Elden Ring continues to be incredibly popular months after its release, with players finding new and more challenging ways to beat the game and still discovering its secrets. Despite having nothing as far as DLC and expansion packs at this time, Elden Ring continues to give back to the gaming community. Now, it has one more unexpected thing to give to the anime community in an official manga.
It is not so unexpected that Elden Ring is becoming a manga of all things; after all, FromSoftware is based in Japan. So rather than becoming a comic or graphic novel, it's being adapted into a manga. What is a surprise is the genre of the manga. Elden Ring is famous for its somber, dark atmosphere and grotesque, gothic designs, but the manga reads more like a comedy.
The series, titled Elden Ring: Road to the Erdtree, is published by FromSoftware's parent company, Kadokawa, which means it is officially licensed. The manga is written by Nikiichi Tobita, who has experience with writing comedy series. Chapters for the series are expected to be released twice a month.
Road to the Erdtree follows the story of an original character named Asea. Asea is in the role of the Wretched Tarnished, which is one of the most famous backstories to choose from when beginning the game. Wretched Tarnished start the game basically naked and with little to no skill, making it an incredibly difficult starting path.
The Wretched Tarnished definitely makes for good storytelling, though, especially in a comedy. Who wouldn't laugh at a nearly naked man just trying to do his best to make it through the horrific and notoriously dangerous world of The Lands Between? Along his journey, Asea will be assisted by the NPC character Melina (just like players of the game) and meet other recognizable characters, too, like Ranni the Witch, Blaidd the Half-Wolf, and Patches the Untethered to name a few.
Road to the Erdtree is currently available in 12 languages and can be read online for free. This makes the world of Elden Ring accessible not only for hardcore gamers, but anyone who is interested in the world of The Lands Between and the story of the Tarnished. Since it's a light-hearted version of the story, anyone can enjoy reading it and even more people can discover what is truly a magnificent world.
If Road to the Erdtree does well, it may even open doors for other games to be adapted in the same way. A few Western game series have had novel spin-offs set in their huge worlds, like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Assassin's Creed. Not only does it make the game accessible to more people, but it also lets the lore and characters be explored on an even deeper level. Hopefully, this endeavor for Elden Ring can pave the way for even more adaptations in the future.
You can read the Elden Ring: Road to the Erdtreehere.
Source: IGN
