Elden Ring May Be Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Magnum Opus, but It Could Also Be His Greatest Hurdle

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Elden Ring May Be Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Magnum Opus, but It Could Also Be His Greatest Hurdle

Elden Ring was a departure from Hidetaka Miyazaki’s tried and tested formula for Soulslikes in many ways for both the legendary director and his fans alike.

Nearly everything about the game felt different to veteran Souls players. Diving into the game fresh off a playthrough of Dark Souls III, an attempt on my part to prepare myself for the challenges that Miyazaki would have in store for me, signs of his handiwork made themselves known as I began to explore The Lands Between.

Familiar but Not Quite the Same

When Elden Ring launched in February 2022, the excitement of trying out a title born out of a collaboration between one of my favorite game directors of all time and George R.R. Martin was palpable indeed.

Diving into the game, I was immediately struck by how its main theme eschewed the somber, even depressing music of its predecessors, opting for the rising crescendo that has now become famous in its own right.

The opening cinematic and the subsequent trek through the game’s tutorial section, another crucial difference from Dark Souls III and other FromSoftware titles, introduced familiar combat mechanics. It added new ones into the mix that could not have prepared me for my first look at The Lands Between.

Shoving open the giant doors to reveal Miyazaki’s stunning new open world was, and still is, a moment I would like to forget just so that I could experience it all over again. A sprawling landmass in which every direction led to something new to explore was a far cry from the often-claustrophobic spaces that Miyazaki’s previous titles pushed their protagonists into.

And yet, The Lands Between felt like home. There were the Sites of Grace, Elden Ring’s version of Bonfires from previous games. There was the Roundtable Hold and a familiar structure to side content that had Miyazaki’s stamp of vague directions and opaque clues all over it.

The more things changed in Elden Ring, the more they stayed the same. But Miyazaki’s finest creation might mean that his next project cannot, and should not, go back to his roots.

A Bold New Direction Means There’s No Going Back

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Elden Ring’s bosses are a perfect showcase of how Miyazaki’s finest work may be something even he cannot surpass. Image Credit: FromSoftware.

FromSoftware’s ambitious open-world RPG may have taken the gaming world by storm when it was released back in 2022, but it could now be the biggest roadblock for the studio and its visionary leader as they think about the road ahead.

It’s evident in the conversations about Elden Ring’s bosses, many of whom had me rolling out of attacks more than I could land my own (I’m looking at you, Malenia!). Taking them on without Summons was admittedly tedious despite that feeling of achievement that comes at the end of a particularly ****** encounter that I had come to love from Soulslikes.

In a way, Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree’s bosses make a compelling case for the game and its DLC being FromSoftware’s finest work to date and feats that the studio cannot attempt to topple.

They represent everything the studio has attempted in the past rolled into an experience that pushed both Miyazaki and his fans to their very limits, redefining what a future Souls game could be in ways that he cannot change.

This may very well be the reason behind Miyazaki’s potential plan to have FromSoftware working on multiple smaller projects running concurrently with new directors at their respective helms. He will likely ensure that his vision for punishing yet rewarding experiences with his games continue to underline their overall mechanics.

Armored Core VI: The Fires of Rubicon is a great example of this, showcasing a new gameplay loop that retained the difficulty that players have come to expect from Miyazaki while standing out from Soulslikes enough to be its own thing.

An attempt to surpass Elden Ring is, in my opinion, is a futile effort. While I truly believe that Miyazaki could, in theory, create a similar experience, I don’t think that he should try to do so.

It is time for FromSoftware to begin revolutionizing other types of games, delivering experiences that stay with their players long after the credits have rolled in genres that they have not had the chance to dabble with yet.

Like The Lands Between, there are a number of paths that Miyazaki can take for his next project. And like Elden Ring, he is sure to find something new along the way as he explores limitless possibilities in his search for a new magnum opus.

How do you think the future of FromSoftware will turn out? Let us know in the comments!

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