FromSoftware president and Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki has revealed that he rarely plays his own games after they have released, and that when he does, he uses everything that a game puts at his disposal to offset his own perceived lack of skill.
“Leading up to the release of any game, I’ll be very hands-on playing it and getting as much time on it as much as possible,” said Miyazaki in an interview with The Guardian prior to the June 21 release of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. “But after the release, I tend to not want to touch it, because I know I’m going to either find things that I left on the table or issues that will bug me”.
Miyazaki went on to explain that playing through a FromSoftware title post launch gave him a feeling of powerlessness, but that he completed the entirety of Elden Ring’s main story in preparation for Shadow of the Erdtree.
“I want to preface this by saying I absolutely suck at video games, so my approach or play style was to use everything I have at my disposal, all the assistance, every scrap of aid that the game offers, and also all the knowledge that I have as the architect of the game,” said Miyazaki. “The freedom and open-world nature of Elden Ring perhaps lowered the barrier to entry, and I might be the one who’s benefiting the most from that, as a player, more than anyone else.”
In the runup to Shadow of the Erdtree’s release Miyazaki made it clear that he had no issue whatsoever with fans using guides and unofficial mods to make FromSoftware’s famously difficult catalog of games more approachable. However, even with these aides at their disposal, many in the community are struggling to beat the new DLC, which Miyazaki himself admitted “pushed the envelope in terms of what we think can be withstood by the player.”
The difficulty narrative has led to the creation of multiple mods geared towards making the new content that little bit easier, along with an official update that recalibrated the DLC’s upgrade system to make the early section easier by comparison. On the flip side some in the community are seemingly doing everything they can to add an even greater level of challenge to the game, with one talented player putting the rest of us to shame by beating the entire DLC without levelling up once.
If you’re having a tough time navigating the Land of Shadow then be sure to check out IGN’s extensive Shadow of the Erdtree guide, which contains all the information, tips, and tricks you’ll need to get the most out of your time with the new DLC. If you’re not afraid of spoilers then you can also read up on our ranking of the 10 most difficult bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, or find out what lurks beneath the costume of one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s most enigmatic bosses – the Divine Beast Dancing Lion.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer