Action RPG

What Elden Ring Nightreign’s First-Time Director Learned from Miyazaki – IGN First

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In your thoughts, when you hear “Souls” series, it’s highly probable that Hidetaka Miyazaki, director of Dark Souls, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, is the first developer who comes to mind. However, for the first time in the series, the director role is being handed over to Junya Ishizaki with Nightreign. During a visit to FromSoftware’s office in Japan, I had the opportunity to chat with Ishizaki-san about his experience as a director, delve into some exclusive design choices that make Nightreign stand out, and gain insights into the roots of this Elden Ring spin-off.

Previously, you mentioned that you presented the concept of Nightreign to Mr. Miyazaki, receiving his approval. Has the original proposal for Nightreign remained largely the same as the final product, or have any changes occurred during the transition from conception to execution?

Junya Ishizaki – Director of Elden Ring: Nightreign: The main idea we proposed didn’t undergo significant alterations from our original pitch to Miyazaki. However, during the development process, we received valuable feedback and suggestions from other team members, which we’ve skillfully integrated into the game in thrilling ways that expanded upon the initial concept.

In terms of advice from Miyazaki — well this wasn’t just from Miyazaki but other directors at From — the one that stuck with me and etched into my mind was that a director shouldn’t hold back.

I noticed you conducted a Closed Network Test for Nightreign. Could you share some insights on how this test contributed to the game’s development and what valuable lessons were drawn from players participating in the test?

As a gamer myself, I can confidently say that striking the right balance in game difficulty has always been a significant part of my development process. It’s not just about creating challenges, but also about making sure those challenges are accessible to players while still being engaging and fun. Listening to user feedback is crucial here, as it helps us shape the game experience in a way that resonates with our audience.

In the case of Nightreign, we’ve got a lot of fresh rules and systems that we’re eager to introduce. It’s essential for us to understand how players react to these new elements and incorporate their feedback to make the learning process smoother when the game launches. We want to ensure that every player, regardless of their skill level, can jump into Nightreign and enjoy the experience right from the start.

Could you share your experiences taking on the role of the director for this particular project? Also, I was curious if you received any guidance from Miyazaki regarding directing a video game?

As the director, I found myself deeply compelled and determined: This project demands my full commitment. Given that I was the one who first proposed this idea, it’s clear that it resonated with me on a personal level. However, I soon recognized that seeing it through would require unwavering resolve and perseverance to ensure its successful completion.

One piece of advice from Miyazaki, along with other directors at From Software, that has left a lasting impact on me is the importance of not holding back. This means that during the daily process of creating games, I would need to be more critical and exercise greater self-discipline. Instead of letting certain aspects slide, I would have to scrutinize them more closely and make tough decisions about what’s best for the entire project as a whole.

Could we revisit your earlier statement about Nightreign, where you mentioned that it can only be played either individually or in a group of three. You added that if two people play, the system automatically fills the third spot. I’m curious if you could elaborate on why there isn’t an option for two players to directly join a match together?

Essentially, what we’ve found is that during development, we focused primarily on creating a multiplayer co-op game for three players, making it balanced and central to Nightreign. While we understood the desire for single-player experiences, we also made sure the game was playable solo. In our enthusiasm for this, we may have unintentionally neglected the two-player aspect. However, rest assured, we are taking note of this feedback and plan to address it in our post-launch updates.

Could you share some insights on your single-player journey through the game? Specifically, I’m curious about how the challenge adapts for a lone player. Do you notice any distinct elements or occurrences that are exclusive to solo play compared to team play?

In Nightreign, since it is designed for three players, we recognize the apprehensions of solo gamers. However, most of your playtime will involve independent action and decision-making. Though you’re part of a trio, you’ll often explore distinct regions of the map, gather various items separately, and then reunite at the boss fight.

As a lone gamer, I appreciate the solo gameplay aspect because it’s an integral part of the gaming experience. However, something you might not notice when playing with others is that the aggression of enemies towards a single player has been carefully balanced. This means fewer unfair multi-enemy battles for me. Plus, when I’m playing alone, the game dynamically adjusts its parameters according to the number of players in the session, making my gaming experience more enjoyable. Hopefully, this will help reduce any feelings of being overwhelmed as a solo player.

Absolutely, when you’re playing solo, there’s no one to revive you since you don’t have teammates. Therefore, it becomes a tougher experience for the player. However, we’ve added a self-revive option that can be found throughout the game map. This feature gives players additional opportunities to keep progressing and learning the game’s patterns and bosses without having to start from scratch every time they die.

Let me divert our discussion for a moment to the tale of Nightreign. Could we first establish the scene and discuss how this game aligns with the mythos of Elden Ring?

In essence, Nightreign takes place within the same fundamental backdrop and universe as Elden Ring, but it unfolds on a distinct stage. The central concept here is the Night Lord, an ominous event or catastrophe that has struck the Lands Between in this alternate reality. Similar to real-world disasters, this calamity wasn’t deliberately caused; instead, it emerged organically and affected the Lands Between. To counteract this disaster, there needs to be opposition, and that opposition materializes as the Nightfarers – brave warriors who are entrusted with the responsibility of confronting and defeating the Night Lord, thereby halting this catastrophic event.

During my stay, I discovered an interesting aspect of the narrative – it unfolds across multiple recollections. Could you elaborate on the rationale behind structuring the Nightreign story as individual character narratives rather than following a traditional narrative structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end?

As I recently shared, there’s this fascinating occurrence known as the Night Lord, and this catastrophe has united these Nightfaring combatants with a common goal: vanquishing the Night Lord. These characters hail from diverse eras and cultures, bound by destiny to confront this calamity. However, their objective isn’t merely defeating the Night Lord; each character has unique ambitions, driving forces, and personal struggles they must overcome.

Our aspiration is that players will be captivated as they delve into these intricacies, uncovering more about each character’s past, forming emotional connections with them. In this game, players won’t create their own character, but we’ve ensured there are numerous elements to make each character feel personal and offer ample opportunities for exploration and favorite discoveries.

It’s clear that this game seems geared towards cooperative PlayStation Experience (PVE) but, given the history of FromSoft RPGs, it’s intriguing if multiplayer combat (PVP) was ever contemplated in a way where your team could invade another team’s world. Was such a feature ever discussed or considered?

Initially, Player versus Player (PVP) was not a significant focus for us in Nightreign. Instead, our aim was to create a cooperative multiplayer experience that showcased each character’s unique actions and abilities. However, attempting to balance and fine-tune these elements for PVP proved challenging and diverted from the character concepts and scope we had envisioned. Consequently, we decided to concentrate on Player versus Environment (PVE) and cooperative play, making it clear where our priorities lay. In summary, PVP was not part of our plans for Nightreign.

Could you elaborate on the level of discipline you apply when managing the balance between gameplay aspects, particularly in comparison to games like Elden Ring that are primarily single-player but incorporate PVP elements? How does your approach differ from theirs in terms of maintaining a balanced experience for both types of play?

For games like Elden Ring, designed primarily for single players, we’re considering many factors such as levels, enemy placement and design, the variety of player builds and gear. This time, though, our focus has shifted slightly to provide an enjoyable experience for a group of three players. However, it should still be engaging if played solo. To achieve this, we’ve introduced new character actions and adjusted bosses like Gladius, ensuring they’re balanced for single play, multiplayer co-op, and party play. This balance strategy is crucial for Nightreign.

Regarding the bosses mentioned earlier, it appears that they’ve become significantly tougher, perhaps similar to the challenge presented by Elden Ring – these bosses dish out more damage and require more hits to defeat. This could be due to the fact that there are three players in a team, necessitating a balance shift. Do you think that certain challenges might be too demanding for base Elden Ring, but perfectly suited for Nightreign?

In Nightreign, we structured the game around a three-day/night cycle as a general rule. For the final boss fight, which serves as the climax of everything the player has experienced and learned throughout that period, we wanted it to mirror the player’s progression. This was a crucial element in maintaining balance. Unlike Elden Ring where you have more time for building up and revisiting bosses, Nightreign offers a tighter structure due to its three-day window for preparation.

[The bosses] are supposed to be very imposing, and challenging, and fearsome when you face them.

In order to make these bosses effective, we aimed for a balance where they would seem intimidating when encountered, but could eventually be defeated after some practice and understanding. This balance was crucial to ensure an enjoyable and thrilling battle experience within the three-day cycle. Therefore, a significant part of our design focused on striking this balance between the structure of the boss and the climactic battle itself.

Does Nightreign offer additional challenges or a New Game Plus mode for players to experience once they’ve defeated the eight Nightlords, similar to the post-game content in FromSoft’s previous games?

After completing the Nightlords, we’ve added additional features for players to engage with. It’s important to note that we believe there’s sufficient content beforehand to keep most users entertained. As you progress through each Nightlord, you’ll have the opportunity to unlock relics and try out different character builds through new relic rites. These elements will be collected as you advance in the game, including relics, character stories, and scenarios. However, there’s no time pressure; players can take their time exploring these aspects without any restrictions. We hope these additions will encourage players to delve deeper into the game post-endgame.

Have you ever thought about transforming Nightreign into a free-to-play game, instead of charging for it? I’d appreciate if you could elaborate on the reasoning behind setting a price tag when many competitors in the multiplayer genre have opted for free-to-play models.

One option among several strategies, considering our time, budget, workforce, and creative concepts under development with our team, was to opt for a free-to-play model. However, we eventually decided that Nightreign would be more beneficial to us and our players as a game that’s not entirely free but not fully priced either. We hope the content provided is substantial enough to warrant its purchase, and we aim for players to enjoy all it offers completely.

Lastly, could you tell me if there’s something you’re extremely pleased with and feel a sense of pride regarding the achievements made with Nightreign?

I’m really happy with how things turned out for our game project! From its initial brainstorming phase to its final implementation, we’ve been able to bring my original vision to life in a way that captures the essence of the three-day and night structure I had envisioned, as well as the collaborative RPG system where players come together to battle a common boss. It’s amazing to see how it all came together, and I owe a big thank you to the entire team for their hard work in bringing this concept to fruition. Overall, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved with this game!

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2025-05-22 21:11

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