Elden Ring might have received universal praise, but Hidetaka Miyazaki says he's yet to make his "ideal fantasy RPG"

Elden Ring has widely been accepted as one of the best games ever made, yet director Hidetaka Miyazaki is apparently still searching for his "ideal fantasy RPG."

When I say "Elden Ring is…" it's quite likely that your response is "a perfect video game." Whether that's actually true or not isn't for me to decide, but it is undeniably an incredibly beloved game. But the game's own director, Miyazaki, is still working towards making his version of what a fantasy RPG. The game maker recently spoke with PC Gamer, where he spoke about all manner of FromSoftware related topics (including whether he wants a Bloodborne PC port or not).

While talking about old TTRPGs from the '80s like Dungeons & Dragons, Miyazaki said that "you might say that trying to capture the excitement of those old tabletop games and game books was one facet of making Elden Ring." When asked if he felt Elden Ring was an extension of those old RPGs, he explained, "I think more than anything, it's just my personal preference when it comes to RPGs and exploring those fantasy worlds, so you might see some of my personal idiosyncrasies come into play with Elden Ring there.

"I think that excitement, for me at least, comes from seeing that world map and piercing together that world map. So when we finally got to do that and start piecing that together when making Elden Ring, that was a really nice moment for me personally. Back when doing interviews about Elden Ring, I think I mentioned that I'm still in the process of making my ideal fantasy RPG. And while Elden Ring is not quite it, it's pretty close. It's getting close."

PC Gamer didn't let Miyazaki just move on from that point, of course, asking him to expand, though while laughing he just said "It's hard to say without giving spoilers for my next idea or our next games. But I think one thing that's not necessarily missing, but makes it difficult to achieve my ideal, is that when I play it, I know everything's going to happen. I already know everything that's going on. So in terms of enjoying the game from a player's perspective, I'd love to not know that, and for somebody else to make my ideal fantasy game, please, if possible. Then I can enjoy it just as a player."

Shadow of the Erdtree is out in less than a week now, but you might have some homework to do before you can play it, so make sure you do all of these things right here so you're ready for it.