FromSoftware's next big action-RPG will be unleashed on the world soon. Elden Ring is shaping up to be an exciting game that could take the Dark Souls formula to greater heights. The team effort of FromSoftware with Hidetaka Miyazaki's direction and G.R.R. Martin's lore writing will bring fans on a brand-new adventure through the Lands Between as they fight to retake it and become the Elden Lord. Along the way, the heroic Tarnished will have to face various fantasy creatures twisted by the decaying state of the world. Elden Ring is primed to surprise fans and give them another taste of the Dark Souls formula.
With Elden Ring taking a more direct high fantasy approach than prior FromSoftware games, fans are wondering how much inspiration will be present from the wider genre. Martin and FromSoftware's employees will probably inject a lot of influences, but it won't all be Game of Thrones and Berserk. The Lord of the Rings will play a part in Elden Ring, but there could also be other famous fantasy works apparent in the game's world. Elden Ring has the chance to take some fantasy elements from Harry Potter, another famous work that shares a surprising number of elements with FromSoftware's games.
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One thing synonymous with Harry Potter is its many magical tools and implements. The first thing someone would think of is the various wands that wizards use to cast their spells. However, Dark Souls already has plenty of casting implements, so there's no need to fear that this weapon class will skip Elden Ring. A more interesting addition would be something like the Sword of Gryffindor. This weapon was faded to be used against Voldemort, his creations, and his horcruxes. The Dark Souls series, as well as Demon's Souls, is no stranger to swords that are super effective against one specific boss. The Stormruler is a controversial weapon due to only being useful in one boss fight per game, but it's always a cool set piece, and it would be fitting for something like it to return in Elden Ring.
There are plenty of other iconic magic items in Harry Potter that could be of use in Elden Ring. A cloak of invisibility would be perfect for Elden Ring's new stealth mechanics. Assorted potions could be used to enchant weapons, confer buffs, weaken enemies, and more, like alchemy in The Witcher games. If FromSoftware wanted to really lean into the high fantasy aesthetic, it could add flying broomsticks for fast travel. When it comes to magical artifacts and other such things, Harry Potter is a gold mine. It would probably be in Elden Ring's best interest to try and implement at least one of these special trinkets.
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Harry Potter has a lot of setting elements and plot points that could work in Elden Ring. A wizarding school in Elden Ring is an odd-sounding addition, but it is possible, as seen with Bloodborne's College of Byrgenwerth. A school full of mad witches and wizards would be intriguing, and could include plenty of magical traps and strange chimeras that the player would have to surmount. Dark Souls is no stranger to having classical witch and wizard designs, having been inspired by the witches in Berserk. A magical faction would be a great addition to Elden Ring's world.
If the Harry Potter's heroes are getting some twisted representation, villains should too. Voldemort and his Death Eaters present a unique opportunity for their own faction in Elden Ring. Resurrection and immortality has been a part of Souls games since Demon's Souls on the PS3. What's not usually explored is the fact that, technically, many enemies do share this trait. One of the Lords in Elden Ring could be a recurring boss, who would only be killed after the player hunts down several soul jars, like horcruxes, and destroys them first. Demon's Souls had a boss, the False Idol, who worked similarly to this. Dark Souls 2's Iron King DLC also had a comparable gimmick. It would be an interesting trait for one of the major areas, and would encourage players to thoroughly explore the world.
A discussion about Harry Potter and Elden Ring wouldn't be complete without monsters. Harry Potter has a huge gallery of supernatural beasts and adaptations of various mythological creatures. Elden Ring would probably be a lesser game if it just took existing monsters with no changes, but it could make use of the concepts that Harry Potter presents. Stopping an enemy from pulling up a mandrake is something that the Souls-adjacent Castlevania series has already done, and it seems like some sort of werewolf faction will be present in Elden Ring. A particular idea that Elden Ring could borrow from Harry Potter is that of supernatural creatures running a business. The Gringotts Wizarding Bank being a goblin mine, with all of the traps and creatures that entails, could serve as inspiration for a dungeon in Elden Ring.
Lastly, Elden Ring can also make use of Harry Potter's helpful monsters. A flying mount like a hippogriff or a pegasus would be great for fast travel. Harry Potter's pets, one of the series' most iconic elements, are already in Elden Ring. The game will make use of spirits that can serve a wide variety of purposes. While they may or may not do things like send messages similar to Harry's owl Hedwig, they will be able to fight alongside the player. Miyazaki has even implied that some spirits will be mostly useless, and players can just keep them around as pets or mascots. It's a fun coincidence that Elden Ring has such a similarity to Harry Potter already, and it's to the game's benefit.
Elden Ring will release January 21, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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