I was giving The Silmarillion a read recently, and while many passages were striking, this one stood out. It's a description of the Elven city of Gondolin:
Maybe it's just me, but this evoked Leyndell, the capital city of Elden Ring on several levels: from Ecthelion of the Fountain as warden of the great gate at the end of the climbing road, to the city being surrounded by a ravine amid encircling hills, to trumpets blowing at the towers echoing in the hills, to the city's white walls.
Of course, it's no secret that Miyazaki takes inspiration from Tolkien for the Souls series, and this is hardly a copy-paste situation at all. The Souls games have tremendous original worldbuilding on top of their western fantasy foundations. But something like The Silmarillion is widely considered to be impossible to adapt, and typically the best we can get are a few vivid paintings and illustrations, such as these of Gondolin by Alan Lee and Ted Nasmith respectively:
I would argue that there's nothing quite like Miyazaki's games that captures the spirit of these words so well, increasingly so over time. I'm glad we have a medium like video games where it's possible to exist in a grand and truly larger than life fantasy world for a brief while.
Consider, too, this passage of Fingolfin's duel vs Morgoth in the Silmarillion:
Bearing down on an imposing, impossible presence, wearing it down little by little, movements like elemental forces of nature, one false move leading to a crushing death.
The Silmarillion - Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin said:
Maybe it's just me, but this evoked Leyndell, the capital city of Elden Ring on several levels: from Ecthelion of the Fountain as warden of the great gate at the end of the climbing road, to the city being surrounded by a ravine amid encircling hills, to trumpets blowing at the towers echoing in the hills, to the city's white walls.
Of course, it's no secret that Miyazaki takes inspiration from Tolkien for the Souls series, and this is hardly a copy-paste situation at all. The Souls games have tremendous original worldbuilding on top of their western fantasy foundations. But something like The Silmarillion is widely considered to be impossible to adapt, and typically the best we can get are a few vivid paintings and illustrations, such as these of Gondolin by Alan Lee and Ted Nasmith respectively:
I would argue that there's nothing quite like Miyazaki's games that captures the spirit of these words so well, increasingly so over time. I'm glad we have a medium like video games where it's possible to exist in a grand and truly larger than life fantasy world for a brief while.
Consider, too, this passage of Fingolfin's duel vs Morgoth in the Silmarillion:
The Silmaillion - Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin said:
Bearing down on an imposing, impossible presence, wearing it down little by little, movements like elemental forces of nature, one false move leading to a crushing death.
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