Vindication for Dark Souls 2 defenders as Hidetaka Miyazaki says many of its ideas 'carried the rest of the series'

Faraam Knight on black background.

There's a scurrilous belief that Dark Souls 2 is the runt of the Soulsborne litter, and that the fact it wasn't directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki is a black mark against its name—one that led to numerous creative decisions that just don't fit with what Dark Souls should be. Virtuous and correct Dark Souls 2 fans have borne these insults with dignity over the years, and guess what? Sounds like Miyazaki's on our side.

In a chat with IGN, Miyazaki was asked about Dark Souls 2 and specifically about its relationship to Elden Ring, with which it shares a kind of open-ended design approach. Turns out Miyazaki's very proud of the game, and credits it with influencing a lot of the FromSoft projects that came after.