Note: The images presented here are to be read from right to left, cos manga.
I baulked when I first saw that the official Elden Ring manga is a comedy. I even verbally exclaimed, "Have they lost their minds?!" Elden Ring is perhaps the most serious of serious fantasy settings. Dripping with grim dark vibes and filled with mysteries waiting to be uncovered. It presents itself as a serious game for serious gamers, and the world and narrative of it reflect that. Still, here it is with a warning symbol and bold yellow letters, "This is a comedy manga." Curiosity got the better of me, and I read the first two chapters. I now believe this is the best possible adaptation of Elden Ring, the game, into a different medium. This is because the manga's use of comedy perfectly adapts how most players experience the game.
The innuendo-laden physical comedy of the manga sees us follow a new tarnished named Aseo on the same journey the target audience has already been on. Added to this is that because he is a comedy protagonist, he will make many mistakes and get stuck in many precarious situations. This means he reacts the way most players will have when they started on their journey in the game. Alone, confused, naked - the perfect hero. He even makes mistakes I made, like attempting to interact with a much higher-level enemy and failing spectacularly. Or swinging his club at a friendly NPC out of fear and confusion. There is even a point in the second chapter where the world's pretence is discarded, and the levelling and experience system of the game is explained in simpler terms. Complete with a joke at the hero's expense. He is the perfect stand-in for the player.
Away from Aseo, we see the enemy forces in a different light too. We get to witness what they are up to when players aren't around them. It is silly but oddly rewarding reading. It feels like snooping in on their private lives. Godrick the Grafted wants his minions to do their best and make him some weird-looking shit in the process. The horror of Stormveil Castle and its twisted truth is now one with a sense of teamwork at the heart of it. It is brilliant.
In Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree, Nikiichi Tobita has perfectly captured what playing the game feels like because the game itself, intentionally or not, is one of extreme juxtaposition. One where every epic moment or amazing reveal is undercut by a nearby player message that reads, "try finger, but hole." The jokes and silliness of this manga captures that vibe brilliantly. Also, much like the player messages your brain, at least my brain. Logs these things as noncanonical, which allows me to enjoy them without removing myself from the fantastic setting.
I'm hooked and excited to see where this strange trip into a game I love leads.
Elden Ring The Road to the Erdtree can be read here.