From Software has made a name for itself in the action RPG genre by creating games with grueling difficulty, complex and twisted storylines, and fantastical worlds as gorgeous as they are terrifying. The Dark Souls trilogy is one of the most well-known of From Software's dark fantasy creations, featuring some of the developer's most iconic creations. One fan of the trilogy recently created a tribute to one particularly memorable location in Dark Souls 3, Irithyll of the Boreal Valley, by capturing it in an oil painting.
Irithyll of the Boreal Valley is a non-optional area in Dark Souls 3 that players must pass through in order to progress. There, players must face hordes of invisible enemies and towering guardians, attacking with a mixture of fire, dark, and magic. However, the location itself is possessed with an otherworldly beauty, its snowy streets and grand architecture resembling something taken from a more typical high fantasy setting.
Redditor LongFineArt has painted several other Dark Souls locations, but their attempt to capture the icy beauty of Irithyll of the Boreal Valley may stand out to other fans. The oil painting depicts the location's bridge, which is well known to fans because of the Sulyvahn's Beast that spawns behind players when they attempt to cross it. LongFineArt presented the dark environment in shades of blues and whites, which helps to capture the look of cool night mist and what appears to be a touch of blueish aurora borealis. While the northern lights are often presented as green, they can appear as blue or purple as well.
My latest oil painting! Irithyll of the Boreal Valley from Dark Souls 3 😁 took me over a month! from gaming
Although the Sulyvahn's Beast itself is not present in the painting, its presence appears to be felt viscerally by fans who have played the game. Many of the replies to this painting expressed fear or frustration that appears to be out of place considering the air of melancholy found in the painting itself. The attention to detail is so thorough that the painting could be mistaken for a screenshot taken of Irithyll of the Boreal Valley.
As of writing, it appears that other fans are very impressed by LongFineArt's work. This isn't the first time Dark Souls fans have created tributes to their favorite games, but it may be one of the grandest in scale. Several users posted sharing complaints and strategies for how to get past the Sulyvahn's Beast under the bridge, while others congratulated LongFineArt on their skill. One noted that the painting reminds them quite a bit of Bloodborne, a later Soulslike game from the same developer.
Dark Souls 3 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.