By The Gatepost Arts and Features Staff
‘Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’
By Owen Glancy
Asst. Arts & Features Editor
Ever since its release in 2022, “Elden Ring” has taken the gaming world by storm with its massive open world, wide variety of heart-racing fights, and legendary difficulty. Despite the vast amount of content the game has to offer, fans couldn’t stop clamoring for more and on June 20, we finally got that with the game’s DLC, “Shadow of the Erdtree.”
After adding nearly 100 hours to my already 750 hour play time, I can confirm that the DLC is pretty good.
This is such a massive and complete package that it starts becoming difficult to even classify it as a DLC. Both the pacing and sheer size make this far closer to a sequel than a mere expansion. From the towering Scadutree seen on high in the Gravesite Plain, to the lightning-coated Jagged Peak, it’s impressive how much variety the developers were able to cram into a space less than half the size of the main game’s overworld.
These scenic vistas aren’t just for show either - they’re populated by some of the most creative enemies and bosses FromSoftware has ever created. These boss fights are the real cream of the crop though. From the iconic standouts like The Dancing Lion and Messmer, to sleeper picks like The Golden Hippo and Midra, every single boss is so engaging and challenging that I had a hard time finishing every fight because I simply never wanted them to end.
While this DLC is indeed hard, and it definitely is more blatantly unfair than the base game in some areas, it is more than worth powering through to that final climactic battle against one of the game’s most iconic foes.
Hozier ‘Unaired’
By Emma Lyons
Editorial Staff
Music artist Hozier has already been in the public eye after his album “Unreal Unearthed,” released August 2023.
Hozier has maintained his stay in his fans' headphones throughout the summer with the surprise releases of two EPs, featuring songs scrapped from his original album.
His latest EP, “Unaired,” released in August, capped off the summer in a big way - despite only having three songs.
The first song, “Nobody’s Soldier,” originally teased on TikTok, has caused a raucous response from fans, outpouring excitement and support for this new EP. The song comments on the feelings of seeing war in the media and being unable to help. It features his trendier sound, heard in other songs like “Eat Your Young” and “Nina Cried Power.”
“July” brings listeners into the smooth swaying melodies of Hozier’s music. With soft vocals, the song connects the singer's love interest to the warm month of July. Clinging onto the reminder that “July is coming” and with it better days than the harsh winter prior.
Hozier rounds out the EP with the duet “That You Are.” He pairs a lilting guitar melody with soft, haunting vocals from himself and Bedouine, a Syrian-American musician.
Though a short EP, “Unaired” connects deeply to the music found in its paired EP and album. It echoes the feelings of summer while making bold political statements grounded in current events. It is a must-listen for any Hozier fan.
‘Twisters’
By Jesse Burchill
Staff Writer
Released on July 19, “Twisters” is a disaster movie and standalone sequel to the 1996 genre classic “Twister.”
Starring several up-and-coming stars, the selling point of “Twisters” is the tornadoes its characters follow. The film focuses on two storm chasing teams - one composed of scientists testing tornado-tracking tech, and the other of YouTube stars creating channel content - as they hunt down a tornado outbreak in Oklahoma.
Some viewers may expect a disaster movie to focus more on the action and destruction rather than throw its weight into the characters. However, “Twisters” manages to pull off both from the very start by showing just how dangerous tornadoes really are, with our main heroine losing three close friends in a twister chase gone wrong and dealing with this trauma for the rest of the film.
Furthermore, the team of YouTube stars at first appear like glory chasers who are focused more on fame rather than science. The film manages to subvert this expectation as well - the team actually uses the money they get from their channel to provide disaster relief to those who suffer losses from natural disasters, and the leaders of both teams actually become friends by the end.
As a disaster movie, “Twisters” does not hold back on the fright factor of the titular forces of nature. The tornadoes on display here are depicted as nightmarish behemoths that destroy pretty much everything in front of them and are nigh-impossible to escape. This makes every scene they’re in as spine-chilling as the last, yet oddly beautiful thanks to spectacular VFX.
An ultimately wonderful exercise in the art of the summer blockbuster, “Twisters” is riveting, nail-biting, and heartwarming in equal measure.
‘Hades II’
By Raena Hunter Doty
Arts & Features Editor
“Hades” is easily one of the best video games in the world, in my opinion.
“Hades II” blows it out of the water.
I went into this early-access game worried about what might - or might not - be there on account of its unfinished status.
But not only did my fears prove unfounded - they were thoroughly smashed with the wealth of content already available before the game’s official release, much more than the original game even now.
“Hades II” isn’t a cut-and-paste copy of its predecessor mechanically, nor does it feel like it’s trying to one-up the story that built the foundation for this one’s success.
Any change in mechanics from the first game has a reasonable, in-universe explanation, and most of those explanations add to characterization, worldbuilding, and ambiance.
And the new mechanics are fun! I couldn’t put the game down when I got it - I put an embarrassing number of hours on it in the first week.
If you have played “Hades,” early access is absolutely worth it - though I can’t blame you for holding off, because every time I start a new attempt, I always get frustrated that I can’t play straight through to the end - it’s that good.
If you haven’t played “Hades,” now is the time to start. The story, art, mechanics, and music are everything everyone says and more, and you’re in for a nice dose of sequel.
Game of the summer - and the game hasn’t even had its full release.
‘Smiling Friends’: Season 2 By Paul Harrington Staff Writer Are you looking for a show akin to the 2000s era of Cartoon Network with internet-inspired meta humor?
If so, “Smiling Friends” is just what you need.
The show follows the adventures of Smiling Friends Inc., a nonprofit business composed of Pim Pimling, Charlie Dompler, Glep, Alan, and Mr. Boss, as they try to make their clients turn their frowns upside-down.
The first season, which aired in 2022, was greeted with praise, memes, and the demand for a second season.
The episodes are packed to the brim with eccentric stories and outlandish settings that you would imagine when on psychedelic drugs.
The animation style of the show is fluid and pleasant. It's apparent when watching, the people involved in the production of the show take pride in the work they do and have fun while doing it.
“Smiling Friends” does a lot with a little - the episodes are only 10 minutes long. So much happens in such a short time!
The experience of watching “Smiling Friends” episodes live at midnight during the summer will forever be unmatched.
Fans would post on social media as the episodes aired, allowing you to see their live reactions to the episode.
The late nights spent watching the episodes live felt like it brought me closer to the show. One could even argue it made me smile.
So, watch “Smiling Friends!”
‘BRAT’
By Antonio Carlos Machado
Staff Writer
In a year so jam-packed with multiple high-profile album releases, Charli XCX managed to leave a bright green stamp and claim the summer with the release of her sixth studio album, “BRAT,” on June 7.
In a time with such heavy emphasis placed on finding relatability within musicians and their art, Charli makes both her influence and her superiority immediately clear - and we thank her for it.
“BRAT” is hedonistic and full of vitality, yet it simultaneously possesses a stark vulnerability, creating a complex soundscape of her life.
Embellished with synths that evoke a primal instinct to dance, “BRAT” creates an atmosphere perfectly apt to spend the summer clubbing to her music. Filled with infectious beats that are elevated with the assistance of Charli’s perfectly altered vocals singing obscene and catchy hooks, the club-oriented tracks can only be described as pure euphoria.
The highlight of the album is the production. Alongside a cast of long-time collaborators such as George Daniel, A.G. Cook, and others, Charli revitalizes the early-2000’s club aesthetic in an elevated version of her own signature hyperpop sound, honoring her late mentor, SOPHIE.
However, the album doesn’t remain solely within the strobe lights of a Bushwick clubhouse. Charli delves into her insecurities about age and her success in the music industry. The tracks move between boasting her self-assurance and youthful vigor to her insecurities about being a woman in the music industry and aging.
The album transitions betweens emotions and tempos seamlessly, never having a still moment. “BRAT” can easily be described as a quintessential Charli XCX album, a production masterclass that is both fun yet deeply personal, and mostly, so Julia.
Bumpin’ that.
‘Sugar Water’ By Alexis Schlesinger Editorial Staff Maude Latour’s first album is now officially ours. This up-and-coming “glitter-gel-pen” pop girl has been releasing singles and EPs since 2018, and finally released her first album this summer, “Sugar Water.” Latour uses this beautiful album to illustrate her journey through love, heartbreak, and acceptance. She dedicates the album to her friends, her partner, and all the lessons she learned about loss and the beauty of love. Maude Latour says she wrote this album “during the 7th year after a loss.” Her ability to use such intense emotions so much later on in her life, and so intelligently at that, is something that can’t go unrecognized. The album as a whole has an incredible range of emotions, from the first song “Officially Mine” - a bright, bouncy song about dreaming of truly being with someone - to the intimacy of the title track “Sugar Water,” and to the final track “Bloom,” which takes us into a worship of another human being. Personally, I relate pretty heavily to this album - specifically the line in “Sugar Water” where Maude explains to listeners she is “chilling with her girl in peace.” This album is perfect for anyone who vibes with glittery, girly, pop music, but would much prefer an emotional journey over some of the more typical “I hate you and your ex” music that circulates these days. “Sugar Water” is the perfect sweet mix of queer love, empowerment, and emotional intelligence in the face of loss.
‘IF’
By Liv Dunleavy
Staff Writer
Have you ever yearned for your childhood, felt like the world was too big, or you grew up too fast? Have you ever wondered if you ever had an imaginary friend? Someone who was by your side, cheering you on and keeping you company?
Now think, who was your imaginary friend? Where are they now?
This is the premise of the movie “IF.” With a star-studded cast featuring Ryan Reynolds (Calvin), John Krasinski (Bea’s dad), and Steve Carell (Blue), “IF” tells the tale of 12-year-old Elizabeth (nicknamed Bea), who moves in with her grandmother while her father receives care from a hospital in New York.
While living with her grandmother, Bea discovers she can see imaginary friends (IFs), and finds herself on a quest led by a witty man named Calvin to assign retired IFs to new kids in hopes of giving them a new purpose.
She guesses this is her goodbye to childhood - if she’s able to rehome these IFs then she will be able to stop seeing them, because she’s not a kid anymore - but Bea learns there’s more to an imaginary friend than just being a kid.
Maybe we all have thought that, especially when we were 12 and wanted more independence. But I feel so much for Bea and each IF that lost their kid to the woes of adulthood. This movie made me emotional in ways no movie has in a long time, and that’s saying something.
Losing your imaginary friend might not affect you as a college student, but if I could put myself back into my 12-year-old mind I would’ve given my IF a hug one last time.
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