FromSoftware games are almost all universally hard. Sekiro, Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls--all of them will take an unwary player, chew them up, and spit them out. If you’re not into butting up against a challenge over and over again to figure out a boss’s attack patterns to eventually defeat it after an hour of trying, then these games might not be for you.
Elden Ring will be different, according to game director Hidetaka Miyazaki. Enemies and bosses will still be difficult, but the player will have more options to either confront or ignore challenges until they feel they’re in a more advantageous position.
In an interview with PlayStation Blog, Miyazaki was asked if FromSoftware’s reputation for difficulty is something that the team considered when making Elden Ring more accessible than past titles. "We don’t try to force difficulty or make things hard for the sake of it,” Miyazaki replied. “We want players to use their cunning, study the game, memorize what’s happening, and learn from their mistakes. We don’t want players to feel like the game is unfairly punishing, but rather that there’s a chance to win a difficult encounter and make progress.
"In Elden Ring, we have not intentionally tried to lower the game’s difficulty, but I think more players will finish it this time. 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."
As mentioned in an interview with producer Yasuhiro Kitao, the player will have plenty of options when it comes to avoiding combat. You can stealth your way past enemies or just run past them on your mount. You can also ask other players for help thanks to Elden Ring's co-op gameplay options.
"I don’t want new players to worry or stress about that difficulty too much," Miyazaki added.
However, Miyazaki did have some advice for new players starting their journey in Elden Ring. "It’s an RPG, and they can approach it however they like and choose whichever [class] looks the coolest to them. But I would recommend against choosing the naked one (known as the Wretch). As before, it’s probably the most difficult starting class!"
You can read more over on the PlayStation Blog. Elden Ring arrives on February 25.