11 months ago, also known as "The Before Times," FromSoft announced a new game: Elden Ring, which would be a collaboration between Hidetaka Miyazaki (definitely not to be confused with Hayao Miyazaki) and George R. R. Martin.
On the surface, a fantasy writer my dad's age and a Japanese video-game auteur might seem like an odd team to collaborate. Sure, Miyazaki makes games in the dark fantasy genre, and Martin is arguably the most famous name in the dark fantasy fiction (though I've always contended that Stephen King is more of a dark fantasy writer than a horror writer - admittedly, the work I associate most with him is The Dark Tower, so... you know. You could argue that the only difference between dark magical realism and horror is what you call it.)
But the more I think about it, the more I realize how perfect a match it is:
With... oh, you know, a bit of spare time for the past couple months, I've gone down a real rabbit hole, watching YouTube videos about A Song of Ice and Fire (Martin's books the show was based on, the first of which was "A Game of Thrones.") It's preposterous how much is going on in those books - and all the incredibly subtle details that exist below the surface.
For example, you remember how Sam goes to Old Town and studies to be a Maester for a couple episodes in the show? In the books, Old Town is fleshed out a lot more, and we hear about magical artifacts called Glass Candles, there's an ancient fort that might have been built by Deep Ones straight out of H. P. Lovecraft, and the Maester who is basically the "department head" of magical study has connections to Mirri Maz Duur (the lady who "cures" Khal Drogo at the cost of Dany's unborn child) and Quaithe (the lady with the wooden lacquered mask Dany meets in Qarth in season two, who herself seems to be magically communicating to Dany in her dreams over the course of the books.)
The point is, the books are filled with subtle clues and hints at plots going on under the surface. Euron's (way scarier and more interesting in the books) blue lips mean he's been in contact with the warlocks of the House of the Undying, and there's even some evidence to suggest that the Targaryens collaborated with the House of Black and White (the assassin cult Arya trains with in Braavos) to destroy Valyria hundreds of years ago, paying the assassins with gold they got from Casterly Rock (the Lannister hometown) in exchange for a Valyrian Steel sword.
None of this is stated explicitly, but it's all there if you know where to look (and maybe get the aid of other eagle-eyed readers putting their theories together.)
The thing is, the Soulsborne games do exactly the same thing, only in the language of video games.
Consider how the clothing worn by the Arianna, the prostitute, in Bloodborne seems to tie her to the pseudo-vampires of Cainhurst, which might explain why the pious nun, Adela, will murder Arianna if you take too many blood ministrations from her. It could also explain why Arianna gives birth to an alien baby once the game enters its third, Paleblood Moon phase - that maybe the corrupted blood of Cainhurst makes her more susceptible to the effects of the moon.
To be fair, Martin does have a far more straightforward plot going on in his books. Miyazaki's works tend to require that interpretation to understand what's going on.
But I imagine that Elden Ring, whenever it comes out, will probably be incredibly deep in terms of background lore, which is something I'm looking forward to.
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