The Souls games, or the broader category encompassing all of FromSoftware’s action RPGs, have not only redefined an entire genre but have also birthed a new one known as Soulslikes. Hence, it’s rather amusing to hear Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creative director and studio boss, modestly describe their success in an interview with Eurogamer as simply, “Players seem to enjoy our games.”
Miyazaki has earned a reputation for downplaying things, a trait arguably stemming from his work on the initially small experimental project, Demon’s Souls, which eventually burgeoned into one of the most influential series in video game history.
This characteristic has once again become a topic of discussion among FromSoftware fans, particularly following Miyazaki’s description of the upcoming Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, which recently garnered attention with its reveal.
In an interview with IGN, Miyazaki suggested that the DLC’s primary region, the Land of Shadow, is “comparable” in size to the base game’s starting area, Limgrave, “if not larger.” However, this assertion remains somewhat nebulous, given the absence of clear geopolitical demarcations in the Lands Between.
The extent of the surrounding territories, not to mention the subterranean realms, raises questions about what precisely is being encompassed here.
Like many other Elden Ring enthusiasts, I can’t help but recall Miyazaki’s previous statement regarding the game’s duration, suggesting it would take around 30 hours to complete without any “detours.” I had to verify this myself to ensure I wasn’t misremembering, and indeed, he did provide 30 hours as a rough estimate, albeit acknowledging the difficulty of such predictions.
My initial playthrough of Elden Ring took approximately 125 hours, but to Miyazaki’s credit, that included every possible diversion. Nonetheless, I haven’t encountered anyone outside of speedrunners who managed to finish the game in 30 hours or less, particularly on their first attempt.
Perhaps Miyazaki’s reference to “detours” also implied completing the game with minimal deaths. For context, the more comprehensive data from How Long To Beat suggests that Elden Ring’s main storyline, devoid of extras, spans just under 60 hours, which seems more realistic.
Am I implying that the Land of Shadow in Shadow of the Erdtree is considerably larger than Miyazaki’s estimate suggests? Not necessarily, but I do harbor suspicions that it will entail more intricate involvement than Limgrave, primarily because FromSoftware has a propensity for such elaboration.
I would wager that the sheer expanse of the DLC isn’t the sole determinant of its overall scope, especially considering FromSoftware’s endeavor to deliver “denser and richer level design” this time around.
