The phrase, "It's just a song in a video game," shouldn't be used anymore. Video game music has been phenomenal since the beginning; it's only recently that they've been backed by the orchestras and vocals they deserve.
The music from Final Fantasy 6 enamoured me as a kid when playing it on Super Nintendo. Only later did we hear its orchestral forms and see exactly what Nobuo Uematsu was imagining.
Why limit yourself there, video games encompass multiple disciplines of art and skill, since the day one these artists have have been pushing boundaries that the mainstream no longer concerns itself with. Examples, Frank klepaki with his command and conquer ost from the 90's to what paradox do with their current games (listen to the stellaris orchestral theme). Hollywood and the music industry may be bankrupt creatively, we may not have modern composers to look to like the good old days, but music as art... it lives on in this in this industry.
I wish more people who are not into games (and even some who are) could at least acknowledge the greatness of vgm. They have no idea what they are missing.
I just replayed the game so that i could fight that boss again and again and letting it killing me so i could infinitely enjoy it whenever i would want (as with a very few other bosses)
I think the best part is how, while it's clearly an intelligent, sentient creature, not a mindless animal, it never speaks. It never makes a sound, it just... Stares at you. Judging, assessing, as fascinated as we are by it's unfathomable beauty, it too is deeply impressed by how we have done things no mere human ever could. We are as much a god as it is, and no words could ever convey it. There is nothing left to say, nothing left to do, but end the story
While there's a certain beauty to this, there's also something much more simple and (based on occam's razor) therefore much more likely: It's an alien. Like, in-canon. It's an alien creature from the Stars. It doesn't attempt speech, because it likely doesn't work on those levels. It introduced immense power and influenced the will/s of those leading this entire swath of land, yet the purpose is unclear. Did it relinquish the body to defend something? Is it fighting for curiousity's sake? Is it also simply working on the "will" of another being that cast it there? I don't think it considers you a god or even itself one. It's just a tool against another tool, pitted against each other for reasons unknown. A duality of wills, seen all through the game; up/down, man/woman, god/tarnished. Worthless in the grand scheme of things, as all life is meaningless in the vast expanse of space, if you wanna go down that route.
It does feel incredibly alien, incredibly.... august, I'd say, somehow both gentle and terrifying, unfathomably profound and yet comfortingly intimate. And you and it shall have one last dance, before everything's said and done. I think this piece beautifully captures all of that at once.
Elden Beast is actually one of the few game OSTs that made me cry, I wasn't even particularly sad at the time, so it was purely the game that caused that reaction.
Same! First time I got the cutscene showing this literal God arise and then the song starts, I had tears in my eyes that I had to wipe away when the fight actually started!
There's one point in the fight where the Elden Beast where it fills the sky with a giant golden ring around it and it always takes me a second to process how beautiful the music and visuals are
It's designed to float up and glow with the elden ring, it's a symbolic gesture, the end of all roads lead here to this one moment. Fromsoft truly created a masterpiece here
@@ryujin_x_athat part doesnt match the fight. That starts playing during the end of the cutscene as it transitions into the fight, assuming you didnt skip the cutscene
i genuinely think the voice singing is Marika, alone, lamenting for her escape and for her to be put to rest. she’s been awake for so long and her time is up she is reaching for us, hoping in the moment we listen, we open our ears to her cries and we absolve her of her crimes
@@Tulip_bip I looked at it more like the piano and the single, lone woman's voice are Marika's, whereas the strings and the additional, warped voices of the choir are the Greater Will. Still fairly close, though
After the DLC and we understand the tragic origins of Marika, the music feels like it's telling the tale of her sorrow... which is a very human tale. Of the cruelty she faced, the loss of her people and her home... and the dream of restoring what was lost, remaking it as a new golden age that was written into the Elden Ring. The Elden Beast is the carrier of this golden age, the ruined dream... and you have come to slay it, because it keeps the world trapped in her broken dream... and only you can free the world, and free Marika. It is tragic
The blatant thing is that you can't even say for sure that the Greater Will guided Marika and Metyr, the Mother of Fingers manipulated her. Marika is one of the most tragic characters in Elden Ring. Its possible, the greater will is gone long long time ago. Somehow no one is really a villain, everyone is a victim.
That one, Ludgiw and Gherman were the only 3 songs that managed to make me cry, no matter the mood I was in. Powerful themes, with so much emotions into them.
Wow, that analysis was spot on. Goes to show how incredible the composition is. Time marching ahead of you, the intense grief and finality, the lack of control, coming face to face with something indescribably larger than yourself, etc. Without spoiling, this is everything the composers wanted to achieve. Lichdragon Fortisaax is another amazing one, lesser known too.
“Time marching my ahead of you, the intense grief and finality, the lack of control, coming face to face with something indescribably larger than yourself” mans is spitting
Something I thought you especially might find interesting. Most of the enemies in the Souls Series fight in 4/4 time. The gameplay is a dance between you and your enemy. However, there are enemies in this game, and in the others, that do not fight in 4/4 They fight in 3/4 and it's always a struggle when you face them because their rhythm is different. In Elden Ring, the Zamor Knights are 3/4. In DS3 it was The Dancer of the Boreal Valley, and some of the enemies in The Boreal Valley. In DS2 it was The Fume Knight. And in DS1 it was Manus.
The most insane part of this is how, DESPITE COMING FROM SOMEONE WITH BARELY 60 HOURS IN THE GAME, all of the points he raises (smallness in face of the vast, coming face to face with something beyond your control, wrestling it in an attempt to gain said control, grief at ones own inability of doing something) are some of the most discussed interpretations of the figure head in the hierarchy of the game's lore: Marika. All of these concepts are potential motivations and themes ingrained to the very core of this character who is thoroughly linked to the Elden Beast despite being mostly a mystery herself. It is a musical tale about this character we have so little to go on about but who is so crucial to the entirety of the world for the game, someone who left us with little to understand her logically but plentiful to digest emotionally. Its surreal to watch someone who (I assume) doesn't have a deep knowledge of this fictional history still somehow get all the same themes through an entirely different method of delivery.
Thank you Nomad! I am stuck in Caelid and currently taking a break because fortnite no build is a thing now and I’m a simp for no build fortnite - no knowledge of deep intrinsic lore. So thank you 🙏
@@MarcoMeatball Going into these videos is such a treat for me as someone who really appreciates OST in video games, but who often finds them getting underappreciated. FROM doesn't really suffer from this, and recently some games have had some absolutely KILLER OSTs so I'm glad more attention is being drawn to them, but there is something so transcendental about the way that a good song on a video game's OST can effortlessly capture and communicate deep, complicated emotions, and render them with such a clarity that someone who has absolutely NO GODDAMN IDEA what awaits them to this tune, can still accurately forecast the experience emotionally, purely off the content of the soundtrack. This comment is ten months old, and I don't know if you've gone back to finish Elden Ring yet, Marco, but I hope when you do, that when you reach this moment, and hear this song in the context of the game, that you feel fucking amazing about your interpretation here.
In most FromSofware games there’s generally a boss in the game where it gives an intense feeling of regret, as if you shouldn’t have killed them. And this music I think gives the best example of that during the Elden Beast, feeling like you’re fighting something that doesn’t deserve to be killed, but has to be in order to fulfill your quest.
Elden Beast is a parasite of sorts with a mutual relationship with The Great Tree, sent down from the stars by The Greater Will transforming it into the Erdtree.
Almost every last boss fight in souls series symbolize the end of the era. It is sad but it’s also inevitable. When I look back at these fight, they reminds me of all emotions and sufferings along the way. But you know that is it, it’s how the end should be.
I got goosebumps. Not everyone have the ability to listen to a song and interpret them. I can't too, but there are song in souls game that I can feel that connection, and feel what you explained. Truly masterpiece.
Fun fact: An instrumental version of this theme plays during the sacrifice of a certain companion towards the end of the game, making it feel even more emotional and tragic with context since you (the player) becoming lord was everything they hoped for
"The deepest since of grief" makes since after playing the game. Marika lost her favorite son and shattered the Elden Ring in retaliation. Really good game.
INCREDIBLE VIDEO MARCO!!! Your facial expressions during the reaction were so full of emotion, no words were needed! While finishing the game for the first time, I couldn't pay the attention this song deserves, and yet, I can clearly remember the feeling I had in the boss fight, the boss right before it has an epic and triumphant theme, you feel like a god coming into the Elden Beast fight, but then this song hits you, breaking down everything you think, you're fighting something much bigger than yourself in this somber ending to an incredible quest, you are touching a primordial being, and the sadness in this song makes me think about the morality of this undertaking, should we be allowed to so utterly disturb nature and it's order? As with every great piece of art, perhaps I'll forget its name, its colors, or notes, but I'll never forget how it makes me feel...
I clearly need to plow through. I just took the elevator up. Thank you for your kind words. I was tired when I filmed this and it really struck me. Also I’m taking the rest of the week off to work on my actual work. 🤣
If you knew how close you were 2 years ago just through analysing this soundtrack. Damn. I really love your content! It makes me come back to make music on my own after many years. Keep on it! :)
I still remember replaying it when I was feeling really down. This was years and years ago. Finished alone at night and was greeted with that song. Feels were felt.
Your description of this about grief and sadness is really accurate, its how I felt when I was fighting the boss, sadness cause its the end, being so close to my end goal yet feeling so far, feeling sorrowful for the sacrifices that were made to get to this point, literally and figuratively, makes you feel like its all coming to a close and once the Elden beast it defeated it really helps to set in the emptiness from the fact that your end goal is completed, sure you can do an NG+ or a New Game, but it gives you the sense of "what now?" I've spent all this time and now I have nothing to strive for.
My god, you will LOVE Mohg, Lord of Blood. The pain, the agony, and the absolute majesty of every note, and the absolute insanity that strikes you and even makes you feel sorrow for some inexplicable purpose, reaching out to something that shouldn't be there? Yet even still the piece remains a primal evil the entire time, which is just fantastic
Without getting too much into detail, (still warning for some slight spoilers) this is propably the most unique ending fight in the souls games made by from software so far and music represents that perfectly. This time the end is not really made depressing like in Dark Souls or Bloodborne or Demon's Souls. It's more ambiguous, after an epic battle with a very "cinematic" boss, you end up in a weird out of the world dimension and dont really understand what is happening but... you just feel this whole games experience on your shoulders just as the notes of the music start to hit you - it's not just sadness, it's all emotions just clustered together and that's why even though the creature at the end is not a storyline character or anything that you can really put your emotions on, I teared up a little bit, just because of pure spectacle of it. And I think that "spectacle" is a perfect word to describe Elden Ring. No matter of you thing the bosses were hard or not, if there are some things you didn't enjoy because of some repeated fights... the things I saw in this game are unique to this title. Never I saw a world so magical, yet grounded, yet so beautiful and complex and just jaw dropping on almost every chance it gets. A living painting. And Elden Beast, understand it or not, represents this world in one shape. A weird but beautiful sight that might hurt but just makes you look in wonder, not wanting it to end... but you know the end is needed for the story to finish and to start a new one. Sadness, nostalgia, beauty, pain, determination, shock, happiness, anger... it's all here. In this arena, in this music, in this game. Thank you Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin and all of From Software staff that worked hard for years to deliver this. You are true legends!
Heavy spoilers territory: Elden Ring takes inspiration from all previous Fromsoftware titles including Bloodborne. While Bloodborne had a Lovecraftian cosmology where humanity continued to exist basically out of pure luck and is at the mercy of terrible and utterly inhuman cosmic entities, Elden Rings cosmology is based on the same concept of cosmic beings (here they are called Outer Gods) but it is sort of done in a much more subtle and less outrightly threatening way. The Elden Beast is an emissary for the Greater Will, a sort of cosmic entity whose sole interest seems to be to spread it's order throughout the universe. It has directed the fate of the world for such a long time that many people think it's order intrinsic to the world and an entire religion has formed around the worship of it while being oblivious to the truth that the order hails from an alien entity. So in one sense you are literally fighting a god in terms of the religion that has formed around the Golden Order and all the symbology and colours used in the fight are associated with divinity and beauty. But moreso you are witnessing the truth of the universe you inhabit and fight for humanities autonomous place within it. Which is another aspect where Elden Ring diverges from Bloodborne - in the universe of the latter such a thing could never happen as humanity is utterly insignificant there but Elden Ring is a lot more uplifting. It is about ambition and so it depicts humanity rising to the task and challenging it's masters, taking fate into their own hands.
@@Lumineszenz This is why I don't think this game is as depressing in it's main story as it seems. You truly rise to highness and with at least ending I got (Ranni ending) there is a sense of hope and unknown, but not as grim as in Bloodborne where you are reborn as a great one, but leave the human world to rot in the sickness, unchanged from the terrible state you saw it in, or in Dark Souls where you had to make the world basically die for it to be born anew. This time it's more victorious but still misterious, and you are not facing someone you know and who is trying to help you avoid his own fate (BB), or someone who was giving everyone hope and in the end turned out to be failure of a human being (Demons Souls) or someone who was full of human flaws and took a whole world with him by thinking only about "now" without thinking about the consequences of his actions (Dark Souls). This time the enemy is not a human, or someone who pretends or used to be a god. This time it is a God, and you show him that you don't want to let the world live in a terrible state that is unfolding. The game makes you technically very selfish too - by trying to do better you also get rid of certain parts of the world, break long living relations, cause people to die on the way to their own ambitions. It's not all happy good save the world story that is repeated way more times than I realised in rpgs. The change cannot be made without sacrifices, even if they are not always made intentionaly. I just love that this game is not set on one emotion, it's not even just depression with some happines in the times of sadness, it's just a living place, with characters, living animals and eldritch horrors living next to each other and coexisting in quite a belivable manner for such a crazy concept. And this time it doesnt feel like you are just taking the world with you out of mercy for it, this time you feel that you want this place to survive, because while the bad was happening, there is equally enough good and beauty in it and problems that could be fixed to hope for it to stay alive and fight for a new tomorrow.
@@daboos6353 no its unique. Look at it body. You see tree branches inside because of it being the very essence of the erdtree. It represents the god of the verse which controls everything through the erdtree.
This theme became one of my absolute favorite of all time and combined with the visuals of the fight, it creates an unique atmosphere of both deep mystery, and otherworldly beauty. Truly Fromsoft have outdone themselves. Other than that awesome reaction and interpretation. Definitely subscribing 👍.
Even after 10 months, coming back an listening to this theme gives me chills an makes my mind flutter. I knew music always held motion to it. The sense of pure feeling of majestic energy, sorrow yet light. Thanks for making this video.
This piece is so heavy and strong, despite not being... "loud", or having a lot going on, its just really pure, and conveys a sense of child-like innocence, especially because of the choir, which im not sure IF sung by children, but its made to sound that way to me. And this pure innocence exactly fits the entity it plays for, a god. Warning, spoilers and very off topic, but imma just go on about why this song so powerful to me, being about a god in this story. Feel free to ignore, i just like theorizing and writing a lot. I dont believe in god in the real world, but in stories, especially ones this big and complex, its a very interesting thing. Because in most of these stories, gods ARE very much real. People know they exist, maybe even have seen them, seen what they can do, maybe are even able to communicate with them. They ARE influencing the world of characters in these stories, and are a big, if not the biggest, part of that world. This is true for Elden Ring too, and this is a literal god you fight, you KILL a god, and its not clear at all if this is the right thing to do, or even truly possible. Moreover, despite this being a god, it was sent by something even higher, the Greater Will, which in this story is THE god above all gods, a truly unknowable thing, its so outlandish to us humans, that it probably cant communicate with us directly, but has to send "envoys", like the fingers, and this Elden Beast, to do its bidding, which is probably unimaginably high above our understanding. To the "normal" people in the world of Elden Ring, Marika was the one true god, which... isnt the case as we learn, they all probably didnt even know about the greater will, or associated it directly with Marika. We know that Marika was born as a kind of normal person, and was chosen by this elden beast to be the vessel of the Elden Ring, the incarnation of order in that universe. And we killed the being that choose another god who normal people saw as the true god. This song to me conveys unimaginable consequence, a feeling of a true end to this world and story. We killed the envoy of the highest being/entity/thing in this universe, that will not go unnoticed, and probably not unpunished. There was a reason it was interested in this... planet i guess? Maybe it tried to pursue its interests peacefully at first, now that we killed a part of it, it could not be so peaceful anymore. If it still can not reach us directly, it might send something far worse then the Elden Beast, to either punish the world, or take what its interested in by force. Whatever the case, our character probably majorly screwed the entire world by slaying this beast, and this song really makes you feel that way. That its truly over. ... until the DLCs ofc. c:
The Greater Will isn't a "God above all gods", just an "Outer God", which means it is a god from outside the Lands Between, and one powerful enough to greatly affect the Lands Between, like creating the Fingers, the Elden Ring and the Elden Beast, or creating the Erdtree from the Crucible. There are other Outer Gods, like the original God of Rot, who got sealed by a warrior ( probably the Blue Dancer, if I recall correctly, who is probably also the one who taught Malenia how to fight ), the Formless Mother, worshipped by Mohg, and others.
The sadness of this music and the beautiful movements of the boss that goes with it, hit so much harder when they also signal the end of a long game that for many people is already their favorite game of all time even before they finish it. This boss to me also shows a lot of confidence from the artists that made Elden Ring. It feels like they admit that for a while, this game is an actual part of the players life and being done with it can lead to a small sense of loss.
When I heard this song, I couldn't help but think about the 5 stages of grief, and the different stages of the song depicting it. 1:57 - The denial of it all. Almost numbingly, seeing the beast there, facing you, you face it. You don't exactly know why this beast was sent here, or if it has to die at all. After what you have gone through in the game, and realizing the story behind it all and your journey in between... Many countless deaths of the good, bad, demigods and the beasts... All you know is that someone will have to die in this fight - The beast being the final creature in your way. It's almost bittersweet, the feeling of victory at your fingertips, the end of your journey one battle away, and the death of one final creature being the literal turning point of the century! It is surreal. There's no turning back since you have come back this far. The fact that it has the same exact theme as when you open the game really emphasizes that you have come full circle, start to finish, which is an indicator that this is the conclusion. 3:05 - The anger, despair. Why does it have to be this way? It is cruel and unfair. Screw it all. Gods be damned if you lose now, after having come so far! You will solidify your resolve and do what you came here to do, even if it means killing a god, or at least part of one. The deaths of everyone you have faced before will not be in vain... 3:48 - Bargaining. The battle pushes onwards, just as will Life moves on regardless of who wins this fight. Sometimes hard to accept that there’s nothing we can do to change what is happening (I know it's a game storyline that is set, but that is beside the point). It's possible to ask ourselves over and over just how things that happened could have turned out differently. With the vocals overlapping, this emphasizes the conflict, an internal and external battle currently being fought. It's hard to depict the exact time of depression since it is noted everywhere yet nowhere in particular. As with depression, there are good times and bad times that can happen at literally any point. You see slivers of hope in multitudes of forms that are false and true. 4:27 As seen in the video, when Marco takes that breath of air, and releases. I have the feeling that is where acceptance begins. A breath of fresh air after holding it in for so long... Feels like nothing will ever be right again, but gradually (begin the fade out) the pain eases. Now we can learn to live again (onward to Journey 2 in NG+), while keeping the memories (Rememberances) of the fallen.
3:04 gave me goosebumps. It's amazing that how a combination of notes and sounds can change how a person feels. They did such a great job making this music and thanks for making this video it changed my point of view in this soundtrack.
That transition was by far the most impactful I have ever experienced. Especially with the scene in game. Many movies and games have tried something like this and constantly failed. When playing through this, after all this long and epic in it´s original meaning game, that loud and awesome fight against Radagon. That shot of the Tarnished just being dwarfed by this unexplained thing appearing with little to no explanation, this music playing in the background. That was the first time a game made me fully feel like I was facing something truly unexplainable, terrible yet beautiful. Just made me stop in my tracks not even thinking, just sitting there with goosebumbs. Like some story straight out of an ancient legend playing before my eyes.
Such an amazing theme, so many emotions. It really does feel like what you are facing is a Devine being. Out of all of the Demi gods and creatures faced through out the game this creature is a manifestation of a true un known God. It also has the sadness of Marika and Radagon mixed into it. It feels like the end of the journey. This game really does so many things right but ending on this theme, especially after the Epic battle that came just before is amazing. In my opinion, this is the best ending final Battle that From has ever done.
The harp sets the stage. The melody is like a voice crying out from the darkness for one last time. All that we’ve tried to forget and leave behind, but haven’t really let go of yet. Then the chants come in like a solemn but firm resignation that this is really the end and we will have to move on. The game is over.
I really enjoy your reactions to these songs, I can tell you really feel and are moved by the music you’re listening to. It’s a really cool perspective.
SOTE Spoilers ahead, Coming back from Shadow of the Erdtree, this song hits way harder than it used to and it’s very noticeable. The way Marco breaks down the song and how it’s almost representative of human existence nearly directly lining up with Marika’s story of wanting control of everything around her out of fear from what happened with the hornsent and shaman village, and of course, her prayer which I personally believe to be the primary singer in this. Genuinely just outstanding.
I get moonlight butterfly theme (Dark Souls 1) vibes from this. It invokes a sad feeling at the beginning of the fight, almost as if neither party want the fight to happen but due to circumstances it must. Great video and I suggest giving the moonlight butterfly theme a listen.
The first time I heard this OST I felt goosebumps going from behind the head, surrounding my head, to directly my ears and I automatically started heavy crying a bit later. Absolutely beautiful and breaking song. There's no way to end this game in a better way than with this outstanding song!
this is my personal favorite in elden ring, it perfectly encapsulates the feeling of finality of not just a single death but what seems like of the entire world, it feels like a eulogy dedicated to the end of the lands between themselves and how it feels to be confronted by that, but it's also serene, even meditative. I get the feeling of not just confronting that great despair but also of letting go, without spoiling anything the boss fight basically symbolizes (in my mind at least) the end of the laws of the golden order, aka the end of the laws of nature, physics or even reality in a way, fighting against it in this sense gives the feeling of grief, knowing that life as you have known it to exist, will never be the same again
Yep. "Gosh." and "Wow." is literally the only thing you really can say when you first listen to this soundtrack. It truly imbues a tragic finality. Immediately moved me to tears when I heard the orchestra and choir come in. Absolutely fantastic artists at FromSoft! They never cease to give me wild flares of emotion listening to their magnificent pieces.
Nothing to me will ever beat experiencing this in the game for the first time. The visuals pairing with this piece make it appear like a scene from an ancient legend is coming to life right before your eyes.
For me, when I heard this for the first time, I felt a beautiful but profound loneliness. The sort of feeling like hiking up a mountain path alone before dawn, reaching to top with nothing but you, the cold in your bones, and the sun breaching through the horizon.
That was beautiful. It’s very cool how you can so precisely pinpoint the emotions and thoughts that the music is evoking. You express yourself very well and I just want to say I see it and appreciate it!
I’ve recently become obsessed with this channel, it’s so refreshing!! I know there’s no lack of suggestions in the comments, but I think that a nice song that could use a professional opinion is Skyrim’s Opening Theme - The Song of the Dragonborn. A classic that still holds its power to this day
I keep coming back to this video, it was the first one of yours that I ever saw, and it affected me so deeply. Thank you for this and I'm so glad your channel has grown so much and that you're making such wonderful content.
What I felt in the moment the beast emerged was regret. It felt like a pure form of the Ring. Uncorrupted, finally free of this prison it had been trapped in. I didn't want to fight it. I wanted to resolve this another way. It had done nothing to me up to this point and this conflict was not of its making.
very very very beautiful video to contemplate! I always love hearing musicians and singers give their insight on beautiful pieces like this. Yuka Kitamura and the entirety of the composers who worked on elden ring did such a masterful job.
After watching some of your videos, Im reviewing all ost from these games. You made me pay more attention and enjoy this aspect of the game, thank you for all the effort and love you put in your videos. Literally helped me to open myself more about my feelings and appreciate love from my closest ones. I wanna point, this ost its so similar to the priscilla boss fight (dark souls 1). The 4 firsts notes are so similar and kind of same sense of unknown entity beyond our comprehension
I havnt seen enough appreciation and recognition for the masterpiece of music this piece is. The boss alone is a sight to behold but to be greeted with the swell of emotion of the music is such a wonderous experience I wish I could re-live for the first time again. Great read and analysis, the somberness is conveyed so exquisitely.
I'm a huge sucker for boss fights with an overall somber tone to them. Adds so much emotion behind the fight with them. They do it so beautifully in their titles and it's why I play these games.
I love this piece so much. It really feels like the culmination of everything, the summit where all is settled. The end of an age, and the begin of a new one and that’s very fitting for elden rings themes
Subscribed. I like your analysis of the music. This game is great. My first Souls game and I've really enjoyed it after 200+ hrs. It's great when video games put the effort into the music in setting the tone and giving the players an amazing experience. It's not just about the graphics. Music is so important.
When you beat Radagon and Elden Beast emerges, you get transported onto a flooded surface with starry sky above you and a myriad golden Erdtrees around you stretching into horizon. Together with the music, it gives a very unique feeling of something grand, beautiful and divine, like witnessing God or something. You feel so small that it's almost liberating.
The Composer's name is Yuka Kitamura, she's truly a genius in her own way and has moved hundreds of us with her pieces, and has personally made me feel a variety of different emotions, she certainly deserves to be praised for her art.
When the music opened up and revealed all those giant trees, I was immediately taken to DS1 and the area with the arch trees, each individual tree is possibly one universe or timeline and you have an infinite of those... My brain melted when I saw that for the first time.... Also the blade replicates the double helix of dna. Literal symbol of life
I feel sadness in this song, it moves me, I also feel pain, listening to this song, I end up crying, I even call it boss fight crying, but I feel pain and a lot of sadness
The boss is also amazingly beautiful, the manifestation of the shattered Elden Ring itself, the laws that shapes reality are literally the creature itself, and it's not some edgy dragon or anything like that, it's a beautiful gracious otherworldly creature, graciously swimming and dancing through reality itself as if it inhabits some ocean that lies deep underneath or own reality. And at the end you can chose to repair and heal the creature, making it even more gracious that it once was before it's shattering
I cry I every time I hear this song. All I could think of when I got to this point of the game were the memories of all the struggles I had with my battles, the surprise of finding new things in the world, the excitement of going over that next hill to see what else was out there, all leading up to this final moment with the song playing. Elden Ring is by far the greatest creation I have ever experienced in video games overall and this is coming from someone who has played games since the 90s.
I'm not sure if there's ever been a more perfect end-game piece of music. I finished the game long ago, but still come back to this song. It's just perfection.
There are so many tracks in Elden Ring that would be great to see your reaction to but veering off from Elden Ring, I think the vocals in Ace Combat's 7's Daredevil would be an amazing track to see a video on!
Was searching up the OST for Mogh, Lord Of Blood and so happen to come by your channel and honestly I really like your channel and your reactions and how you describe the very emotion behind the songs.
I am so happy to see your channel getting more and more popular. gaining 300 subs in 2 days is a huge feat. I played fromsoft games since dark souls but I never had this insight about the soundtracks that you provide to us. thanks for your amazing reactions
@@MarcoMeatball For a reaction I would also recommend "Requiem Aranea" or "Riot" from Hunter x Hunter. it might be not Game Soundtracks but it still could be of interest to you.
In a game full of incredible music, this was the perfect one to put for one of the most important battles. I just had the sense I was witnessing something that went beyond me, beyond time, beyond my understanding. And we were going to fight this thing without even understanding the full scale of what it implied.
Your video, your reactions, your emotions, your descriptions made me cry. Watching you exploring this was kind of a mutual experience for me. That is very beautiful. That is pure. Thank you so much for this, you are a kindhearted person, that’s for sure. Art is an intent on depicting what Time, Space, Life and Death are. But also Love.
I remember caring more about the music than I did actually winning the boss fight on my first attempt. I loved how it was a remix of the main theme but had so many different variations within.
You nailed the meaning behind this piece. Also a great example of not only how powerful music is, but how powerful gaming can be. Another incredible piece by Yuka Kitamura. Great vid!
This was by far my favorite song, it felt so grand, as if you were not fighting a knight or a king, but something.. well greater. It doesn't even seem to care about the player at all. Watching your videos made me able to put terms on this feeling and i absolutely love it, kinda changed my point of view as well. Awlays felt more like the player's OWN theme than what i'd use for a dragon, like we're poundering the choices we've made, and the things we've done.
My own reaction to the music from Elden Ring reminds me of how I experienced the music to Everybody's Gone to the Rapture...just pure, raw grief, sadness, overwhelm, exquisite beauty and joy within uncertainty, the scariest of all things - the unknown...it moved me beyond words and has stayed with me. It's a reminder of how truly powerful music is, how magical and soul-shifting. These games have embedded themselves in my own heart and soul, and it's no exaggeration to say that they've changed me as a person. Thank you for this beautiful reaction and your thoughts on this piece. Sub'd instantly.
I think of music as emotion given a voice. Like you are listening to raw emotion. Every instrument and every note plays a feeling and tells a story. I don't know anything about the part of the game that this plays in, but the feeling I get is; sombre finality. Like you are fighting against something that has spent the longest time clinging onto its existence and now you're here to finally help it move on. Edit: I will add that, I also think of music as mankind's greatest achievement and our best language. No matter where you're from music will speak to you all the same.
I love that your first thoughts were of basically existential dread, because I think that is certainly what the composer of the music and of the actual final boss intended to convey
This track got me really emotional during the fight, that is beautiful btw. Just knowing that was the end of my journey, the end of the story that I lived in this world...just got me right in the feels. Amazing reaction, fromsoft music is really in another level
They did a fantastic job of making the music feel heavenly or ethereal. Really bringing the feeling that you’re fighting a Cosmic god. Another bit I love is that they added sound effects to the Elden Beast that mimic how galaxies would sound in space.
As always with fromsoft so many beautiful pieces in this game, the one you’ll hear just before this boss is probably my favourite. So bombastic and triumphant, then they follow it with this. Amazing. What other games company makes shit like this man? That team is a step ahead of the whole industry
Marco i want to leave here my sincere thanks. It was because of you and other TH-camrs that analise this master piece that got me to apreciate even more orchestral music. I had no idea that music could be used to tell a tale with just notes and strings and that blew me away. I teared up in your Radahn video because hes not only my favorite boss but because of you i could appreciate him even more because of your analisys of his theme. Thank you and i hope your channel gets millions of subscribers.
Kitamura is the GOAT I’m sure others caught it, but the starting rift is actually the start of the theme song at the title before Radagon’s theme kicks in.
This theme hit hard in the base game too, but it really ravages after the DLC. Spoilers below. The sense of grief in this piece hits even harder after visiting the Shaman Village in the DLC, which plays a stripped down version containing only a distantly strumming harp, which I believe to be Marika's theme. The theme of a simple girl who had everything taken from her, and bit back by tricking an entire civilization and using them to become a god. Where before I saw her as a ruthless, irredeemable despot, the context provided by the Shaman Village recontextualizes her into such a layered and tragic figure that just thinking about her story makes me ache. She who gave everything so no more of her loved ones would die, so she could have her vengeance on the hornsent who took them. But in the end, all the things Order promised her were for nothing, finally proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by the death of her son, Godwyn. All the terrible things she had done, all the wars she waged and agony she endured, it all amounted to nil. What else could she do, really, but tear it all down? "Only the kindness of gold, without Order."
Those 2 sentences of the minor erdtree incantation flipped my perception of marika and made me see through the god to the scared person inside. This is S tier storytelling
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 85 | คู่เอก "ยอดเหล็กเพชร vs ผึ้งหลวง"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qq_19bnnxEo/mqdefault.jpg)
The phrase, "It's just a song in a video game," shouldn't be used anymore. Video game music has been phenomenal since the beginning; it's only recently that they've been backed by the orchestras and vocals they deserve.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night!
The music from Final Fantasy 6 enamoured me as a kid when playing it on Super Nintendo. Only later did we hear its orchestral forms and see exactly what Nobuo Uematsu was imagining.
Why limit yourself there, video games encompass multiple disciplines of art and skill, since the day one these artists have have been pushing boundaries that the mainstream no longer concerns itself with. Examples, Frank klepaki with his command and conquer ost from the 90's to what paradox do with their current games (listen to the stellaris orchestral theme). Hollywood and the music industry may be bankrupt creatively, we may not have modern composers to look to like the good old days, but music as art... it lives on in this in this industry.
Halo franchise
I wish more people who are not into games (and even some who are) could at least acknowledge the greatness of vgm. They have no idea what they are missing.
When the Elden Beast killed me i was actually happy, i got to see it's amazing intro with this piece of music again!
Just to be face to face with Radagon again first.
@@Mushimiya The ost of Radagon/Marika is crazy too
I just replayed the game so that i could fight that boss again and again and letting it killing me so i could infinitely enjoy it whenever i would want (as with a very few other bosses)
Yeah no fuck Radagon
Bruh I was so happy I beat it cause I got sick of chasing this ass for miles to get one attack in only for it to jump miles away again.
I think the best part is how, while it's clearly an intelligent, sentient creature, not a mindless animal, it never speaks. It never makes a sound, it just... Stares at you. Judging, assessing, as fascinated as we are by it's unfathomable beauty, it too is deeply impressed by how we have done things no mere human ever could.
We are as much a god as it is, and no words could ever convey it. There is nothing left to say, nothing left to do, but end the story
I am so deepy sorry but i thought you said „not a maidenless animal“
Instead of „not a mindless animal“ bro i cant unread it anymore 😭
Funny thing is the grace given lead us to the beast. Makes you think was the guidance of grace given by marika or the will
While there's a certain beauty to this, there's also something much more simple and (based on occam's razor) therefore much more likely:
It's an alien. Like, in-canon. It's an alien creature from the Stars. It doesn't attempt speech, because it likely doesn't work on those levels. It introduced immense power and influenced the will/s of those leading this entire swath of land, yet the purpose is unclear. Did it relinquish the body to defend something? Is it fighting for curiousity's sake? Is it also simply working on the "will" of another being that cast it there?
I don't think it considers you a god or even itself one. It's just a tool against another tool, pitted against each other for reasons unknown. A duality of wills, seen all through the game; up/down, man/woman, god/tarnished.
Worthless in the grand scheme of things, as all life is meaningless in the vast expanse of space, if you wanna go down that route.
It does feel incredibly alien, incredibly.... august, I'd say, somehow both gentle and terrifying, unfathomably profound and yet comfortingly intimate. And you and it shall have one last dance, before everything's said and done. I think this piece beautifully captures all of that at once.
@@influentialnobody8960 interesting point indeed
It put me to tears, WHILE I WAS MID FIGHT with it! Incredible.
SAME! But only after I realized the best way to fight it with my gear. I was like "wait, am I really about to end all of this?!"
This piece still puts me to tears listening to it, much like Gwyns theme
Elden Beast is actually one of the few game OSTs that made me cry, I wasn't even particularly sad at the time, so it was purely the game that caused that reaction.
Same! First time I got the cutscene showing this literal God arise and then the song starts, I had tears in my eyes that I had to wipe away when the fight actually started!
@@loC2ol It's just so wonderful.
I don't blame you its a beautiful scene
It is the literal manifestation of order after all
i had hella headache when fighting the endboss but this part, made me so calm i didnt bother about the headache anymore. i just enjoyed
There's one point in the fight where the Elden Beast where it fills the sky with a giant golden ring around it and it always takes me a second to process how beautiful the music and visuals are
I'm pretty sure the music matches the fight because everytime it flies up the music swells like at 3:00
It's designed to float up and glow with the elden ring, it's a symbolic gesture, the end of all roads lead here to this one moment. Fromsoft truly created a masterpiece here
@@ryujin_x_athat part doesnt match the fight. That starts playing during the end of the cutscene as it transitions into the fight, assuming you didnt skip the cutscene
i genuinely think the voice singing is Marika, alone, lamenting for her escape and for her to be put to rest. she’s been awake for so long and her time is up
she is reaching for us, hoping in the moment we listen, we open our ears to her cries and we absolve her of her crimes
make moment you take to breathe after listening is beautiful
There’s the theory that this singing is what attracted the greater will to marika and making her it’s vessel
Now we know that it's the opposite, the strings are marika's theme, and the vocals are the elden beast's theme
@@Tulip_bip I looked at it more like the piano and the single, lone woman's voice are Marika's, whereas the strings and the additional, warped voices of the choir are the Greater Will. Still fairly close, though
@@ChanceClubs no like marikas theme is the same song just without the voice
After the DLC and we understand the tragic origins of Marika, the music feels like it's telling the tale of her sorrow... which is a very human tale. Of the cruelty she faced, the loss of her people and her home... and the dream of restoring what was lost, remaking it as a new golden age that was written into the Elden Ring. The Elden Beast is the carrier of this golden age, the ruined dream... and you have come to slay it, because it keeps the world trapped in her broken dream... and only you can free the world, and free Marika. It is tragic
The blatant thing is that you can't even say for sure that the Greater Will guided Marika and Metyr, the Mother of Fingers manipulated her. Marika is one of the most tragic characters in Elden Ring. Its possible, the greater will is gone long long time ago. Somehow no one is really a villain, everyone is a victim.
This OST has an absurd power .
"it can make you cry even if you are happy"
so damn true
That one, Ludgiw and Gherman were the only 3 songs that managed to make me cry, no matter the mood I was in. Powerful themes, with so much emotions into them.
@@tarnishedsouls7976😊a
Wow, that analysis was spot on. Goes to show how incredible the composition is. Time marching ahead of you, the intense grief and finality, the lack of control, coming face to face with something indescribably larger than yourself, etc. Without spoiling, this is everything the composers wanted to achieve. Lichdragon Fortisaax is another amazing one, lesser known too.
My thoughts exactly. Marco is the man, what an incredible reaction and post-analysis!
“Time marching my ahead of you, the intense grief and finality, the lack of control, coming face to face with something indescribably larger than yourself” mans is spitting
Something I thought you especially might find interesting. Most of the enemies in the Souls Series fight in 4/4 time. The gameplay is a dance between you and your enemy. However, there are enemies in this game, and in the others, that do not fight in 4/4 They fight in 3/4 and it's always a struggle when you face them because their rhythm is different. In Elden Ring, the Zamor Knights are 3/4. In DS3 it was The Dancer of the Boreal Valley, and some of the enemies in The Boreal Valley. In DS2 it was The Fume Knight. And in DS1 it was Manus.
Wowwww
Godrick also uses thirds, but he actually from 3/4 to 7ths in his phase 2
The most insane part of this is how, DESPITE COMING FROM SOMEONE WITH BARELY 60 HOURS IN THE GAME, all of the points he raises (smallness in face of the vast, coming face to face with something beyond your control, wrestling it in an attempt to gain said control, grief at ones own inability of doing something) are some of the most discussed interpretations of the figure head in the hierarchy of the game's lore: Marika. All of these concepts are potential motivations and themes ingrained to the very core of this character who is thoroughly linked to the Elden Beast despite being mostly a mystery herself. It is a musical tale about this character we have so little to go on about but who is so crucial to the entirety of the world for the game, someone who left us with little to understand her logically but plentiful to digest emotionally. Its surreal to watch someone who (I assume) doesn't have a deep knowledge of this fictional history still somehow get all the same themes through an entirely different method of delivery.
Thank you Nomad! I am stuck in Caelid and currently taking a break because fortnite no build is a thing now and I’m a simp for no build fortnite - no knowledge of deep intrinsic lore. So thank you 🙏
@@MarcoMeatball Going into these videos is such a treat for me as someone who really appreciates OST in video games, but who often finds them getting underappreciated. FROM doesn't really suffer from this, and recently some games have had some absolutely KILLER OSTs so I'm glad more attention is being drawn to them, but there is something so transcendental about the way that a good song on a video game's OST can effortlessly capture and communicate deep, complicated emotions, and render them with such a clarity that someone who has absolutely NO GODDAMN IDEA what awaits them to this tune, can still accurately forecast the experience emotionally, purely off the content of the soundtrack.
This comment is ten months old, and I don't know if you've gone back to finish Elden Ring yet, Marco, but I hope when you do, that when you reach this moment, and hear this song in the context of the game, that you feel fucking amazing about your interpretation here.
In most FromSofware games there’s generally a boss in the game where it gives an intense feeling of regret, as if you shouldn’t have killed them. And this music I think gives the best example of that during the Elden Beast, feeling like you’re fighting something that doesn’t deserve to be killed, but has to be in order to fulfill your quest.
Elden Beast is a parasite of sorts with a mutual relationship with The Great Tree, sent down from the stars by The Greater Will transforming it into the Erdtree.
Really reminds me of how I felt playing shadow of the colossus
Almost every last boss fight in souls series symbolize the end of the era. It is sad but it’s also inevitable. When I look back at these fight, they reminds me of all emotions and sufferings along the way. But you know that is it, it’s how the end should be.
You are right, i finished Bloodborne and killing Gerhrman felt wrong
Nothing felt as wrong as killing Sif in ds1 tho
I got goosebumps. Not everyone have the ability to listen to a song and interpret them. I can't too, but there are song in souls game that I can feel that connection, and feel what you explained. Truly masterpiece.
Fun fact: An instrumental version of this theme plays during the sacrifice of a certain companion towards the end of the game, making it feel even more emotional and tragic with context since you (the player) becoming lord was everything they hoped for
Wait who gets sacrificed??
@@ericrowe2533 there wouldn't be much suspense if i told you, would it
When that character said "goodbye" man, it hurt a lot
@@ericrowe2533Melina
"The deepest since of grief" makes since after playing the game. Marika lost her favorite son and shattered the Elden Ring in retaliation. Really good game.
INCREDIBLE VIDEO MARCO!!! Your facial expressions during the reaction were so full of emotion, no words were needed! While finishing the game for the first time, I couldn't pay the attention this song deserves, and yet, I can clearly remember the feeling I had in the boss fight, the boss right before it has an epic and triumphant theme, you feel like a god coming into the Elden Beast fight, but then this song hits you, breaking down everything you think, you're fighting something much bigger than yourself in this somber ending to an incredible quest, you are touching a primordial being, and the sadness in this song makes me think about the morality of this undertaking, should we be allowed to so utterly disturb nature and it's order? As with every great piece of art, perhaps I'll forget its name, its colors, or notes, but I'll never forget how it makes me feel...
I clearly need to plow through. I just took the elevator up. Thank you for your kind words. I was tired when I filmed this and it really struck me. Also I’m taking the rest of the week off to work on my actual work. 🤣
this great ost all for a shit boss fight where it just runs away the whole time
@@RedDogg6969 gotta admit, he wasn't running as much as I was...
@@Kiitesh lol
Except it's not nature and it's the great ones trying to maintain total dominance over a people and rule with absolute power
Great video. Would love to see your reactions to Mohg, Lord of Blood’s theme, it has such great vocals.
+godskin apostles + malenia + godfrey
❤ thank you! Definitely will add this to my listening pile!
NIHIL
*N I H I L !!!!*
N I I I I I H I I I I L L L!!!!
If you knew how close you were 2 years ago just through analysing this soundtrack. Damn.
I really love your content! It makes me come back to make music on my own after many years. Keep on it! :)
This was one of the few bosses that didn't get me mad, the music is just so calming
“Longing” from Dark Souls 2 has some of the best vocals in my opinion. My favorite peaceful song in all of the Fromsoft games
I still remember replaying it when I was feeling really down. This was years and years ago. Finished alone at night and was greeted with that song. Feels were felt.
nameless song and longing are fucking amazing
Your description of this about grief and sadness is really accurate, its how I felt when I was fighting the boss, sadness cause its the end, being so close to my end goal yet feeling so far, feeling sorrowful for the sacrifices that were made to get to this point, literally and figuratively, makes you feel like its all coming to a close and once the Elden beast it defeated it really helps to set in the emptiness from the fact that your end goal is completed, sure you can do an NG+ or a New Game, but it gives you the sense of "what now?" I've spent all this time and now I have nothing to strive for.
My god, you will LOVE Mohg, Lord of Blood. The pain, the agony, and the absolute majesty of every note, and the absolute insanity that strikes you and even makes you feel sorrow for some inexplicable purpose, reaching out to something that shouldn't be there?
Yet even still the piece remains a primal evil the entire time, which is just fantastic
Without getting too much into detail, (still warning for some slight spoilers) this is propably the most unique ending fight in the souls games made by from software so far and music represents that perfectly.
This time the end is not really made depressing like in Dark Souls or Bloodborne or Demon's Souls. It's more ambiguous, after an epic battle with a very "cinematic" boss, you end up in a weird out of the world dimension and dont really understand what is happening but... you just feel this whole games experience on your shoulders just as the notes of the music start to hit you - it's not just sadness, it's all emotions just clustered together and that's why even though the creature at the end is not a storyline character or anything that you can really put your emotions on, I teared up a little bit, just because of pure spectacle of it.
And I think that "spectacle" is a perfect word to describe Elden Ring. No matter of you thing the bosses were hard or not, if there are some things you didn't enjoy because of some repeated fights... the things I saw in this game are unique to this title. Never I saw a world so magical, yet grounded, yet so beautiful and complex and just jaw dropping on almost every chance it gets. A living painting.
And Elden Beast, understand it or not, represents this world in one shape. A weird but beautiful sight that might hurt but just makes you look in wonder, not wanting it to end... but you know the end is needed for the story to finish and to start a new one. Sadness, nostalgia, beauty, pain, determination, shock, happiness, anger... it's all here. In this arena, in this music, in this game.
Thank you Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin and all of From Software staff that worked hard for years to deliver this. You are true legends!
Heavy spoilers territory:
Elden Ring takes inspiration from all previous Fromsoftware titles including Bloodborne.
While Bloodborne had a Lovecraftian cosmology where humanity continued to exist basically out of pure luck and is at the mercy of terrible and utterly inhuman cosmic entities, Elden Rings cosmology is based on the same concept of cosmic beings (here they are called Outer Gods) but it is sort of done in a much more subtle and less outrightly threatening way.
The Elden Beast is an emissary for the Greater Will, a sort of cosmic entity whose sole interest seems to be to spread it's order throughout the universe. It has directed the fate of the world for such a long time that many people think it's order intrinsic to the world and an entire religion has formed around the worship of it while being oblivious to the truth that the order hails from an alien entity.
So in one sense you are literally fighting a god in terms of the religion that has formed around the Golden Order and all the symbology and colours used in the fight are associated with divinity and beauty. But moreso you are witnessing the truth of the universe you inhabit and fight for humanities autonomous place within it.
Which is another aspect where Elden Ring diverges from Bloodborne - in the universe of the latter such a thing could never happen as humanity is utterly insignificant there but Elden Ring is a lot more uplifting. It is about ambition and so it depicts humanity rising to the task and challenging it's masters, taking fate into their own hands.
This was beautiful to read!
@@Lumineszenz This is why I don't think this game is as depressing in it's main story as it seems. You truly rise to highness and with at least ending I got (Ranni ending) there is a sense of hope and unknown, but not as grim as in Bloodborne where you are reborn as a great one, but leave the human world to rot in the sickness, unchanged from the terrible state you saw it in, or in Dark Souls where you had to make the world basically die for it to be born anew.
This time it's more victorious but still misterious, and you are not facing someone you know and who is trying to help you avoid his own fate (BB), or someone who was giving everyone hope and in the end turned out to be failure of a human being (Demons Souls) or someone who was full of human flaws and took a whole world with him by thinking only about "now" without thinking about the consequences of his actions (Dark Souls). This time the enemy is not a human, or someone who pretends or used to be a god. This time it is a God, and you show him that you don't want to let the world live in a terrible state that is unfolding. The game makes you technically very selfish too - by trying to do better you also get rid of certain parts of the world, break long living relations, cause people to die on the way to their own ambitions. It's not all happy good save the world story that is repeated way more times than I realised in rpgs. The change cannot be made without sacrifices, even if they are not always made intentionaly. I just love that this game is not set on one emotion, it's not even just depression with some happines in the times of sadness, it's just a living place, with characters, living animals and eldritch horrors living next to each other and coexisting in quite a belivable manner for such a crazy concept. And this time it doesnt feel like you are just taking the world with you out of mercy for it, this time you feel that you want this place to survive, because while the bad was happening, there is equally enough good and beauty in it and problems that could be fixed to hope for it to stay alive and fight for a new tomorrow.
@@daboos6353 no its unique. Look at it body. You see tree branches inside because of it being the very essence of the erdtree.
It represents the god of the verse which controls everything through the erdtree.
@@zekiel2533 still just a giant camera fucking blob with sword, literally fucking ruined the game for me, the fight is so fucking garbage.
This theme became one of my absolute favorite of all time and combined with the visuals of the fight, it creates an unique atmosphere of both deep mystery, and otherworldly beauty. Truly Fromsoft have outdone themselves. Other than that awesome reaction and interpretation. Definitely subscribing 👍.
Thank you!!! Yea they’re really amazing tunes
Your interlude discussion surprisingly lines up with the story behind the boss really well. Very nice 👍
Even after 10 months, coming back an listening to this theme gives me chills an makes my mind flutter. I knew music always held motion to it. The sense of pure feeling of majestic energy, sorrow yet light. Thanks for making this video.
This piece is so heavy and strong, despite not being... "loud", or having a lot going on, its just really pure, and conveys a sense of child-like innocence, especially because of the choir, which im not sure IF sung by children, but its made to sound that way to me. And this pure innocence exactly fits the entity it plays for, a god.
Warning, spoilers and very off topic, but imma just go on about why this song so powerful to me, being about a god in this story. Feel free to ignore, i just like theorizing and writing a lot.
I dont believe in god in the real world, but in stories, especially ones this big and complex, its a very interesting thing. Because in most of these stories, gods ARE very much real. People know they exist, maybe even have seen them, seen what they can do, maybe are even able to communicate with them. They ARE influencing the world of characters in these stories, and are a big, if not the biggest, part of that world.
This is true for Elden Ring too, and this is a literal god you fight, you KILL a god, and its not clear at all if this is the right thing to do, or even truly possible. Moreover, despite this being a god, it was sent by something even higher, the Greater Will, which in this story is THE god above all gods, a truly unknowable thing, its so outlandish to us humans, that it probably cant communicate with us directly, but has to send "envoys", like the fingers, and this Elden Beast, to do its bidding, which is probably unimaginably high above our understanding. To the "normal" people in the world of Elden Ring, Marika was the one true god, which... isnt the case as we learn, they all probably didnt even know about the greater will, or associated it directly with Marika. We know that Marika was born as a kind of normal person, and was chosen by this elden beast to be the vessel of the Elden Ring, the incarnation of order in that universe.
And we killed the being that choose another god who normal people saw as the true god. This song to me conveys unimaginable consequence, a feeling of a true end to this world and story. We killed the envoy of the highest being/entity/thing in this universe, that will not go unnoticed, and probably not unpunished. There was a reason it was interested in this... planet i guess? Maybe it tried to pursue its interests peacefully at first, now that we killed a part of it, it could not be so peaceful anymore. If it still can not reach us directly, it might send something far worse then the Elden Beast, to either punish the world, or take what its interested in by force. Whatever the case, our character probably majorly screwed the entire world by slaying this beast, and this song really makes you feel that way. That its truly over.
... until the DLCs ofc. c:
The Greater Will isn't a "God above all gods", just an "Outer God", which means it is a god from outside the Lands Between, and one powerful enough to greatly affect the Lands Between, like creating the Fingers, the Elden Ring and the Elden Beast, or creating the Erdtree from the Crucible.
There are other Outer Gods, like the original God of Rot, who got sealed by a warrior ( probably the Blue Dancer, if I recall correctly, who is probably also the one who taught Malenia how to fight ), the Formless Mother, worshipped by Mohg, and others.
Great analysis really aligns with mine 👏🏽
I'd recommend watching ziostorms video on the religious themes in elden ring
If a DLC ever comes I hope we get to face whatever higher being sends at us
It's actually incredible that THIS is the final boss music. Not typical, but absolutely fitting in the moment.
The sadness of this music and the beautiful movements of the boss that goes with it, hit so much harder when they also signal the end of a long game that for many people is already their favorite game of all time even before they finish it. This boss to me also shows a lot of confidence from the artists that made Elden Ring. It feels like they admit that for a while, this game is an actual part of the players life and being done with it can lead to a small sense of loss.
3:06 that is also my reaction when i first heard that exact part of the soundtrack. i got a sudden goosebumps.
When I heard this song, I couldn't help but think about the 5 stages of grief, and the different stages of the song depicting it.
1:57 - The denial of it all. Almost numbingly, seeing the beast there, facing you, you face it. You don't exactly know why this beast was sent here, or if it has to die at all. After what you have gone through in the game, and realizing the story behind it all and your journey in between... Many countless deaths of the good, bad, demigods and the beasts... All you know is that someone will have to die in this fight - The beast being the final creature in your way. It's almost bittersweet, the feeling of victory at your fingertips, the end of your journey one battle away, and the death of one final creature being the literal turning point of the century! It is surreal. There's no turning back since you have come back this far. The fact that it has the same exact theme as when you open the game really emphasizes that you have come full circle, start to finish, which is an indicator that this is the conclusion.
3:05 - The anger, despair. Why does it have to be this way? It is cruel and unfair. Screw it all. Gods be damned if you lose now, after having come so far! You will solidify your resolve and do what you came here to do, even if it means killing a god, or at least part of one. The deaths of everyone you have faced before will not be in vain...
3:48 - Bargaining. The battle pushes onwards, just as will Life moves on regardless of who wins this fight. Sometimes hard to accept that there’s nothing we can do to change what is happening (I know it's a game storyline that is set, but that is beside the point). It's possible to ask ourselves over and over just how things that happened could have turned out differently. With the vocals overlapping, this emphasizes the conflict, an internal and external battle currently being fought.
It's hard to depict the exact time of depression since it is noted everywhere yet nowhere in particular. As with depression, there are good times and bad times that can happen at literally any point. You see slivers of hope in multitudes of forms that are false and true.
4:27 As seen in the video, when Marco takes that breath of air, and releases. I have the feeling that is where acceptance begins. A breath of fresh air after holding it in for so long...
Feels like nothing will ever be right again, but gradually (begin the fade out) the pain eases. Now we can learn to live again (onward to Journey 2 in NG+), while keeping the memories (Rememberances) of the fallen.
3:04 gave me goosebumps. It's amazing that how a combination of notes and sounds can change how a person feels. They did such a great job making this music and thanks for making this video it changed my point of view in this soundtrack.
That transition was by far the most impactful I have ever experienced. Especially with the scene in game. Many movies and games have tried something like this and constantly failed.
When playing through this, after all this long and epic in it´s original meaning game, that loud and awesome fight against Radagon. That shot of the Tarnished just being dwarfed by this unexplained thing appearing with little to no explanation, this music playing in the background. That was the first time a game made me fully feel like I was facing something truly unexplainable, terrible yet beautiful. Just made me stop in my tracks not even thinking, just sitting there with goosebumbs.
Like some story straight out of an ancient legend playing before my eyes.
Love how passionate you are in these analysis vids. Great content.
Thank you so much.
The part at 3:02 exactly synced when the elden beast went into the sky to do the ring attack during my playthrough. It was so beautiful
I think its a scripted move actually. It really shows how fromsoft’s music is designed to reflect the story and the fight
Such an amazing theme, so many emotions. It really does feel like what you are facing is a Devine being. Out of all of the Demi gods and creatures faced through out the game this creature is a manifestation of a true un known God. It also has the sadness of Marika and Radagon mixed into it. It feels like the end of the journey.
This game really does so many things right but ending on this theme, especially after the Epic battle that came just before is amazing. In my opinion, this is the best ending final Battle that From has ever done.
The harp sets the stage. The melody is like a voice crying out from the darkness for one last time. All that we’ve tried to forget and leave behind, but haven’t really let go of yet. Then the chants come in like a solemn but firm resignation that this is really the end and we will have to move on. The game is over.
when the voices come together with the melody in the middle, it shows me something too precious and too sacred to be handled by a mere human.
I really enjoy your reactions to these songs, I can tell you really feel and are moved by the music you’re listening to. It’s a really cool perspective.
SOTE Spoilers ahead,
Coming back from Shadow of the Erdtree, this song hits way harder than it used to and it’s very noticeable. The way Marco breaks down the song and how it’s almost representative of human existence nearly directly lining up with Marika’s story of wanting control of everything around her out of fear from what happened with the hornsent and shaman village, and of course, her prayer which I personally believe to be the primary singer in this. Genuinely just outstanding.
I get moonlight butterfly theme (Dark Souls 1) vibes from this. It invokes a sad feeling at the beginning of the fight, almost as if neither party want the fight to happen but due to circumstances it must. Great video and I suggest giving the moonlight butterfly theme a listen.
The first time I heard this OST I felt goosebumps going from behind the head, surrounding my head, to directly my ears and I automatically started heavy crying a bit later. Absolutely beautiful and breaking song. There's no way to end this game in a better way than with this outstanding song!
this is my personal favorite in elden ring, it perfectly encapsulates the feeling of finality of not just a single death but what seems like of the entire world, it feels like a eulogy dedicated to the end of the lands between themselves and how it feels to be confronted by that, but it's also serene, even meditative. I get the feeling of not just confronting that great despair but also of letting go, without spoiling anything the boss fight basically symbolizes (in my mind at least) the end of the laws of the golden order, aka the end of the laws of nature, physics or even reality in a way, fighting against it in this sense gives the feeling of grief, knowing that life as you have known it to exist, will never be the same again
Yep. "Gosh." and "Wow." is literally the only thing you really can say when you first listen to this soundtrack. It truly imbues a tragic finality. Immediately moved me to tears when I heard the orchestra and choir come in. Absolutely fantastic artists at FromSoft! They never cease to give me wild flares of emotion listening to their magnificent pieces.
Nothing to me will ever beat experiencing this in the game for the first time. The visuals pairing with this piece make it appear like a scene from an ancient legend is coming to life right before your eyes.
Just randomly found your channel and I love the way you talk about music, thanks for spreading beauty in this world.
Thank you for your kind comment
For me, when I heard this for the first time, I felt a beautiful but profound loneliness. The sort of feeling like hiking up a mountain path alone before dawn, reaching to top with nothing but you, the cold in your bones, and the sun breaching through the horizon.
That was beautiful. It’s very cool how you can so precisely pinpoint the emotions and thoughts that the music is evoking. You express yourself very well and I just want to say I see it and appreciate it!
Thank you so much! The power of editing 🤣
I’ve recently become obsessed with this channel, it’s so refreshing!!
I know there’s no lack of suggestions in the comments, but I think that a nice song that could use a professional opinion is Skyrim’s Opening Theme - The Song of the Dragonborn. A classic that still holds its power to this day
I keep coming back to this video, it was the first one of yours that I ever saw, and it affected me so deeply. Thank you for this and I'm so glad your channel has grown so much and that you're making such wonderful content.
That’s so sweet. Thank you. This video means a lot to me too. I really appreciate it.
What I felt in the moment the beast emerged was regret. It felt like a pure form of the Ring. Uncorrupted, finally free of this prison it had been trapped in. I didn't want to fight it. I wanted to resolve this another way. It had done nothing to me up to this point and this conflict was not of its making.
very very very beautiful video to contemplate! I always love hearing musicians and singers give their insight on beautiful pieces like this. Yuka Kitamura and the entirety of the composers who worked on elden ring did such a masterful job.
After watching some of your videos, Im reviewing all ost from these games.
You made me pay more attention and enjoy this aspect of the game, thank you for all the effort and love you put in your videos.
Literally helped me to open myself more about my feelings and appreciate love from my closest ones.
I wanna point, this ost its so similar to the priscilla boss fight (dark souls 1).
The 4 firsts notes are so similar and kind of same sense of unknown entity beyond our comprehension
Glad to hear it! It means so much
I havnt seen enough appreciation and recognition for the masterpiece of music this piece is. The boss alone is a sight to behold but to be greeted with the swell of emotion of the music is such a wonderous experience I wish I could re-live for the first time again. Great read and analysis, the somberness is conveyed so exquisitely.
Ohhhh, please do one with the Theme of the Godskin Apostles!!! It's THE best song in the game imo
This... IF Mohg, Lord of Blood OST didn't exist lol
@@TheDaringPastry1313 lichdragon also pretty good ngl
@@austineis3790 especially phase 2
@@TheDaringPastry1313 It's not the same without NIHIL
@@vergil8833 NIHIL! NIHIL! NIHIL!
I'm a huge sucker for boss fights with an overall somber tone to them. Adds so much emotion behind the fight with them. They do it so beautifully in their titles and it's why I play these games.
I love this piece so much. It really feels like the culmination of everything, the summit where all is settled. The end of an age, and the begin of a new one and that’s very fitting for elden rings themes
My "soul crying out" is a truly accurate way to describe the way I feel about this song.
This is definitely my favorite boss and song in the whole game. Its just so otherworldly and beautiful
Subscribed. I like your analysis of the music. This game is great. My first Souls game and I've really enjoyed it after 200+ hrs. It's great when video games put the effort into the music in setting the tone and giving the players an amazing experience. It's not just about the graphics. Music is so important.
7:00 the way she enters into the song There is a different level of peace that just rained over me. Reminds me of a ludovico einaudi piece
When you beat Radagon and Elden Beast emerges, you get transported onto a flooded surface with starry sky above you and a myriad golden Erdtrees around you stretching into horizon. Together with the music, it gives a very unique feeling of something grand, beautiful and divine, like witnessing God or something. You feel so small that it's almost liberating.
With the context of the shaman village, it makes your interpretation so much more true and meaningful
The Composer's name is Yuka Kitamura, she's truly a genius in her own way and has moved hundreds of us with her pieces, and has personally made me feel a variety of different emotions, she certainly deserves to be praised for her art.
Absolutely does
was composed by tsukasa saitoh
I think you really articulated well the feelings that this song gives! Goosebumps all the way!
When the music opened up and revealed all those giant trees, I was immediately taken to DS1 and the area with the arch trees, each individual tree is possibly one universe or timeline and you have an infinite of those... My brain melted when I saw that for the first time.... Also the blade replicates the double helix of dna. Literal symbol of life
Great review!! Thanks!
Great and spot on analysis thank you Marco 👏🏽 what a sublime amazing music and soundtrack makes me feel part of the divine 🙌🏽
I feel sadness in this song, it moves me, I also feel pain, listening to this song, I end up crying, I even call it boss fight crying, but I feel pain and a lot of sadness
The boss is also amazingly beautiful, the manifestation of the shattered Elden Ring itself, the laws that shapes reality are literally the creature itself, and it's not some edgy dragon or anything like that, it's a beautiful gracious otherworldly creature, graciously swimming and dancing through reality itself as if it inhabits some ocean that lies deep underneath or own reality. And at the end you can chose to repair and heal the creature, making it even more gracious that it once was before it's shattering
I cry I every time I hear this song. All I could think of when I got to this point of the game were the memories of all the struggles I had with my battles, the surprise of finding new things in the world, the excitement of going over that next hill to see what else was out there, all leading up to this final moment with the song playing. Elden Ring is by far the greatest creation I have ever experienced in video games overall and this is coming from someone who has played games since the 90s.
The man speaks with his face. Very passionate indeed.
I'm not sure if there's ever been a more perfect end-game piece of music. I finished the game long ago, but still come back to this song. It's just perfection.
one of my favorite tracks written for a video game ever
If I wasn't busy playing Benny Hill in my head during this boss, I'd love this theme much more.
Benny Hill playing while you're trying to avoid Elden Stars
There are so many tracks in Elden Ring that would be great to see your reaction to but veering off from Elden Ring, I think the vocals in Ace Combat's 7's Daredevil would be an amazing track to see a video on!
Absolutely 100% agree.
Was searching up the OST for Mogh, Lord Of Blood and so happen to come by your channel and honestly I really like your channel and your reactions and how you describe the very emotion behind the songs.
❤️ thank you so much
I am so happy to see your channel getting more and more popular. gaining 300 subs in 2 days is a huge feat.
I played fromsoft games since dark souls but I never had this insight about the soundtracks that you provide to us. thanks for your amazing reactions
Thank you, I feel honored that simply speaking about emotions has resonated with so many people.
@@MarcoMeatball For a reaction I would also recommend "Requiem Aranea" or "Riot" from Hunter x Hunter.
it might be not Game Soundtracks but it still could be of interest to you.
My heart started to race when the vocals hit, I was getting flash backs to me screaming during the boss fight.
In a game full of incredible music, this was the perfect one to put for one of the most important battles. I just had the sense I was witnessing something that went beyond me, beyond time, beyond my understanding. And we were going to fight this thing without even understanding the full scale of what it implied.
Your video, your reactions, your emotions, your descriptions made me cry. Watching you exploring this was kind of a mutual experience for me. That is very beautiful. That is pure.
Thank you so much for this, you are a kindhearted person, that’s for sure.
Art is an intent on depicting what Time, Space, Life and Death are. But also Love.
Thank you for writing this
@@MarcoMeatball Thank you for reading me, Marco
I remember caring more about the music than I did actually winning the boss fight on my first attempt. I loved how it was a remix of the main theme but had so many different variations within.
You nailed the meaning behind this piece. Also a great example of not only how powerful music is, but how powerful gaming can be. Another incredible piece by Yuka Kitamura. Great vid!
This music perfectly fits “ the vassal of god”
This was by far my favorite song, it felt so grand, as if you were not fighting a knight or a king, but something.. well greater. It doesn't even seem to care about the player at all.
Watching your videos made me able to put terms on this feeling and i absolutely love it, kinda changed my point of view as well.
Awlays felt more like the player's OWN theme than what i'd use for a dragon, like we're poundering the choices we've made, and the things we've done.
Goty, the fight with the song n how it mashes together is crazy
3:03 man your reaction to the chord change is just perfect! So accurate! I'm pretty sure I reacted the same way the first time I heard it lol
My own reaction to the music from Elden Ring reminds me of how I experienced the music to Everybody's Gone to the Rapture...just pure, raw grief, sadness, overwhelm, exquisite beauty and joy within uncertainty, the scariest of all things - the unknown...it moved me beyond words and has stayed with me. It's a reminder of how truly powerful music is, how magical and soul-shifting. These games have embedded themselves in my own heart and soul, and it's no exaggeration to say that they've changed me as a person. Thank you for this beautiful reaction and your thoughts on this piece. Sub'd instantly.
I just need to say, you have VERY good taste!
A year late, but thank you!! 🥰@@Kiitesh
This fight really got me in the feels it just sends shivers down my spine
It all was just so beautiful
I think of music as emotion given a voice. Like you are listening to raw emotion. Every instrument and every note plays a feeling and tells a story.
I don't know anything about the part of the game that this plays in, but the feeling I get is; sombre finality. Like you are fighting against something that has spent the longest time clinging onto its existence and now you're here to finally help it move on.
Edit: I will add that, I also think of music as mankind's greatest achievement and our best language. No matter where you're from music will speak to you all the same.
I love that your first thoughts were of basically existential dread, because I think that is certainly what the composer of the music and of the actual final boss intended to convey
Look like the music spoke to your soul
I also really like your analysis it pretty much encapsulates what you’re going up against in this fight
It really is incredible
This track got me really emotional during the fight, that is beautiful btw. Just knowing that was the end of my journey, the end of the story that I lived in this world...just got me right in the feels.
Amazing reaction, fromsoft music is really in another level
They did a fantastic job of making the music feel heavenly or ethereal. Really bringing the feeling that you’re fighting a Cosmic god. Another bit I love is that they added sound effects to the Elden Beast that mimic how galaxies would sound in space.
As always with fromsoft so many beautiful pieces in this game, the one you’ll hear just before this boss is probably my favourite. So bombastic and triumphant, then they follow it with this. Amazing. What other games company makes shit like this man? That team is a step ahead of the whole industry
Without the rage inducing boss fight, listening to the music is amazing.
Always loved video game music. Thousands of great osts
Great video! I love it when expert or someone with a profession reacts to a game that relates to their profession! Subbed! Hope to see more!
Marco i want to leave here my sincere thanks. It was because of you and other TH-camrs that analise this master piece that got me to apreciate even more orchestral music. I had no idea that music could be used to tell a tale with just notes and strings and that blew me away. I teared up in your Radahn video because hes not only my favorite boss but because of you i could appreciate him even more because of your analisys of his theme. Thank you and i hope your channel gets millions of subscribers.
I am so grateful to read this. Thank you. So much.
3:32 i have never heard a beautiful song like that i almost cry
Right?
Kitamura is the GOAT
I’m sure others caught it, but the starting rift is actually the start of the theme song at the title before Radagon’s theme kicks in.
This theme hit hard in the base game too, but it really ravages after the DLC.
Spoilers below.
The sense of grief in this piece hits even harder after visiting the Shaman Village in the DLC, which plays a stripped down version containing only a distantly strumming harp, which I believe to be Marika's theme. The theme of a simple girl who had everything taken from her, and bit back by tricking an entire civilization and using them to become a god.
Where before I saw her as a ruthless, irredeemable despot, the context provided by the Shaman Village recontextualizes her into such a layered and tragic figure that just thinking about her story makes me ache. She who gave everything so no more of her loved ones would die, so she could have her vengeance on the hornsent who took them. But in the end, all the things Order promised her were for nothing, finally proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by the death of her son, Godwyn. All the terrible things she had done, all the wars she waged and agony she endured, it all amounted to nil. What else could she do, really, but tear it all down?
"Only the kindness of gold, without Order."
Those 2 sentences of the minor erdtree incantation flipped my perception of marika and made me see through the god to the scared person inside. This is S tier storytelling