls video and souls inheritors video are my favorites of yours. I return to them often for comfort, because I feel the same way about these games. They're tough at times, but there's a coziness in their melancholy, a charm to their decay and a warmth in their darkness. You nail that vibe exactly. The git güd crowd is a vocal minority who attached to these games and actively make it worse for everyone else who loves them. Never stop talking and sharing your voice! You are the most thoughtful, introspective and interesting video game critique in the entire genre and your following and career are proof of that! I am always excited when I see a new video of yours and will continue to be an ardent follower and fan!
I can't believe people ragged on your Souls videos. They actually got me to have another go at Elden Ring after getting frustrated and giving up back when it first came out, and I ended up having an absolute ball because of it - largely because your analysis made me rethink my approach to the game and its mechanics.
I hope you continue enjoying the Fromsoftware games and I look forward to more videos from you. I also really hope you do an Amoured Core video one day, because I really enjoyed those and would love to hear your thoughts and analysis.
Jar burial in the Lands Between is different from what the Hornsent were doing with the shamans, it's mostly a positive thing, with warrior jars ritually fighting & ending up as fertilizer at the base of Minor Erdtrees
Which is fascinating and brilliant in context.
"I have taken this horrendous punishment you've dolled out to us, and made it holy."
Yeah that's an interesting thing that Marika changed for the better. The warrior jars would grab the bodies of fallen warriors and add them to their current mix, to grow in power. I never really put two and two together with those giant pots around the erdtrees
I'm not going to lie: I think this analysis has fixed the DLC for me.
I went in to it expecting to do what I have always done with the souls games: Fight difficult enemies, learn boss patterns, and die die die again until I 'git gud' enough for it to be enjoyable. Going in this way was truely miserable, and it made exploration become this resented thing I had to do before being allowed to grind my face against the bosses. Noah's shown me that the aim of this game (perhaps different from the souls games that've come before it) is to enjoy the experience along the way and overcome the journey bits at a time.
Honestly, same. I went all in the day of release an cleared the entire thing in 4 days to avoid having my experience influenced by consensus. That might have been a mistake. The slower, years late approach I had done for all previous entries had allowed me to appreciate so much more of them than me now wanting to eat the entire game-size thing in a week.
When I originally fought Margit in the base game, the lesson I took was "Explore, grow stronger, find weapons and upgrades, and stomp that boss later".
Learning the boss patterns is important. I've had some really thrilling battles with Radahn in the base game where I got off torrent and just 1v1ed him. Felt like a dance. But I always made sure to go in prepared (except on the first run back when he was kinda busted. I used everything I could against him then).
So when I got into this DLC, whenever I'd hit a wall I'd explore. And I found so many paths around the map that I was amazed at how much they fit into the DLC. Was a great time.
Midras manse is my favourite fromsoft content, the entire thing is peak from start to finish. The beautiful paintings we have to destroy to proceed, the boss. Chefs kiss. Perfection.
The fact that the paintings themselves can be interpreted as a subtle telling of the history of the Abyssal Woods and Midra's Manse before the corruption is such an incredible touch too
The first painting you go through depicts a kind of warm look into what the Manse once was, you can subtly see that it isn't corrupted and burned by the frenzied flame, yet the painting itself is taken by the sickly yellow of decay. If you've ever looked at an old picture book or an unkempt painting you would see that same color creeping from the edges and slowly but surely taking the entire image - a memory - over. This serves as a kind of telling of what happened to the Abyssal Woods - that this place was once a perfectly normal display of life now burned to sterile rot and cinders - and it aludes to Midra's suffering as well: as time passes, his reasons for enduring the endless torture of the Hornsent fade - his inherent kindness that leads to him warning the tarnished away, his promise to Nanaya - and the sickly color of decay takes over: the shade of yellow the frenzied flame adopts.
For me, this place more than anything else in Elden Ring paints the Frenzied Flame as a sort of inevitable outcome. As long as sorrow persists in life and the passage of time it is inherently subjected to, there will be someone or something for the frenzied flame to feed on. In this sense, Frenzy stands as such an antithesis to the Crucible - something which forces life to sprout no matter what - that it by itself explains the sheer disgust the Hornsent display towards its believers. They don't want to *end* those who dabble in the physical manifestation of entropy, the Hornsent want to *punish* them, which ironically enough is what leads Midra to become a Lord of the thing they feared most.
In a sense, Midra's tale is a mirror to Marika's: the ritualistic violence of the Hornsent sowing the seeds for their eventual downfall as a society and to be slaughtered in Messmer's hands. If only Marika didn't go on to reproduce the dogmatic violence that was inflicted upon her people.
I hated my experience in dark souls and had given them up. Until I saw your videos and decided to give it a try with a new perspective. Those videos were great!
Man I'm one of those players who does no shield, no summons, etc, but it fills me with joy to see your praise and love for these games. Precisely because your playstyle and your history with gaming is so different, yet you articulate exactly how I feel about these games.
I had no idea people were so negative about your videos on FromSoftware titles before. I just want to say I adore them, and they are some of my favourite video essays on youtube. They're the videos that really made me enjoy and love your writing style, and you managed to capture so many important facets of why those games are so beloved really eloquently. They were also very funny and thoughtful, the little pro-wrestling bit about HOURAH LOUX in particular sticks out, as does how you described your enjoyment of Dark Souls 2's narrative. The fanbase is, as Stephanie Sterling put it, fucking exhausting, but I'm glad you enjoyed these games so much and I'm really happy you decided to do a video for Shadow of the Erdtree too. I'm not even ten minutes in yet and (one writer to another) I'm loving how you discuss it! ^_^
Noah your Dark Souls/Elden Ring videos are probably the best video essays about those games, period. And that's saying a lot considering that a Dark Souls piece is a mandatory assignment for Video Essayist 101.
Noah, the way you expressed your feelings about the franchise made me think, "Screw it, I have to find out what this "genre" is all about for myself." So, I bought a PS3 and Demon's Souls to experience the Souls series from the beginning because of your video.
I understand that not everyone would be as impacted by your video as I was and that it could lead to disagreement or even complete lack of interest. But aggressiveness? Disappointment? I know this is the internet, but this just leaves me dumbfounded.
I'm glad you've chosen to ignore those sad individuals who somehow feel hurt by someone else's passion.
An important distinction between the jar warriors and jar saints is that the former are created from corpses while the latter are put in the jars while still alive. The jar warriors also seem to be able to create more of themselves and have a consciousness and personality of their own.
1:47 "I had a wonderful time today, Loathsome Dung Eater. We should do this again."
Your fromsoft videos are genuinely some of my favorite video game essays of all time. They were transformative for my experience of the games. I welcome more anytime 🎉
I love your description of Elden Ring’s storytelling methodology: “that isn’t lore, that’s poetry” (48:04). As pleasing as lore videos for From Software games are-and I mean that sincerely-they run into problems when they insist on abstracting away from the aesthetic effect and qualities of the medium that make these games so evocative.
To take the finger ruins and the world they suggest: the sense of a world forcibly impressed (or alternatively formed) by the Greater Will qua hand, such that one can see its finger prints on the world, is a mad, wondrous thing. It becomes horrible (as in terrifying) through the replication of that act: fingers sprouting everywhere with no clarity if those beings and objects were forced into the shape, descended from it, or merely imitating it as an icon of power. A strict historical explanation would render away the feeling (wonder, awe, confusion, horror) because the uncertainty that moves alongside the player’s sense of understanding is the best of these games. This isn’t to praise obscurity, far from it. That’s what’s so great about thinking of it as poetry, not lore. Poetry promises ways of connecting the dots that feel real in the moment, wax over time, and might fall apart when you come back to it months or years later. It has a vitality that feels inexhaustible. As much as I love Sekiro and Bloodborne as a games mechanically and conceptually, I think about them far less often than Dark Souls 1, Dark Souls 2 and Elden Ring, which I’d argue are more evocative and poetic.
Noah, I’m always happy to watch your thoughts. They do the thing essays should do: give the reader/viewer something to think with, such that they leave with new ideas and more on the way.
I find that it's a wonderful growth for him, since in his original video he said he had some reservations about the more historical-based lore of Elden Ring compared to the mythological, abstract nature of Dark Souls lore. But many real mythologies do often have an invented history to them, convoluted and contradictory as it may be: the Theogony for ancient Greece, the Poetic Edda for the Norse, and The Book of Invasions for Ireland. The abstract and poetic nature is still preserved there, as it is in Elden Ring, it's just more complicated by our insistence to make something understandable of the mysteries that surround us. Even Elden Ring's in-universe timeline is just based on people trying to place a concrete label on epic events largely beyond their comprehension, and so only partially succeed in those endeavors.
Too bad the Finger Ruin lore doesnt change the fact that its empty as all hell
@@boshwa20weird bait
You're my favourite video essayist on this website, don't you dare go anywhere
Finally beat the dlc myself and i wanna say thank you Noah! Your insight and ability to feel the emotions both thematic and gameplay driven really make you amazing to watch in my own journeys!
I'm extremely surprised to hear that you got negative feedback from your other Dark Souls videos. I hold them in high regard as fantastic pieces of analysis on the games, and your opinions about them being 'cosy' struck a chord in the same tune as myself as I had held that same opinion. I've watched them multiple times for this reason - they are enjoyable videos to watch.
Just to echo a lot of other comments I'm seeing, I found your videos on From's games to be some of the best essays on games as a whole. I think you're a phenomenal writer and getting to hear your thoughts on one of my favourite series was excellent. I return to the videos often and just like I continue to find more facets of the games to enjoy, I find more in your essays to enjoy with each rewatch.
I hope you can continue to ignore and see through the petty facade of anyone who continues to deride the way you've played and enjoyed the games. You are the best video game essayist around and I think the community is always in for a treat when you drop a video and we all benefit from your insights. Keep on keeping on bud :)
16:23 hate to do this but you said "Hideo Miyazaki" was the creator of Elden Ring et al. But his name is Hidetaka Miyazaki.
At any rate I agree with you on difficulty regarding FROM Games. Instead of putting a difficulty setting in the game, they did it organically through summons and cooperation and you have the option to not use these tools for added difficulty, and that's fine! I prefer to use em, it makes the game more fun for me. I'd be "cheating myself" out of an experience if I stubbornly decided to not use them, get frustrated, and quit the game.
Yeah that part caught me off guard at first
Hideo Miyazaki, creator of quite difficult story driven games known for their intense boss fights and long cutscene exposition dumps
can rot bloom on a battlefield?
How dare he raise Kojima's name in vain like this.
Who care about his name he stolen ideas from berserk
Haven't finished watching this video yet, but as someone who usually plays FromSoft games melee only and whatever other handicap I feel like makes the game more fun for me, I never would've realized that people would view your previous videos negatively. I did not realize that so many people still missed the point of these games. I think your videos about the games really capture the essence of how FromSoft games toy with traditional ideas of game difficulty and player agency in way that makes their worlds feel more immersive and their fights feel more satisfying. I loved your previous videos, especially overcoming your expectations about how difficulty would work and coming to love the games. They really gave me a better perspective as someone who generally picks up games like this easily and helped me better understand why I feel the way I feel as well. Keep up the wonderful work!
OMG a new drop. I've been crushing NCG's back catalogue... friend, you write so well, and your ideation and reasoning so crisply moves from idea to the best next idea. Your essays are curious articulate soaring baritone explorations of the human experience as it happens alongside the playing of videogames. I recommend you collate them as published written anthologies to make their ideas safe from youtube's overhanging internet-impermanence.
What a wonderful surprise to wake up to
I counter that I had More Fun with the DLC thanks to my eschewing summoning and spirit ashes, I cannot imagine a faster way to decrease my enjoyment than to spend LESS time with the bosses I so highly anticipate! That said, I am a dedicated Summon Sign Placer happy to help others who do not derive enjoyment from that same place and still staunchly defend Spirit Ashes as NOT CHEESE. Vastness in many forms is part of Elden Ring's beauty for better and for worse. Vastness in exploration, potential strategies and experiences.
Big agree on the story/history disappointment toward SOTE ending. After that fight, we get a tiny clip that tells us something we already know? I also really wish SOTE offered at bare minimum a new kind of Order one could use for the Elden Lord ending.
FromSoft games really seem to hit the hardest in retrospect. It's easy to get lost in the difficulty and frustration while playing, even as a veteran of these games. But after it's over, all I want to do is go back again and again. And absorb all the hidden lore and unorthodox strategies that make subsequent playthroughs more informed and fun.
Unfortunately, Sote made me want to replay the older games more than i wanted to even look at Elden Ring
I rewatch your Soulsbourne videos at least once a year - so masterfully have you captured, interpreted and explained the thematic resonances that the games are built upon. I was mostly a Bloodborne fan, but gave Souls games another shot because of you. I have started quoting the fire sermon you quoted in the video to people sometimes. In other words - I was and still am deeply, deeply moved by your work, and having followed you since 2017, I think it stellar and one of the best, as well as genuinely THE best Dark Souls video on the internet.
What is so precious about it is that you do not let the difficulty discourse define the entirety of the game, that these gameplay elements do not become the end-point of the game itself. Feels like people focus on that the same way people often focus on the plot of the movie when critiquing it, when the movie itself is all of the shots ordered in a specific fashion and arranged, as well as coloured, scored and so on.
So, in other words, I think from the point of view of art criticism, if we take the formalist approach seriosly, then many, many hundreds of "git gud" commenters are simply illiterate and wrong, missing the forest for the trees, and you have demonstarted perfectly how the games could be read, and if they refuse... Well, you can't teach people to broaden their horisons against their will.
Thank you for your work all these years!
I have played the souls series since 2016-ish and am one of those people who feel the most ammount of accomplishment when I beat the boss without summons. I'm still not really good at the games, just very patient with them. That's the way I handled the DLC (I did use the scadutree fragments though bc there's no need to make your first run a SL1)
Your videos on the souls series are some of my favourite videos on the series precisely because of how different our ways of playing those games are. I wasn't even aware of the negative reception for your souls essays because 1) the like to dislike ratio is good 2) I don't use twitter because it geniuenly makes me angry and less well adjusted. As a long time fan of the series and your content I think the videos are great and 15 minutes in this one sounds great too. I'd hate for you to avoid expressing your opinions because of a demonstrably small group trying to express it's superiority.
As someone who has spent entirely too much time consuming ER lore videos on youtube, I welcome Noah's interpretation of the lore. Elden Ring's lore has SO MANY open questions that even top lore content creators still have yet to find sufficient answers for. The more speculation on lore, the merrier.
😅😊
Yeah, all of the Soulsborne are ambiguous and vague. There's enough concrete information to draw conclusions. But never enough that the entire picture coheres together. Even Sekiro the most straight forward of the Soulsborne leaves a lot of open ended questions about the Giant Snakes, the celestial palace and Dragon's Heritage itself.
And that's great. It leaves you with lots to think about. Plenty of space to extrapolate from the game's themes and your understanding of them.