The author of this article is @North of the Little Wan family
Find the spiritual corner of everyone in the movie
The hit game Eldon's Ring of Law has been the focus of recent discussions among gamers, but it's out of the loop beyond expectations.
In less than a month, Eldon's Ring of Law sold 12 million copies at the speed of light, not only setting a new record for game sales in 2022, but also setting off a wave of game craze on major social media.
For a time, both veteran players and melon eaters began to scramble to experience this action game with a dark fantasy style.
"Eldon's Ring of Law" was written by "Game of Thrones" author George W. Bush. R· R. Martin wrote the worldview of the game, so it also attracted the attention of many medieval fantasy fans.
On this fantasy continent that benchmarks The Lord of the Rings' Middle-earth, a battle for the throne of Eldon begins.
If the revenue of "Eldon's Law Ring" is compared to the box office of a movie, the game with a unit price of more than $59 has already generated more than $700 million in revenue for publisher Bandai Namco (the holding company of classic IP such as Gundam, Dragon Ball, and Pac-Man).
This kind of jaw-dropping ability to absorb gold is probably beyond even the hollywood game adaptation blockbusters that have been cultivated for many years.
Uncharted currently grosses $300 million worldwide
In fact, Hidetaka Miyazaki, the producer of "Eldon's Law Ring", and his production company, From Software, are just medium-sized production companies in the game circle.
The ambitious masterpiece that took years to create can create such a good result, which is almost comparable to the box office miracle of the movie "Rocky".
"Rocky" cost $950,000 in exchange for more than $100 million at the box office
So today, Xiaowan takes film and television as the starting point, deconstructing this ambitious masterpiece from three aspects: style, story and tribute.
See how this "Elden's Ring of Law", which helped producer Hidetaka Miyazaki "ascend to the altar", shook the public's aesthetic and opened up an era of "soul system" that only belonged to them.
Unique "Soul System" style
The high popularity of "Eldon's Circle of Law" did not come out of thin air.
Game producer Hidetaka Miyazaki has long been the hottest "superstar" in the hearts of gamers after developing a series of games known for their "high difficulty" (also known as soul games) such as Dark Souls and Only Wolves.
Similar to directors in the film industry, game producers tend to play a pivotal role in the style of their work.
Especially at present, under the dual pressure of the Hollywood producer system and the commercialization of large companies, producers and directors who still retain their own distinctive characteristics may be more popular with audiences and players.
So in the past two years, we have seen that there are both Zach Schneider's cut version of "Justice League" that has spread all over the Internet, and Hideo Miyazaki and his "Eldon's Ring of Law" to break the circle.
Much of their success depends on intransigence in their own field and the greatest balance of art and business.
But if you go back a dozen years, probably not many people will believe that Hidetaka Miyazaki and his maverick new works will cause a global sensation and even change the narrative of the entire game industry.
In 2009, the best-selling games on the market were Call of Duty 6 and Uncharted 2.
This kind of shooter game that does not have too many thresholds for getting started, but single-handedly creates a game cinematic narrative, which not only satisfies the player's ability to feel the shock of Hollywood blockbusters without leaving home, but also realizes the heroism of saving the world in the virtual world.
Released in the same year, Hidetaka Miyazaki's first work, Demon Souls, was at the other extreme in style.
This story is obscure, outrageously difficult, and extremely frustrating, but it is passed on by word of mouth among players, and more and more people are beginning to enjoy the great sense of achievement that comes after winning.
At the same time, Hidetaka Miyazaki's strong narrative skills have gradually been revealed, which have laid the foundation for "The Ring of Law" in "Elden".
Fragmented narratives
Nolan's "Fragments of Memory" and David Lynch's "Mulholland Road" use the editing techniques belonging to the film to piece together an intriguing suspense story, and Hidetaka Miyazaki's "Eldon's Ring of Law" uses today's most popular open-world game to interpret an ancient Greek tragic story.
Injecting large sections of stories into a vast continent of casual exploration, leaving information everywhere but restrained at every turn, is the magic of "Eldon's Ring of Law".
In george w. R· In the worldview written by R. Martin, The Eldon's Ring of Laws has an epic feel like The Lord of the Rings.
Players can learn the general story of the world through the opening animation and the words in the game characters:
The Eldon Ring of Law is shattered, and players who are "faders" will embark on the road to collecting the Ring of Law fragments. After defeating one royal descendant after another with the fragments of the Ring of Law, the throne of King Eldon is beckoning to players who are faded...
However, if you want to understand the whole world, you must carefully read the instructions and backstory of each prop, and not let go of any passers-by who talk to you.
And by piecing together these scattered pieces of information, the world that seems to need your salvation seems to have become a multitude of opinions and conspiracies.
Against the backdrop of the grand war, game producer Hidetaka Miyazaki, as always, infused his thoughts on classical tragedy.
When the player reaches the end of the journey and ascends to the final throne, a complete tragedy is inevitable.
Whether it is the "Age of Decadence" in which the Eldon Ring of Law is restored and the fate of all people continues to be ruled by the Ring of Law, or the "Age of Stars" in which the Ring of Law is completely destroyed and the whole world falls into eternal night, it essentially upsets the balance of this world.
It turns out that the player's practice of overcoming many difficulties and killing many strong enemies has only accelerated the destruction of this "beautiful world".
This kind of talking about cold themes under the grand framework and the tragic fate that is doomed in the dark is the deep charm of "Eldon's Ring of Law" under the framework of the hidden game.
Perhaps it is this cruel and ruthless narrative that makes Hidetaka Miyazaki and George W. Bush. R· R. Martin, two writers who specialize in epic group portraits, came together to create the unprecedented "game copyright game" of "Eldon's Circle of Law".
A tribute everywhere
In addition to its unique style and fragmented narrative, Eldon's Ring of Law pays tribute to several well-known film and television IPs.
Among them, of course, it is indispensable to the george w. R· A tribute to R. Martin's masterpiece Game of Thrones.
In the game, there is a weapon called the "Sword Skeleton Sword", which is very similar to the Iron Throne in the game of thrones, and they are forged with weapons used by many enemies when they surrender, with a symbol of contempt for everything.
Before you can get this "Sword Skeleton Sword", you also need to defeat an enemy called "Lion Hybrid". And this name seems to imply the Lannister family of lions in the game of thrones.
In the middle of the game, you will also encounter a lighthouse called "Epilepsy".
The spire of the tower has a large eye that falls into a brief frenzy when the player's controlled character stays nearby.
This passage clearly pays homage to the Eye of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings, which is almost the same as in the game.
On the other hand, game producer Hidetaka Miyazaki, as an avid fan of the manga "Legend of the Sword Wind", naturally hid a sad Easter egg in the game.
We know that Kentaro Miura, the original author of "Legend of the Sword Wind", died of illness in 2021, and in order to commemorate this great author, Miyazaki Hidetaka deliberately left a sword mound in the game that is very similar to the shape in the manga, and wrote on the big sword in the center:
"The single-handed vengeful hero stands up and fights and eventually loses to King Gevery", which is itself the plot of Gus in "Legend of the Sword Wind".
In addition, such as the Wizarding Academy Hogwarts in Harry Potter, the famous Japanese animation Vampire Hunter D, and the Battle of Jerusalem in Heavenly Dynasty can all find corresponding tributes and Easter eggs in the game.
It can be said that "Eldon's Ring of Law" gives full play to the interactive characteristics of the game itself, bringing players a fresh and familiar experience through a series of classic tributes.
At the beginning of 2022, several blockbuster games have been released, and some time ago Xiao Wan also talked about the Chinese style game "Master" hiding such a Hong Kong film Easter egg, it is on fire.
Although they are still relatively niche, their popularity can bring some inspiration to the film - sticking to a certain style may be able to gain more audiences.
Note: Some of the pictures in this article come from Douban and the Internet, if there is infringement, please take the initiative to contact us.
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