The father of Souls-like games, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has given some very popular and successful titles over the years, such as Elden Ring, Bloodborne, the Dark Souls series, and more. These games have a large player base, and players are always on the lookout for what’s next.
Hidetaka Miyazaki collaborated with fantasy writer George R R Martin for his latest hit, Elden Ring, who provided the worldbuilding for the game. Still, R R Martin isn’t the one behind Miyazaki’s ideas that appeal to the masses. Miyazaki has said that fantasy writer Steve Jackson is his inspiration.
Elden Ring Creator Shares His Inspiration for Fantasy Ideas
Hidetaka Miyazaki has a unique approach to game design that emphasizes challenges of high difficulty and presents the story in a way that’s different yet engaging. This has made games like Elden Ring and Dark Souls such a success and keeps fans waiting for more.
Miyazaki has said several times that Dark Souls games are inspired by earlier works of fantasy and dark fantasy, mainly the Japanese manga series Berserk, which he is also a big fan of. In an interview with Gamespot, Miyazaki was asked about any other inspiration for his fantasy ideas.
Miyazaki said that he has been heavily inspired by the adventure gamebooks Sorcery by Steve Jackson, saying that the books are the “roots of my fantasy ideas.” Sorcery is a four-part adventure gamebook series that was originally published between 1983 and 1985.
The books are part of the Fighting Fantasy canon, which is a 59-book series. Sorcery is popular for its story and has some mechanics that are not seen in other Fighting Fantasy canon books. The gamebook sees players play as warriors or wizards and features combat, magic spells, and gears.
Sorcery Gamebook and How It Influences Miyazaki’s Games
Sorcery is set in a world called Titan, where an artifact called the Crown of Kings was found but stolen, and the player has to retrieve it. This quest is divided into four parts: The Shamutanti Hills, Kharé – Cityport of Traps, The Seven Serpents, and The Crown of Kings. In the first part, The Shamutanti Hills, players fight several monsters while avoiding traps as they embark on the quest.
The second part sees players trying to navigate through the city of Kharé and locate the four lines of a spell that are needed to open the Northern Gate to exit from the city. The Seven Serpents sees players crossing the Baklands, where they have to find and defeat seven powerful magical serpents.
The fourth and final part, The Crown of Kings, sees players trying to find and enter the Mampang Fortress to defeat the final boss and obtain the Crown of Kings. All four parts have influenced the games. For example, in both Miyazaki’s games and Sorcery books, dying multiple times is common, the combat is difficult and brutal, and the enemies and in-game world are also similar.
Did you know about Miyazaki being inspired by Sorcery gamebooks? Let us know in the comments.
