The Shadow of the Erdtree story trailer had a lot of inclusions that would make it a quintessential bit of content from FromSoftware. While labeled a ‘story trailer’, the three-minute and thirteen-second clip has left the community with more questions than clarity.
As people are scouring back and forth, analyzing every frame, there is one aspect of the trailer that stands out: the music. The soundtrack for the trailer begins in typical FromSoftware fashion, but then it changes to convey an emotion that is rarely associated with Hidetaka Miyazaki’s games.
Shadow of the Erdtree Trailer Soundtrack Sounds Optimistic
FromSoftware’s games are rarely, if ever, an experience that inspires optimism or hope. Whether it’s Elden Ring, Bloodborne, or even Sekiro, the games are designed to make you feel helpless. After all, this is coming from the studio that released the Prepare to Die edition for Dark Souls.
Storylines in the games are also very rarely positive. NPCs usually meet a tragic end or a neutral one if they are lucky. Miyazaki’s games don’t typically have happy conclusions, especially for NPCs. Even the characters you encounter in Elden Ring all meet ends that are complicated at best. Accompanying you on all of these journeys and happenings is a stellar soundtrack.
While the music is not always present in the game, it is a way to further immerse you in the surroundings. But when it did play, it perfectly encapsulated the feeling of the situation. In the trailer too, during the sequences when we see Messmer laying waste to a city, the soundtrack is appropriately overwhelming, conveying the horrors of the actions we are witnessing.
However, after this, the music takes a marked shift. Not only does it start to even out, but it also starts to sound far more positive. One could even venture to say hopeful. Towards the end, when we see the band of Tarnished huddled around the Great Rune marker, the music has reached what appears to be a triumphant conclusion.
Elden Ring’s DLC Might Be More Positive Than the Base Game
With the emphasis of the music in the final scenes of the trailer being optimistic and the ask of “Will you join us?” Shadow of the Erdtree might do something FromSoftware rarely ever does: end happily. Well, that might be assuming too much. But, given the many fundamental changes happening to Shadow of the Erdtree, it might not be beyond the realm of possibility.
Dropping the trailer exactly a month before the release of the expansion is a great move to get people hyped about the release. While it may be enigmatic, and we still don’t understand what exactly is going to happen in the Land of Shadow, the Soulsborne community is now equal parts excited and nervous after seeing the trailer.
The events of the upcoming DLC are going to further help shape the lore of Elden Ring. Being the largest DLC FromSoftware has released yet, Shadow of the Erdtree could very well set a record and a new standard for DLCs across the gaming industry.
Do you believe FromSoftware might take a positive approach to this DLC? Let us know in the comments below!
