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Speaking to Game Infarcer<\/em>, Hidetaka Miyazaki, director of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, among others, and president of From Software, shed light on his creative process \u2013 specifically saying criticisms of his most recent directorial effort, the lauded Elden Ring, were misunderstandings of deliberate design choices.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen people on the internet say the lock-on feature in Elden Ring is bad, that it never seems to choose the closest enemy to the player, leaving them completely vulnerable to attacks while they try and correct it\u201d Miyazaki said. \u201cHave you ever been in a fight? Ever had to deal with the threat of getting your ass kicked in? Do you think you\u2019d be singularly focused on one opponent? No, in the rush of the moment, your lizard brain takes over, and your mind oscillates between the numerous threats surrounding you. It\u2019s hard to concentrate. We kept this in mind when designing Elden Ring. We implemented a very complex algorithm that makes your lock-on miss the target you want nine out of ten times.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Elden Ring\u2019s boss fights are generally fantastic, many have pointed to the Fire Giant as an outlier. Due to the creature\u2019s immense size, accurately reading attacks proves difficult for many players, who have taken to various social platforms to voice their frustration. The main issue is: if you have to be directly under the giant to attack at its ankles, then you can\u2019t see when the Fire Giant is swinging down upon you.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Again, Miyazaki balked at the idea that this was somehow a design flaw on From Software\u2019s part.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this a real complaint,\u201d Miyazaki asked incredulously. \u201cI guess we all can\u2019t have shared life experiences, but every time I\u2019ve fought a Fire Giant, this is the risk I\u2019ve had to take. When you take on a creature 60 feet in size \u2013 as I have done many times \u2013 due to your comparatively small size, your only hope is to stand under your opponent, striking their ankles. It\u2019s just a fact of life that you\u2019re not going to be able to see when they swing above you. Does that make it fair? Perhaps not. But players always talk about how much they want realism in video games. Yet when we give them realistic features, they complain? Who am I making these games for? Idiots?\u201d<\/p>\n

Towards the end of the interview, the conversation turned to the oft-controversial topic of video game difficulty. Specifically, whether From Software\u2019s games should feature an easy mode to appeal to players that might not enjoy the developer\u2019s typical difficulty level or players who rely on accessibility features to enjoy video games. Miyazaki did not seem thrilled at the idea of changing his core design philosophies to appeal to the scores of diverse gamers in the world that might want to enjoy his work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? So you can cheat the game and yourself,\u201d Miyazaki screamed at the top of his lungs,\u00a0ripping off\u00a0his shirt and\u00a0banging on his chest as he made his point. \u201cMy work is for the true gamers of the world. I am their God. They bow to me like the little ants they are. You will play my games and you will love the pain \u2013 you will savor it as it creeps across your entire being, infecting your bones and turning your skull hollow. Ph\u2019nglui mglw\u2019nafh Cthulhu R\u2019lyeh wgah\u2019nagl fhtagn<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The interview abruptly concluded with Miyazaki turning into the eldritch abomination Cthulu, devouring the world and claiming ownership of the universe.<\/p>\n

Elden Ring is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X\/S, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One<\/em><\/p>\n