Hidetaka Miyazaki is almost always referred to as the Soulslike creator. Still, it may remain unknown to many of his fans that his original dream wasn’t always to create the God-killing genre. In 2018, FromSoftware’s Déraciné was released, a first-person VR game that dealt with a fairy trying to solve mysteries while studying in a boarding school.
Those who know Miyazaki now for all his Soulslike titles would have a hard time comprehending that a title like Déraciné was an attempt by him to fulfill a career based on his initial desire. This was revealed by him during an interview when Déraciné was released.
Miyazaki Worked on Déraciné to Fulfill His Japanese Manga Dream
Soulslike legend Hidetaka Miyazaki worked on and released Déraciné six years ago, in 2018, two years after having released Dark Souls 3, which marked the end of the franchise. Miyazaki spoke about the game and gave out not just one but four reasons why he was interested in making Déraciné.
The first reason given by Miyazaki was that the studio wanted to test the waters with a VR title. He revealed that the entire team was trying to get up to speed with what was in store in the VR space, so when an opportunity presented itself, Miyazaki was quick to take over the project.
Secondly, he revealed that there was an intention to look back at the titles developed by FromSoftware in the past, even if none of them were intended for a revival. Trying to explore what could be next, and the idea of testing the VR space were the two reasons that came along with Déraciné.
The third and fourth reasons given by Miyazaki were the studio’s attempts at trying something different, on a much smaller scale, and trying to create something strange, compared to the recent Soulslike titles.
At the same time, something strange compared to the similar titles from the studio was the next two reasons revealed by Miyazaki.
Hidetaka Miyazaki Named Four Similarities Between Déraciné and the Soulslike Titles
Hidetaka Miyazaki stated that the fragmented approach to telling the story was the first common theme between the titles. Serenity and calmness were mentioned next as being a FromSoftware staples. A sense of beauty seen throughout the titles, along with a unique sense of mystery, were the next two common themes.
The biggest takeaway from that interview was the revelation by Miyazaki that Déraciné was a way to explore one of his long unfulfilled ambitions. He revealed having a desire to create a classic Japanese manga that would be aimed at girls.
Miyazaki mentioned that since Déraciné was unlike any of his then-recent Soulslike titles, he was “looking for the right opportunity to bring that desire into a game project. And this felt like it could actually work.”
Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Déraciné may not have been as popular as another recent Soulslike title, Elden Ring, but it’s fair to say the title still holds a special place for him.
Did you ever play the 2018 PlayStation VR title Déraciné? Share your thoughts in the comments section.