soul artsa kickstarter book project, features some of the best concept art for the most popular From Software games, featuring art derived from the lore of games and concepts that don’t quite exist yet. Michael “VaatiVidya” Samuels’ kickstarter project, soul arts, is a collaboration between several artists to design original artworks based on games such as dark souls and Elden Ring. After hosting a series of different art competitions, VaatiVidya presented a selection of artworks on his YouTube channel, with detailed discussions on each piece. soul artshowever, is a physical book featuring the competition’s most inspiring and exciting artwork.
The dark souls, Bloodborne (and more) fan art kickstarter was fully funded in just an hour. The Irish small press, Tune & Fairweather, teamed up with the kickstarter to create the physical deluxe edition, large format art book, soul arts. Tune & Fairweather previously published the critically acclaimed dark souls book you diedan accompanying book to the dark souls video game. The end product of soul arts contains 256 pages of color illustrations, a foreword, and detailed descriptions of the game concepts and art. Within the soul arts book, the passion, adoration and innovation of FromSoftware fans is fully on display.
Tune and Fairweather is also going to release a FromSoftware project: a huge Dark Souls project that collects knowledge in two books called Abyssal Archive. The love and care for From Software games like Demon Souls and Elden Ring– which wasn’t even released when the art competition for its category took place – is clearly visible on every page and on every piece of art. In addition to simply paying tribute, artists also envisioned their own concepts that would be perfect for possible sequels or DLC for certain games. In his foreword, VaatiVidya says about the art and the concepts: “the entries that follow aren’t ranked in any way – they’re simply a testament to the artists who created them, and fascinating love letters to FromSoftware’s creations.”
Demon’s Souls Sixth Archstone: The Twisted City
Originally released in 2009, later remastered for the Playstation 5 in 2020, Demon Souls was the first souls game ever released. Demon SoulsBoletaria, before the Colorless Mist, was a very different land from the five worlds to explore in the game. By defeating bosses, several Archstones become available that allow the return to the Nexus. Originally, FromSoftware planned to have a total of six main Archstones, but had to scrap the last one due to time constraints. The sixth Archstone appears in Demon Souls like a broken artifact that cannot be used. In soul arts, a section is devoted to art imagining what the world of the Northern Limit and sixth Archstone might look like – from different areas, creatures and battles, and what their backstories might hold.
although Demon Souls includes director Miyakazi’s favorite boss fight, it lacks artist Timothy Kelly’s sixth Archstone concept of the Twisted City. soul arts describes the Twisted City as a place that is distorted and curved, with snow and fog glistening across the landscape. The Twisted City is woven from pre-existing fabric by The Weaver, who is present all over the city. Everything there was a twisted version of the City of Giants. In the Twisted City, shadows change everything about the city. Timothy Kelly’s art, as well as the written concept by VaatiVidya, make for a very intriguing storyline that is just the beginning of the “what-if” introduced in soul arts.
Dark Souls: The Unseen Lands Fans Crave
Ten years later, dark souls is still significant as one of the most groundbreaking and influential video games in history. soul arts featured some of the best concept artwork focused on the invisible lands mentioned, but never visited within the lore and gameplay of dark souls. Artist Brent Lecluyse’s two conceptual artworks of the land of Carim, a country that prays for the end of the Undead Curse, as undead is treated quite harshly in the city. While playing dark soulsYou may encounter quite a few of Carim’s characters, but never visit the country yourself or learn much more about the country. Brent Lecluyse’s imaginative portrayal of what could have been Carim inside dark souls is a powerful reminder of all the knowledge and secrets still kept within the three dark souls spell.
Soul Arts Collections An Elden Ring Boss Art Contest
The many bosses of Elden Ring are one of the most unique features of Elden Ringthough their infamous difficulty is a classic FromSoftware approach. Initially revealed in 2019, the astonishing silence that followed for any news from Elden Ring left a lot of FromSoftware fans into a concerned frenzy that the game may never come. Awaiting more news and updates for Elden RingWith the release of VaatiVidya, VaatiVidya hosted an art competition that encouraged artists to imagine what different bosses and boss encounters might look like in the game. Many of the subsequent artworks would have fitted beautifully Elden Ring, while others can create their own world. the compound Elden Ring conceptual artworks in soul arts reveal the deep depths of imagination, creativity and passion of FromSoftware fans all over the world.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Prosthetic Art Challenge
the bosses of sekiro cast a long shadow on other FromSoftware games, as are many elements of the critically acclaimed Sekiro: Shadows die twice. Averting the focus from full character customization, instead focusing on customizing the main character’s prosthesis. In front of soul arts, artists were invited to conceptualize a prosthesis and detail the combat mechanics for in-game use. Lucas Reiner invented the sticky bomb prosthesis, which would use both the hand and the arm. Reiner’s piece, and the whole sekiro part of soul arts, continues to show the endless possibilities of FromSoftware’s admirers spell.
Bloodborne: Concept Arts begs for sequel
If the concepts for never-before-seen lands and creatures weren’t enough to create FromSoftware fans long for more, the art competitions for Bloodborne contains inspired fantasies. Bloodborne and sekiro evolved combat from dark soulscreating entirely new gameplay experiences that FromSoftware . have taken to a higher level to even higher ground. Bloodborne‘s part of soul arts is entirely devoted to fans’ fantasies about settings, characters, and gameplay of a sequel to Bloodborne. Artist Istrandar imagined the fate of Caryll, a runesmith who is one of the most important, but never-before-seen figures of Byrgenwerth. Istrandar imagines Caryll’s thirst for knowledge, leaving Byrgenwerth and working tirelessly to communicate with the Great. By dangerous methods, Caryll transcends her human form into that of a gigantic, beastly owl, communicating with the Great forever and inspiring whispers of her dangerous parentage.
During the whole soul artsthere’s no shortage of vibrant visuals, fierce dedication and amazing storytelling for the great FromSoftware release. Every contribution is a reminder of how important FromSoftware’s games are for players. From Software has confirmed multiple new projects, one of which is already in its final stages, meaning there will be more worlds, creatures, and storylines to fall in love with. Waiting for news from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Elden Ring was often discouraging, as FromSoftware is notoriously tight-lipped during development. Many fans are currently hoping that one of these games could be a sequel to Elden Ringbut just as many hope that FromSoftware will release their groundbreaking worlds of Bloodborne and sekiro first. Read through the beautiful and terrifying art and lore of soul arts emphasizes how unbearable it is not yet, if ever, to get the chance to explore new aspects of these worlds. soul arts is the perfect complement to this one From Software games, evoking nostalgia for the first playthroughs of games, the agonizing wait for more, the creativity of the fanbase, and yet, the desire for more and more as these concept artworks are some of the most intriguing games not (yet) made .
Sources: Kickstarter, Tune & Fairweather, VaatiVidya/YouTube
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