Classic Miyazaki
There’s some new Elden Ring Miyazaki thoughts floating around thanks to Edge Magazine (via VCG), and interestingly, they involve his take on the Demon’s Souls remake.
As a recap, the remake was actually done by Bluepoint: but not by Miyazaki and his From Software team. A lot of us felt like Bluepoint actually knocked it out the park, Miyazaki included. Well, at least in terms of the visuals.
Miyazki himself explains: ““Yes, I’m pretty sure our graphics-creation staff felt that pressure more than anyone else,” when speaking about his Elden Ring progress. He goes on to elaborate “And not just with Elden Ring, but with all the games we make. Graphical fidelity is not something we put as the top priority. What we ask for on the graphics side depends on the systems and requirements of the game itself, and it takes less priority compared to the other elements of development.”
Speaking as someone who has been wowed with the visual design for every Souls-like, I know Miyazaki is going to worry about being a perfectionist until the end of time, but some of us do notice it! Miyazaki explains that he feels “apologetic” toward the team who works on the visuals, as he knows they do a fantastic job. Yet, he isn’t going to see much of the Demon’s Souls remake in motion, because he isn’t actively playing it. It’s not personal!
He muses: “As you say, I was not directly involved in it, and I haven’t actually played the Demon’s remake. But this is because I just don’t enjoy playing the games that I’ve made in the past. It brings up a lot of old emotions, a lot of old memories, and this gets a little bit overwhelming, and it doesn’t feel like playing any more. So I have not played the Demon’s remake, but I am very glad to see it get this fresh look, these brand-new current-gen graphics.”
Given how many artists, from movie stars to game designers, don’t play their creations, this isn’t anything new. But it’s always a pleasure to get a peak inside the curtain with it comes to Miyazaki’s creative process. He also mentions being nervous about how it would be received given how old the game is, but was ultimately happy to see the positive reactions all-around.
