The betrayal part makes sense if you've seen the trailer. You can see her being burned by Messmer's flames. She too was a victim of the invasion of Messmer. And well... what followed I won't spoil, but shit's beginning to make a lot of sense...
if you think about it,scarlet rot takes the form of plants,mostly trees and flowers,so it would only be natural that messmer is stronger than romina,it would be like a "pokemon grass vs fire type".
Considering Romina is the one responsible for bringing scarlet rot to the Lands Between, it makes sense that her theme should share some things with Malenia’s.
@@ZZMonkeysUncleZZdid she unseal the scarlet rot or was her bringing about the scarlet rot was what created it in the first place. Which in turn created a new outer god that Marika who was a shaman and shamans were known to wear blue rags, and the blue swordsman was the one that sealed this God away, and possibly by seal could it be the same as how she sealed the Rune of Death. idk im yipyapping
Because as much as there's a leitmotiv of the main theme/Radagon theme in the Messmer one, there's here a leitmotiv of what it seems to be the "Scarlet Rot theme" that appaers to be the phase 2 of Malenia theme, precisely the moment she "abandons" herself to Scarlet Rot, which Romina did too
I love how everyone's favourite ost from this DLC is all over the place. Like my favourites are Those United in Common Cause as well as Messmer's and it just shows how good their music is because everyone loves different tracks instead of a single track being a landslide standout.
You should give Scadutree Avatar a listen--it's a cool remix of Erdtree Avatar from the base game and as a little something extra to it that I won't spoil
That one is just so beautiful and epic. I never expected something like that from a Fromsoft Souls game, and I love it. It actually fits so well. The DLC has easily become my favourite in terms of soundtrack out of all Fromsoft games, except for maybe Bloodborne. Incredible.
So your interpretation is really pretty spot on! Basically Romina is a high-level worshipper and guardian for the Rot and its influence. She was a survivor of the Crusade that saw many of the inhabitants of their realm slaughtered, impaled, and immolated including the followers of the Rot. Malenia was supposed to be the coming of their new goddess, but after we defeated and killed her they are basically left aimless and lost. The rot butterflies incantation that you can get for defeating her even states that "The scarlet butterflies are as the Goddess of Rot's wings. Bereft of a master, they were soothed by Romina, who reached out to them."
I think it's more the fact they are isolated from their god considering she is in the land of shadow and you can fight her before you kill malenia but otherwise very spot on.
The master the incantation description is referring to is the actual Scarlet Rot Deity whch has been imprisoned in the scarlet rot lake (map description for reference)
Romina weaved a twisted divine element *into* the Scarlet Rot. She created it. What seems likely is that the outer god of rot originally had presence in the world as a different nameless element, and when Saint Romina transfigured it into the Scarlet Rot, the outer god then adopted the rot as its new element, thus being renamed to the outer god of Scarlet Rot. Which is a beautifully twisted story, if you think about it. A god of destruction adopting a new name thanks to the lonely saint that worshipped it.
Props to who designed the bosses in SOTE never thought an amalgamation of a wasp a centipede a scorpion and a women would look so cool. (took me 6hrs great song :D)
YES!! Let's go!! This is like in my top 5 or 10 list of my favorite Elden Ring osts! Thanks for reacting to and dissecting this track! Btw, you're VERY spot on with your analysis of this ost! Fascinating!
6:24 Good ear, this is a resemblance to Malenia's theme song on her second phase, as this Saint of the Bud is a scarlet rot creature. I don't know much of her lore though. Edit: He got it afterwards, nice
best theme along with Midra's. But tbh all Remembrance bosses plus Bayle (minus Gaius) have equally good themes, and what we prefer would depends on our moods and the weather of that day.
Why didn't they give gaius his own theme? It's just the normal sentinel theme. Doesn't even feel like a rememberance either. Feels like he was either rushed or they wanted one more rememberance boss so just slapped that tag onto him
so true! I can't even decide which one is my favourite from this amazing soundtrack.. sometimes it's Romina, sometimes Midra, or Messmer, or the final boss. they're all so so incredible
I like to think that the graceful melody represents "flying(like a butterfly)" while the fast runs or the staccato in some instruments means "crawling".
This track is probably my top favorite OST of this entire game. That progression shortly after it begins to the descending crescendo always pulls me somehow. Masterful review!
The obvious connection to malenia is using scarlet rot, and may be she is related to malenia more like a soldier for her or smth not deep to her story until now
I think it’s more that the butterflies she commands are the same ones that make up Malenia’s wings. Hence the fact that the theme that plays is phase 2 when Malenia spreads her wings.
There's a chance that Romina may actually be another avatar for the rot god. It is said that she "discovered a twisted divine element, which she weaved into the baleful scarlet rot." And the tail of the centipede thing that she's attached to is that of a scorpion, which is the form the outer god took when fighting against the Blind Swordsman.
This track for me is just the definition of perfection for me. It strikes fear, while still giving a glorious feeling of power and sadness simultaniously. I was mesmerized when i first heard this in that story trailer a month ago. That part at 1:25 just does something really special for me
when you said i know this at 6:31 YOU WERE right it the theme of malenia second phase since they share the same curse ROT IT was a nice touch of the composer praising Yuka Kitamura
@@hammond5921 He is talking about the OST (not the boss itself), and the connection to the scarlet rot. Even Marco mentions it, did you see the whole video? Chill buddy
Lore Spoiler warning! The remembrance of the Saint of the Bud says: "After the church was burned to the ground, Romina discovered a twisted divine element, which she weaved into the baleful scarlet rot. Perhaps then, the buds might find somewhere to gain purchase once more, within the scorched remains." (Romina is the Saint of the Bud) He church was burned to the ground during the Crusade that swept through the Shadow lands. She was probably the only survivor and clung onto whatever was left of her decimated church. She found the Scarlet Rot, the very same that afflicts Melainia in the lands between. Except, unlike Melainia, Romina embraced the Rot... it transformed her into a monstrous amalgamation of insects and human. She weilds a glaive that infects you with rot, and commands the Aeonia Butterflies that have no God to flock to, so she takes them in, and uses them to riddle you with Rot. I hope this helps You nailed the connection to Melainia though!!
I would also add to what you said about the butterflies not having a God to flock to. She unleashes them on us during the fight, and then they die out and disintegrate.
When I heard malenia’s theme in the second phase I was so stunned the boss killed me without me realizing (btw marco the connection to Malenia is through scarlet rot not through miquella)
This fight for me was pure art. Some gameplay aspects apart (like really questionable hitboxes). Its art. The music in conjunction with the dark purple theme, rannis moon in the backround and then the story of Romina. It was an experience.
I got the same reaction when they played part of Malenia ost when fighting Romina and I instantly died cause the melody of it gives me chills of the Scarlet Rot
Decay, malenia's melody, sainthood. Very interesting connections made. Those who already know what Romina's lore is about, it makes total sense. Very well communicated from this OST
It's between Romina's theme and Bayles theme for which is my favorite in the DLC. I think I prefer this one, it's so hauntingly beautiful. This was also one of my favorite fights thus far. While I felt desperate against a lot of the other bosses fighting Romina felt more like a dance which I really appreciated.
6:34 It's interesting because this part is like a melancholic version of Malenia's second phase theme. Both Malenia and Romina were forced to embrace their scarlet rot affliction to protect something. Malenia resented her affliction and only released it's power out of pure desperation. Romina on the other hand embraced her affliction and wielded it to protect her church from further destruction.
Something I loved about this fight is how her attacks came and went with the music. I don’t understand music so I can’t explain it. But she would do big attacks when the music swelled and then she would crash down and start a flurry when it sped up.
Honestly you've given me a whole new perspective when listening to any sound tracks. It immediately clicked when talking about who theirs the sense of betrayal in it. Now I'm just going through other songs and listening closely.
i love the DLC soundtracks, there's like 4 different songs with references to the base game. This with Malenia, Rellana's with Rennala's. Promised consort to Radahn, and Song of Despair in Midra's. Also there's a certain few lines in Bayle's theme is kinda reminiscent of Fortissax's theme
When I heard the malenia motif in phase two I got chills. It's such a good boss. Not the hardest, not the most complex, but it's just visually pleasing and the music slaps, and the tie in to malenia (my favorite character/story line) is the cherry on top.
one reason for the somber notes I believe to be is because Melenia the goddess of rot should’ve been killed by the player. As the description for the rotten butterflies incantation states “The scarlet butterflies are as the Goddess of Rot's wings. Bereft of a master, they were soothed by Romina, who reached out to them.” She is tragic in part because she is a saint without a god.
Well yeah that’s that nature of the game being open world. You can beat most things in whatever order you want but in a way there is an “intended” order through the difficulty of enemies and where they are placed. Given the difficulty of the dlc the devs assume the player has finished the game before starting the dlc. You don’t *have to* but it’s easier to do it that way. Technically you can fight a resurrected radahn before even killing him in caelid but the story in the dlc assumes that you killed him already.
@@1nulluser336you can't though, you need Radahn and Mogh dead to access the dlc. More likely that the sadness is related to the destruction of her church and that it drove her to this point, to create the Rot.
It's worth noting that the melody that is shared between this and Malenia's theme only plays in the second phase of each, when the bosses wield rotten butterflies and fully embrace the power of the rot. It's most likely the motif of the scarlet rot itself, or the outer god from which it originates.
The reason in this theme we hear that snippet of Malenia's theme is (I think) their use of Scarlett Rot. A lot of Romina's AOE attacks cause rot buildup similar to Malenia, not sure if they have a deeper connection lorewise though. *edit* found that the butterflies Romina scatters and explodes in her attacks are "rotten butterflies" which make up the Goddess of Rot's wings in Malenia's second phase.
OMG You Sir read this music like a book, it really does correlate with Melenia, because the main theme and power of Saint of the Bud has the same sourse as Melenia's! (Scarlet rott, + betrayal as well)!
There are also callbacks to the song that merchants play in Midra's theme, and a callback in the final boss OST as well. FromSoft adding so many callbacks was a really really fascinating thing to add. There are also similarities in rhythm between Messmer and Radagon's OSTs
The Malenia motif in second phase is so cool! From is know to reference a previous boss in some fights like; Gwyn- - Lord of Cinder and Romana design is a cool nod to Quelaana the Spider demon from Dark Souls.
I can’t wait for you to get to the midra soundtrack, genuinely believe it’s gonna become another staple in your videos introducing friends in the music industry to the music in games, without a doubt one of the best pieces to ever come out of fromsoft’s catalogue. Shoi Miyazawa…
'Lamenting what could have been' indeed. Those who were living their lives peacefully, prior to Marika and Messmer's violent crusade to reduce everything in the Realm of Shadow to ash, those who survived would definitely be lamenting. 'What could our lives have looked like, had it not been for that invasion?'
You make a good point with the malenia part. I think that both this theme as well as Malenia's theme are quite similar. not necessarily melodically. but emotionally. both of their first phase themes represent something .. unexpected. we encounter malenia who is far known and praised as a legendary swordswoman. so we expect immense level of epicness. but as we walk into the arena, we encounter her, alone. the atmosphere is so different from what you would expect. it feels like were trying to kill an enemy who has already died inside. like putting down a wounded dog. clinging only to her immense strength and little conviction there is left. but where malenia gets some sort of ''Redemption'' as the music swells in her glorious second phase, and that moment of ''epicness' we were expecting from such a foe finally comes. Romina's theme does not. it only grows in it's despair and depravity. further bringing your point home that there is truly no hope left here. there is nothing to redeem. all you can do is put down this defeated, yet stubborn creature. for it's own sake.
i just beat this boss today for the first time with martial arts and holy the music during the fight was hyping me up the whole time, definitely one of my new favorite bosses in elden ring
The connection between romula is the rot butterflies they both use. While melania seemingly despises her butterflies romula found comfort and power in the rot. In the level design you actually find that the rot hasnt taken the ruins over...instead seemingly contained in a few areas ...the ruins are a lush forest..with some rot. Here and there.
The musical theme of the shadowland native bosses (in constrast of mesmer and the crusaders) seems to be characterized by the loss, grief and pain of a practically exterminated people. But the ways these people deal with such tragedy are varied. Some cling to the glory of the old days and pray for divine retribution (i.e. the Divine Lion Dance Beast), some fall to despair and embrace something baser and darker (i.e. Romina).
My favorite OST in the dlc I get huge malenia vibes from it too. Probably was done on purpose Perhaps it’s because they are both beings of rot- rot… which is revealed to be about growth, life. But at a rate that is very harmful to those inflicted by it.
If you saw her in the trailer with the ost ohh god you well get feel that she was nothing to do with this war . Especially in the first phase, oh how miserable, listen to the solo cello, then the screaming and the high note of the violin together, then the rhythm calms down and the woman’s sad and broken voice comes, the feeling of her feeling the pain at the end of the first phase, the second phase gives you a feeling of enthusiasm and a little hope with the presence of brokenness and misery in it, but there is a turning point in this phase, and when we hear a melody like the melody of Millenia, it is as if it tells us that she has changed from one person to another, lively enthusiasm, but the misery and brokenness are present .
Good ear! She does in fact have a bit of Malenia's theme in her second phase. Specifically, also from Malenias second phase. The reason being that she, just like Malenia, is heavily associated with the Scarlet Rot (not Miquella, in this case). Malenia's second phase is the rot blooming for a third time, turning her into the Goddess of Rot. With Romina, whilst we don't have a whole lot of lore, we know that her church, the Church of the Bud, was burnt down in Messmer's crusade, and that following this, she took to worshipping the divine aspect found in the Scarlet Rot. And for a cleric, even a saint who worships the Rot, it of course makes sense that their theme alludes to the Goddess of Rot.
Hey, Marco, nice vid, love your reactions. Recently, I found out about a relatively new gacha game called Memento Mori, and as most gacha games, it has really good music. Thought you could pay attention to this one, it has a song for every character (around 70), it's music and artstyle is really good, but it is really unpopular. Can you make a reaction to this game's music? My favourites are Liatris, THE RUST, THE ICE, Doki Doggy Night, I Wish.
I got until her going no blessings, final boss broke me enough to use them though, and I gotta say those were the most fun 2 and a half hours of my life lol, I really loved the soundtrack and I found the fight really fun, gorgeous design aswell
I basically jumped from boss 1 to boss 5 (?) by exploring a bit too hard, so I seem to be ahead of a lot of people on discovering Romina! Sadly this means not much art or videos about them yet. So far this song has been my favorite!
@@cameronwolfe Honestly I've just been wandering around but I tried to figure it out on my map and it looks like I took the Moorth Duins to Bonny Village then went north to Manus Metyr area and northwest under the ledge to the Church District Entrance on the east side of the Shadow Keep. Eventually after a bunch of exploration I exited the keep at the West Rampart and went down the long ramp thing to the Viaduct Minor Tower. Explored the Rauh area a bunch before stumbling onto the method to get to the upper level and hit Romina. Hope some of that helps!
You have GOT to do Bayle the Dread, him and his whole quest is a pretty not-subtle Moby Dick reference, and his NPC questline individual Igon is SO well voice acted.
Definitely correct on the similarity of Malenia's soundtrack and Romina's. I think there's a leitmotif for scarlet rot bosses seeing as both of them have heavy connection to the Rot and both of their pasts are rooted in the Scarlet rot
The betrayal part makes sense if you've seen the trailer. You can see her being burned by Messmer's flames. She too was a victim of the invasion of Messmer. And well... what followed I won't spoil, but shit's beginning to make a lot of sense...
she almost met death in the embrace of Messsssmer’s flame
dont know what you mean by "beginning to make sense",im curious about this sentence
if you think about it,scarlet rot takes the form of plants,mostly trees and flowers,so it would only be natural that messmer is stronger than romina,it would be like a "pokemon grass vs fire type".
You: "It's all beginning to make sense"
Me: "It's all according to keikaku"😂
@@ll-ll5gt in game fire is also the only know countermeasure against the rot, think of radians soldier and how they use fire to fight off the rot
Putting in the goddess of rot melody for phase 2 is genius
Do Midra next!
Midra and Bayle have the best ost in my opinion both of them are so powerful in different ways
It's on his list dw
Midra is better imo
I want BAYLE or Mesmer
Midra is the best with Divine beast
This was definitely my favorite OST of the DLC. I am glad you noticed the Malenia motif, it is an cool reference.
Considering Romina is the one responsible for bringing scarlet rot to the Lands Between, it makes sense that her theme should share some things with Malenia’s.
I’d say that since that motif matches both of them it’s less Malenia’s and more the scarlet rot’s
@@ZZMonkeysUncleZZdid she unseal the scarlet rot or was her bringing about the scarlet rot was what created it in the first place. Which in turn created a new outer god that Marika who was a shaman and shamans were known to wear blue rags, and the blue swordsman was the one that sealed this God away, and possibly by seal could it be the same as how she sealed the Rune of Death. idk im yipyapping
@@ZZMonkeysUncleZZ She is not responsible for this. Basically her power has empowered with scarlet rot but only this
@@apolloisnotashirtshe found the scarlet rot and used it for her benefit. She didn’t create jt
How does he know that this boss spread scarlet rot by just listening the music. Marco you're a genius！
it's because of malenia's theme!
@@MarcoMeatball Can’t wait for the midra lord of frenzied flames reaction!💪
@@MarcoMeatballLoved the nod.
Because as much as there's a leitmotiv of the main theme/Radagon theme in the Messmer one, there's here a leitmotiv of what it seems to be the "Scarlet Rot theme" that appaers to be the phase 2 of Malenia theme, precisely the moment she "abandons" herself to Scarlet Rot, which Romina did too
I love how everyone's favourite ost from this DLC is all over the place. Like my favourites are Those United in Common Cause as well as Messmer's and it just shows how good their music is because everyone loves different tracks instead of a single track being a landslide standout.
Those United in Common Cause is so good but I’m worried it’ll go underrated for not being a boss theme.
I personally just love the motifs of dancing lion
@@SaintMariannethat fight was better than most bosses tbh
@@SaintMarianne It will definitely be the severely underrated track of the ost which is sad lol
Great comment
CURSE YOU BAYLE!!!!!!!!!! (Please do Bayle)
After i first heard igon basically go fuck you bayle and proceeding to insult his whole bloodline he instantly became my fav npc ever.
THE VILE BAYLE
@@larsmuller97 Igon became a legend
I SWEAR, YOU SHALL RUE THIS DAY!!!!!
Its amazing how much lore you contrive from this, most of things you gather are correct!
Killed this boss yesterday. When this OST was in the trailer I thought it was the last bosse's theme.
I thought it was Messmer's theme
@@kalvinchester4068The messmer has this part at the end of his theme.
The final boss’ second phase theme is also in one of the trailers.
You should give Scadutree Avatar a listen--it's a cool remix of Erdtree Avatar from the base game and as a little something extra to it that I won't spoil
I second that, absolutely underrated track so far
I can't wait for Bayle and The Promised Consort ost
I second Bayle's theme!
CURSE YOU BAAAAAAYLE
O BAYLE, VILE BAYLE!
FEAR INCARNATE
OHHHH THE PAIN
"Those united in common cause" is just splendid if we're talking DLC gems
tomorrow
@@MarcoMeatball NO WAY LES GOO
That one is just so beautiful and epic. I never expected something like that from a Fromsoft Souls game, and I love it. It actually fits so well. The DLC has easily become my favourite in terms of soundtrack out of all Fromsoft games, except for maybe Bloodborne. Incredible.
@@abeon8151Bloodborne has the best ost
So your interpretation is really pretty spot on! Basically Romina is a high-level worshipper and guardian for the Rot and its influence. She was a survivor of the Crusade that saw many of the inhabitants of their realm slaughtered, impaled, and immolated including the followers of the Rot. Malenia was supposed to be the coming of their new goddess, but after we defeated and killed her they are basically left aimless and lost. The rot butterflies incantation that you can get for defeating her even states that "The scarlet butterflies are as the Goddess of Rot's wings. Bereft of a master, they were soothed by Romina, who reached out to them."
I think it's more the fact they are isolated from their god considering she is in the land of shadow and you can fight her before you kill malenia but otherwise very spot on.
Considering you can access the DLC without killing Malenia this is not true. She discovered the rot after Messmer burned her homeland and church.
The master the incantation description is referring to is the actual Scarlet Rot Deity whch has been imprisoned in the scarlet rot lake (map description for reference)
Romina weaved a twisted divine element *into* the Scarlet Rot. She created it. What seems likely is that the outer god of rot originally had presence in the world as a different nameless element, and when Saint Romina transfigured it into the Scarlet Rot, the outer god then adopted the rot as its new element, thus being renamed to the outer god of Scarlet Rot. Which is a beautifully twisted story, if you think about it. A god of destruction adopting a new name thanks to the lonely saint that worshipped it.
Learned a new word today: immolated
Props to who designed the bosses in SOTE never thought an amalgamation of a wasp a centipede a scorpion and a women would look so cool. (took me 6hrs great song :D)
Not bragging or anything but second try without buffs, she should've had 2 full health bars
@@c1deon363Well, I guess we’re both not you lol. Took me over an hour.
@@RUSHYRUSHY39 or maybe because I fought her after Messmer Bayle and Rellana)
She's meant to have butterfly elements not wasp elements, remember how she throws little butterflies at you and the specific way her wings look.
@@notmyfullname598 butterfys doesnt have stingers (i was thinking in that), but yea i forgot the butterfly elements too
MESSMER THE IMPALER & Base serpent messmer NEXT
YES!! Let's go!! This is like in my top 5 or 10 list of my favorite Elden Ring osts! Thanks for reacting to and dissecting this track! Btw, you're VERY spot on with your analysis of this ost! Fascinating!
0:16 Nice organ to you too sir
6:24 Good ear, this is a resemblance to Malenia's theme song on her second phase, as this Saint of the Bud is a scarlet rot creature. I don't know much of her lore though.
Edit: He got it afterwards, nice
best theme along with Midra's. But tbh all Remembrance bosses plus Bayle (minus Gaius) have equally good themes, and what we prefer would depends on our moods and the weather of that day.
absolutely true, fromsoft team really outdid themselves with the ost for this DLC, every track is good in it's own way
Why didn't they give gaius his own theme? It's just the normal sentinel theme. Doesn't even feel like a rememberance either. Feels like he was either rushed or they wanted one more rememberance boss so just slapped that tag onto him
@@magic_manl2572 it's actually the commander's theme
@@mattnsg13 they sound so similar. But that's ok because none are rememberance bosses. Really dropped the ball on gaius
so true! I can't even decide which one is my favourite from this amazing soundtrack.. sometimes it's Romina, sometimes Midra, or Messmer, or the final boss. they're all so so incredible
Tsukasa Saitoh is a legend and constantly proves as having composed some of Fromsoft’s best music, even in 2024
I like to think that the graceful melody represents "flying(like a butterfly)" while the fast runs or the staccato in some instruments means "crawling".
This track is probably my top favorite OST of this entire game.
That progression shortly after it begins to the descending crescendo always pulls me somehow.
Masterful review!
The obvious connection to malenia is using scarlet rot, and may be she is related to malenia more like a soldier for her or smth not deep to her story until now
I think it’s more that the butterflies she commands are the same ones that make up Malenia’s wings.
Hence the fact that the theme that plays is phase 2 when Malenia spreads her wings.
There's a chance that Romina may actually be another avatar for the rot god. It is said that she "discovered a twisted divine element, which she weaved into the baleful scarlet rot."
And the tail of the centipede thing that she's attached to is that of a scorpion, which is the form the outer god took when fighting against the Blind Swordsman.
This track for me is just the definition of perfection for me. It strikes fear, while still giving a glorious feeling of power and sadness simultaniously. I was mesmerized when i first heard this in that story trailer a month ago. That part at 1:25 just does something really special for me
when you said i know this at 6:31 YOU WERE right it the theme of malenia second phase since they share the same curse ROT IT was a nice touch of the composer praising Yuka Kitamura
I fell in love with this song when the trailer dropped and it had the climax playing with messmer
6:38 is one of the parts to Malenia’s theme from base game it sounds like
Must be linked to scarlet rot
@@nefarious8278 yeah no shit have you played the dlc?
Yes
@@hammond5921 He is talking about the OST (not the boss itself), and the connection to the scarlet rot. Even Marco mentions it, did you see the whole video? Chill buddy
by far my fav ost in the dlc, all are amazing but for this everything single time it gives me chills, and fighting this boss didn't disappoint one bit
Lore Spoiler warning!
The remembrance of the Saint of the Bud says:
"After the church was burned to the ground, Romina discovered a
twisted divine element, which she weaved into the baleful scarlet rot.
Perhaps then, the buds might find somewhere to gain purchase
once more, within the scorched remains."
(Romina is the Saint of the Bud)
He church was burned to the ground during the Crusade that swept through the Shadow lands. She was probably the only survivor and clung onto whatever was left of her decimated church. She found the Scarlet Rot, the very same that afflicts Melainia in the lands between. Except, unlike Melainia, Romina embraced the Rot... it transformed her into a monstrous amalgamation of insects and human. She weilds a glaive that infects you with rot, and commands the Aeonia Butterflies that have no God to flock to, so she takes them in, and uses them to riddle you with Rot.
I hope this helps
You nailed the connection to Melainia though!!
It's been two years, howcome nobody can write "Malenia" still
@@SimonSenaviev deadass. The same way people pronounce “miquella” as “mi-kella” lmao
I would also add to what you said about the butterflies not having a God to flock to. She unleashes them on us during the fight, and then they die out and disintegrate.
@@SimonSenaviev Probably why she had to introduce herself again and again...
@@deadsea2004 "I am Malaria, Blade of Mcdonald's. And you will never sniff my feet!"
God this song is beautiful, just as is the bossfight!
I'm so glad you covered this, because Romina is imo, by far the most underrated fight of the dlc
When I heard malenia’s theme in the second phase I was so stunned the boss killed me without me realizing (btw marco the connection to Malenia is through scarlet rot not through miquella)
That connection you made with both songs was a good catch
This fight for me was pure art. Some gameplay aspects apart (like really questionable hitboxes). Its art. The music in conjunction with the dark purple theme, rannis moon in the backround and then the story of Romina. It was an experience.
at 6:12 you also missed a reference to gwyn's theme from ds1. crazy how they fit malenia and gwyn into this, favorite track from the dlc
I got the same reaction when they played part of Malenia ost when fighting Romina and I instantly died cause the melody of it gives me chills of the Scarlet Rot
that 3rd high note, at the beginning of second phase (5:27) makes me love that track so much. It's just a little detail, but I absolutely love it
There’s a great theme called “Those United in Common Cause” which plays during a special encounter and should definitely be on the list!
I love how the second phase of the theme screams "MALENIA"
Decay, malenia's melody, sainthood. Very interesting connections made. Those who already know what Romina's lore is about, it makes total sense. Very well communicated from this OST
you're the only other person i've recognized the Melania strings. Well done!
It's between Romina's theme and Bayles theme for which is my favorite in the DLC. I think I prefer this one, it's so hauntingly beautiful. This was also one of my favorite fights thus far. While I felt desperate against a lot of the other bosses fighting Romina felt more like a dance which I really appreciated.
curiously enough, they used this in the trailer where they depict messmer's crusade.
1:24 This part man, just insane
6:34 It's interesting because this part is like a melancholic version of Malenia's second phase theme. Both Malenia and Romina were forced to embrace their scarlet rot affliction to protect something. Malenia resented her affliction and only released it's power out of pure desperation. Romina on the other hand embraced her affliction and wielded it to protect her church from further destruction.
6:32 that’s malenia theme
I love that there's a leitmotif from Messmer in this theme
Loved the video. Im very excited to see Marco reaction to Messmer ost and specially the VILE Bayle.
Something I loved about this fight is how her attacks came and went with the music. I don’t understand music so I can’t explain it. But she would do big attacks when the music swelled and then she would crash down and start a flurry when it sped up.
Romina is a perfect reflection of Malenia. While Malenia hated and pushed away the scarlet rot, but Romina accepted and nortured it.
You can hear Malenia's 2nd phase theme.
Honestly you've given me a whole new perspective when listening to any sound tracks. It immediately clicked when talking about who theirs the sense of betrayal in it. Now I'm just going through other songs and listening closely.
i love the DLC soundtracks, there's like 4 different songs with references to the base game. This with Malenia, Rellana's with Rennala's. Promised consort to Radahn, and Song of Despair in Midra's. Also there's a certain few lines in Bayle's theme is kinda reminiscent of Fortissax's theme
6:38 yes, it's Malenia, Blade of Miquella's theme !
When I heard the malenia motif in phase two I got chills. It's such a good boss. Not the hardest, not the most complex, but it's just visually pleasing and the music slaps, and the tie in to malenia (my favorite character/story line) is the cherry on top.
Do Putrescent Knight or Midra please, they are awesome.
one reason for the somber notes I believe to be is because Melenia the goddess of rot should’ve been killed by the player. As the description for the rotten butterflies incantation states “The scarlet butterflies are as the Goddess of Rot's wings. Bereft of a master, they were soothed by Romina, who reached out to them.” She is tragic in part because she is a saint without a god.
but that couldn't make sense when we can finish the whole dlc and then go for Malenia
Well yeah that’s that nature of the game being open world. You can beat most things in whatever order you want but in a way there is an “intended” order through the difficulty of enemies and where they are placed. Given the difficulty of the dlc the devs assume the player has finished the game before starting the dlc. You don’t *have to* but it’s easier to do it that way. Technically you can fight a resurrected radahn before even killing him in caelid but the story in the dlc assumes that you killed him already.
@@1nulluser336you can't though, you need Radahn and Mogh dead to access the dlc. More likely that the sadness is related to the destruction of her church and that it drove her to this point, to create the Rot.
It's worth noting that the melody that is shared between this and Malenia's theme only plays in the second phase of each, when the bosses wield rotten butterflies and fully embrace the power of the rot. It's most likely the motif of the scarlet rot itself, or the outer god from which it originates.
my definite favorite is bayle the dreads ost, it is pure horror and fear and i love it
The reason in this theme we hear that snippet of Malenia's theme is (I think) their use of Scarlett Rot. A lot of Romina's AOE attacks cause rot buildup similar to Malenia, not sure if they have a deeper connection lorewise though.
*edit* found that the butterflies Romina scatters and explodes in her attacks are "rotten butterflies" which make up the Goddess of Rot's wings in Malenia's second phase.
I absolutely love the use of motifs from the base game to contextualize the dlc bosses. Incredible storytelling and great pieces on their own
9:00 Gwyn Motif as well just before the melenia part!
That actually does kind of sound like gwyn
OMG You Sir read this music like a book, it really does correlate with Melenia, because the main theme and power of Saint of the Bud has the same sourse as Melenia's! (Scarlet rott, + betrayal as well)!
Its impressive that you noticed the Malenia motifs in all that.
Bayles theme is amazing
The DLC OST's have a lot of really interesting callbacks, the OST for Ancient Dragon Senessax also has a callback to Placidusax from the base game
There are also callbacks to the song that merchants play in Midra's theme, and a callback in the final boss OST as well. FromSoft adding so many callbacks was a really really fascinating thing to add. There are also similarities in rhythm between Messmer and Radagon's OSTs
It's the same as Lansseax
Just like Romina herself, i honestly think this music blends beauty and horror fantastically
Now i know that melody is not Malenia's, it's the rot's.
Do Mother of Fingers next. It's so unique and beautiful.
The Malenia motif in second phase is so cool! From is know to reference a previous boss in some fights like; Gwyn- - Lord of Cinder and Romana design is a cool nod to Quelaana the Spider demon from Dark Souls.
"Those United in Common Cause."
Absolutely review that one.
An absolute banger. They used this theme for a part of the DLC trailer music, among others.
I can’t wait for you to get to the midra soundtrack, genuinely believe it’s gonna become another staple in your videos introducing friends in the music industry to the music in games, without a doubt one of the best pieces to ever come out of fromsoft’s catalogue. Shoi Miyazawa…
I accidentally found this boss when I had music off and killed it on my first try so I unfortunately missed this gorgeous track.
What kind of psycho plays this game without music??
C‘mon you can‘t just be walking around without music on
@@s8theninjawarrior916 adrenaline junkies that like blasting music in their ears while playing instead of enjoying the damn game
'Lamenting what could have been' indeed. Those who were living their lives peacefully, prior to Marika and Messmer's violent crusade to reduce everything in the Realm of Shadow to ash, those who survived would definitely be lamenting. 'What could our lives have looked like, had it not been for that invasion?'
shouldn't have massacred the shaman village then.
You make a good point with the malenia part. I think that both this theme as well as Malenia's theme are quite similar. not necessarily melodically. but emotionally. both of their first phase themes represent something .. unexpected. we encounter malenia who is far known and praised as a legendary swordswoman. so we expect immense level of epicness. but as we walk into the arena, we encounter her, alone. the atmosphere is so different from what you would expect. it feels like were trying to kill an enemy who has already died inside. like putting down a wounded dog. clinging only to her immense strength and little conviction there is left.
but where malenia gets some sort of ''Redemption'' as the music swells in her glorious second phase, and that moment of ''epicness' we were expecting from such a foe finally comes. Romina's theme does not. it only grows in it's despair and depravity. further bringing your point home that there is truly no hope left here. there is nothing to redeem. all you can do is put down this defeated, yet stubborn creature. for it's own sake.
Its is THE DLC music! Like when messmer is burning the dancing lions 👌👌
i just beat this boss today for the first time with martial arts and holy the music during the fight was hyping me up the whole time, definitely one of my new favorite bosses in elden ring
The final boss soundtrack is so incredible. It’s my favorite in the entire game, and I can’t wait for it to be released on iTunes.
The connection between romula is the rot butterflies they both use.
While melania seemingly despises her butterflies romula found comfort and power in the rot.
In the level design you actually find that the rot hasnt taken the ruins over...instead seemingly contained in a few areas ...the ruins are a lush forest..with some rot. Here and there.
i love how this guy always says “i could be completely wrong” and NEVER is
The musical theme of the shadowland native bosses (in constrast of mesmer and the crusaders) seems to be characterized by the loss, grief and pain of a practically exterminated people. But the ways these people deal with such tragedy are varied. Some cling to the glory of the old days and pray for divine retribution (i.e. the Divine Lion Dance Beast), some fall to despair and embrace something baser and darker (i.e. Romina).
Hearing the ode to Malenia's theme was probably my favorite moment musically in the entire game
This is simply the best track in the entire game for me, i died too many time just vibing to the music
My favorite OST in the dlc
I get huge malenia vibes from it too. Probably was done on purpose
Perhaps it’s because they are both beings of rot- rot… which is revealed to be about growth, life. But at a rate that is very harmful to those inflicted by it.
I love themes that have a little hints of other themes for lore purposes
If you saw her in the trailer with the ost ohh god you well get feel that she was nothing to do with this war .
Especially in the first phase, oh how miserable, listen to the solo cello, then the screaming and the high note of the violin together, then the rhythm calms down and the woman’s sad and broken voice comes, the feeling of her feeling the pain at the end of the first phase,
the second phase gives you a feeling of enthusiasm and a little hope with the presence of brokenness and misery in it, but there is a turning point in this phase, and when we hear a melody like the melody of Millenia, it is as if it tells us that she has changed from one person to another, lively enthusiasm, but the misery and brokenness are present .
At some point in the second phase, I swear that while fighting her I heard Malenia's second phase theme in there.
You gotta do Ramlethal's theme, going back to Strive. She has so much going on with her theme, maybe as much or more than ABA or Happy's.
Good ear! She does in fact have a bit of Malenia's theme in her second phase. Specifically, also from Malenias second phase.
The reason being that she, just like Malenia, is heavily associated with the Scarlet Rot (not Miquella, in this case).
Malenia's second phase is the rot blooming for a third time, turning her into the Goddess of Rot.
With Romina, whilst we don't have a whole lot of lore, we know that her church, the Church of the Bud, was burnt down in Messmer's crusade, and that following this, she took to worshipping the divine aspect found in the Scarlet Rot.
And for a cleric, even a saint who worships the Rot, it of course makes sense that their theme alludes to the Goddess of Rot.
Hey, Marco, nice vid, love your reactions. Recently, I found out about a relatively new gacha game called Memento Mori, and as most gacha games, it has really good music. Thought you could pay attention to this one, it has a song for every character (around 70), it's music and artstyle is really good, but it is really unpopular. Can you make a reaction to this game's music? My favourites are Liatris, THE RUST, THE ICE, Doki Doggy Night, I Wish.
I got until her going no blessings, final boss broke me enough to use them though, and I gotta say those were the most fun 2 and a half hours of my life lol, I really loved the soundtrack and I found the fight really fun, gorgeous design aswell
PLEASE DO MIDRA OST NEXT!
Messmers ost really getting slept on
For favorites, I have to say my two favorites are Midra and Promised Consort. Some of the ambients are good too, especially Shadow Keep.
I basically jumped from boss 1 to boss 5 (?) by exploring a bit too hard, so I seem to be ahead of a lot of people on discovering Romina! Sadly this means not much art or videos about them yet. So far this song has been my favorite!
I thought you had to beat Messmer to get to her
@@user-wu4ed3zl4byou don’t, i do think you have to beat the hippo though
@@cameronwolfe Nope! I skipped that whoooole area!
@@Firecat0 how did you get to ruah without going through the keep?
@@cameronwolfe Honestly I've just been wandering around but I tried to figure it out on my map and it looks like I took the Moorth Duins to Bonny Village then went north to Manus Metyr area and northwest under the ledge to the Church District Entrance on the east side of the Shadow Keep. Eventually after a bunch of exploration I exited the keep at the West Rampart and went down the long ramp thing to the Viaduct Minor Tower. Explored the Rauh area a bunch before stumbling onto the method to get to the upper level and hit Romina. Hope some of that helps!
You have GOT to do Bayle the Dread, him and his whole quest is a pretty not-subtle Moby Dick reference, and his NPC questline individual Igon is SO well voice acted.
For some reason I can hear the butterflies in the ending part of the song
Definitely correct on the similarity of Malenia's soundtrack and Romina's. I think there's a leitmotif for scarlet rot bosses seeing as both of them have heavy connection to the Rot and both of their pasts are rooted in the Scarlet rot
I hope you also do “Those United In Common Cause” it’s my favorite
Can't wait for you to hear the Promised Consort!