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Ever since Demon's Souls first came out in 2009, FromSoftware has had a reputation for releasing some of the most grueling games available. Dark Souls even came in a 'Prepare to Die; edition, proudly flaunting just how comfortable you’ll be getting with death during your playtime. Hidetaka Miyazaki director of many of these games, including Elden Ring, maintains that the difficulty spikes aren't unfair.
Speaking to Game Informer, he discussed the philosophy around putting players through their paces consistently. "I know we get a lot of credit saying that our games are difficult, but it's not a matter of simply cranking up the difficulty; it's doing so fairly," he states. "When players are killed and they can understand why they were killed in an instance, and it feels justified, that makes sense. That's the game we’re trying to achieve."
The devs have always understood, Miyazaki reveals, that people will occasionally be surprised and frustrated, but that's part of the rhythm of FromSoft releases. You enter an encounter, get flounced, but then learn from the experience, even if it was short. Was that an immediate attack? Or something environmental? Then rinse and repeat until cleared.
"I know a lot of players out there are probably going to disagree: 'What are you talking about? This game doesn’t make sense! What the heck?'" Miyazaki says. "But we try to make sure that there is a learning curve and a feedback loop that the players are able to extract that they can bring into the next attempt. We believe in difficult games, but not games that are unjustly or unfairly so."
Despite how many times I've died to Ornstein and Smough, I've long shared a similar view of FromSoft's wares. The team produces games that feel stricter than most competitors, with bosses that seem relentless at times. But it all stems from faith in your power to overcome - you have the tools and the ability, you just need to find the right alchemy between them to do so.
Little comfort when you’re trying to subdue Malenia in Elden Ring, mind, I'll give you that. But just know Miyazaki and the other devs aren't trying to ruin your day. It just comes with the territory, apparently.
