Hidetaka Miyazaki, the president and director of FromSoftware, has been involved in the creation of quite a few memorable bosses over the years given that he’s worked on everything from the Dark Souls games to Bloodborne to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and, most recently, on Elden Ring. While players who’ve frequented a FromSoftware game or two likely have their favorite boss or at least one or two standouts, Miyazaki himself has one he says he’s still “most proud of.”
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Miyazaki commented on his favored boss from his games in a post on the PlayStation Blog that looked back at some of FromSoftware’s best baddies ahead of Elden Ring’s release. Unsurprisingly, Miyazaki has stuck with the Old Monk from Demon’s Souls as his boss he’s the proudest of. He’s said that before in interviews, and even after making all the rest of the games FromSoftware is known for, his affinity towards the Old Monk persists.
“If we’re talking about a boss that I’m ‘most proud of’ (to use those specific words), it would probably be the Old Monk from Demon’s Souls,” Miyazaki said in the PlayStation Blog post. “The reason being is there was a lot of pushback against that design and what we were trying to do with it. But it was something I really, really wanted to do. I wanted to get that boss concept into the game, both from a visual design perspective and gameplay perspective, including the multiplayer element. From both the implementation and fun factor, we got a lot of pushback, and no one believed in it at the time. But in the end, we came through, and I think it turned into an intriguing boss that the fans appreciated.”
He went on to say this boss highlighted the game’s online features and “encompasses those tribulations” and how the developers overcame the complicated system.
For those who’ve played the original Demon’s Souls or the remade version that released on the PlayStation 5, it’s easy to imagine why the Old Monk would be a favorite. This boss presents a unique PvP battle where the boss summons another player to fight you once you approach the arena. It’s a trick repeated later on in Dark Souls II when you fight the Looking Glass Knight, and it’s one that still wowed players even when the remake released.
Elden Ring is scheduled to release later this month on February 25th, so expect there to be plenty more bosses to choose from then when picking out your favorite.
