LogInHEXWORKS has shared that The Lords of the Fallen has more similarities to FromSoftware's action RPG than intended.
HEXWORKS, the developer of The Lords of the Fallen, the upcoming reboot of the 2014 action RPG, has shared that it designed a boss "nearly identical" to Elden Ring's Malenia, Blade of Miquella – according to the developers, the character was created before FromSoftware's action RPG reveal.
The studio makes no secret that it indeed draws inspiration from FromSoftware works. Speaking to the Edge magazine (via GamesRadar+), the game's creative director Cezar Virtosu even shared that he considers game director and FromSoftware CEO Hidetaka Miyazaki HEXWORKS's "daddy" and "granddaddy." "Without him, we wouldn't have any jobs," he said.
However, according to Virtosu, the similarity between The Lords of the Fallen's boss and Malenia was not intentional – work on The Lords of the Fallen started before Elden Ring was announced and the developers themselves were shocked when they realized that their character had too much resemblance to Elden Ring's one of the toughest bosses.
Additionally, Virtosu mentioned that HEXWORKS added a flail to its game, considering it a "breakthrough weapon" for the Soulslike genre. And when the weapon was shown in a promotional video for Elden Ring, the devs couldn't but get frustrated – "That killed us inside," Virtosu said.
Virtosu shared that due to such situations, he feels pressure from fans who hope that The Lords of The Fallen will be similar to the FromSoftware game, although they are not related.
"There is some pressure, as you can imagine," the creative director said. "People have asked, 'Do you guys have horse combat? Do you have an open world?'"
Lords of the Fallen will be released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2023. The studio has not specified whether the gameplay elements, which bear some resemblance to Elden Ring, have been revised.
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