From Software games are great because of this feeling. They allow us to experience suffering, but it’s always a suffering we can overcome. It’s cathartic.

Same, Mr. Miyazaki, same

This is the best summary I could come up with:

But in 2022, the company released the splendid, imperious Elden Ring, a collaboration with fantasy writer George RR Martin that is not only Miyazaki’s masterpiece but also by far his most popular work: to date it has sold 25m copies.

“Elden Ring was in a league of its own in terms of the success and critical acclaim that it has seen, but what we try to do as a company is never assume that will happen again with our future games,” he tells me in an interview in Los Angeles.

All of FromSoftware’s games are notoriously challenging, requiring uncommon reserves of grit, determination and willingness from their players – and Shadow of the Erdtree may well be the most difficult yet, putting even those with 100 hours of experience in the Lands Between on the back foot.

But it rewards persistence beautifully, with its intricate, fascinatingly opaque story and memorable fights against formidable beings, from dragons embellished in ghostly fronds to giant walking baskets of human cinders.

Quiet and soft-spoken, his eyes fixed mostly on the carpet, he was uncomfortable being the centre of attention; he is much more confident now, comfortable talking about both business and game design.

In my first interview with Miyazaki, over email back in 2010, he told me about the origin of Demon’s Souls’ unusual multiplayer, wherein players can summon anonymous helpers to help them through a particularly horrible area or boss encounter.

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