Hidetaka Miyazaki is easily one of the most successful video game directors in recent times. His games never disappoint, and the stories in those games are never lacking in detail. Players can simply roam around the worlds that he creates and experience a bunch of exciting new stories, just through the environments or item descriptions.
His games have such expansive lore that gamers spend hours just digging through them in search of new details. One can be sure of one thing: stories with such depth can only be written by a person who himself has read a lot. While Hidetaka Miyazaki does not deny reading a lot, he suggests he went through a somewhat tough childhood before getting where he is.
Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki’s life is indeed pretty inspirational
Demon Souls had an interesting premise: a godlike creature taking over the world. Then it starts causing havoc everywhere through its monstrous creations. As players come around, they are tasked with getting rid of this monstrous being.
While this story might sound pretty straightforward, there’s a lot that fans find out when playing the game. A woman who comes on a pilgrimage to this world, taking the pain of all hurt beings. A king who goes mad and sends out his armies against the player.
Dark Souls is again similar; players control an outcast who comes into a destroyed world. They are tasked with keeping the flame burning, but first, they have to ring a couple of bells. This is where this game starts, just through a world of lore for players.
A witch who turned herself and her daughters into hideous monsters. A creature that just cannot let go of his obsession with getting his own scales. A man who is desperately hanging onto his humanity through his adventures. Finally, a beast who just wants people to leave its master’s grave in peace.
No doubt Hidetaka Miyazaki took a lot of time writing these detailed stories, and they don’t end here either. He has written similarly mind-blowing stories for FromSoftware games like Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring; the last one he wrote was in association with Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin.
But one thing that people might not know is that director Hidetaka Miyazaki went through a lot of hardships before getting to make these games. He says he did not even have enough money to buy manga or books.
He had to grab books from the nearby library, which were varying in nature. Some were English, some were not. So, when he read them, he only got half of the stories; the other half he crafted on his own. He eventually made a fun game out of it, which can be seen in his creations too.
His games now have only half the story, which means the characters do not tell the whole tale. Players are supposed to dig through most of the story to make sense of it or create their own, just like Hidetaka Miyazaki. It is indeed an inspiring story.
His style has caught on with others too
While he has made sure that his games intentionally leave out crucial story details in order to leave fans scratching their heads, others have started doing the same. Games like Salt and Sanctuary, Lies of P, Dead Cells, and Hollow Knight do a similar thing.
It’s interesting to see how a kid who struggled to read books at one point has now become such a trailblazer in the gaming industry.
