Elden Ring: Lowering Difficulty Wasn’t The Right Approach, States FromSoftware
Hidetaka Miyazaki, the president of FromSoftware and director of Elden Ring, has recently emphasized that reducing Elden Ring’s difficulty would undermine its core experience.
In a conversation with The Guardian coinciding with the release of the game’s expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, Miyazaki addressed the ongoing debate regarding the challenging nature of FromSoftware’s titles.
Miyazaki asserted,
“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.”
Importance: FromSoftware has pioneered the souls-like genre, consistently delivering challenging yet attainable gameplay. Their commitment to this approach demonstrates that they prioritize the integrity of their games over financial gain.
Due to the game’s high difficulty, about 62% of players were initially unable to access the DLC. However, this number likely decreased after the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC and the community’s efforts to assist each other in defeating Mohg, an optional but necessary boss to progress into the DLC.
Miyazaki explained that the sense of accomplishment derived from overcoming difficult obstacles is integral to the game’s identity. Easing the difficulty, he believes, would diminish the joy of conquering these challenges and fundamentally alter the game.
FromSoftware’s games are renowned for their tough gameplay, yet they include mechanisms to make the challenge more approachable. Players can level up their characters by grinding for experience points and items, significantly boosting their stats for tough encounters.
In Elden Ring, players can also use items to summon additional characters for assistance during battles. This strategy proved so potent that it required adjustments in a post-release patch. Moreover, many of FromSoftware’s titles, including Elden Ring, allow players to summon other real players for cooperative play, providing an additional layer of support.
The highly anticipated expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, launched recently and has been met with critical acclaim. The expansion not only matches but in some ways surpasses the original game by offering a more focused yet expansive experience.
Shadow of the Erdtree is also the biggest FromSoftware DLC ever and is even bigger than the entire game of Sekiro on the PS5, and is the highest-rated DLC ever.
As Elden Ring continues to captivate players with its intricate design and challenging gameplay, Miyazaki’s commitment to preserving the game’s difficulty underscores the importance of maintaining the authentic experience that defines FromSoftware’s legacy.
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