Renowned game director Hidetaka Miyazaki, known for his masterful creations like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, has long been celebrated for his innovative approach to game design.
In a revealing interview back in December 2018, he spoke about his creative process and how he crafts the immersive worlds that have managed to captive gamers worldwide, time and time again. However, with the upcoming Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, Miyazaki has seemingly broken tradition.
Hidetaka Miyazaki Is Doing Things Differently for Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree
Traditionally, Miyazaki’s creative process begins with the game system, mechanics, and design. As he explained in the interview with Xataka:
The first thing we study is the type of game we are looking for.
From there, he carefully selects or designs the universe that best complements the gameplay, making sure that it adds to the overall player experience. This approach has worked well for Miyazaki and FromSoftware, with each of his games offering a unique journey to players.
However, Shadow of the Erdtree was not made with this tried-and-true formula. Unlike previous projects, the DLC already has the mechanics and design of Elden Ring to go off.
So far, Miyazaki hasn’t mentioned if the DLC will be including any new game systems. The experience will be very much in line with how the base game is, albeit with a new story, bosses, and weapons, of course.
How Miyazaki’s Way of Storytelling Came to Be
Hidetaka Miyazaki‘s way of injecting a narrative into his games and how they unfold for players is one of the biggest reasons why his games are so unique compared to other RPGs on the market.
Rather than tell players the story upfront, you’re often forced to make connections yourself through cutscenes that scarcely appear, NPCs that give you side quests that you might not even realize are side quests till you read a guide, and items scattered across the world, to name a few.
The FromSoftware mastermind credited his unique approach to narrative creation to his younger self. As a child, he loved reading and would read books for adults. He couldn’t fully understand them, and he would fill in the narrative gaps with his own interpretations.
This helped him develop a unique skill that translated into the iconic storytelling you see in FromSoftware games. Despite leading a talented team of professionals, Miyazaki does mention there’s a challenge in conveying the intricacies of his narrative vision.
He describes narrative creation as “very personal and deep” and relays that the sensation of crafting a universe is difficult to share, even with his team. Some fans have noticed that the narrative of some of his work is inspired by literary pieces.
What do you think were the narrative inspirations for the heroic tale portrayed in Elden Ring? What concepts are you hoping to see in the DLC? Let us know in the comments below!
