Polygon Attacks FromSoftware! Malenia Is Awful Because...Feminism? ( Rant )

Apparently FromSoftware hates women according to Polygon, so let's talk.
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[@EndymionTv]

Another day, another western gaming news outlet trying to say we're all awful people. Let me know what you think, don't harass nobody & subscribe to give my life meaning. My next video is coming imminently too. See you in the next one.

[@ioanvalentinpavlov605]

No mather how FS make their female characters/bosses . Thei will still complain about them . If she was to easy they would say they reinforce the stereotype that women are weak etc .

[@babyoda1973]

No Melanie is headed over here because she is a strong boss b**** who like really kicked my ass

[@soulsbornepgamingchannel3755]

Keep up the good work these salty western developers always have news outlets pumping out this hateful garbage glad some people out here have a platform to hightlight this stuff I think they just jealous and don’t get it fromsoft is a boss of gaming and world building they have the formula we love and malenia is goddess and most challenging fight in the whole of fromsoft history 🎉 their silly argument has no weight in logic 😅

[@soulsbornepgamingchannel3755]

@@jordankeller1099 yes you have valid point their but I still think fromsoft has manga style of rawness and perception so yes the doll in bloodborne the fire keepers role is dark souls I hear you but would not want them to change and bow down to these PC types who regulate literally everything we see with censorship and I prefer watching things with less censorship they just hit Better like the new cyber punk edge runner series….imaging if that was made say by Neil druckman it would of been completely different

[@SirCanuckelhead]

@@jordankeller1099 don't forget, this isn't western culture. A lot of gender roles still exist in Japan and their people are not going "woke" over it.

[@alantremonti1381]

Malenia is a warrior who overcame her disability to become one of the most powerful women in the universe and the champion of her brother, whose life work was to cure his sister and protect the downtrodden--a-am I...am I losing it? Have I not summarized this succinctly enough? This is a non-issue, right? Right?!

[@luketfer]

This, Malenia is regarded as one of THE biggest badasses in all of Elden Ring and only the gigachad that is General Radhan is as popular and that's because, before going mad, General Radhan did things like learn gravity magic just so he could keep riding Leonard and was considered a 'father to his men'. Meanwhile Malenia, as you mentioned, not only overcame her disability but utilized it in fighting as well as being the champion to the downtrodden and looking to continue her brothers work in protecting them.

[@dancreary3340]

They'll make it an issue

[@FayN_]

the fact that fromsoft unnintentionally make the thing that western media would praise of, a strong independent women who overcome their weakness and become someone great and still get shit on is beyond stupid.

[@Rexis102]

@@luketfer the only blunder on Malenia (and it’s a pretty big one) was her unwarranted attack on Caelid. There are two ways you can look at it. Either Mohg stole Miquela and Malenia tracked him to Caelid (not realizing he was deep beneath Caelid) and was stopped by Radahn for bringing an invasive force at his doorstep, or she was attacking Radahn specifically as a ploy for power and was invading Caelid with ill-intent. Then Mohg stole Miquela while she was preoccupied fighting Radahn. Either way, she resorted to nuking the whole country with rot just so she wouldn’t have to give up her “undefeated” title with a draw that permanently wiped out Caelid’s ecosystem. Malenia perseveres but she is not someone to be admired with how shallow she behaved towards the end of her life.

[@itsssnek810]

@@luketfer Malenia: Gigachadette of Miquella. Starscourge Gigachad Radahn

[@BrinkOfInfamy]

“Just when you think you’ve knocked her down, she gets back up” Breaking news, Polygon writer discovers multi-phase fights

[@andregiannotti1310]

go away scam bot

[@Leafsw0rd]

It's only in 2022 that Polygon discovered the concept of the Surprise Second Health Bar.

[@HeatIIEXTEND]

Which leaves it scared and confused.

[@NordicVigilante]

@@Leafsw0rd they've never been far enough in a game to have these occur, but im confused... theres no way they actually played this and got to the melania fight let alone her 2nd phase. I REFUSE to believe it would ever happen

[@Puritan09]

To be fair, none of them ever make it to phase 2 anyway

[@christaylor7079]

The true endgame of any Souls game is fighting the urge to cringe yourself to death when reading western media about it

[@SirCanuckelhead]

Here I thought reading west media about ER was the reward for being punished in game. Makes me feel better about enjoying a great game (a genre I am not a big fan of) and persevering through it to see all the cries of others. Normally I don’t enjoy it unless fully self inflected.

[@EndymionTv]

Western media makes me think it’s just designed to make people hate themselves

[@michaelbulls5872]

Haha I love that!

[@YTDariuS-my6dg]

Well, as a wise man once said, "We're not even sure a game journalist can beat it" And what you can't beat, you criticize for disingenuous faults that could only apprear if you have no idea about the material, walk five km away from your screen, and squint really *really* hard.

[@michaelbulls5872]

@@YTDariuS-my6dg Preach brother!

[@FeralDawn]

Wow, they did her a disservice by calling her evil. Malenia's not evil, she's stricken with rage and grief because Miquella was abducted and it sent her on a warpath.

[@DmpstrPirate]

And that's if she even knows. She's blind so she could simply be protective of the brother she doesn't even know is dead and gone... She's the blade of miquellas who was to be the savior of the lands between and is said that he was beloved by everyone. If anything she's a hero who's kingdom has fallen. A broken sword with a falling warrior. She deserves more than polygon

[@celfhelp]

there is no room for nuance in ideologies that deal exclusively in juvenile absolutes

[@schnek8927]

So, uhh... Correct me if i'm wrong, but if what Endy says in this video is correct then she ABSOLUTELY and *UNDENIABLY* is evil... Extremely so, without doubt... I never liked this mentality of "blatantly evil characters aren't evil because sad thing happened to them"... It's honestly really messed up, because the people arguing it show no distinction between "yes they're evil, but they aren't real so i like them anyway" and "BAD PEOPLE ARE GOOD BECAUSE EMOTIONS!"

[@Mis666fit]

Malenia is evil she invaded Radahn and nuked Caelid and infected it with scarlet rot she is very evil

[@TheRisky9]

On top of it, she's actually the nicest of the demigods that you fight. The others call you names, talk down to you, gloat about their empire, try to eat you, or just lob spears at you. Malenia wakes up, and talks to you about the scarlet rot, her brother, and then tells you who she is. She's also the only demigod you fight who shows you any gratitude if you return the unalloyed gold needle to her.

[@fabiomp199]

"From soft makes all woman evil" Queelag: Tragic woman who along with her sister helps an entire population that is suffering from an endless downpour of poison. She takes the humanity of people who try to invade her home and uses them to sooth the pain her sister feels after consuming the poison from uncountable numbers of people. Witch of Izolith: She tried to create a powerful flame that could help continue the age of fire as she believed it would continue peace and prosperity. Accidentally created demons. Lady Maria: Stuck In a nightmare realm trying to protect the orphan of Kos feeling the weight of the crimes her people have performed upon it. Fighting you to try and prevent that crime to happen in the nightmare. Priscilla: She stands tall and does not attack you. She sees the world she's in as a gentle place and even helps you get out without needing to fight. She attacks to defend herself! These are just a handful of examples. And only the bosses. Not even touching npcs yet

[@TheRisky9]

Malenia Blade of Miquella: Is the protector of her brother, who built the Hailig tree to house those who are outcasts of the Golden Order. When you meet her, she's quite cordial to you after you broke into her home, interrupted her sleep, and spoiled the sanctuary. Sure, she's probably not happy about it but she also doesn't gloat, throw things at you, call you names, or try to eat you like her siblings. It's like she's used to dealing with the misunderstood. On top of it, if you return her gold needle to her, she will graciously reward you with an Ancient Dragon Somber Smithing Stone as well as the means to defy your very own corrupted outer god.

[@SmilingMatthew]

Shanalotte: "Bearer of the curse. I will be at your side, until hope has fully wilthered." Sounds evil AF, ight?

[@crazyorganist1609]

​@@SmilingMatthew I believe Shanalotte actually cares about you.

[@SmilingMatthew]

@@crazyorganist1609 yeah, that's my point

[@FayeLawnKrack3d]

How about the doll in Bloodborne? She literally tells you she loves you!

[@etapoopoo2946]

“These characters are actively fetishized” bruh malenia is literally rotting from the inside and out.

[@EndymionTv]

Stop using logic! It won’t work on them

[@Yegros1972]

Somewhere on the internet that is a fetish, and I am scared of that fact

[@meerkats9317]

Now we know what Ploygon journalists jerk off to

[@jamalisujang2712]

@@Yegros1972 have you ever heard of the maggot girl?

[@nahuelkid]

That rotussy has acting unwise

[@alanthe2]

You can fight her as a woman if that’s how you choose to build your character. So, what are we supposed to draw from that scenario? The scope these games give you to mould the base story around your own imagination is so broad that it becomes entirely subjective. Maybe your female character isn’t travelling through The Lands Between to become Elden Lord. Maybe she sees herself as Malenia’s true rival and that’s why she’s returned. Her ultimate, singular goal is to defeat her. Now, that’s a great story and it involves the most difficult boss without even a hint of sexism. This is how you play the game.

[@Bleilock1]

genuinely couldnt have better said it myself, thank you

[@EndymionTv]

Facts

[@VindensSaga]

My character was a woman, lol.

[@DainHunter]

@@VindensSaga DISCRIMINATION xD

[@deathshop2172]

and also, even if you play as a man, she beats your ass for hours and hours and hours. she's not some kind of weak ass boss

[@EldenLord.]

The journalist who wrote this should be fired immediately and never be allowed to write articles again. This is disgusting.

[@g.v4848]

It's probably just a clickbait article to manufacture outrage.

[@EndymionTv]

Well if they want outrage it worked!

[@Noizzed]

@@EndymionTv And that's why he would probably get a raise rather than getting fired.

[@krypto051]

it really shows how that person didn't even play the game, or at the very least didn't read any lore concering Malenia. It is wrong on so many levels

[@65firered]

This is Polygon this is ALL they have, this is all they write. Their entire brand is rage bait virtue signaling.

[@VoidShyrok]

Malenia. Lady Maria. Sister Frieja. You know what all three of these women made me feel? FEAR. Not because they made me feel like less of a man, they just made me fear for my life. Actually, why haven't any of these journos talked about Artorias? Dude was fighting us with a shattered arm. He was a champion of the disabled.

[@stevenlee3240]

Yeah, they are indeed hot ngl, but damn, even if you pay my 10 mil, I wouldn’t get anywhere near them. They’re freaking terrified. Western shit should take note that they don’t need to put down men to glorify women. They just need to write a strong woman. These women need no men to make them feared by everyone. They themselves are natural disaster.

[@reza.muhammad8067]

while having some mental problem to

[@fabuloussecretstandopawaaa9340]

And that shattered arm is his dominant arm too

[@mohammadsaleem5990]

@@fabuloussecretstandopawaaa9340 wasn't it his shield arm?

[@theknghtofni3912]

@@mohammadsaleem5990 there's no confirmation either way, but my head canon is that he was left handed and had to swap to using his right when his dominant arm was shattered. Pretty sure he was left handed though, especially with the ds2 artorias sword that only has a special moveset when wielded in the left hand, and also the ds1 cover art shows a knight charging forward with a suspiciously similar looking sword and shield wielded left hand dominant

[@wizardfurby]

as a woman, i've always loved characters like malenia and lady maria. not only are they fun to fight but they're both so well written. not to mention malenia's nudity is one of the few times i've seen female nudity not being sexualized in modern media. having well written badass female characters with flaws and their own stories is empowering. i am tired of women being depicted as victims and saints.

[@MKTyphon]

It probably that she rots her clothing if she wear them. Even her own body.

[@carljohan9265]

Bricky described it as "Miyazaki somehow made a naked woman look tasteful", and I agree :)

[@herefortheshrimp1469]

I have to agree - the first time I saw Malenia’s god form I was taken back at how they so obviously wanted her to be stunning in a completely unsexual way - you should be scared, no one was turned on lol I’m extremely impressed with the well thought-out, interesting, and determined women they have in their games. I’m sad that isn’t being praised as it should be 😢

[@carljohan9265]

@@herefortheshrimp1469 For me the best boss cinematic was Malekith's second phase reveal. It shows him in a truly majestic way and looks so damn cool. Also, on the topic of good fromsoft characters, Emma from Sekiro. Man I love everything about her, including her speech mannerism and voice (the japanese one), and the one good thing about the shura end is that you get to see her sword skills, which are badass.

[@gammaphoenix5893]

You are free to walk around naked. But to act as if it's not utterly degenerate act and is somehow badass and empowering is just plain delusion.

[@sonicshadowNT]

“Fromsoftware writes women as evil and awful” Gwynevere, Sieglinde, Priscilla, The Emerald Harald, Shalquoir, Anri, The Painter, Roderika, Rya, and Nepheli would all like to have a word. Just to name a few. Edit: I’m aware I didn’t include EVERY awesome female in FS games in my original comment, but thank you for posting all of your favorites and further proving my point :D

[@EndymionTv]

Lmao exactly

[@ignorethis214]

I'll add the main characters Princess Katia and Tara from Lost Kingdoms 1 and 2 respectively. My personal favorite FromSoftware games, though I'm dating myself a bit here.

[@sebicmiel4221]

The Plain Doll Emma the Gentle Blade

[@FayN_]

they didn't play the game, how would they know? that's why they only wrote character that widely known like "secret" boss or hardest boss in the game

[@Dawubbz]

Don't forget Eileen too!

[@zen7RZ]

"They exist in tragically declined worlds, sharing a specific brokenness, disfigurement, abandonment & loss..." That's LITERALLY Everybody & Everything in FromSoft Games, EVEN THE DAMN DOGS!!!!! Even the flowers lmao

[@Hussain_Zaki]

Holy shit dude, you just won a giveaway. What are the odds of that?

[@klove5974]

This! EVERYBODY JACKED UP! The whole world be dying and people thinking this section of JUST men or just women is surviving. Um no.

[@zen7RZ]

@@Hussain_Zaki Scam bot

[@Hussain_Zaki]

@@zen7RZ Holy shit dude, you just won a giveaway by a scambot. What are the odds of that?

[@kellmedd4925]

@@Hussain_Zaki Ngl that is funny lol

[@royalratvanguardd]

Very confused about this, I'm a woman and I think Malenia is one of the coolest characters ever! She's heroic in her own right, with a beautiful and inspiring story of struggle and adoration toward her brother. She's right up there among my favourite female FS characters, Anri and Eileen. I actually love how FS writes women, especially as a more tomboy girl their outfits are so cool and its the only series i can happily fantasize about dressing like other women (characters). They just use any excuse to attack From Software and us fans. (Edit note: I know the Anri gender stuff.)

[@EndymionTv]

They just wanna attack yes

[@royalratvanguardd]

@@EndymionTv It's so ridiculous when all we do is sit and enjoy the games lovingly handcrafted for us. They just weaponise feminism to fit their narrative in current Twitter culture tbh, it's an insult to women using us for clicks like they do.

[@Needler13]

Because western media only want women to be like 80's action movie that men used to be, you know...fucking John Rambo from part 2 and up and not the PTSD tortured man he was in first blood. Western media doesn't want a women character to be a character,they must want a Wattpad self insert that is all powerful. Basically they want Isekai power fantasies but with a women instead

[@techorix]

When I saw that Miquella is actually a man (name sounds female right?) I kind of noticed that FS really doesn't care about gender. Even the armors for both body types look very similar and don't display the usual over sexualization of women. It's really about a cool story and game experience. You have every right to identify with and love any character in the game you choose to. All have deep motivation and are written just as we are used it from Japanese. No black and white. Just full of flashy colors :)

[@billfred9411]

Within the game she wasn't even known as evil either. Millicent even says "The dignity, the sense of self, that allowed her to resist the call of the scarlet rot". She is basically saying Malenia was honorable and never used the scarlet rot till the shattering when she faced Radahn. Nobody is really totally innocent in Elden ring except maybe that that one guys daughter who gets murdered on the road or the jar people. Even Blaidd who seems good is really just a puppet for Ranni who is just the lesser of the evils.

[@iZombieMomo]

As a female, I hecking LOOOOVE Malenia, she as amazing boss with a sad story, but I love how even though she is shown as rotting she still beautiful, her move sets are elegant and the flower just add that bit of softness to her. When I got to her and faced her I dead straight away because I was just amazed by the boss room and her in general. This “reporter” needs to get over themselves, and stop trying to mess with Malenia!!

[@crazyorganist1609]

FromSoft fans always aggressively protect the games they love

[@miimiibeschde4818]

​@@crazyorganist1609Fans do that

[@HermeticJazz]

​@@crazyorganist1609the characters they love.

[@alaskajaeger8716]

"We just like Hot women doing dope shit in cool video games" that is just perfect

[@RangerAce1290]

How is it they have a problem with Malenia of all people? She has a terminal illness that cost her an arm and both legs, yet even with prosthetics she is regarded as one of the strongest characters in Elden Ring. Polygon has a problem with that, but not Mogh literally kidnapping, abusing, and trying to marry his own half brother? What the actual fuck?

[@bombsawaykaboom980]

While this is all true and fucked up… you raise a point

[@EndymionTv]

Welcome to the western gaming journo’s thought process

[@jamalisujang2712]

Mogh is their rolemodel, actually.

[@samueltitone5683]

No, some idiots have already tried to cancel Elden Ring because “Mohg is bad LGBT representation.”

[@gaiden_tai]

Mogh is male so it's all right

[@user-ds8nm1rg5m]

You're not the only one who has a bone with pick with Western media these days, almost everyone is disappointed. Love your content btw.

[@EndymionTv]

Thanks V! I’ll continue to critique these clowns

[@originalityisdead.9513]

@@EndymionTv I honestly wouldn't be suprised if your channel gets a warning and then demonetised and then a ban or depending on who complains a ban before anything else. They can't accept criticism and when proven wrong they cry either, hate speech, racism or sexism. You've earned my sub and respect for having the balls to go after these self righteous, delusional a holes.

[@Grothgerek]

What do you define as "western media"? If I look into america, there is quite a wide variety of news outlets. Saying that such a clickbait article represents western media, is like saying that Fox News is the voice of all american people... Clickbait articles are just clickbait articles. They only exist thanks to the internet, and aren't a representation of journalism in the first place.

[@seracris8357]

I believe that these articles aren't always honest. I believe they intentionally write these to piss people off so they get the attention they need to survive.

[@MisterK9739]

The placement of this spam-bot is absolutely ironic

[@4323dustin]

Well it definitely isn't a good survival tactic, they are lashing out for attention but eventually everyone will tune out and there company will die, if anything these people should see a resemblance in Melania and relate to it that western gaming media has its own kind of scarlet rot that's killing it from the inside.

[@tkraid2575]

A sad life to live. Good thing I don't read articles for games. Game journalism used to be so cool back in the day where writers were actually gamers who write about good builds, good strategies, and good summaries of a game's lore. Now it's just a bunch of randoms thinking they're gamers just because they own a console 😩

[@MuricaTurkey]

💯

[@scratchy996]

They will do anything for clicks.

[@averagejoe5145]

They didn't seem to get that Malenia only SEEMS emotionless because she's implied to be trying to RESIST the Outer God who chose her as its champion. She gave in to despair ONCE with Radahn & accidentally unleashed Scarlet Rot on a part of the world when that despair caused her to "bloom." By the time the player finds her, it's been YEARS since she unleashed the Scarlet Rot & it seems like she's barely keeping it together. That's to be expected though considering that she's internally struggling against an OUTER GOD though! The fact that she's held herself together for so long speak VOLUMES about her inner strength in addition to the strength she displays in battle!

[@TheRisky9]

She's also incredibly gracious despite being a goddess. If you return the Unalloyed Gold needle to her, Malenia will reward you with an Ancient Somber Smithing Stone (needed to put your weapon at the highest level) as well as provide you the means to defy the three fingers and frenzied flame. Depending on how you interpret Millicent's character, you can also get some insight on Malenia. I tend to think Millicent IS Malenia, at least some part of her personality. Millicent is also a character who has a lot of gratitude. Even if you decide to be an ass and attack her unprovoked, Millicent will say, that despite that, she will never forget what you did to help her.

[@averagejoe5145]

@@TheRisky9 I think I heard that Millicent's sidequest has hints in it indicating that the Unalloyed Gold Needle will also bring Malenia's former self back if you don't betray Millicent. I know it's not stated outright, but it's a nice silver lining to think about at least.

[@HJ-ek6hn]

Love the fact that you used Majula's background music as the background music here, Majula is my favorite hub from the souls series

[@elendiel0101]

Polygon: "I dont like loosing to bosses, and I have a useless 150k dollar english degree, therefore... something something sexism in video games"

[@EndymionTv]

I lost to a boss...it must be sexist

[@sampeacey4854]

If Malenia was male, they’d find a way to write an article about toxic masculinity

[@thatitalianlameguy2235]

Well that's exactly how you get clicks, you fell for it. writing a good article about the game doesn't get views

[@natashamaddox3117]

@@thatitalianlameguy2235 And JOURNALISM SHOULDNT BE ABOUT METRICS IT SHOULD BE ABOUT GODDAMN JOURNALISM

[@thefuturist8864]

Nothing wrong with an English degree so long as you don’t mistake it for a science degree and believe it can reveal reality to you.

[@pyrrha579]

I’m a woman and I adore Malenia and Elden ring as a whole, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her. She was a highlight of the game for me and a true challenge that felt amazing to overcome.

[@abysspresence6820]

And that's the real objective, not that nonsense from polygon...

[@scratchy996]

The real challenge is to overcome reading Polygon articles without losing your mind.

[@HJ-ek6hn]

That's because you're normal, people like those who work at Polygon are mentally challenged

[@notgonnapay]

She may be even more badass than Lady Maria from Bloodborne.

[@NotIfICU1st_]

Thank you. You said the word that summarizes what polygon has become, insufferable.

[@EndymionTv]

Not just Polygon but yes haha

[@Jefstito]

Also.. people hate Malenia as a bos, but lost people love her as a character. Her story its so tragic and compelling you cant help but empathize with her. She is very well written

[@dapperspider3766]

tbh, Lady Maria has been my favorite FS boss thus far. She was tough, and her intro sequence was enticing, wanting me to know more about this ostensibly normal looking hunter of the Nightmare. Where every other arena boss was some eldritch horror or hunter turned abomination... There Was Maria, regal, proud, and altogether terrifying.

[@liamobrien9186]

Fromsoftware treats their female characters with far more respect than most devs these days simply because they are interesting characters before they are women. You could make all of the female characters male in any FS game and it wouldn't really change my outlook on them as characters. I feel that whenever western devs make female characters, their entire being is concerned with men. Which is just super shallow, like once you figure that out you can assume the character's entire motivations. FS character's are far deeper than that. They're perplexing and imperfect but that makes them interesting. Which I believe is why I respect them so much, because I can't help but be curious about them.

[@cappzap]

such an important take that they're interesting character before gender. so many writers focus so much on basic innate characteristics as if it's vital to their identity when really an identity is the things that u can influence, like personality, growth and development, etc.

[@LargeInCharge77]

Exactly, you know a female character is written poorly when their whole personality and motives revolves around men, the patriarchy, and so on. Like apparently they cant just be interesting people.

[@rabidcabbage7230]

from soft just treats them like characters not girls. They are written like everybody else with their own story, that's what makes it special

[@nightmarishcompositions4536]

Exactly. From does a better job with writing equality than the Twitter writers in most western media these days.

[@cadenboissineau4604]

"People hate mileenia because feminism." Everyone else: We hate her because she literally doomed the lands between with a cursed rot bomb.

[@EndymionTv]

I just hate water fowl dance

[@FayN_]

and some hate her because she has bs move to kill you instantly there is never about women, if anything she's often compared to lady maria and sister fride boss fight that much more polished and fair despite having extreme difficulty

[@solidsnakeshugecake]

I hate her because she cheats, she does stuff like stay alive at 0 hp while I'm still hitting her... Annoying boss 🙄

[@fenris5932]

I mean I hate a different female character for dooming the lands between by breaking the alien magic that kept death working without any consideration of the consequences and actively support yet another female character for going "Fuck the alien magic, I'll make my own natural order with blackjack and hookers", although i don't support the fratricide

[@william41017]

I'm just now learnig that people hate Malenia, wow

[@Lila_S.]

wtf? Malenia is not a hated character. If anything, I find it empowering that she is the toughest enemy in the game.

[@Retro_Rainer]

yeah, the problem is that this polygon writer sees her as evil. you can't make this shit up. in a world where almost EVERYONE sucks, they chose to pick the most badass woman with one of the most unfortunate fates, who btw basically gives her life to protect her brother. how should a woman be represented for those idiots to approve? I don't get it. apparently they don't like women like the firekeepers or the absolute sweetheart we know as roderika, because "they are merely helpful none characters." at the same time they don't like the most accomplished warrior of that world to be a woman, because you have to fight her. I'm at a loss for words.

[@SunlightGwyn]

She’s definitely hated by some since she’s an unforgiving boss, but she’s a fan favorite character. And nobody hates her because she’s a woman, lol.

[@EndymionTv]

Stop making sense! Only outrage!

[@Lila_S.]

@@SunlightGwyn yeah, I know what you mean, they hate boss fight with her, but character wise- she is well liked. That's why I was surprised. Even if you don't pay attention to lore, they made her devotion to her twin pretty obvious and people ate that. That sibling bond is often compared to Twin Princes and I don't think any character inspired as much fanart as she is, even after the game was released. I am just baffled in general with this text, because it's really bizarre when someone tells me how I, as a woman, felt about something with such confidence and authority. The audacity...

[@Lila_S.]

@@Retro_Rainer It's definitely a clickbait. The author doesn't even realise, but calling Roderika or Rya non-characters would provoke more outrage in ER community because we are such simps for them in "must protect by all means" sense.

[@Halosrighthand]

I love how to even write this article they had to dance around the fact she's literally the daughter of a female GOD, and that her Ranni and Melina are deeply beloved main characters as incredibly powerful women who had to sacrifice their entire ways of life to complete their goals.

[@fluff6811]

Imagine thinking Malenia being a woman is at all an important element of her character…lol Like seriously it’s just not that deep

[@Ocelot93]

Imagine this people seeing anything more than sex and gender

[@maxcharlier4389]

Clearly the article writer ignored Rya - isn't her quest like the only one in the game that doesn't have to end in death? You help her discover body positivity :)

[@minespatch]

And Lucatiel from DS2.

[@EndymionTv]

You think journalists actually play games? That’s too much work for them

[@minespatch]

@@EndymionTv I bet they were the kids who threw their homework in the trash. 😆

[@mikeoxsmal69]

@@minespatch I agree, but its very strange how they manage to get so well “educated” in English literature. considering they don’t have the patience to play a bloody game, how the hell did they sit through GCSE’s and get half decent grades?

[@minespatch]

@@mikeoxsmal69 Maybe they were trustfund kids?

[@thatchild4522]

Malenia is a woman that despite her shortcomings, became one of the strongest Demi gods, she lies in wait for her brother, who she hasn’t seen in ages, she gives you hell because she wants her brother back. I find her boss fight to be amazing, simply because she’s a boss that kicks your ass while being fun, and she shows what a true god is by having bs attacks and abilities we don’t possess ourselves.

[@Sly_404]

Ironic, accusing FromSoftware of objectifying women, while having on their front page an article named: "Mamma mia, Nintendo stole Mario’s whole ass in his upcoming movie"

[@windmolen00]

Western media can't make a good female character to save their lives. Meanwhile Japan has a new cool female characters that are bad ass every day.

[@deusex9731]

Malenia manages to be a naked woman and not be sexualised by the game at all in my opinion. She is such a cool character.

[@manusiakamar8788]

I havent played elden ring , but from what i see every bossfight is mostly looks like a classical painting especialy Malenias bossfight, absolutely beautiful , cant believe western journalist missed that.

[@nightmare_1337]

In theory western journalists should love Malenia since Malenia is the "strongest" woman in all of video games.

[@EndymionTv]

They probably would if Malenia was a POC

[@jamalisujang2712]

@@EndymionTv Isn't her VA brown?

[@breadeats]

@@jamalisujang2712 yup. But they dont know that and thank god they dont, otherwise you would see article about fromsoft "white washing" female VA.

[@firstnamelastname4824]

@@jamalisujang2712 yep

[@nightmarishcompositions4536]

They mentioned they disliked her because she’s attractive and appeals to the ‘male gaze’ I guess they only would’ve liked her if she was ugly and irrationally hated all men lol.

[@ItsZim0]

Malenia has never come across as monstrous to me. If I were to nitpick, the only monstrous thing about her the aftermath of her attack on Caelid. But even then, I bet it's because she suspected her brother was taken there after he was kidnapped. Little did she know that Miquella is not *AT* Caelid, but *BELOW* Caelid. I mean it's her twin, ofc she would not hold back to save him.

[@lemonlefleur6236]

“They tend to portray women as evil” What the fuck do you call the Level up Maidens then? “Oh god they’re helping me grow stronger! How vile!”

[@well_said7846]

From software has had much more representation for women in very important roles for a long time, way before western developers gave two shits about feminism. Not to mention you can play a woman of any colour on the RGB spectrum. Also they are absolutely wrong about Malenia's second phase. It's not supposed to be grotesque or monstrous, but just a different kind of beauty. When I was teleported to Caelid, I damn near shat myself. But after while, I did see the beauty as well. Which is why the rot priests worship her.

[@brycebledsoe3870]

She wasn't evil, she literally only attacks you because she doesn't understand you aren't here to kill her. Tbh if there was a way to talk to her and not have to kill her then I would. The worst part of elden ring is that she kinda fell at the finish line of her story unfortunately

[@xXSamir44Xx]

There's actually cut content that involved you talking to and potentially helping her. Possibly even another ending? Not sure about that last one.

[@radicalgear391]

Evil is subjective. Don’t let one braindead journalist completely polarize you to the side of Malenia. She’s still irredeemable. The tragedies she spawned with one decision far outweigh her own tragedies. She deserves the death we bring her. Being a sympathetic villain doesn’t absolve you of wrongdoing. Than being said I love hating her as a villain because that’s the point. So I’d still call her a pretty well done character that I relish killing as Millicent or any of my other characters. She’s definitely not some one dimensional misogyny character so the journalist is still tone deaf. But by no stretch could you call malenia a “good person”

[@humorm4152]

@@xXSamir44Xx Milicent quest kinda feel cut for that lmao I know you can use the needle only after but ey dlc please let me save her to fight the main boss inside her dream

[@theboy1625]

That’s one thing I dislike about these games is that you can never befriend these characters and are always forced to fight

[@thelordaethereal]

​@@theboy1625 That's From software for you. Even if you save them or help them, no one is safe. Just look at Irina/Hyetta or Millicent, or even Boc.

[@Amalgam03]

If the first thing you identify in a character is their gender, I don’t think it’s the character that’s the problem…

[@crazyorganist1609]

As an agender person I can 100% agree with this

[@rustinst.claire2006]

The thing that I always appreciate about FS is that it's often completely irrelevant if the character is female or male. It doesn't tend to inform their decisions, position, struggles, flaws - they are just people. At least it always seemed that way to me, a woman playing these games. All the women are varied and interesting (as are the men) and cannot be slotted easily into sex based tropes. I think the only theme I can see specifically regarding women is that FS (maybe Miyazaki specifically) seems to have a thing for disfigured and/or disabled women that are powerful in someway despite their disfigurement/disability, or possibly because of it.

[@CurrencyStock]

I'm a woman and I absolutely love maleina, especially her 2nd phase I've been beaten her 1st and 2nd phase multiple times with random peeps but Jesus it's still scary every time it starts((mostly because she targets me out of the 2 other people 😭))

[@elcononamethon2157]

Funny how the only shardbearer you dont kill is Renalla, a female character. And ALL others you kill are male...

[@benambrose8895]

That's because Renalla technically isn't the shard bearer, the amber egg thing is.

[@elcononamethon2157]

@@benambrose8895 yeah but it still proves that fromsoft games arent designed for angry incels to beat women like the 'journalist' at polygon makes it out to be

[@EndymionTv]

Malenia doesn’t die either technically. Isn’t that fun

[@thatitalianlameguy2235]

THAT'S sexism. I ain't sparing a woman just because she is female

[@leyrua]

@@EndymionTv Oh god I didn't think about it, but yeah. That flower she leaves behind... that's HER, or what's left of her, isn't it?

[@failurextreme7084]

There are heroic women in these games too. My biggest example has to be Illene the crow. She is an incredible ally throughout the game and she's extremely lovable and badass even at her age.

[@matiasgonzalez1360]

Her age makes it even better. We have a lot of cute young woman in fiction, but old strong woman? Not many

[@failurextreme7084]

@@matiasgonzalez1360 100% agree. She's maybe one of my favorite NPCs in gaming with a few being above her (I.E. Seigward being the absolute good boy that he is) but easily my favorite female NPC. She is a wise old badass who has made it this far. She lived to be this old because she was strong, and that's a testament to how good she was in the first place.

[@celfhelp]

there are multiple heroic women in Elden Ring alone Melina is literally the only reason you succeed in the story at all, and if you summon her the one time you're able to, she fights like a fucking badass i personally think Ranni the Witch is equally as heroic, especially with her lore, but in a far more 'cosmic' or 'intangible' way (obviously. lol)

[@ITBEurgava]

You guys didn't mention lady butterfly or emma?

[@MSlay10]

I’ve been a female fan of the Souls series long before Elden Ring and Malenia has quickly become one of my favorites. I will say that, at first, I was kind of put off with the design of her second phase, but that was only because it got spoiled and I hadn’t reached her myself yet. So at the time, I looked at it as shallow sexualization, but that is so far from what it actually is. Whoever wrote this article has no clue what they’re talking about. They’ve seen videos and pictures but they haven’t bothered to look into the actual game or experience it for themself.

[@shagarumedic]

In regards to her second phase design I think there’s a lot of symbolism behind it. First thing i thought of when I saw it was Eve, and when I thought about it more the connection made a lot of sense. Both eve and Malenia are the creations of their respective gods (Malenia’s role in the world feather than her being) to be the mother to a race of people right? Eve is the mother to all of mankind as Malenia is the mother to all things rot, a nice connection between the two design wise.

[@MSlay10]

@@shagarumedic Great addition! I don’t think I’d ever fully made the connection to Eve-like imagery with Malenia until now, but I can definitely see it. That just adds to the point that every design choice in Elden Ring has a deeper meaning. And as I’ve seen many others discuss, her second phase is more beautiful, like a piece of old art, than it is sexual.

[@KingNicotine]

@@shagarumedic ...I never made the connection to Eve...however if one pays attention during the second phase her name changes from Malenia, Blade of Miquella to Malenia, Goddes of Rot. Her being naked, the butterflies and the blooming flower attack that she starts off the second phase with all seem symbolic of her rebirth as the Rot Goddess. Included...for anyone who plays the game...it's hard to see her as being sexualized when she's winding up Waterfowl and you know you're about to get your shit rocked.

[@gorealaxsupreme86]

How do you sexualize a video game character? Literally drawn up by the makers? It’s not a sentient being

[@guiu9878]

She is drawn more like a corrupted angel than a woman at that moment

[@KingJames-np2eh]

Piss ants like Polygon and Kotaku have no relevance of anything.

[@aolegion35]

Malenias naughty bits have never crossed my mind. Heck I usually play magic based characters I beat her on my second try first run, without watching any tutorials in advance. I was actually surprised to learn she was one of the hardest bosses in the game. When I started hearing about her I had no idea what everyone was complaining about. After all the videos, memes, and comments it saw about her not once did I see anyone talking about her sex. P.S. I leaned the hard way on my 3rd run when I went melee.

[@TheGameianDark]

It's Polygon, there's nothing else to expect from them.. More than actual journalism they care about click on their articles and apparently they do get a lot when they write stuff like these.. This is a reoccurring theme in many and multiple media outlet.. Edit: I commented this as soon as I saw the word "Polygon" in the video game but U said exact same things and additional things I commented in the video.. LOL! XD

[@EndymionTv]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@anthonykim4479]

"she gets back up one last time" -Sister Frieda, hold by siegbrau

[@sebicmiel4221]

Fret not father We have no need of thy flail Tis only the flame, quivering at misguided ash. Please, avert thine eyes. I will snuff out these ashes for good. This quote always sends chills down my spine

[@arturobuitron6420]

@@sebicmiel4221 and Sister Frieda can literally give your character the chills. Lol

[@dredge0345]

It's funny how the only ones having issues with Malenia is actually them as pretty much everyone in the Elden Ring community loves her

[@EndymionTv]

She’s a Waifu but also a monster, I love evil women in my media

[@shagarumedic]

Badass, beautiful, and morally grey. What more could you want from a woman?

[@Kirkland-Consumer]

@@shagarumedic arms and legs

[@Stargazer9725]

I am Malenia, Blade of Miquella

[@mohammadsaleem5990]

I hate her as a boss.

[@RetroWrathX13B]

Just got through the intro, and I've spent the last 5 minutes scouring my memory for "Evil Female Bosses in Fromsoft games". Literally the only ones that come to mind were Medusa, Scorpion girl, MAYBE Lost Sinner, Nashandra and her sister in Dark Souls 2. Everything else was either them not actually being evil, Evil because of something out of their control, dubbed evil, or doing something with the best intentions. These would be Ciran and Lady Maria, Vicaar Amelia and Dancer, Maiden Astraea, and Malenia, respectively

[@Skydron]

Polygon and Kotaku fancy themselves as these pinnacles of journalism for the gaming industry... but the bulk of us view them with something akin to how people viewed Yellow Journalism back in the day. With disgust and disdain.

[@Asterati]

I love how they bring up hysteria while not mentioning Godrick's bird-like screeching at you during his phase two

[@Kirkland-Consumer]

Honest to god Godrick is talked about in lore as the biggest failure ever it’s even stated that he lost to malenia and begged to her, and nobody cares about that because he is not le woman

[@codipedersen2374]

That's because polygon can relate to godrick. Being weak and stunted. And they don't wanna make that comparison between him and themselves

[@dyelawn893]

Articles like this make me more sad than mad. This type of perspective is honestly so narrow minded that they don’t see the complexity of a character like Melania, let alone how warped their ideas are around the presentation of conflict and challenge in games. I wonder how a person who sees the world like this enjoys anything at all.

[@KingNicotine]

...they don't. When it comes down to people like the author of that "article" (I use the term extremely loosely) there are two things you must know. Evil is all they look for...so it has become all they ever see. Seeing the evil...see: "bigotry"...in everything makes them miserable...which leads me to my next point...misery loves company.

[@Stargazer9725]

It's always one of 4 things, Transphobic, Homophobic, Sexist, or Racist. I have grown so tired of humans...

[@HarumiRose]

I agree wholeheartedly with all your arguments and I'd add two words: fire keepers! With that being said, I think it's worth pointing out this isn't exclusively a problem with western journalism. The news outlets are one part of a symbiotic system that takes place between them and the portion of their audience that both consume and partake in this line of discussion. This is but a symptom of a larger cultural problem. And also that in all likelihood, a percentage of these writers aren't even remotely invested in the arguments they present. Meaning that while it's good to counter said arguments, it's perhaps more productive to address the industry behind them as well. The biggest collateral damage is the harm their virtue signaling inflicts upon real instances of the causes their supposed to be fighting for. The saddest part is that soulsborne games' politics have actually always been quite progressive. It just takes a little more work than watching a five-minute cutscene to get your head around them.

[@Sochi_Mochi]

The entertainment industry has been hijacked by activists, corporate stooges, demons and imposters. It is a shell of what was a thriving time for creativity and exploration. Now it’s become a platform for politics, virtue signaling, & social narratives. They are void of any talent and depth, and are taking away anything fun, robbing us of our identities and telling us how to think on a daily basis, thru endless propaganda. To add a David Lynch quote on his take on corporate sponsorship in movies… “Bullshit, Fucking Bullshit.”

[@VeeeeeryDisturbing]

Majula ost in the background… a fellow man of culture.

[@genogamma13]

This article made me think of the meme of Birdman looking at his desk calendar, showing it's current year instead of 2014.

[@SirCanuckelhead]

Every game needs to always keep the most important rule, the rule of cool. Souls have that rule in spades

[@EndymionTv]

Siegward is the definition of cool

[@TetsuNideji]

Almost every single female character made by FROM Software has the best/most memorable fights in the series: Friede, Malenia, Astraea, Maria, etc. Malenia Isn't even evil. Hell, she was just minding her own business until we walk in on her.

[@adambutler3623]

Oh yes, fromsoft is 100% sexist. Maliena being imo the hardest and best boss of elden ring filled so deeply with tragic and phenomenal lore. Melina sacrificing herself so the player can "save" the world. Ranni using her power and past to literally changed the world. And all the powerful women of the dark souls series. Let's not talk about how Gwyn tried to change the natural order of the world and committed the first sin and basically set the tone for the entire series while being a man. I agree with everything in this video. Some of my favorite bosses are extremely powerful women (maleina, sister freida, etc) not because they are hard and "evil" but because they aren't evil. They are flawed beings doing what they feel is right for they're loved ones and the place they call home. What is so sexist about women doing what no man in there respective worlds can do?

[@adambutler3623]

Bout to make a whole 2nd rant about bot scams

[@crazyorganist1609]

Ranni technically is evil . She had Godwyn murdered for her own ends

[@bgslam8173]

These people don't deserve our time. We don't owe them an explanation nor should we feel compelled to give one. Don't engage these people because they are miserable inside.

[@sarcasm-83]

The only way I could describe that article is "word diarrhea".

[@chives8980]

Can't wait until Elden Ring wins the game of the year, all those companies that discredited Elden Rings success will be that meme of that one dude with a mask of a happy face but underneath it is an angry face. Also I look forward to your videos and get excited when you upload. Great video! I do agree that Malenia is a Sekiro boss though and waterfowl dance is dumb.

[@clanjebb2017]

ah yes... the cope wojak

[@vitterling]

If anything I would say Malenia's design is very much not sexualized. Yeah, she gets naked, but that's not the same thing. Nothing about that cinematic or her design in general has ever struck me as "look at me I'm a hot woman don't you wanna fuck me?" what the hell. Like you pointed out, Hoarah Loux is far more so if anything, with the camera just getting all up in his bloody muscles. And did they seriously describe Malenia as being emotionless? I'm losing it.

[@luketfer]

Indeed compare her cutscene to Queelag which does the whole 'close up on boobs' shot...admittedly that is preceeded by the 'look at the horrific lava spider'.

[@vitterling]

@@luketfer Yeah I feel like that one was more about the contrast, and her obvious delight in her own monstrous nature. At least that's how I saw it. Like yeah she finds herself hot (pun intended), she doesn't give two single fucks if YOU do.

[@samueltitone5683]

@@luketfer TBH I kind of find Quelaag representative of the demons in Dark Souls as a whole, twisted into monsters by the flame of chaos and yet beautiful in a way at the same time. Yeah the “amazing chest ahead” is kind of a bit much, but the effect would’ve been ruined if Quelaag’s human half still wore her chaos witch robes.

[@ladonmccabe]

The true brain dead are the ones who give these people attention. Doesn't matter if you liked it. You read it, and even further than that, made a video to expose more people to the article. They don't care if you're mad or happy, they just want engagement. And you gave that to them, and more.

[@astrapsy]

Your mistake was thinking they were making a good-faith argument.

[@KurochimaruKiba]

You just voiced out my hatred towards this era... These egoistic fools squeals for respect, and yet they treat us like filth... Their ignorance knows no bounds... We go out to enjoy what we love only to be ridiculed by their ego...

[@iamthejolson]

Today they posted an article complaining Mario’s ass wasn’t pronounced enough in the Mario movie poster

[@EndymionTv]

Jesus lol

[@natef15]

Everything they write feels like they're trying to get an A from their gender studies professor.

[@EndymionTv]

Gotta use the useless degree for something

[@christiansmith9306]

Melinia, Maria, lady Freya, these are names of reverence.

[@dyelawn893]

Facts

[@SunlightGwyn]

Who is Freya?

[@bombsawaykaboom980]

Prob sister Friede, for all who know we put respect to their names

[@EndymionTv]

Friede sprinted so Malenia could crip walk

[@aurumvale9908]

why are journalists writing such stupid things? projection. plain and simple

[@zeehero7280]

Malenia is a great strong female character, if you know anything about her lore. She constantly struggles and suffers against the rot, which she has because of holding back an OUTER GOD from destroying the world. She's a tragic hero in her own way, she may oppose the Tarnished but she has her own reasons for doing so. Her boss fight is indeed a pain in the ass and then some, and then some more, and then more asses. and then more pain. and then miyazaki stomping on your corpse. But it's not unfair... just absurdly demanding.

[@shaneregan7745]

They’re really grasping at straws at this point.

[@EndymionTv]

Another western game journo, another outrage. Time truly is a flat circle

[@markgallagher1790]

Dude, Malenia is hands down one of the best bosses. Lore wise she is terrifying. Gameplay wise she is a terror to fight. Polygon are idiots

[@stan2139]

Just because someone talks about how hard Malenia is and says "This bitch hits like a truck" means that they don't like woman like wtf

[@FayN_]

and they completely ignore people who talk shit about margit when we first encounter him if we see margit like they way journalism see malenia, that literaly mean we hate old men with ilness and disability.

[@stan2139]

@@FayN_ Same with prenerf Radahn, were people mad because they got beat up by a cripple?

[@FayN_]

@@stan2139 excatly, that's journalism logic

[@kevinfiorello]

I mean, I also see Malenia as a cool archetype subversion where is the Sister Protecting the brother this time, being the strongest of the two and even going as far as becoming his bodyguard for his sake, leaving aside the thing that is eating her alive if it wasn't for her brother

[@maravreloaded]

16:17 liking hot woman is sexist in current day standards.

[@platinumhearteva]

Malenia literally has an in-game cult following. Which we see as the clear bad guys for the way they completely disregard her autonomy and personhood for what she can physically achieve for them. That being gestating a god of rot who would take over her entire personality and live as her. She has an overly dedicated fan club in the Shaded Castle that destroyed their own lives trying to please her. The stories surrounding Malenia are very much about how this broken world sees her as an object. Either for worship, utility, or both. And through all of that, she maintains her sense of self (another very important aspect to her that is told to us by Millicent) in order to protect the things and the people SHE cares about. Going so far as to force control over her afflictions despite everyone's expectations for her to succumb to them. This is the most feminine story in all FS games. As well as beautiful and tragic.

[@dimpizz1525]

It feels like we will never see a good game jounalism ever. They just keep sinking deeper in the void. Elden ring was my entry to soulsborne, and Malenia gave me this feeling, when you stuck on a very hard obstacle. A very common feeling in these games. When I defeated her, I felt really good. Just like after defeating Hoarah Loux. Because they are good challenges. But those guys seems to play games to just find these stupid takes. Games are made for your enjoyment. Just enjoy the game lol.

[@D-Walt_]

Well, let's say Malenia visited writers of this article, gave them her favorite line from her second phase, with a single change: Let your wits be consumed by the scarlet rot.

[@Jeezes718]

Journalist: fromsoftware portrays women as evil. Me: fromsoftware portrays EVERYONE as evil, everyone wants to kill you, your character catches equal opportunity hands! Also why in the world would you even read a game journalist article with a hang over? You know by virtue of it being a game journalist article it's going to be stupid.

[@adekaiwamisou]

You know, I think best we can do with these articles is to ignore them. They feed off this for clicks and either the writer does it deliberately or the higher ups let it happen because this is the only way they get anything. They are literally worthless and we are giving them more time than they deserve.

[@Celino8Ball]

Exactly.

[@frederickscheuer9198]

I never thought of Malenia as evil or antagonistic. She simply belongs to one of many different factions waging war against each other. I´d generally say that there is no such thing as good or evil in FromSoftware´s games. Everything is grey and everyone is really just minding their own business, which leads to some of the characters working to aid you while other´s don´t.

[@solidsnakeshugecake]

She basically doomed the entire lands between I think. I swear I remember hearing that the rot from caelid will spread across, could be wrong tho

[@frederickscheuer9198]

@@solidsnakeshugecake Not intentionally, if i got it right. It happened in her fight with Radan., after all.

[@shagarumedic]

@@solidsnakeshugecake there’s ways to see that action as morally grey, maybe she did it because Radahn was the biggest threat to Miquella left standing and we know damn well that she ain’t about her brother being put in danger, maybe she did it because she thought Radahn took Miquella, or maybe she’s just an asshole. Complexities aplenty

[@AQuestCalledMusic]

Maybe I'm wrong but dungeater is pretty evil to me. Pretty messed up story with that guy.

[@breadeats]

oh there are lots of evil in fromsoft games, like seath betraying his own kind purely out of jelousity (he didnt have scales, others had) whole shady shite what church was doing in bloodborne (probably most realistic thing fromsoft ever done thou) grafting in elden ring, and list goes on and on.

[@jorgecorea7528]

Wait, I don't get it, if a women in a videogame is portrayed as being weak and in need of help / rescue, it's sexist. But if she's portrayed as badass, strong and human, it's also sexist? wtf do they want?

[@princeofqrow3181]

You can't win.

[@Noodlepunk]

They want all female characters to be Mary sues.

[@palkia1416]

wtf? I think Malenia is a symbol of women's strength, she is the toughest boss in the game and there are bunch of other ladies with important roles in the narrative

[@M808B_Scorpion]

Polygon thinks every woman in games has to be “beacons of feminism” meanwhile fromsoft makes characters that are just that, characters, not messages

[@kylerball5894]

Women being just "help me" or an obstacle also would apply to the men anyways. Like bruh I had to help this guy get back into a place and he dies like MANY other npcs

[@crazyorganist1609]

Tragedy and sadness is a core part of the Souls Trilogy and Elden Ring, it what makes these games lore so incredibly great. Malenia is fuelled by rage, Maria is remorseful for what she did and guards the fishing village to protect rhe corpse of the deceased Kos. They're not evil , they come across as human beings.

[@FayeLawnKrack3d]

And it's not just the women affected. Also the men. An NPC named Simon the Harrowed in Bloodborne literally got killed by another NPC in that hellscape of a world and was literally crying about the burden of the hunters' sins and how unfair it is. How did I feel? I felt bad! Especially because I was in a similar place at some point.

[@feddyb1YT]

Word of advice for her water fowl bait it out and run her second part of the water fowl roll once and then turn around when she goes into the third part also the fact ppl thought this up is crazy

[@Kirkland-Consumer]

Mhm it’s not too hard to avoid once you figure that out

[@feddyb1YT]

@@Kirkland-Consumer agreed bc once u find out she's just fast and does a lot of damage than she becomes a bit more easier

[@Drew-im7is]

"Olympic level brain gymnastics" 🧠 perfectly stated

[@EndymionTv]

They wake up thinking, “how can I be offended or the victim today?”

[@TheRoomforImprovement]

“From software has no imagination.” Yes, the company Who gets you to fight the unborn child of a lovecraftian sea god, a giant Who uses gravity magic to ride his frail horse and a dragon fused to a tree have no imagination.

[@alvarorubio1993]

Today's Feminism is a lie, the original idea was for equality between the sexes. Now feminism wants female superiority wich is actually hembrism. Well they don't like female fatalle depictions in videogames but they absolutely abhore women as damsells in distress, supporters, or motherly figures. Take for example the doll in Bloodborne (or any of the FromSoftware levelup ladyes), she helps you troughout the game and is a central figure in the history but get ignored by feminisnt because they want protagonism and nothing else is good enough for them. They completly ignore that you can just as well chose a female as your protagonist because it wasn't their choice.

[@Yarhnam]

they're jealous of Fromsoftware success

[@EndymionTv]

What else is new? They’re mad people actually universally love a game studio these days ( that isn’t western )

[@MrMostComplete]

Malenia lack emotion? She literally get salty that she couldn't beat you and get back up and says "naw run that shit back"😂

[@EndymionTv]

What do you expect from game journo’s

[@TykonBlue]

Suuuuch a weird take. The women in elden ring are basically all incredibly powerful or wise

[@EndymionTv]

And we love them all

[@kennethh2366]

She’s even voiced by a black woman. What more do they want? These vultures are never happy

[@JTruong3rd]

They got nothing left but ragebaiting. Thats their sole gimmick. They know the point of these games are about finality and rebirth. Every single character are carrying their own sins, burdens and regrets.