FromSoftware’s Soulslike games have gained a lot of popularity in the last decade and it was only possible because of one man: Hidetaka Miyazaki. In fact, his 2009 game Demon’s Souls played a key role in popularising the subgenre among gamers. As FromSoftware’s director, Miyazaki has created many popular and entertaining Soulslike games like Bloodborne, Dark Souls III, and Elden Ring. However, these games have been criticized for their punishing difficulty levels.
Miyazaki once revealed that he is aware of this problem but is not frustrated by the complaints because he enjoys having those conversations. He also explained he loves to read gamers’ feedback about his games as it motivates him to make improvements in his future Soulslike games.
Hidetaka Miyazaki is not frustrated by high-difficulty complaints
In a 2015 interview with PlayStation Blog, Hidetaka Miyazaki acknowledged the complaints regarding the punishing difficulty level of his Soulslike games. He explained that he is aware of the problem but it does not frustrate him. He said,
“It’s not something I find frustrating. I do understand why people ask about it a lot, but I’m happy that people are fascinated by it – in that respect I don’t mind being repeatedly asked about difficulty. It’s something that I find enjoyable to discuss – As a game creator – or a creator of anything – for people to be fascinated and ask questions and be curious about what I’m making, that’s something that can’t be taken for granted and I’m very grateful for that.”
Games like Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls series are well known for making gamers rage because of how tough they are, but gamers still enjoy them.
As per Miyazaki, this high difficulty level was intentional all along as he wants gamers to try harder instead of giving up.
Feedback is essential to Hidetaka Miyazaki
Hidetaka Miyazaki further explained that he loves going online to read what fans are saying about his games. Sometimes, there is criticism, but that only motivates him to improve on particular that element in his next game,
“First of all, I’m incredibly happy to have these fans. I’d be lying if I didn’t feel pressure to meet their expectations, but I get a lot of enjoyment reading and hearing what they have to say – For these people to put so much time into my games and really discuss things that I’ve created with such passion… I’ll go online and enjoy reading what they have to say. Of course, sometimes there are things that are not so enjoyable to read – but even taking that on board, over all I take great pleasure in their comments. As a creator it’s such a valuable resource, to listen to their honest feedback and think about what game I’m going to make next.”
In another interview with PlayStation Blog, Hidetaka Miyazaki explained that the high difficulty level is intentional as they want to “encourage the player to overcome adversity.” Miyazaki wants people to use various strategies and tactics while navigating through the game. In a way, this difficulty level motivates players to fight harder.
