Elden Ring creator Hidetaka Miyazaki says that while dying a lot in From Software games is now part of the studio's "identity", he is keen to "make death enjoyable".
"I’ve never been a very skilled player,” Miyazaki told the New Yorker. “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?
"I do feel apologetic toward anyone who feels there’s just too much to overcome in my games,” Miyazaki added. "I just want as many players as possible to experience the joy that comes from overcoming hardship."
- After 423 hours and over 15,000 total deaths, Elden Ring player finally beats Shadow of the Erdtree without the upgrades FromSoftware urged everyone to use: "Never give up"
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 dev says the RPG is a "welcoming" hardcore game, and he "can never understand" how people play Elden Ring: "I'm just not good at the combat"
Consequently, Miyazaki has no plans to "abandon" the challenge level of From Software's games, as "hardship is what gives meaning to the experience".
"We are always looking to improve, but, in our games specifically, hardship is what gives meaning to the experience," he added. "So it’s not something we’re willing to abandon at the moment. It’s our identity."
We gave the eagerly-anticipated action RPG a full five stars out of five in our Elden Ring review, stating: "When Elden Ring hits the rails, the momentum carries it forward and refuses to slow down.
"My peaks of rage at being stomped on by towering titans never stopped being fun despite that, with that very particular form of masochistic joy you get from wrestling with FromSoftware games. It might not be as groundbreaking as its inspirations, but taken on its own terms, Elden Ring might be the best of its brethren - and that's something I'm still struggling to believe has actually happened."
At the time of writing, Elden Ring has received a "Mixed" review aggregate score from users on Steam, where many players are complaining of PC optimization issues.
Did you phone in sick yesterday because Elden Ring was released? The staff working for a Japanese games studio didn't have to, as the company gave its entire team the day off to celebrate its release, christening it an "Elden Holiday".
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