Elden Ring is the latest Soulslike game to be released by FromSoftware and its influence has grown outside and beyond the gaming community. The latest Star Wars series introduced a new villain and his outfit is greatly inspired by one cosmetic item that fans will recognize.
Leslye Headland serves as the series director and wants to show a different version of the Sith. Previous Sith lords were clad in thick armor which made it a nuisance to move, Headland threw the idea out of the window and gave the Stranger a cool cloak and mask instead.
The Influence of Elden Ring Is Going Beyond the Video Game Industry
FromSoftware has shown off how talented its development team is for being capable of creating different gear, equipment, and cosmetic items for its Soulslike games. These different builds can make the experience much smoother like how one Elden Ring player made a perfumer build and it decimated anything that stood in their way.
Designing a character is not an easy task but Leslye Headland took inspiration from the Soulslike game for the Stranger, the new big bad for her series and her reasoning is quite sound from a recent interview.
“We have to get him in something flowy.”
Headland thought of subverting the general idea of a Sith lord by removing the armor of the Stranger in The Acolyte.
“Why would you wear armor if you’re not going to get hit?” It’s like the Elden Ring costume. The Elden Bling. When you summon people, you always summon the people that aren’t wearing anything, and it’s like, “These people are fucking crazy.”
The design of Qimir in his Sith form is unlike any other and his moves are far more fluid and his deadly methods could make him pass as a boss of a Soulslike game. Perhaps the developers will take note of this and reference Qimir in a future project.
It is not often showrunners admit that video games influence creative decisions like character design. Manny Jacinto was cast as Qimir and his physical appearance made it an easy sell for Headland to make some adjustments and give Jacinto more material to work with to show his physique.
Qimir of The Acolyte Could Influence Future Soulslike Bosses
The way the Stranger moved in the series, in Episode 5 in particular, was a great contrast to how other Sith lords move and the choreography has surpassed what the prequel trilogy achieved.
Perhaps FromSoftware could include a new move set inspired by the lightsabers in a future game like how the developers managed to squeeze a new fighting technique for Shadow of the Erdtree.
The Star Wars franchise has influenced other franchises in the past few years and this is one of the rare few instances where it is the opposite. The nature of the Sith fits in with the dark and twisted atmosphere of the Soulsborne franchise and is like poetry that rhymes.
Jacinto carried the show with his endearing performance and struck fear in the viewers’ hearts. The lines between live-action horror and video games are starting to blur and influence each other.
What are your thoughts about the Elden Ring reference in The Acolyte? Let us know in the comments section below!
