Perhaps you've heard, but
Demon's Souls is a hard game. Like
really hard. Like bone-crushingly, soul-scathingly hard. Speaking to
Game Informer,
Demon's Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki explains why. According to Miyazaki, the difficulty was designed around giving players "a sense of accomplishment," specifically in regard to the soul collecting mechanic. For those who haven't played the game, souls act as currency and you lose
all of them upon death. They can be regained, but only if you make it back to your bloodstain without dying twice more. Trust us, it's not as easy as it sounds.
According to Miyazaki, "If the Souls could be recovered anytime, there would be no suspense or sense of accomplishment." He added that he wants players to feel like, "I did it! I made it to my bloodstain!" Of course, Miyazaki fails to mention the sense of utter, despairing failure one feels when they
don't make it back to their bloodstain (a frequent occurrence).
Regarding the possibility of a sequel, Miyazaki said he couldn't give a direct answer, but noted that the team learned a great deal on
Demon's Souls and there were several things that didn't make it into the game. Given the opportunity, Miyazaki said he would "welcome the chance to create an even better game in the same style." Gluttons for punishment that we are, we'll take it.
Demon's Souls director talks difficulty, sequel possibility originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
