From Software ‘hasn’t intentionally made Elden Ring easier’ but it expects more players to finish it

Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki has discussed From Software’s approach to striking the right balance between difficulty and accessibility with its latest game.

In a new PlayStation Blog interview, the Japanese designer best known as the creator of Demon’s Souls and the Dark Souls series said From Software hasn’t purposefully tried to make Elden Ring easier than its previous games.

However, he expects its open-world structure and more accessible multiplayer offering will result in a greater number of players finishing the upcoming title.

“This time in Elden Ring, we have many options at the player’s disposal to confront challenging situations and use their cunning to outsmart enemies and bosses,” he said.

“They can come back to something later when they’re at an impasse so that they can have this freedom of progression and not have to bang their head against a wall over and over. They can figure out what to do and how to approach it again, at their own pace.”

Elden Ring will also let players take on enemies with up to three friends by their side.

“In Elden Ring, we have not intentionally tried to lower the game’s difficulty, but I think more players will finish it this time,” Miyazaki said. “As I mentioned, the player’s level of freedom to progress through the world or return to a challenge later are all elements that I feel will help people get through the game at a more leisurely pace.

“Also, there isn’t a focus on pure action. The player has more agency to dictate their approach against, for example, the field bosses in the overworld and how they utilize stealth in various situations.

“We’ve even reduced the number of hoops that you have to jump through to enjoy it in multiplayer. So we hope the players embrace that idea of receiving help from others. And we feel like the overall clear rate will go up this time because of these things.”

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Following a one-month delay, Elden Ring will be released on February 25 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.

Earlier this week, Elden Ring producer Yasuhiro Kitao said the game can be completed in around 30 hours, but that it contains “many dozens more hours’ worth of gameplay”.

An incomplete version of Elden Ring’s character creator leaked this month via the game’s closed network test.