Game director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, explained in a PlayStation Blog interview that while Elden Ring will remain difficult, FromSoftware designed the game to give players multiple options in order to put off more demanding enemies until much later on. Not to mention, Miyazaki added that the studio wanted to make Elden Ring more accessible. Specifically, Miyazaki added that FromSoftware did not try to “make things hard for the sake of it” and that he doesn’t want players to “feel like the game is unfairly punishing.” Of course, it remains to be seen if Miyazaki’s words will ring true. FromSoftware’s track record doesn’t exactly bode well for gamers who want to explore at a “leisurely pace.” Then again, one way to spin what Miyazaki stated is that Elden Ring will be more of the same, only better. If it’s any consolation, Miyazaki did tell fans that they can play Elden Ring however they wish. He described it as an RPG where players can “choose whichever [class] looks coolest to them.” Interestingly, Miyazaki recommended against playing the Wretch as he believes it is the “most difficult starting class.” Thankfully, it won’t be long before audiences find out for themselves just how difficult Elden Ring is going to be. According to Yasuhiro Kitao, one of Elden Ring’s producers, the game officially went gold last December. This all but seals Elden Ring’s launch date on February 25. The only question now is how well FromSoftware’s latest title will do against its competition. Case in point, Guerilla Games’ Horizon Forbidden West is scheduled to launch just a week earlier on February 18, 2022.
