Summary
FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki claims that toning down the difficulty ofElden Ringwould “break the game itself.” The argument surrounding the difficulty of FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games has been ongoing for years, and the newShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion forElden Ringis said to feature some of the hardest bosses in the company’s catalog.
FromSoftware titles are famously known to require skill and mastery, andElden Ringis no exception. The largest game the studio has created to date, the title possesses the inherent challenge of its Soulsborne predecessors while being accessible and varied enough to not overwhelm newcomers. This balance wasn’t easy to achieve, but FromSoftware managed to do so, makingElden Ringa massive commercial successwith over 25 million copies sold. Two and a half years afterElden Ring’s launch, FromSoftware released theShadow of the ErdtreeDLC on June 21.
With the release ofShadow of the Erdtree,Elden Ringdirector Hidetaka Miyazaki recently commentedon the DLC’s difficulty level, stating that it was balanced with the assumption that players had completed a considerable portion of the base game. Elaborating further on the perpetual difficulty debate in aninterview with The Guardian, Miyazaki remarked that FromSoftware wasn’t looking to appeal to a mass audience withElden Ring. “If we really wanted the whole world to play the game, we could just crank the difficulty down more and more, but that wasn’t the right approach,” he said.
Making Elden Ring Easier Would “Break the Game,” Says Miyazaki
The director believes thatElden Ringwouldn’t have been as successful if FromSoftware had watered down the difficulty, as the team believes that “the sense of achievement that players gain from overcoming these hurdles” is crucial. In fact, Miyazaki feels thatElden Ring’s difficulty is so integral to the overall experience, that softening it would essentially “break the game itself.” Even though some considerElden Ringeasier compared to previous Souls games, it appears FromSoftware remains protective of its ethos of creating challenging yet inexplicably satisfying gaming experiences.
Even thoughShadow of the Erdtreeis touted to be even tougher than the base game, the expansion has been faring exceptionally well with critics. Recent reviews pegShadow of the Erdtreeas the highest-rated DLC ever, further boosting player hype as fans finally get their hands on the new content. Miyazaki has confirmed thatShadow of the Erdtreewill be the first and only DLC forElden Ring, but if his comments are anything to go by, FromSoftware’s future games will be no less challenging than the mega-successful action RPG.
Elden Ring
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ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
