Elden Ring came into being when the Souls-Borne formula was applied to a grand open-world title. The title was developed by FromSoftware, the studio known for the likes of the Dark Souls franchise with an unforgiving difficulty level; this also inspired many other titles.
There is nothing else like the Soulsborne series; they can inevitably make one rage when they die, but that is part of what makes the game fun for gamers who enjoy it. Recently, Hidetaka Miyazaki, the President of FromSoftware, opened up in an interview and expressed his thoughts on in-game playable characters succumbing to the game’s bosses and difficulty level.
The visionary executive responsible for creating one of the most unforgiving franchises shared that he views the frequent deaths experienced by players in-game as a feature and not as a bug.
Miyazaki San’s Thoughts on Elden Ring and Other Souls-Borne Titles’ Difficulty
Talking to The New Yorker, the video game director talked about his thought processes and the games that have led to him being one of the industry’s most recognizable and honorable names. The games worked upon and thought out by the director can punish gamers for not being on their toes, and they do it often, much more than any other titles out there.
Talking about his thought process and what the concept of death in his video games entails, he states that:
I’ve never been a very skilled player…I die a lot. So, in my work, I want to answer the question: If death is to be more than a mark of failure, how do I give it meaning? How do I make death enjoyable?
This refreshing perspective is partly why Dark Souls was voted the most excellent game ever, even better than titans like Tetris, Doom, and Super Mario 64. Talking about what his games require from players to award victory, he said:
I do feel apologetic toward anyone who feels there’s just too much to overcome in my games…just want as many players as possible to experience the joy that comes from overcoming hardship.
While one may wonder if Miyazaki san’s video games are accessible to everyone, given that they require quick reactions and continuous “grinding” to “get good,” one cannot argue that they are one of a kind. The director also said that offering the game’s excruciating difficulty has become synonymous with the studio’s video game creation method.
He said that:
We are always looking to improve, but, in our games specifically, hardship is what gives meaning to the experience. So it’s not something we’re willing to abandon at the moment. It’s our identity.
In the community of Souls-Borne game purists, FromSoftware’s latest is not their greatest and is perhaps a title that doesn’t test a gamer’s patience as much as older titles. That is because of the addition of advanced game mechanics to the title.
In all fairness, it is still an incredibly challenging title but offers some respite to the players in the form of mechanics that allow them to escape on their mount or use a companion to help them. A small example that proves significant in the title is that it has a dedicated jump button and there wasn’t a button to even jump in the original games of the Dark Souls franchise.
Talking about what motivates him to make death meaningful and how the games approach death just as a consequence of ill-timed error or something else that makes for a good encode, he said that:
When I’m playing these games, I think, This is the way I’d want to die—in a way that is amusing or interesting, or that creates a story I can share…
All of this makes Elden Ring a spectacle not only in terms of difficulty but also in terms of the value it provides to users. The achievement one feels after getting out of a sticky situation, progressing the story, and getting the desired upgrade is genuinely second to none. Elden Ring and other titles in the series may not be for everyone, but they are nothing short of magical for the target audience.
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