Dark Souls developer From Software debuted their latest game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, at E3 2018. Naturally, fans have already begun to draw parallels between the new Ninja game and From Software’s back catalog of ‘Souls’ titles, though so far it seems like Sekiro will feature a significant departure from Souls-like gameplay, with similarities only in the way the story is told – or not, in this case – during the game. In a recent interview with Official PlayStation Blog, Dark Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki discusses his approach to storytelling.

Miyazaki’s more recent games have always featured obscure stories, where the player is rewarded with little bits of lore for going off the beaten path and using their imagination to fill in the blacks. According to Miyazaki, that’s exactly what he wants players to do. ““I’m a fan of stories that require you to use a little bit of your imagination in order to really understand the whole thing,” he said.

When I was young, I used to enjoy reading books that were too hard for me, where I could only read maybe half the kanji, and using my imagination to fill in the gaps. I wanted to see if I could bring that kind of experience to a video game, where you use your imagination to bridge those gaps.”

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice wasn’t the only From Software title announced at E3. PSVR title Déraciné also debuted during Sony’s E3 presentation, and bringing this up in the interview prompted the Dark Souls director to explain why he prefers to work on multiple projects at once. “Actually, I’m very used to directing multiple titles at once. Armored Core 4 and Demon’s Souls were at the same time, while Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 were at the same time. This is a pretty normal situation for me, but what wasn’t normal was announcing two games at the same time.”

I actually prefer “parallel direction” — directing multiple projects at once. As a creative, if you’re focused on a singular thing all the time it’s easy to get stuck in that mentality. It’s easier to find inspiration when you’re working on multiple things than it is when you’re totally focused on one. I enjoy that.”

Thankfully, From Software has been consistent with meeting its release date goals, something that can’t be said for other studios that are working on multiple titles at a time. Admittedly, we don’t know what Déraciné could realistically lend to Sekiro in terms of fresh insight, though if anyone can do it, it’s Hidetaka Miyazaki.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice arrives in 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

So, thoughts on the unique approach to storytelling the Dark Souls director takes? What is your favorite From Software game? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!