Harada Says ‘Git Gud’—Defends Dark Souls Difficulty as Not That Bad
FromSoftware’s games—especially the ones shaped by Hidetaka Miyazaki—have long been treated as the benchmark for punishment. Between labyrinthine environments, relentless enemy encounters, systems that are simple to grasp but hard to perfect, and boss fights that punish hesitation, the series has earned a reputation that’s hard to shake.
Key takeaways
- Katsuhiro Harada described Miyazaki as a “rather unique” but highly serious developer.
- Harada argued that the Dark Souls games are not “especially difficult,” emphasizing straightforward action mechanics.
- He said his own marketing work on Dark Souls and Elden Ring helped support the games’ rise, which he believes wasn’t luck.
- Harada also spoke about Masahiro Sakurai, comparing his mindset to something that sounds like it belongs to Goku.
Harada’s take on Miyazaki and why Souls isn’t “especially” hard
Harada and Miyazaki share more than just industry respect: both are Bandai Namco veterans. Harada is tied to the Tekken franchise, while Miyazaki is behind the Souls lineup, and both have been developed or published through the same company. That shared connection is part of why their paths have crossed over time.
When Harada was asked on social media about Miyazaki and the Souls games, he delivered a blunt, personal response—starting with how he sees Miyazaki as a creator.
“Miyazaki is a rather unique, yet extremely serious game developer,” Harada said. He added that Miyazaki didn’t start in the industry early, pointing out that he didn’t become a game developer until he was close to thirty. Harada also highlighted how unusual that trajectory is even among his own peer group, noting that those of his generation were born in the 1970s and many were already in gaming during the “polygon era” boom.
From there, Harada shifted to the subject of difficulty, effectively pushing back on the common conversation around Dark Souls. In his view, the attention on punishment can overshadow what he believes is the real strength of the series: the creativity behind the world.
“People often focus on its difficulty as a game, but I believe Miyazaki’s true creativity shines through in the world he created,” Harada said. He then reiterated his stance directly: he personally thinks Dark Souls has fairly simple action mechanics and that he doesn’t consider it to be especially difficult.
Harada also explained that he had a role on the publisher side, saying he was involved in marketing both Dark Souls and Elden Ring. He framed the franchises’ success as something built over time rather than something that happened instantly.
As he put it, Dark Souls didn’t become a major hit overnight. Instead, he argued that its momentum came from the groundwork Miyazaki and his team built across earlier projects.
Harada on Sakurai, plus a teaser that the article continues
Before the discussion moves away from Miyazaki, Harada turned to another major figure in fighting-game crossover culture: Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Super Smash Bros. Harada praised Sakurai’s perspective in a memorable comparison, calling him “A Saiyan who genuinely believes he’s just another ordinary human.” He added that when others are stuck or struggling, Sakurai’s advice would be the kind of comment Harada expects to hear from Goku—something like, “Well… why don’t you just fly?”
