Elden Ring will feature poison swamps because Miyazaki loves making them
Poison paradise.
Hidetaka Miyazaki loves poison swamps, even if you don't.
The Souls games are notorious for including dark, dank swamp areas filled with toxic enemies: the nightmarish Valley of Defilement in Demon's Souls, or the endless depths of Blighttown in Dark Souls.
Elden Ring is set to also include poison areas, of course. That's because Miyazaki loves them - he just can't help himself.
"In terms of how the player feels when they encounter this area that is a different story," Miyazaki told Game Informer.
"But when making the game I rediscovered my love for making poison swamps. I know how people feel about them, but you know, suddenly I realise I'm in the middle of making one and I just can't help myself. It just happens."
The Souls games are plagued by both poison and the more virulent toxicity. But that's not all you'll find in Elden Ring.
Mild Elden Ring spoiler.
"In terms of Elden Ring's story and setting there is something that is especially horrible that exists and persists in this world," said Miyazaki. "I'll go ahead and say the name so it's something that you can look forward to, it's called the Scarlet Rot, this is something that is separate a little bit from poison or toxicity but I hope you look forward to it."
It's unclear yet if this will be a new status effect, or if the Scarlet Rot is more of a story feature. Either way, it seems like this affliction runs deep in the veins of Elden Ring and considering Miyazaki's self-admitted masochist tendencies, this will be something for poison fans to look forward to - or not.
Miyazaki also discussed the game's difficulty in a PlayStation Blog, saying he hopes more players will finish Elden Ring.
Elden Ring is due out on 25th February across PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and PC.