Hidetaka Miyazaki is known for his liminal, dystopian worlds. Ruined civilizations erected on the skeletons of bygone people, dotted with miserable miscreants who chuckle through gritted teeth at forlorn warriors facing insurmountable odds. Cycles repeat and old wounds reopen. There’s a thread through Demon’s Souls to Bloodborne to Elden Ring — a signature style. And then there’s feet. A lot of feet.
It’s become a running joke over the years that Miyazaki has a thing for toes. NPCs, bosses, nobody is exempt. The Maiden in Black walks around barefoot, Crossbreed Priscilla waits in the Painted World with her ravenous dogs out, and Malenia even has sculpted golden toes. It’s an enigma. But, finally, in an interview with TheGamer’s former editor-in-chief Kirk McKeand for The Guardian, Miyazaki addressed the rumors. And I can’t tell if the confusion is Miyazaki embodying the unreliable narrator of his games, or genuine bewilderment that the internet thinks he’s fascinated by women’s feet.
Unprompted, when asked about the recurring motif of hands throughout his games, Miyazaki said, “It’s not necessarily something I’m consistently aware of — maybe it’s something subconscious coming through. Take a look online and there’s a rumor that I have a bit...
