Elden Ring Director Apologises For The Game

Despite the sometimes dark aesthetic of the Lands Between, things are shining brightly in Elden Ring. FromSoftware's latest entry to the ever-growing Souls-like genre is continuing the developer's acclaimed legacy, however, not everyone is loving this fantasy jaunt. 

FromSoftware games are notoriously hard, and while Elden Ring has sparked the usual debate on whether games should come with an easy mode, Director Hidetaka Miyazaki has stuck to his guns. As the discourse rages on, Miyazaki has apologised to those who are frustrated by his games.

Why Has Hidetake Miyazaki Apologised For Elden Ring?

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During a lengthy interview with The New Yorker, Hidetaka Miyazaki explained his long history of developing games - with him directing the likes of Armored Core 4, Demon's Souls, and Bloodborne. "I do feel apologetic toward anyone who feels there's just too much to overcome in my games," said Miyazaki.

Apparently holding his head in his hands and then smiling, he added: "I just want as many players as possible to experience the joy that comes from overcoming hardship." It's true that Miyazaki games come with their own precedent of difficulty, with Elden Ring even nerfing one of its bosses following player feedback in the Open Network Test.

The positive is that while Elden Ring promises it has some of the hardest bosses ever for a Souls-like title, many of these are optional. For example, your first encounter with the Tree Sentinel is easy to bypass if you simply go around him. Then again, there are plenty of fans who are rage quitting as they try to best Margit the Fell for the 1,000th time with no luck.

Is Elden Ring Too Hard?

Ultimately, Elden Ring was always designed to push us. FromSoftware needs to keep the genre evolving for fear of complaints it's just Dark Souls 4. That comparison has already been made, but with others citing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's influence, Elden Ring is making its mark as an entirely new adventure.

Even though things are definitely tough in Elden Ring - especially if this is your first FromSoftware outing - we were all suitably warned. It doesn't help that missing an early NPC can make your playthrough indefinitely harder, but on the whole, Elden Ring rewards you for perseverance. At least Miyazaki is aware of his reputation and is suitably sorry while keeping the brow-sweating difficulty of Souls-like games that we're all used to.