How Elden Ring Was Made and Why The Director Feels Apologetic

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This Elden Ring documentary details the development of the high fantasy RPG Elden Ring and goes behind the scenes of its creation. Discover more about renowned game developer Hidetaka Miyazaki, who directed Elden Ring and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice at the same time. Directing Elden Ring felt very fresh to Miyazaki thanks to the unexpected collaboration with famous author George R.R. Martin. The Documentary also explores all the design decisions that the studio FromSoftware made and shows how they took all the lessons learned from creating Dark Souls and applied it to a huge open world.
It also takes a close look at all the hurdles the team had to go through. One of the trickier obstacles the developers had to deal with was trying to stop the player from getting bored. Additionally, the studio had to figure out how to give players as much freedom as possible, without it feeling overwhelming. An open world with lots of exploring to do meant the pacing had to be absolutely perfect. Furthermore, the documentary delves into why FromSoftware likes to make difficult games and why that’s not going to change anytime soon. Lastly, it takes a look at what might be next in store for Elden Ring and what FromSoftware might be planning to develop next.
0:00 Part 1
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7:18 Part 2
References:
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Outro song: Thank You R.G.E. - Joe Bagale
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#EldenRing #FromSoftware #GameDevelopment

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Head to keeps.com/thatguyglen to get 50% off your first order of hair loss treatment!

[@problemforyou]

Would be really cool to see some more of these videos based on retro games (like the pokemon video) like original smb, zelda 1, classic castlevania ect

[@DaiseyChaine]

did it work for you

[@jarodp1027]

If it actually works I'm down haha

[@lbpiercy]

@@Gaming_Vegan_Ape Me too. I think its a scam?

[@ventusvanitas7544]

Honestly, the creator shouldn’t be apologetic. Some people need to git gud. ‘Nuff said!

[@rickylal9824]

I’m 32 years old, and i never considered myself a hardcore gamer, just a casual gamer who would game on the weekends and occasionally after work once or twice a week, but when elden ring came out, it was the first time in my life since i was a small child where i played everyday, i would sit at work thinking about going home and playing it, i have put in over 300 hours as of date and it baffles me how that much time went by so fast, This game is THE DEFINITION of a masterpiece in my opinion.

[@bgill7475]

I’m exactly the same, this game really hooked me. Love it.

[@Realdrlipschitz]

Same. 32 as well, very casual gamer. Only this game and RDR2 had me actually excited to be able to play it everyday

[@TLiebCNV]

Well you’re gonna love Kingdom Hearts 4

[@LuM4rex]

I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. You may think I'm boring. It's quite possible that it is, but hell no. The game has a lot of problems compared to bloodborne and Sekiro which were almost perfect games doing what they wanted to do.

[@itzpayday1238]

@@LuM4rex like what problems? I'm curious. As far as boss reuse goes it's a bit of a bummer, but it makes me wonder why people shit on Elden Ring reusing minibosses while at the same time praising Sekiro, even though it reuses almost all of its minibosses and a couple main bosses.

[@nalsium2828]

Miyazaki: The development of Sekiro had no direct influence on Elden Ring Also Miyazaki: So what if we had this boss called Malenia, and she's this unstoppable badass with a prosthetic arm. And her getting wounded in battle is responsible for spreading a plague of rot. Also, she's super devoted to this child, who is immortal, and an heir to the divine, and then he gets kidnapped by a relative who wishes to use blood to create/resurrect a dynasty

[@derekhart410]

I now feel like an idiot for only thinking of her waterfowl dance as something taken from Sekiro lol. Very good points. She's basically Sekiro

[@tiredmann]

@@derekhart410 Or she's like Tomoe in Sekiro, who was also bounded to the Dragon Heir Takeru in their time, which mirrored Sekiro and Kuro's relationship. Also Malenia basically having Tomoe's Spiral Cloud Passage move as the Waterfowl move

[@theblackbaron4119]

He's not creative enough to not keep recycling things...

[@kertkoljada1891]

@@theblackbaron4119 ...

[@Naulstad]

@@theblackbaron4119 🤓🤓🤓😐😐😐

[@AleXelerate8]

Hidetaka Miyazaki is a real one for putting trust above pride. People have a lot more to learn from this man than video games alone.

[@mesutozil33]

You realise this isnt an indie game, it had multiple directors and FromSoftware has over 330 employees, right? English is not my first language.

[@baleil_]

@@mesutozil33 Why do you keep commenting this? What point are you trying to make?

[@MrTrueCaller619]

​​@@mesutozil33FromSoftware follow a rule named "Total Direction", meaning that everything (almost literally) everything goes through Hidetaka Miyazaki first, he either approves or disapproves every detail of the game . Do some research before making a claim.

[@kristoferscott3373]

@@mesutozil33 Go away. Seriously.

[@tempest2k299]

@@mesutozil33Maybe just stop learning English so we don’t have to communicate with you

[@nemtudom5074]

Honestly, i love how down to earth and humble Miyazaki is. Peak human being

[@mesutozil33]

You realise this isnt an indie game, it had multiple directors and FromSoftware has over 330 employees, right? English is not my first language.

[@nemtudom5074]

@@mesutozil33Yea, and? i was talking about a person not the game.

[@alexandru3788]

Exactly. the Muscle human being being the peak needs to disappear.

[@nemtudom5074]

@@alexandru3788Thats not exactly what i was talking about, but, sure, i dont disagree with that.

[@Joelypookie]

@@mesutozil33 so what? just cause it isn't an indie game doesn't mean that miyazaki has to be a coldhearted monster.

[@ZarMationStudios18]

Sounds like working on Elden Ring gave Martin a much, much needed creative break from his other, more infamous projects XD I'm just happy two titans from two different sides of the entertainment world came together and actually had a blast making something! Proof that both literature and video games can reach the same heights of storytelling.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Yup, made me really happy when I discovered that quote. Seems like he was aching to talk to someone else that was just as excited about the fantasy genre as him. Let alone develop a game together.

[@gabrielclark1425]

I keep remembering that little smile he had on his face during an interview when he was talking about how they (the elden ring dev team) brought all of his imaginations to life.

[@libertyprime6932]

@@alenschwab4717 They only say that because his next book is NEVER coming out lol. And if by some miracle it does, we have to wait another decade for the final. George doesn't care about finishing ASOIAF

[@DaiseyChaine]

this isn’t entertainment bro. it’s life.

[@DaiseyChaine]

@@gabrielclark1425 awwww your creepy grandfather had a little smile on his face. that’s cute.

[@BlueZirnitra]

He is a very clever man. He understands that an artist who cares more about his own image than the art itself is doomed to waste his talent by being distracted by his own ego. His humility is a good part of why his team makes games that have real, authentic, world conquering soul. Forgive the unintended pun.

[@aaronkirby4632]

Elden Ring might be the first game I played in 20 years that made me feel a real sense of adventure and challenge and fun. It didn't try to rip me off by releasing the experience in installments, or microtransactions. It just presented a huge world filled with dungeons and fantasy and said, have at it. On those few occasions I played with my friends in a dungeon for the first time, I honestly felt like I was in the best dungeons and dragons module I've ever played. I can't thank the director enough.

[@jossweall8888]

The dungeons are the worst part of the game 😂

[@Softlol]

@@jossweall8888 Yeah after entering 10 of them I felt like I have seen it all.

[@jossweall8888]

@@Softlol The worst part honestly is they had some that were cool and added new stuff like platforming, only for it to never be used again in another dungeon.

[@CookieMonsterJams]

You clearly need to play Breath of The Wild as well. No matter how much I loved Elden Ring, I think BotW nailed the adventure vibe even better!

[@Softlol]

@@CookieMonsterJams I would say way better, no game is not even close in comparison imo

[@PandemoniumGameDev]

This game managed to instill in me a feeling of wonder and excitement I didn't have for a long time, it's one of my favorites for sure. Excellent video!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you!

[@ADreamingTraveler]

I have 120 hours in the game and I'm nowhere near done. Not once have I ever felt bored playing it.

[@hatchetman3662]

Agreed. I own all the Souls games (except any version of Demon's Souls) and Sekiro on PC. I've yet to really enjoy any of them. BUT ELDEN RING? I've been loving it and, it makes me want to go check out the other games again.

[@caravaneerkhed]

Don’t forget the constant existential dread that you definitely missed part of the critical path for an npc and will never find them again to progress that story without looking it up… :)

[@ChadFromSpace]

Dude, I am right there with you. I wrote on a recent Reddit thread about how for the last year I had been in a sort of video game fugue state. Just couldn’t get into any of the mostly crap that was floating around out there. Elden Ring, and more broadly, FromSoft, has saved video games for me. In the most real, literal sense.

[@Q-Vu]

2:40 "It was a perfect match" One guy likes to kill the characters One guy likes to kill the players

[@rahmadrenaldi2624]

And character = players

[@sinewycrow5118]

Now I can only think of them acting like the film step brothers

[@philippgabainvonkries5117]

@@rahmadrenaldi2624 I'd count the npc's among the characters miyazaki likes to kill.

[@gormatrok5286]

If you knew anything about George you’d know that the show game of thrones is not representative of his book. It’s the tv company or whatever killing all of his characters, not just him. Seriously… always read the book first..

[@NotAGoodUsername360]

"So the protagonist dies at the start of the game..." "Oh that's a given."

[@wind-flower]

I can see why they passed up populated cities or settlements (since it's pretty hard to make them feel right in videos games), but I really hope they try sometime in the future. While I love the atmosphere of the Souls games, I often wish for a setting that's less post-apocalyptic in the sense that not literally everything is in ruins. A Soulslike game set right in the middle of a "Golden Age" of a world would be really interesting

[@jameswilkinson4632]

heavily populated in terms of NPCs... now there's a thought wow

[@Falkenhorst2000]

@@jameswilkinson4632 Even better: cities populated by NPCs that are also not four city-blocks large. That just annoys me so hard in, say, Bethesda games. You honestly expect me to believe that the capital of an entire nation is not even remotely as large as the actual village/town I live at in RL... And that it is only populated by about two-dozen people... Okaaay. Seriously, I'd be fine with not being able to talk to everyone as long as the city I'm in actually feels like a friggin city.

[@johant73]

leyndell is pretty populated, just not in friendly term.

[@ayoo_wassup]

@@Falkenhorst2000 this. I don't need to talk to them. Just like. Elden rings world was hard for me to roleplay in. Because it just feels dead. Its got this.....empty feeling. It threw me off that literally everyone is trying to kill you and I haven't seen a single citizen. I'm being told about all these politics and lords and royalty and I don't have the right and all these epic stories but I don't see humans. Or characters besides tarnished. I eventually came up with a personal story arc. But i had to write myself as a Confused isekai protag fighting purely for answers and nothing more.

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

@@ayoo_wassup all the Souls games are very post-apocalyptic. The world feels dead because it is practically dead. That empty feeling is very much intentional and a staple of these games. It's not for everyone, but I love how great FromSoft is at conveying that sense of desolation, it's just beautiful.

[@the_ideal_grease5565]

This man is the embodiment of ambition, from being a programmer among Fromsoftware, to the President and representative director and taking on multiple projects at once this dude never backs down from the challenges of life makes me feel motivated

[@Existential_Robot]

It makes the games he makes all the more powerful, truth be told. Man says "give me the most difficult things you can. I'll do it with a smile on my face."

[@teabaggins7091]

he also brilliantly portrays that in his games

[@duquette1792]

"I'd want to fight a dragon in an epic arena" *gives us Placidusax* I'm so glad Miyazaki is given the creative freedom he deserves. Always hoping for a Bloodborne remake in the future as it's still my favourite after playing Elden Ring a few times over now.

[@auto1nfanticid3]

bloodborne doesnt need a remake, it just needs a pc version.

[@peacefindersimply5001]

i just want 60fps for bloodborne, thats it. But sadly i think the whole combat system would have to be reworked to fit the number of frames.

[@bananabitch8020]

Midir was a way better dragon fight. Epic music and a very angry dragon!

[@DunkelheitLorenz]

You know what needs a remake? Dark Souls 2 That game despite the hell it went through managed to stay as the most well balanced and varied game in terms of combat accessibility and PvP balance, standing on it's own. Now imagine it refined and brought at least a little closer to the glory it was meant to have

[@auto1nfanticid3]

@@DunkelheitLorenz nah, f that game, it already has two versions, it should be left in the past and forgotten. just make DS4 or ER2

[@zombizblood]

As I got older and started to have less and less free time, every time I sit down and try to play a single player game, I just can't do it. Either I'm so tired after work or I play multiplayer games like apex with my friends since we don't get to do that as often. Elden ring has sucked me in and absolutely revived my love for video games. An absolute great experience so far.

[@dawson3776]

Everytime I see people say they're too tired to play games nowadays, I honestly think its mostly because they haven't found a game they really like. Most of the time at least. Glad you liked Elden Ring.

[@zombizblood]

@@dawson3776 Oh trust me, I liked alot of games. Borderlands, Skyrim, botw. All fantastic games. I don't know if it's work that is draining me or if my attention span has gotten so bad that I can't focus on single player games lmao. But for sure, recently it has felt like alot of new games just hasn't hooked me like they used to when I was younger.

[@EndzMoney]

@@zombizblood It has to grip you bro I feel the same, I barely played Elden Ring (working on it) last game that gripped me was RDR2

[@wallacesousuke1433]

Elden Ring was a boring chore, could only play for a single playthrough,tired of From's copy&pasted games

[@AmonMMA]

@@wallacesousuke1433 Nah it isn't. Go play your braindead COD

[@CrimeFighterFrog]

I find it truly mindboggling how their *first* shot at tackling an open world game resulted in the best iteration of the genre, in a day where we seem to get nothing but huge open world games.

[@contemporaryconundrums93]

I wouldn't really call it the *best* in the genre. It's mostly recycled stuff and badly designed bosses. It does look pretty though.

[@AlfredEiji]

I think part of that success is their focus on environmental storytelling. A big problem of open world games is that it feels empty. Empty of enemies. Empty of inhabitants. Empty of significance. However, because of the focus on environmental storytelling, the locations themselves are compelling even if there are no intractable NPCs or enemies there. And if you are ambitious enough to really investigate the details, you will find a rich and complicated history.

[@icarusgeo]

I've played an endless list of games since the 90s, and Elden Ring has been without a doubt the greatest experience I've had. I'm in constant awe and in love with the inspiration, the artistry, the gripping immersion, and yes, the joy of overcoming hardship. It is for me a priceless gift from FromSoftware.

[@flamingmanure]

agreed. your story basically mirrors mine. ER completely destroyed their older games and became my fav game of all time by faaarrrr!

[@Digger-Nick]

"gripping immersion" Yeah... You either never played elden ring or haven't played any other games LOL. You exposed yourself

[@Digger-Nick]

@@flamingmanure How? It's a direct downgrade from sekiro...

[@icarusgeo]

@@Digger-Nick I can entertain the fact that for some people, their experience would be entirely different, perhaps not finding it immersive or gripping at all, but in such case the only problem, if any, lies with them and I would suggest to question themselves introspectively "Is it because being a snob makes me feel smarter or better than others? Why would I find that important or necessary?".

[@Digger-Nick]

@@icarusgeo You literally do nothing but kill lobotomized enemies that don't even talk and barely move back and forth, in a completely barren and lifeless world. Either you lied and haven't played any other games, or lied and haven't played Elden ring. Which is it?

[@sajinkahnalt]

I truly hope miyazaki is feeling fulfilled. He sounds like a truly great developer and seems to have a lot of integrity. Edit: Idk what's going on in the replies but it seems some people who aren't very big fans of miyazaki's work have chimed in. Pay them no mind and keep it civil please.

[@shanedillis153]

Like all other amazing artists they are tortured in different ways Miyazaki will never feel fulfilled he has to much pride and wants a true magnum opus and Elden ring is the closest he may come to that I love Miyazaki he is a true artist and a true genius

[@melonne7278]

@@shanedillis153 Nah Bloodborne is the closest that can come to that

[@shanedillis153]

@@melonne7278 na for 2 reasons frame rate and it’s not available on all platforms bb is awesome but, Elden ring is the best game he has made followed by bb and sekiro

[@adrianoa.8592]

​@@shanedillis153 those... aren't very solid reasons as for why bloodborne wouldn't be the closest to being his masterpiece

[@shanedillis153]

@@adrianoa.8592 well it’s all subjective anyways but, I think not only those reasons but, the lack of build variety is another I love bb but, I think as do a lot of others that Elden ring has beaten it. Er has a giant scope and not only did it meet expectations but, it shattered them it’s not very often that a game lives up to hype let alone exceeds that hype

[@snek616]

Honestly, Miyazaki is the kind of developer all companies should have

[@AksamRafiz]

couldn't agree more.

[@wallacesousuke1433]

He is overrated though

[@danilostopic1366]

@@wallacesousuke1433 smoke less or explain your opinion. probably a blizzard diablo immortal gamer

[@wallacesousuke1433]

@@danilostopic1366 he only knows to create ONE type of game, ONE FORMULA, lol Also most of what makes up their games have been ripped off of classic franchises such as Castlevania/Metroid and Monster Hunter. Anyone who still gets hyped for Dark Souls 9 is as dumb and tarded as COD, FIFA, Ubisoft fangirls

[@thetoyodacar2264]

well, they probably do, but the devs are not allowed to express their opinion

[@PokerIsLife13]

SHOUT OUT to everyone involved in making this game. Y’all are the real hero’s. My first play through, I felt so happy to get off work and be able to go home and explore some more. Or Friday being super excited for the weekend because I could finally make my way through the capital. It’s sad but Elden ring improved my happiness while medications just numb everything. So thank you fromsoft

[@alexandervue9464]

He does not just create videogames, he creates art. I'm so grateful I get the honor of experiencing his work.

[@madmanis12345]

Defend Hogwarts

[@gabrielclark1425]

It's _almost_ like video games are a form of art that's monetary value is dependent on it's quality. Sadly, you can only understand the value of art if you have a soul, something Career Corpo's lack.

[@don2nd650]

@@gabrielclark1425 is it really that hard to understand tho? U make a fun game, we buy it. From the 80s up to like 2013 that was the deal😑 it seems like theyre getting complacent at most studios like ea and ubisoft. And they had some of the most critically aclaimed games over the past 20 years

[@deppudeppudeppu]

@@don2nd650 Well, it turns out, big devs found out games doesn't have to be fun. They just need to flood your brain with the good juice and keep you coming back for more. On a definitely completely unrelated note, gambling has been around since the dawn of civilization. Interesting fact, isn't it?

[@proeh]

The game has the best quests ever!! My favorite one is where you have to 420 bleachscope a goat, then rest 4 times, then spam through dialogue, then fast travel across the map, buy a dildo, then go back. And if you don’t do things in that order, congratulations, you just lost access to an item of which there are only 8 in the game!! AWESOME QUEST DESIGN. Honestly, you guys need to take your fanboy glasses off, the quest lines are shit

[@leesasuki]

luckily we still have great devs that, even thought doesn't always make great game, focus on making games and this result in something really great! Death Stranding, by 1 of the most iconic developer and team, making a very very odd and unique game. This will definitely inspire lots of developers, as how they still consider financial success even thought many people hate this "walking simulation" Hades, and many many more great indie games that sell well. This really tell the world that it is okay to have very small team and a big ambition, you will success (and doesn't need to rely on big company)

[@redgarlicbred6228]

Goes to show how insanely talented Miyazaki is that he managed to create 2 masterpieces back to back

[@youmukonpaku916]

Bloodborne, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Sekiro, demons souls Dude can't miss when he's involved. One of the most successful game designers of all time.

[@SpottedHares]

Ego pander circle jerk is not master pieces

[@MinkDaddy]

And not only that, he's insanely humble dispite his success. Puts these other jealous, narcissistic game devs to shame.

[@emm6101]

game sucks bro, i dont understand why you people say its hard or a masterpiece. Virtually no story, same damn enemies like 10 times and the gameplay feels like its from the playstation 1 era.

[@emm6101]

@OneFortyFour oh please, you fight the same enemies a million times just recolored and no one can say that the targeting doesn't suck

[@ziga226]

"Hey let's add friendly npc cities like in skyrim for example" Miyazaki:get that guy out of here

[@StylePoints306]

This game made me kick my video game addiction. Once I beat it there was nothing that could come close; the best last chapter in my book of gaming. It is both flawed and perfect, thank you Miazaki for making such a beautiful experience

[@JoseFuentes-fn3dl]

There is more coming up ;)

[@brokenegg4714]

You obviously haven’t played Raid Shadow Legends

[@hundkebab2433]

we'll be seeing you when the next souls game releases

[@boshwa20]

Replay it then. See if you have still praises for it then after your honeymoon

[@Spookdookin]

@@boshwa20replaying it is the best part

[@MrHeavy466]

The company and Myazaki finish a huge project then go straight into the next one. Huge respect to them.

[@wallacesousuke1433]

Gotta milk the stupid Souls formula, no effort or creativity needed

[@berrybee9242]

@@wallacesousuke1433 troll

[@wallacesousuke1433]

@@berrybee9242 truth hurts, doesn't it? 6 lame copy&pasted souls games down the line, if that doesn't scream milking...

[@metatrix4251]

​@@wallacesousuke1433 Let me see... The life of every great artist can be interpreted as the obsessive and exhilarating milking of his muse and the sharing of his work. What do you have to share, what is your milk like? Every time you speak or make a comment you are just milking your own mind. Same troll shit all over the internet, the same pitiful need for putting things down, just to give yourself the illusion that you are a little bit higher. Instead, why not grow wings ? Every time you think of criticizing sometimes because it just comes so easy, instead try to praise something that you think is nice. Then see which habit takes you further in life. You can get higher pushing things up than stepping on them. I Promise. Everything you say necessarily reflects what you have inside. You open up for everyone to see, every time you express yourself. What do you want to show the world?

[@randomlyrapid8996]

@@wallacesousuke1433 Pretty sure they're making another Armored Core game next so...

[@nickelbutt]

Miyazaki: I just hope you guys like my work. There are things I could have done differently, but at least I stayed true to my vision. Western Developers: Our next title is going to be the greatest next-Gen video game experience. Gamers will love it and we are so proud of what we made.

[@ibrahem2634]

@Quân Trương lmao

[@justarandompersoniguess]

@Quân Trương i don’t think there’s enough swamps

[@darksunwithin]

And you better not question our forced political junk insertion!

[@msid7748]

It's partially a cultural difference I guess. Asians, especially the Japanese, have a big emphasis on staying humble and underselling yourself. Whereas in the West, especially the US, it's all about bragging and acting like your product is the next big thing. Just look at Apple.

[@neamraven]

@Quân Trương CDPR's fall from grace is simultaneously the most tragic and the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. Such a quick 180. They absolutely suck now, while the Witcher series was great and one of the best in gaming.

[@Extremeties]

The sheer size and scope of this game is truly amazing. Its really sad when you get to the end knowing your amazing, memory filled adventure has come to a close :( ER will go down as one of my favorite games in my 30+ year of playing video games. Truly a great game, great memories. Thank you Miyazaki.

[@jeniskindof]

He's apologizing because his ideal version of elden rings map was going to be nothing but scarlet rot but he was forced to change it

[@popeneiad7968]

“People don’t give their honest opinion” … that explains why Elden Ring has 3 poison swamps

[@mr.pockets8523]

And they're perfect

[@jadenkarpoff9158]

More than that. Village of the Albinaurics, Swamp of Aeonia, Lake of Rot, Shaded Castle, that area in Elphael, and several caves like Seethewater Cave and the Abandoned Cave near Aeonia have swamps in them too.

[@graydenboad574]

Eh, between bloodhounds step and Torrant the poison swamps were a cakewalk compared to the previous titles.

[@unpingouinsurlabanquise4574]

Lake of rot was good pure pain

[@markjacobs1086]

@@unpingouinsurlabanquise4574 Luckily it's small enough that it's only a few hours of rage 😅

[@Fokkusu]

I honestly think Elden Ring is worthy of being called one of the best games ever made, what it has achieved on impact on veteran gamers that are burned out by the open world genre in general is much more impressive than the sales numbers I think, this game single handlely gave me a game that is very close to my ideal game too, I enjoy it so much

[@everilliem3292]

Rofl

[@Eevee860]

Nah

[@NEH85]

Absolutely one of the best games ever made. There is no doubt in my mind. True masterpiece from a true master.

[@spookytown7963]

@@Eevee860 Yah

[@victorbitencourt9481]

Sekiro is better, arguably Bloodborne too

[@jacobfield4848]

The effort and detail Miyazaki's put sinto his game has to be admired. Even if you do not like his games, his attention to detail is soemthing I greatly admire.

[@mesutozil33]

You realise this isnt an indie game, it had multiple directors and FromSoftware has over 330 employees, right? English is not my first language.

[@MacnS]

I'm a new fan of the soulsborne games. My first game was Bloodborne and then I went on to play the rest. I absolutely love Elden ring and now after seeing this video I have so much respect for Miyazaki and fromsoftware. To know how much passion he has for these games and how involved he is just makes me love their work even more, Fromsoftware is definitely my favorite game development studio!

[@splishsplash3492]

I started with bb too and played some others and i gotta say. ER is not a bad game but i was largely dissapointed. Its def not their best entry

[@orinblank2056]

I think the progression of Elden Ring is what has most impressed me, which is saying a lot considering how much I love the rest of the game. I've put in somewhere in the area of 150 hours and I'm still on my first playthrough, yet I am still constantly finding things that I had never seen, even just in Limgrave, despite it being so small and the first area you encounter. It's crazy that I can put in so much time without the game feeling repetitive in any way, other than a few times where I did a bit of rune grinding (and a bit of farming. I want to get every weapon in the game, but some weapons have a 0.5% or even 0.2% drop rate at base discovery and that's a pain). Honestly the entire game is just paced so beautifully

[@orinblank2056]

@@Insp.CountMortisWinshipKlaw Actually no, I feel like "What the hell are these?" was the first question I asked after seeing two 8 foot long rotting fingers giving orders to people

[@incius8341]

yeah it's best to avoid trying to 100% big games. You just burn yourself out. Farm a weapon you're actually gonna use rather than 30 just for the sake of a collection, but to each their own. I only farmed the misbegotten bow because it's the only strength scaling shortbow.

[@alexandervowles3518]

Use an arcane build. Easy drops

[@WILLPORKER]

patches teleporting you to mt gelmir and diallos story was stuff I missed on the third play through, and I missed the dung eater ending the second time lmao. not just not doing the quests but the fact that I wasn't even aware there was a quest.

[@rvbychxrry]

"I just want as many players as possible to experience the joy that comes from overcoming hardship" such a charming perspective. great video as always!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated!

[@barrontrump3943]

​@DINKLE BERG the game was fine. not near perfect but very decent

[@lunarluxe9832]

@DINKLE BERG would you rather play call of duty?

[@consulhunter9377]

@DINKLE BERG your ignoring the entire concept of FromSoftware games if you think they're "philosophical talk" is cringy. Not everyone wants to "just play a game" and kill time.

[@jekkjace3817]

@Michael Lochlann play something else, hell with your thinking you should put the game down and go learn carpentry. Stop wasting your time and learn a skill

[@AbyssalPlague]

If you look up the word "leader" in the dictionary...their would be a written definition. That's how dictionaries work. For real tho, Miyazaki clearly cares. A lot. More so than other game company heads like EA or Ubisoft.

[@brendan594]

This game makes me wish I was a kid again and I could play it for hours on end with zero responsibilities

[@ASassyP]

Even just loading this game up for the first time, I cannot express in words the feeling of adventure and wonder than filled me when I heard the opening music to the title screen. The fact the title screen got me hyped to play says a ton to me.

[@factormars4339]

Same, the music in the title screen got me. You know it is a huge game just with this.

[@vitriolicAmaranth]

Something I never hear people mention online, but saw references to in-game (messages like "didn't expect just getting started"), is that you never know until you're very close to the end how big the map is going to be. Every time it seems like you're getting to endgame you're wrong. You can tell this was actualyl a conscious design choice, because at the start of the game the map is only as big as Caelid, Limgrave and part of Liurnia. As you fill out the map, the blank space actually gets bigger. Even when you DO get to the end of the game, you probably haven't been to the Haligtree or parts of the underworld, and it's not even immediately obvious that those are places you can go. Even when everything is filled out, there's a continent to the north that you can see from the coast, and of course the clouded area in the middle of the map- probably locations for planned DLC.

[@loled123]

The map is extremely well done. What is striking is that before you pick up the physical maps, you get a very small max zoomed in view by default, with a small effect to mark where you have been. So every time you go further and further, the zoomed in square in the map screen keeps growing and growing, and growing as you go north, south or east. And unlike in games with a similar implementation, you don't get to zoom out to the edges of the unknown until you got all the map pieces. You got absolutely no idea how big the game is until you played it, and the Erdtree just keeps looming menacingly in the distance, so do the minor erdtrees and greater structures on the map. Its hard to put in words, just how well done the presentation for the map screen is, because its a transient experience as you get to zoom further and further out.

[@Justathought81]

The scope reveal pacing was so well done, i wish more developers had the courage to hide more from players, you just cant have mystery without hiding things but they all seem so afraid players will just lose interest and move on before seeing any of it.

[@GuyLogen]

Definitely see influence from Skyrim, Shadow of the Colossus and Breath of the Wild in Elden Ring. But it's true that it doesn't just feel like an amalgamation of ideas from those games, but also an evolution of their own formulas. I think Elden Ring sets a new standard for what an open world game can be while still being fun after maybe 100 hours, previously achieved by Breath of the Wild. Also, now they have the task of balancing popularity (in terms of sales) with creativity (in terms of quality). Surely another improved open world-esque game like Elden Ring will be the way forward if they want to gain more popularity, but hopefully that doesn't come at the cost of their creativity and cause burnout (since they are more difficult games to make). They can go back to their usual formula to maintain creativity (which I think they will for sequel games for either Bloodborne or Darksouls) but they have to also stick with this new open-world formula imo with either Elden Ring sequel or a new ip. But I'm sure if you got GRRM to write the backstory for your game, you must have done it with the intention of turning it into a franchise, since he also speaks so positively about working with GRRM. Which only gets me more excited for the future, not to mention the advancement in game development with Unreal Engine 5!

[@puppetstudio4989]

Remove skyrim and you're golden

[@graydenboad574]

Yeah, I don't see much influence from skyrim.

[@luizy6701]

What I like about From is that they don't need to rely on those two IP's. From have a rich history of adventure and mecha games, Armored Core, Echo Night, Déraciné, and hold IP's like Tenchu amongst others. After this game, I hope they revive one of those IP's making something different to what they do normally

[@lookingglassknight139]

Elden ring addresses all the problems I have with breath of wild. Too me breath of the wild didn’t feel like a zelda game. And it’s world felt lackluster.

[@eurobeat_enjoyer]

It doesn't set new standards it is rather trying to get closer to and be like these games...I didn't see anything new what wasn't in other games, I only saw what was already in all of those games

[@KohenChia]

Miyazaki: "I just want as many players as possible to experience the joy of overcoming hardship." Game: You just lost 100k runes because you failed to pick them up before the boss stabbed you in the ass

[@aminulhussain2277]

Stab the boss in the ass first then.

[@Vulgarth1]

@Michael Lochlann It's not hard to de-aggro from a pack of enemies and just sit in the wilderness while you answer your wife or sneeze. Don't invent problems just because you don't like the game.

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

@Michael Lochlann thankfully, the whole point of all these games is that dying isn't a big deal. You can just put the controller down, your runes will be there when you get back.

[@nimazsheik5152]

The amazing thing about Elden Ring is the subtle 4th wall breaks where Miyazaki is directly speaking to the player. Telling the "maidenless" player to go out there and be "emboldened by the flame of ambition"!!!

[@mesutozil33]

You realise this isnt an indie game, it had multiple directors and FromSoftware has over 330 employees, right? English is not my first language.

[@golik133]

There were so many Waifu But only Ranni had romance option I hope in DLC Malena had romance option too it is like Game is saying now you're not maiden less anymore

[@jasonbelcho8609]

​@@golik133fia is a romance option

[@AvalonDreamz]

Miyazaki and his team deserve some serious praise for Elden Ring. It has been a long time since I have found a game that has not only enticed me to want to play it (I am not a gamer or really play games much at all) but watch OTHERS play it and see their takes on it as well! The excitement of watching someone fight these bosses for the first time that are difficult especially when your new to the style of game this is, it's just fun to get into. The world is massive, options are extensive, and it really is everything you want in a game your spending money on. It gives a very big wake up call to other developers to step their game up and start doing better. This game has it's quirks and kinks sure, but it was delivered finished for one, didn't have to spend extra money on it to play, and the good far outweighs any bad. So, GOTY?... I vote YES. Easy yes.

[@masterofnothing4938]

It's interesting to me how the concept design of this game just kind of worked out so perfectly. For Example when they approach George to design a history for them and to even teach it to them he was in the midst of writing fire and blood

[@MarkerMurker]

And that's how we got bloodflame 🤔

[@Arzoden]

So happy for Miyazaki!! The amount of success this game has will no doubt be very good for his future games! Now with a massively increased budget for his next project I can’t even imagine how great it will be

[@deadlight88]

I discovered the character creation cap is 10, because I'm currently playing the max amount of characters possible more or less concurrently. This has to be one of the best games I've ever played. There is so much to do and see, so much to experience. Even repeating actions wolnt necessarily have totally the same results. It's gorgeous and came to us at practically the perfect time.

[@regaI]

One of my favorite series of all time! Saw this notification 2 mins before my bedtime. Gonna watch this tomorrow morning with breakfast, couldn't get any better than this. Thanks ThatGuyGlen!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, hope you’re gonna enjoy it!

[@TokenTransPerson]

Manz got cucked by bedtime

[@regaI]

@@ThatGuyGlen I most definitely will, and surely thousands of others too!

[@charmygreen665]

It drives me crazy when people complain about it being "not for everyone" noone is making you play it. And dont act like you cant be included if you dont play it, ive seen tons of commenters and have met people personally that say they really like the franchise but not playing it. People can watch lets plays and lore videos and still be fans if they dont personally enjoy the game play. If you dont find what youre looking for in most games, so you make your own that offers that experience, how dare people demand you change things to cater to them. There are infinite games for every kind of gameplay youre looking for and noone owes you anything with their game.

[@ITR]

In that case you haven't actually bothered reading what people are saying, if people are complaining about lack of accessibility then it's because they enjoy the gameplay. Like, take for example if some enemy had telegraphed its attacks with a red and green light, then nobody with red-green colorblindness can play the game. If there's an option to change the colors, or have it use symbols too, then this wouldn't impact the gameplay, yet make the game more accessible. And it's not like Elden ring hasn't added accessibility options, compared to older souls games there's proper key-rebinding, and they've added auto-targeting, but they were still missing fairly basic stuff like subtitle settings or something showing the direction of audio for deaf people. What's more controversial is something like an optional quest journal or something giving directions to players that haven't played souls games before, though I can't comment on how much this would affect the core gameplay as I haven't played the game yet.

[@Kitsunary]

@@ITR Accessibility is nice, but it will always have an affect on the game somewhere. As much as putting them in seems easy on the surface, it still requires extra work to be done by the developers, which means more money and time would be needed, which isn't always up to the developer if they are part of a larger company. I do agree that subtitle settings are always good thing, but the audio thing has never been an issue in souls games since they purposely try to sneak attack the player all the time and rely more on the player being cautious by looking around corners instead. The auto-targeting is also pretty wonky in this game to the point that I turned it off with the targeting in general has been worse for me in Elden Ring than the other souls games since it prevents the player from looking around a lot more than before to the point of constantly untargeting the enemy around doorways. The game does give directions on where to go this time around with the rays of guiding light, but the player is expected to explore more than in previous games, which is the main cause of difficulty in this game when new players assume they have to beat everything in front of them. Unfortunately for the quest journal idea, quests don't really work in a way that makes it possible. NPCs just move around without warning, rarely tell you where they are going, and even change position depending on the time of day or random things you may have done. They always want it to feel like travelers just happening to meet whenever you find one and be just as likely to never meet so that the NPCs feel more like people going about their business whether you are there or not. This is just the nature of souls quest design and has always been completely optional because letting the player miss things is how From Software retains the feeling of discovery in the player. Personally, my problem is the NPC locations since I beat a later boss before the first demigod and ended up not meeting several NPCs before I was too far into the game to even start some quests. This wasn't so bad in other souls games since they were more linear, but it would be nice if the NPCs were at choke points instead of randomly dotted around. This only really affects completionists, but there's no way to get everything in a single playthrough anyway since different choices lead to different rewards and I would have liked a way to get everything the first time through considering the game's length. It's just the price of making a souls game open world I guess.

[@ITR]

​@@Kitsunary Before answering, I want to again specify I haven't played elden ring myself, and that I mostly base this on testimonials from people who have played the game. "it still requires extra work to be done by the developers" I'm a game developer, I can estimate how much extra work most of this stuff is. Adding an option to make subtitles bigger should be extremely simple, and there's no excuse for a AAA title to not have that. "they purposely try to sneak attack the player all the time" I would assume that being able to locate an enemy with sound cues is extremely useful specifically when sneak attacked. I can't comment on soulslike games specifically, but personally I've used sound to keep track of where enemies are in other games if they move around a lot or are more than just one. There's also one article that mentioned some bosses having sound cues for specific attacks. "The auto-targeting is also pretty wonky in this game to the point that I turned it off" That's another good thing about accessibility, being able to not use features. For some people with motor issues it might be more difficult without auto-targeting, no matter how wonky it is, so it's still good that they added it. "The game does give directions on where to go" There was one testimonial mentioning that they'd by accident wandered into a non-starting area with the most difficult starting class, and didn't find out how to get to the beginning area without getting help online. That said, multiple testimonials did give positive reviews of how elden ring let them explore as they wanted, so it's possible this one person just got unlucky. "Quests don't really work in a way that makes it possible" Somebody made a phone-app where you can write down names of npcs + where you've seen them + notes (for example what they want). A quest tracker wouldn't necessarily have to list [every possible quest you can find], but rather which ones you *have* met. This way you still have the feeling of discovery and being able to miss stuff.

[@barbatos9441]

@@ITR These are my personal opinions based from playing the game. 1.) Subtitles, I assume it's like in Left For Dead where when a boomer groans a subtitle would appear and it will alert the player.. Personally I don't think it is necessary because if they gave cues like that then the suspense that the player should've experience would weaken. 2.) Sneak attacks. I think the reason why they purposely tries to always sneak attack the player is to give the players a sense of suspense and thrill, it also teaches the players to never let their guards down because exploring a huge unknown map can make you lose focus thus ends up killing you. If they give cues that an ambush would happen then it would become a player's habit to wait for a cue instead of learning how to be alert at all times. 3.) Directions. I like the way how they didn't held the players hands which makes exploring enjoyable, ending up in a dangerous area by exploring is a given fact if you end up in a dangerous area at least you now know which area to avoid. 4.) Quest. I think the reason why they didn't added a questlog is to encourage players to explore more, also to make it feel like you're meeting with the npc by chance just like how meeting between two strangers happen. Personally since I never played the game as a completionist it never became an issue for me. Besides meeting with an npc or completely missing them and their quest won't really hinder your progress from finishing the game. 5.) Lastly accessibility, I don't know what's the issue here? I have a friend who lost his right eye, right thumb and right index finger from a car accident and yet still manages to enjoy the game. All he did was to adapt, never once did he complained that a game was too hard for him and that the game should be tailored for him.

[@kalieffoster4607]

​@@ITR .... although your comment is appreciated and I can see... where you are coming from... this is definitely a game that you have to play to truly understand.... many elements of the game are put there to create an actual feeling of an actual world.... although most of your comments are valid things like sound cues would sort of ruin that.... as most people don't give off sound cues when they walk in a room 🤣

[@CtheBernwickle]

6:11 see that, right there, that experience that he wanted to have in this game, is the exact experience I had when I got the game, I made sure I knew nothing about the game except for it was good, never played any dark souls, and I was blown away by how you could just look anywhere and go there and explore, even if you found nothing, like that was just cool

[@MichaelTheRead]

A year and a half later, I hope Miyazaki has taken some solace in the game's incredible success. The man is a savant of multiple pursuits, from storytelling, to development, and all the while, he is humble and respectful not just of his staff but also the players. I hope he joins the annals of history alongside other geniuses of fiction, like Tolkien, Hemingway, and yes, Martin.

[@medivhh]

Mannnn! This is what its about! Passionate people at the helm of a project being hands-on and invested. Crazy that a passionate leader can create such a passionate game so beloved, it feels like less of a business and more a total escape, and thats the draw video games bring.

[@Dre-oz2hu]

Elden ring is my first souls like game i’ve yet to play, and it has quickly became one of my favorite games of all time.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Definitely worth it to play the other ones as well when you’re done with Elden Ring!

[@Amatsuichi]

@@ThatGuyGlen recommending it in this order: Demon Souls, Dark Souls 1 + 2 + 3... and for masochists there still is Bloodborne and Sekiro :)

[@wallacesousuke1433]

Only play Bloodborne, skip the rest, they are garbage and copy&paste from each other (Elden Ring id literally DS3 on steroids)

[@TheSolarium18]

As much as i love the jumpbutton in eldenring, the exploring (only in first playthrough though), the build variability and that combat feels more flashy I think they messed up with the fighting system in combination with bossdesigns. I think Ds3 has the best combatsystem and the best bosses which work in perfect synnergy with it. They should again emphasize the stamina bar as the main limiting factor in fighting. In eldenring they obviously made stamina nearly insignificant which might sound like a good idea first for more fluid combat the problem they obviously encountered there is that fights didn’t feel tactical comprehensive or well-ordered anymore just like a hack/slash game, so they had to come up with other limiting factors. What they introduced is to cope that problem with boss movesets which limit the possible attack windows to much more rare instances and they increased the damage output so much that occasional risk attacks are too heavily punished. I personally think that doesn’t feel very good instead of a fluid symphonic fight with a back and forth between the boss and you now you got long phases of passiv gameplay with just pure dodging/waiting in alteration with short active windows. That feels even less fluid at least in bossfights but you probably feel more freely in openworld against mobs. Additionally for some reason they decided to to make every boss and a lot of enemies a moveset which is far too complex. Don’t get me wrong i love challenges but there should be a progression. Even the first real bosses don’t really have a hugh difference to gael (Ds3 final dlc boss) in terms of moveset complexity. Then they stacked on that the delayed attack pattern of nameless king on a lot of enemies and even more aggression and made everything faster. And while in Ds3 there never is an attack you can’t dodge or the reach of even gap closers is always so concepted that you can dodge back and it will miss exactly at this point or you dodge to the side and create an attack window, eldenrings reach attacks have way too much reach. The Aoe Effects in eldenring are also insane. Maybe they came to the conclusion that they have to cope that with spirits but honestly spirits are not fun and take away exactly what i enjoyed most in other fromsoft games. Beside that there are also glaring balancing issues especially fast weapons vs slow weapons, bleed builds etc

[@wallacesousuke1433]

@@TheSolarium18 DS3 is equally trash

[@TG-oq2jx]

The reason I like Elden Rings Open World more than any other games is because I can go explore and be able to find secret areas or hidden items like rare weapons or armor , it actually gives me excitement, unlike other games when you would only find currency or crafting materials

[@stinkfinga4918]

Funny most people feel the exact opposite about elden ring, exploration is minimal, everything is behind a repeat boss in a repeat dungeon, and most rewards are pointless unless you're an intelligence build cuz most the shit you find are spells you can't use.

[@MrRavmoor]

@@stinkfinga4918 I've almost never heard this sentiment. Don't think "most people" is correct. I for one loved the exploration of Elden Ring. Filled me with a sort of excitement and joy I haven't felt since I was a teenager.

[@stinkfinga4918]

@@MrRavmoor you must have had a dull childhood lol

[@liberalismisahatecrime4385]

@@stinkfinga4918 lol there's like 70ish bosses in the game and less than 10 of them are repeated lmao this take is so bad.

[@stinkfinga4918]

@liberalismisahatecrime4385 there are 123 bosses. 8 of which are the legacy bosses. Why not look this stuff up? (The 123 bosses are not counted in repeat situations, if we count repeats, there's 238 bosses... again, only 8 being the legacy bosses, as in story/progress bosses).

[@neamraven]

21:39 "ER is almost certainly a GOTY contender, and who knows how many copies it's going to sell..." GOTY now, about 18M copies sold.

[@GimpOG]

I love Elden Ring. It’s definitely a contender for GOTY, both legitimate Game of the Year and my personal Game of the Year. First time in awhile that I’ve found myself wanting DLC for a game. With that being said, I don’t want a sequel, personally. Not everything needs a next. Elden Ring is a masterpiece, let it be.

[@unpingouinsurlabanquise4574]

@@nuclearsimian3281 i can hardly see anything beating ER, not even GOW Ragnarok

[@Galland780]

@@unpingouinsurlabanquise4574 It's not even out yet. How on earth did you come to that conclusion. Wait it out a little bit. Then judge. Don't just throw out opinions without real insight

[@orinblank2056]

If it doesn't get game of the year I would be amazed. I literally could not imagine any of the upcoming games even coming close. Like, the new God of War looks good, and the new Kirby also looks hype, but nowhere near Elden Ring's level

[@unpingouinsurlabanquise4574]

@@Galland780 i looked at GOW 4 to know. We can still be surprised but GOW Ragnarok looks like GOW 4 dlc.

[@tomtom86004]

Even if BOTW 2 and starfield dropped this year (they wont) Elden Ring would be tough to beat. I wouldnt be surprised if ERs success had something to do with the delays.

[@MooseyVGM]

This may sound odd, but it makes me really happy to hear Miyazaki talk about how there were things he was unsure of or things he thought could have done better when the game was nearing release. There are a lot of people that really worry about where Fromsoft will go from here, and if they’ll be able to top a game that is as close to a masterpiece as most games can get. Hearing Miyazaki acknowledge that he still has room for improvement and there are things to be done better makes me very excited for what’s to come.

[@L0STMYMRBLES]

Hey, great video. I really enjoyed how you presented the insights and information here; without adding a bunch of quips and unnecessary forced humor so many KZbinrs are guilty of now days. Touching on your remarks towards the end of the video about future titles, I think it would be outstanding to see a FromSoft open world Armored Core game. I have no idea how that would work, but I play video games rather than make them for a living hahaha.

[@Psychx_]

Miyazaki combines many great traits into a rare skillset. He's passionate about his work, has creative talent, leadership skills and he's got great imagination regarding what the players will do/think when the content is presented in a certain way. There is also a strong will to do things "in his own way", instead of blindly following the standard Bethesda/Ubisoft formula. This makes him and his crew very competent and one of the best game dev studios out there. Cheers, From Software and Miyazaki! You've provided me with far more than 1000 hours filled with curiositiy, excitement, wonder, adrenaline and immense satisfaction!

[@mesutozil33]

You realise this isnt an indie game, it had multiple directors and FromSoftware has over 330 employees, right? English is not my first language.

[@Syntox]

The word "masterpiece" gets tossed around alot but when we talk about this game its not even a grand enough statement

[@thestudentofdhandho5302]

I really appreciate the level of detail you’ve gone into here. You’ve clearly put a lot of effort into the video and it’s paid off!

[@Yilue]

10:56 I couldnt agree more. My entire life since I was a child I've always loved neon lights anything colourful next to something darker/duller. Thats what makes the cybperunk artstyle/genre what it is. Beauty(bright and neon lights) over buildings and architecture that get overshadowed by the lights and then becomes the mud that the jewel surrounds.

[@danz107]

I started my first play about a month or so ago, and I'm hooked. Not a total completionist, but i like to explore a lot. I'm blown away by how much there is to see! The world just seems to go on and on forever.

[@neamraven]

God bless Miyazaki and FromSoft. I hope they stay creative and continue to grow without compromising who they are and what they make.

[@theone76779]

Elden ring is to the medieval fantasy genre what red dead redemption 2 is to the Wild West genre. Such a rich world with so much to explore and discover. The lore is second to none

[@kstigerlily]

I think the comparison between these two games is accurate, however Miyazaki failed to achieve what Dan Hauser and co. achieved in Red Dead: an AI woven into a video game world that challenges but loves the player for their effort. Miyazaki's game is beautiful but it completely lacks any sense of human compassion. I would describe it as a brutal, hopeless, and hateful game set amid a beautiful world. Mechanics are completely designed in the enemy's favor with no respite. No matter what level of brutality exists in the real world by comparison, there's always a respite and so in this he did not capture existence and because of that it falls short of the glory that Red Dead Redemption 2 achieved as a game and a piece of art.

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

@@kstigerlily Which mechanics are designed in the enemy's favor? Just curious because I feel like the Souls franchise is one of the few that doesn't discreetly help the player nearly as much as other games do (and they still do, like immunity during critical attacks, enemies having very limited vision and just the fact that nearly all enemies are slower than the player and can't roll nor use any items, healing or otherwise).

[@kstigerlily]

@@cupriferouscatalyst3708 I feel like the AI was engineered in such a way that to it limits a player's free choice using the tools given them by the game. It's not the challenge that's the issue for me, it's the way you feel restricted from playing the game in any manner you choose. I don't want to have to have a specific weapon or magic ability if I understand the mechanics it should be doable for me to beat the boss on my own terms not on theirs. I've played it three times and came to the same conclusion upon all 3 playthroughs (each of them a new game not a new game plus). I also Platinumed the first playthrough and it was just my first time playing a soul's game. I don't want to play a game that I have to or feel compelled to look up information in order to master it, to feel inspired by it. I believe the game should provide those tools for me -not give them to me, but provide them to me. No disrespect to people who like games by this company, but I genuinely feel it's a sadistic game and dehumanizing. I tried very much to like it and I respect the graphic artists and their work on the game but the gameplay mechanics are sick and by sick I mean they're demented in their attitude toward the player. It seems as if they went way out of their way to make every possible moment an experience of brutalization. I don't think it's healthy to "play" in a world such as that. But I didn't really answer your question. Take the final boss battle for instance - for me it felt as if the ai was constantly adjusting itself to my strategies. If you find a successful strategy the AI will adjust and increase its difficulty. The tools the game gives you in this case are useless. No talisman no maxed out weapon no armor set can overcome this constant adjustment in the AI difficulty. Again I'm not saying I don't want to be challenged I just don't want to be beat down with every effort that I undertake to be successful and feel like in the end you only win because the game allows you to win. Maybe I'm just stupid or maybe I'm just bad at the game those are both possibilities as well.

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

@@kstigerlily some tools are better than others in different situations, that's just how RPGs are. You can beat the game at level 1 with only a shield while over encumbered though, so there really aren't any impossible builds, some are just better.

[@kstigerlily]

@@cupriferouscatalyst3708 well being a first time player that was lost on me. It's just my opinion as a buyer and player of the game.

[@comtruise402]

I just started playing a few days ago. I was lost in the beginning, saw a couple of tips and tricks vids, and as soon as I started to get my bearings with the combat mechanics, it was all too satisfying. One of the best titles I have ever played.

[@jonlava173]

The fact Miyazaki gave Martin such unconditional freedom to do what he does best, namely create entire mythologies, genealogical histories and folk lore, shows how much respect he had for him and vice versa. Such an inspired and creative collaboration between these artisans.

[@SupahSahlil]

honestly I can’t play elden ring for more than an hour due to being overwhelmed with the sheer quality, fantastic gameplay, tried and true artistic direction, and build versatility that I have been searching for the past decade. I feel as though a part of my soul has been filled. this game has cured my depression, I can’t simply help but sip the content of elden ring like a fine wine.really it’s gonna take me a couple years to put this game down.

[@ash-hy4tf]

Same

[@SupahSahlil]

@@TruTube.1. you’re*

[@TheXtrategaxd]

@@TruTube.1. I think you are the one thinking like that buddy.

[@GandhiTheGodOfWar]

@@TruTube.1. vigor check

[@divingpebble8345]

that just sounds like being overwhelmed by the amount of game content there is, but this is prob bait

[@nicbahtin4774]

damn Miyazaki truly an MVP imagine directing two games of the year at the same time

[@mesutozil33]

You realise this isnt an indie game, it had multiple directors and FromSoftware has over 330 employees, right? English is not my first language.

[@nicbahtin4774]

@@mesutozil33 Still they aren't a triple AAA studio on the same level as EA ubisoft or Microsoft yet they make better games

[@mesutozil33]

@@nicbahtin4774 Have no idea, i dont play games made by westerners, they have no soul, original concepts or interesting universes

[@kristoferscott3373]

@@mesutozil33 Quit your copypasta bullshit.

[@lol_histicall4289]

The view in the first steps is honestly some of the most brilliant map design ideas I’ve ever seen you got the forge of the giants and the erdtree in the distance one of the final areas you will explore in the game whilst you’re in the starting area just figuring out where tf you’re gonna go and the. You got stormhill hiding liurnia giving a sense of necessity to go to that castle which you actually do need to go to and then you got caelid for fun y’know best advice is to go to caelid at level one there is amazing loot there easy enemies and a tone of runes to level 100% recommend to new players 😶

[@roophx]

So glad such videos exist on youtube. Especially since you can't watch much of Miyazaki's interviews directly. That was very informative. Thank you, great work!

[@deanbartolo6199]

Not since Tes IV Oblivion have I felt genuinely excited each day to return to a game let alone make the time to play one these days. Elden Ring was a pleasant surprise indeed. Completely captivating and mysterious. 60 hours in and I feel like ive barely scratched the surface but loving every minute!

[@theobell2002]

Oblivion is mediocre af. lmao

[@Gnurklesquimp]

The open world aspect combined with my first Dark Souls experiences makes me wonder... When I first went through the burg and parish, I was under the impression the game was gonna be A LOT of that, with little alleys that connect back around every corner, I kinda wonder what would happen if they set a game mostly in an absolutely massive city that sort of sits in the middle when it comes to open vs. closed. I'm picturing SUPER dense and accessible environments, though, every door besides some caved in ones etc. open and connecting to rooftops etc., this might be best left for when tech is further along. And I don't mind any setting, new Armored Core, any of the themes from the Soulsborne etc. games, something totally new like a fantasy setting based on Arabia and India, I think they could take this so many incredible directions.

[@popeval6654]

biggest mistake ever made in human history was when george r.r. martin's creative writing teacher told him that characters shouldn't have similar names because the audience would confuse them because that teacher was right but george keeps spiting them.

[@davidmcwhirter7960]

I started this game just after it came out in 2022. It seemed a little too hard for me so I put it down. Some months later, something kept telling me to give it another chance. After I started again, I just could not get enough of this game. I wanted to play it every second of every day. I would leave work early just so I could go home and play it. I will never forget the opening music when you open the door to Limgrave. I wish it were possible to delete memories cause I would play this game over and over again.

[@LokiBeckonswow]

I really really like how diverse the content is in this video, you're blowing my mind right now showing me that my all time favourite gaming franchise is now competing with GTA and BOTW - I'm so happy that more and more people are experiencing the magic that are the Dark Souls games, and feeling that solid sense of accomplishment when their skills grow and translate through FromSoft games. their challenge is so rewarding and deep, I am so excited to see how these games (and the themes and values underpinning them) continue to branch and grow through the years. we gamers are truly lucky to have a game studio like FromSoft who have such a high standard for themselves and the experience they deliver. it's a rare thing these days to simply buy a game and then play it without it being broken, empty, or cheap. but yeah, really great video, thanks, I fckng love Dark Souls

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@don2nd650]

Epic. I feel.da same

[@LokiBeckonswow]

@@don2nd650 epic, wishing you success on all of your paths fellow tarnished

[@2828play]

I'm on my second playthrough and taking my time to find everything I missed from the first. This is a masterpiece of a game and I'm dreaming for them to take out a few DLC's (take my money lol). The only thing I wished the game had was the ability to join a friend or vice versa in any situation. This is a perfect 10 in my opinion.

[@charlesschwart8930]

have you tried multiplayer passwords?

[@bison-kx8qq]

We need more people like Miyazaki in the gaming industry

[@codyhill9914]

"More painterly world" bro every time I found a painting I got worried I was gonna be dragged back into the painted world. I even skipped picking up the first one I found just in case lol

[@craigwilks2202]

Elden Ring simply one the best games created of this current era and all time. I haven't felt this fulfilled In a single game in nearly 2 decades, definitely the definition of a work of art.

[@powahpower2463]

This game was the first game in a while that has filled me with dread and danger, not in regards to its bugs or glitches (though whenever I do an unintentional extra attack after a heavy it really enrages me) but in regards to its daunting world and its bosses.

[@romanograsnick]

Thank you for the analysis! I love the game and I am so happy that after I tried to provide a open souls like experience with The Lore of Canis, From Software leaned into that idea themselves. Awesome work and I am glad, Miyazaki is participating in the game's creation that much.

[@karlosxzy]

210 hours in to first play through and still Elden Ring finds new ways to surprise me! One of the greatest games ever made.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

What indie game would you like to see me cover next? Leave a suggestion in the comments below! Also, if you enjoyed the video, please consider subscribing to stay up to date on future “How Games Were Made” episodes. Leaving a like and sharing the video also helps out! Support me on Patreon and get exclusive content like Q&A sessions, ad-free content, access to my Discord server and more: www.patreon.com/ThatGuyGlen

[@the3rdimension]

Sir, please make one video for Inside, its been more than a year you saying that its on your list😭 I'm currently making a game something similar to it so it will help me and my team too

[@r3dn3ck3r3]

Back in the days, I suggested two indie titles: Dead Cells and Blasphemous

[@burned7033]

Omori

[@vicentevasquezb]

Do the new game Tunic!!

[@pepepemariano]

Aeterna noctis pleasee

[@Spooon10]

Little did he know it would hit 20 million copies. Elden Ring was certainly never a game I thought I would pick up, the souls titles were so daunting to me that I never got them. After hearing my friends rant about it I broke down and bought it. I've put more hours in the game then all of them. I am invested in this game. The lore, visuals, and fights never cease to make me smile. A masterpiece.

[@9ZenMedia]

I just absolutely love the way all the souls type fromsoft games are altogether. The storytelling and openness to interpretation is amazing and it then fosters this massive and expanding community of people broadening the lore, it’s perfect. I look at each of these game worlds as a piece of art, it is to me the current state of the art of literally art itself.

[@slaughtamvne4993]

Dude I have played this game over 7 times I have done everything, explored everything , finished every quest, did all the endings, and unlocked every achievement but yet I started another walkthrough last night this game will for sure age like wine the replay value is suuuuper high, I’m extremely excited to see what we get next!!!!!!

[@manea7074]

Wow he directed two of the best games of the last ten years at the same time.

[@MYwinters1945]

The fact that you can kill the characters and also the gamers, was what sold the idea to Martin.

[@NerdBuckett77]

On my 5th play through of Elden Ring and I’m still enjoying the game. My first game console was the Atari 2600 (yes, I’m getting old) and never has a game kept me engaged in such a way. It is so beautiful and it is actually fun to play. It was Fromsoftware that actually got me back into gaming….looking forward to their future endeavors.

[@chrispatrick1261]

I never played a souls game and at first I hated how hard it was but once learning the bosses move sets and learning the game I fell in love.

[@faizaliqbal2284]

Elden Ring game is like my ex. She hurt me alot, but i loved it.

[@mohdsarul1530]

That is kind of toxic relationship dude.

[@SpottedHares]

So your admit that Elden ring is a abuser.

[@andresgonzalez887]

@@SpottedHares yes but not the typical bad husband/wife, more like a sergeant or a trainer that wants us to suffer so we get stronger

[@user-ec6kt2fg7m]

you just needed to level up vigor bro. She's quite manageable but still bleeds like a stuck pig.

[@XxSLaYerZzxX]

@@mohdsarul1530 Toxic swamp of a relationship.

[@TobyKBTY]

You know how they say every first playthrough of a Souls game is special? It was even more so for me with Elden Ring. Despite hiccups here and there (we know about those late game issues), it was still a product that felt like it was greater than the sum of its parts. I don't play as often, but I still pick it up now and then and am now on my 5th playthrough. I think I've poured about 250 hours in so far and I know i'll put it more when the DLC drops

[@itzdavidreal]

Amazing video I’m so glad to see you’re still doing well and on top of the game, really great how far you’ve grown I can’t wait until you get even bigger bro

[@toslinked]

this game was the best thing in quite some time. it’s very special. I am 55 and have been a gamer for over 40 years.

[@reeceh8048]

Miyazaki and Martin did a absolutely amazing job, they can hold there heads up high and be proud 💯

[@annaphorra]

will always love how you stylize your videos based on the games

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Gotta keep every video fresh :D

[@sunniedunbar6889]

Didn’t know the Eternal Champion connection, but it makes complete sense. The struggles Elric of Melniboné faces. The magic and giant sword. Ancient civilizations crumbling around him, or because of him.. Some of the games architecture reminded me of some Elric book covers.

[@andershofsten6142]

I don't even like the Sould series in particular but Elden RIng is so absolutely fantastic I just can't stop playing it. So much to do. So much to see, so little time.

[@redseagaming7832]

I bought Elden ring just based on miyazaki's name alone I knew it was going to be a good game fromsoftware is one of those companies that still not been influenced by hand-holding game design

[@MindinViolet]

At this point, I think I would play a Miyazaki game, even if it got negative reviews.

[@mistersomaru]

I would love to meet Miyazaki, shake his hand, and just chat about video games.

[@ImTrans-Former]

Elden Ring is the greatest game I’ve ever played . I’m currently on Dark Souls 3. I somehow got my brother into ER and he was hooked as well. He went and purchased The Darks souls collection on Disc .