Game Infarcer: Hidetaka Miyazaki Masterfully Dodges Elden Ring Criticism, Saying, “No, That’s A Feature”

Speak to Gamma Infarcer, Hidetaka Miyazaki, director of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, among others, and president of From Software, shed light on his creative process – specifically saying criticisms of his most recent directorial effort, the lauded Elden Ring, were misunderstandings of deliberate design choices.

Miyazaki stated that people have said Elden Ring’s lock-on was bad. It never seemed to pick the nearest enemy, making them vulnerable to attack while trying to correct it. Have you ever been involved in a fight?” Have you ever had to face the possibility of your sex getting kicked? You think that you could be focused only on one person? You’re not. In the rush, your lizard brain overtakes and your thoughts drift between all of the dangers around you. It can be difficult to focus. This was something we kept in mind as we designed Elden Ring. A complex algorithm was used to ensure that your lock-on does not miss the target nine times in ten. 

Although Elden Ring’s boss battles are great, some have cited the Fire Giant as an exception. Many players have complained about the difficulty of accurately reading Fire Giant’s attacks due to its enormous size. It is important to understand that you must be under the Fire Giant to strike at its ankles. This will make it difficult to see when the Fire Giant comes down on you. 

Miyazaki resisted the suggestion that it was a design defect on From Software’s side. 

Miyazaki questioned incredulously, “Is that a genuine complaint?” We can’t share our life experiences but this has always been the risk that I have had to face when fighting a Fire Giant. When you take on a creature 60 feet in size – as I have done many times – due to your comparatively small size, your only hope is to stand under your opponent, striking their ankles. This is just the reality of life. You’ll never be able to see their swings above you. Do you think that makes it fair? Perhaps not. Players always speak out about their desire for realism when playing video games. They complain when they are given realistic features. For whom am I creating these games? Idiots?”

The interview ended with the controversial topic of game difficulty. The conversation centered on whether From Software games should have an accessible mode in order to attract players that don’t enjoy their typical difficulty level, or those who depend on accessibility features for gaming enjoyment. Miyazaki was not enthusiastic about the idea that he might change his core design philosophy to attract the many gamers all over the world who may want to play his game. 

“What? So you can cheat the game and yourself,” Miyazaki screamed at the top of his lungs, ripping off his shirt and banging on his chest as he made his point. “My job is to serve the real gamers around the globe. Their God. Like little ants, they bow to my feet. You will play my games and you will love the pain – you will savor it as it creeps across your entire being, infecting your bones and turning your skull hollow. Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.”

After the interview ended abruptly, Miyazaki transformed into Cthulu the evil eldritch creature and claimed ownership of all things.

Elden Ring now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 4.