Elden Ringplayer and harpist Anna Ellsworth took video game music to another level by transforming her harp into a controller. With it, she managed to slay Margit, the Fell Omen, and achieve a plucky victory.
At this point, theElden Ringcommunity has seen no small number of unconventional controllers. Single buttons, DDR dance pads, and even bananas have empowered players to take down the game’s biggest bosses and achieve victory. While wild, these highly inventive ways of modding the game’s physical components have led to new displays of player creativity.
One such display pitted musical abilities against Stormveil Castle’s notorious boss, Margit the Fell Omen. With her musical prowess,Harpist Anna Ellsworthtook down Margit - not with a harp bow, but with a real-life harp.
ELDEN RING HARPIST VS MARGIT, THE FELL OMEN
Anna Ellsworthis an award-winning harpist and vocalist specializing in gorgeous renditions of both classical and popular music. While she’s gone viral for her harp game controller, she’s also performed a hauntingly beautiful cover ofElden Ring’s main theme.
In a video recently posted toher YouTube channel, Ellsworth replaced her controller with her harp. Opting for a more musical challenge, she plucked different notes bound to specific player actions to play the game. In an impressive 2.5 minutes, she defeated the boss with a disjointed melody tuned to the rhythm of combat.
Additionally, Ellsworth described the overall process needed to actually playElden Ringwith a harp. Plugging the instrument into a computer, she utilized two different programs. One detected pitch translated it into midi sounds, where the next bind those midi sounds to a specific keystroke. Given that there are only so many strings, she had to narrow down her actions to just necessary movement and attacks.
While she can’t do more complicated combos, Ellsworth dedicated 4 strings to movement and 4 to camera control. Because bosses tend to parry and dodge as any player would, Ellsworth fights locked on. This gives her more freedom to control player movement and attacks without worrying about adjusting the camera.
However, the limitations on movement provide their own challenge. Doing a roll by plucking a string isn’t as precise as using joysticks, nor does it translate to the game without any lag. Though she’s gotten used to the lag and can account for it, Ellsworth says, “Mostly, it’s really just rolling into an attack and hoping for the best.”
You can watch her full video down below! Ellsworth mentions that she hopes to musically duel Malenia with her harp - a battle that is sure to sound as stunning as it looks.
