Highlights
- FromSoftware‘s game design thrives on hidden content, but it can frustrate players who struggle to find secrets without external help.
- Obscure NPC quests and hidden bosses add to the appeal of exploration, but can lead to players seeking online guidance for progression.
- Future Soulsborne games could maintain mystery while offering more intuitive paths for players to discover hidden content without sacrificing challenge.
As a seasoned veteran of FromSoftware games, I can’t help but appreciate the allure of hidden content and the thrill of discovery they offer. However, after countless hours spent scouring maps, forums, and YouTube guides, I can’t shake off the feeling that some of these secrets are intentionally obscured to the point of frustration.
In the games developed by studio FromSoftware, there’s always been a balance between fostering exploration and revealing secrets, which many find intriguing, but others find frustrating due to their complexity. The game Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has adopted a more user-friendly map design, similar to what made the original Elden Ring’s legacy dungeons captivating. However, it still seems to follow some of these patterns. Since FromSoft games have been incorporating hidden quests and bosses in this manner for quite a while, perhaps it’s high time they provided more discoverable content that players can find without relying on external guides.
In discussions about the Soulsborne series, challenges often take center stage as a point of critique, but there’s another issue that’s just as prevalent – unclear NPC questlines. These ambiguous quests can make it difficult to decipher what you should do, making guesswork feel overwhelming for many players. Consequently, they may turn to online resources for help. Since crucial items and encounters are frequently concealed within such challenges across multiple games in the series, the upcoming title “Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree” might improve player experience by incorporating more intuitive design in its optional storylines.
Hidden Content Has Always Played a Role in FromSoftware’s Soulsborne Game Design
The Inherent Appeal to Discovering Bosses and Items
Although they might seem out-of-the-way, there are numerous instances across FromSoft’s collection that demonstrate their commitment to making discoveries worth the effort. For instance, areas such as Ash Lake in Dark Souls and the Nightmare Frontier in Bloodborne, while not essential for progress, are valuable treasures for players who delve deeply into the game world. The hidden bosses like Darklurker from DS2 and Nameless King from DS3 can provide climactic moments, but they’re rarely found without some investigation or research into their specific requirements.
FromSoft’s Content Obscurity Can Detract From the Gameplay Experience
Using outside aid to uncover or finish content in a Role-Playing Game (RPG) might disrupt the immersion, since it’s important to differentiate between solving a puzzle and exploring a world. It may seem like a player is missing out on the complete gaming experience, especially for hidden quests in games like Elden Ring, when they don’t have additional resources. Navigating the map due to the constant movement of NPCs can turn into an obscure task of meticulously checking notable locations.
Less Obtuse Design Doesn’t Have to Betray FromSoftware’s Style
The Future of Soulsborne Can Feature Accessibility Concessions Without Losing the Element of Mystery
The downloadable content (DLC) for Elden Ring features a more straightforward narrative in its main storyline, but some of its key content remains hidden behind cryptic steps that players may struggle to find. To access one of the prerequisite areas for battling the Metyr, Mother of Fingers, who is associated with the Shadow of the Erdtree Remembrance boss, a specific gesture must be performed at a particular location. Consequently, there’s a risk that players might overlook one of the DLC’s most stunning scenes.
During an interview with The Verge, Hidetaka Miyazaki hinted at addressing concerns related to these matters in the days to come.
“We usually prefer challenging games and experiences due to tradition, but it’s important to note that such complexity might deter a significant number of gamers.”
Moving ahead, we can work towards making those secret passages in FromSoft games more transparent yet maintaining their enigmatic quality. By connecting these secrets with more obvious aspects of gameplay instead of concealing them behind obscure barriers, we can create an engaging experience that is accessible to a wider audience while still maintaining the difficulty level.
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2024-08-13 18:34