One could argue that the biggest appeal of FromSoftware Soulsborne games is the difficulty of each one, but there are many reasons someone could be attracted to the likes of Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, and so on. FromSoftware has a unique way of worldbuilding that draws many fans in but often leaves them with as many questions as answers.
That’s not to say that each FromSoftware game is 100% unique, as any number of comparisons could be drawn between Bloodborne and Elden Ring, Elden Ring and Demon’s Souls, and so on. But if anything, that formula just adds to a world built from the ground up, giving long-time fans something to be happy about. The recurrence of the Moonlight Sword in Elden Ring and elsewhere, for example, is a good one. One thing each game does, notably, is make something special out of fire.
FromSoftware and Fire
Why make Fire something special is hard to guess, but it’s evident from the first game to the last one. It’s easy to overlook fire elements in some games, breaking it down to something that’s just useful to damage against armorless or fleshy enemies, but FromSoftware’s approach to fire is special in every game, including Elden Ring.
For example, Demon’s Souls treats Fire Magic as its own category aside from standard Magic, as it is thought to be witchcraft and primal in nature. To get access to fire magic, players have to rescue Yuria the Witch, and she’s even reluctant to teach players this magic, suggesting they see Sage Freke instead. Of course, she relents and players can learn a ton of strong magic from her, including the OP Demon’s Souls spell Firestorm.
Come the Dark Souls trilogy, fire takes on an even bigger role tied directly to the game’s main lore. The Age of Fire, Linking the Flame, the Chaos flame, and more are all important elements in Dark Souls 1-Dark Souls 3, continuing this Fire-like trend. Meanwhile, Bloodborne takes a more simplistic approach, with many creatures of the night fearing fire. Fire Paper plays a huge role in combat for many players, and in a way, it represents the night coming to an end. After all, at the very end of Bloodborne, the Hunter’s Dream is on fire.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice here is in a similar boat here, with Ashina meeting a similar end to the Hunter’s Dream, and the Demon of Hatred being tied to fire. Then, Elden Ring comes in by emphasizing it all over again. There’s the entire Fire Giant war, the one that lives, and the curse of red hair—all tied to concepts of Fire. The Burning of the Erdtree is the way of bringing death back to the world, while one ending—the bad Elden Ring ending—is tied to fire as players become the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
All in all, its appearance in each game takes different approaches, but unique fire qualities in every FromSoft game are to be expected.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.