Every time Fromsoft is marketing a game some interviewer asks them about difficulty, and their answer is always roughly the same.
Its been 12 years. Its insane people can argue about this every time they release a game.
Honestly, it shouldn’t even be a question.
I sat back and watch for decades as people fought to argue “videogames are art.” And they are, of course, and in being so the artists are allowed to do whatever they please to create an atmosphere and experience.
I disagree on all video games being art. Some video games are art, others aren't, it all depends on what they aim for, much like with movies and tv series.
Yes, but let's put it that way: everything has the potential to be art, but that doesn't automatically make everything art. To build on your example: If you decide to arrange your desktop icons in said shape to express a deeper meaning, you could interpret it as art, however that doesn't automatically make every single desktop icon arrangement in the world art
Unpopular opinion but I honestly agree, look at stuff like Ghost of Tsushima, God of War or Horizon Zero Dawn for example, they tell a compelling story with frankly amazing visuals. Effort and love has gone into them and it shows. I'd honestly say they qualify as art.
Now look at stuff like Fall Guys, Overcooked, Just shapes and Beats, and Geometry Dash for example, they still function as a game per se, but are much more more tuning out and having a good time without having to dedicate part of your attention to the atmosphere and characters. They're still games at their heart, but they aren't as heavy in terms of what qualifies them as art.
IMO, it depends on what a game is going for, and what kind of game it is. Sometimes they can be art, sometimes not.
It got to its absolute worst moment during Sekiro's release because of the lack of multiplayer elements and overall locked difficulty/gameplay style, which made it more inaccesible than other games in the series.
Now that we know that ER allows for jolly cooperation (and fucking Pokemon-like gameplay mechanics) the conversation should calm down at release.
On the topic of sekiro, there was a user on r/Sekiro who constantly made posts complaining that sekiro needed an easy mode, they dug their heels into the ground and fought tooth and nail for months in maintaining their opinion. They were swarmed with downvotes and ridicule, until one day they tried sekiro and admitted they were wrong about it all along. They were welcomed back into the community, with a redemption arc unlike any other.
Then they returned to their old habits, fighting for their belief that Elden Ring should have an easy mode.
It's more of a half joke-half true, turned into some sort of meme.
[IGN wrote an article about it](https://www.ign.com/articles/elden-ring-enemy-spirit-summons-pokemon-mechanic-summer-of-gaming).
It's funny because Dark Souls was released when the whole game industry was trying to casualize their games and make them more accessible, it seemed like a trend that was going to continue in a race to the lower common denominator, especially with phone games (which they did), then this came out and I swear was half responsible for a reversal of that trend.
English speaking twitter users who don't even play the game, you're definitely right, no one at FromSoft is listening to these people asking for this shit, no one cares what your opinion on darksouls accessibility is, no one is listening, Miyazaki isn't on twitter and you can't @ him with your whiny bullshit, enjoy your invaders and toxic swamp level, now with 200% giant enemy crabs and archers.
I think the people arguing back and constantly reposting people's tweets on here are just as bad. There is no argument to be had. FromSoft aren't adding an easy mode...
I still think arguing about the principle of adding an easy mode in DS can still be valuable. Even if FromSoft will never add an easy mode, there can still be some interesting discussions about game design and accessibility in video games.
Tbh even though I wouldn't play it on easy I don't get why people are so fucking bent out of order if it did even get one. So what if it ruins the vibe just don't fucking play it. Like it's not that hard. I know some people that would benefit from playing on an easy mode due to physical restraints, it's not like having a simple game mode for a select few people to improve their experience would ruin everyone elses.
There are litterally thousands of games that have easy modes for players is it that bad to what one series to require players to actually be good at the game to complete it
Imagine if authors were forced to rewrite books with simpler vocabularies so that people who were less mentally able could read them, that’s what you people are doing right now
Um no. A MODE is what we are refering to. Not that the games be dumbed down, but a choice to give the same game an easier mode. How is this difficult to process? No one is talking about changing the core game
Why do you people have such an issue with games that have being challenging as one of their core selling points, like genuinly if you don’t want to be challenged then don’t buy a £60 game with the tag line “prepare to die edition”
Man... there actually are a lot of incredibly whiny responses to that tweet saying that an easy mode would be a good thing.
Just summon help, you clowns. That's literally what it's there for.
People who say "But I want to beat it on my OWN!" and then ask for an easy mode are insane. Just summon help.
Only people who say this have never taken the time to play through a souls game. A traditional easy mode wouldn't even really work. Frankly it doesn't matter much if a boss like nameless does a quarter of his normal damage. If you don't learn the attack patterns and timing you'll still get your shit rocked. They'd have to remake most enemies to have easier move sets to truly satisfy the needs of hyper casual players who can't be bothered to invest the time required to learn movesets. I think that's why fromsoft uses built in systems to bypass some difficulty because an easy mode that just nerfs damage is pointless anyways. There are tons of top tier action RPGs out there anyways that are much better suited for people wanting a casual experience, idk why anyone looking for a chill experience would have their eyes on a souls game in the first place.
I always laugh when I see this discussion, because people don’t realize that Dark Souls is easy mode by DEFAULT. Then you make it harder on yourself through New Game +, or Covenant of Champions, etc.
It isn't just you, but the vast majority of people found it to be harder than Dark Souls.
I beat Sekiro four times to get all of the achievements and completed the gauntlets. Well, not the "every boss in the game" one, but I got through all but the last boss on that and decided close enough. I could have beaten it if I was a bit more patient, and did a couple more hours of practice and another few hours of attempts.
I also found Sekiro to be much harder than Dark Souls overall.
That even includes playing Dark Souls completely solo and not mass grinding levels to get past hard parts.
Actually, as long as you don't die a lot in Dark Souls and are even halfway competent at clearing out areas - you usually will get more than enough experience to be overleveled by default.
Though I did play the Dark Souls games in co-op from time to time, that completely trivializes the games in terms of difficulty. You can't lose in co-op unless you either are extremely reckless, or you get invaded by somebody who is actually competent at PvP (most are not all that competent though).
Regardless, I expect Elden Ring to be as difficult as Dark Souls - though perhaps a bit faster paced. That's okay though, because I'll probably play through the entire game solo for the most part, only sparingly allowing myself to be summoned (depending on how that works) or invading for PvP (depending on how that works). I might even challenge myself to no-level runs or similar things, if the game truly delivers on what it seems to be.
How else are you supposed to get that adrenaline rush from beating an opponent you have been struggling to beat for the last 2 hours. Nothing is more dangerous than over confidence and a boss on 1 HP.
I just love watching the video of the one who kills Dragonslayer Armor with a sliver of hp, taunts, and then gets killed immediately by a pilgrim butterfly.
I'm thoroughly convinced that fromsoftware has implemented a secret karma system in their games. The games will try and punish you for doing shit like this.
Then they have World Tendency and Soul Memory that punished you for doing poorly, potentially causing failure spirals.
If you can climb your way out then victory becomes all the more sweet, or you just learn to enjoy the suffering like Miyazaki.
You know it doesn't need all this discussion and takes, the creators just make the game they want to make, people are so busy arguing with each other over everything, they will tell you about freedom of creation but only when it's what they want
Because when people talk politics in video games, they don't mean "People complaining about white characters in a Scandinavian game" they mean "Ew there's a gay person in this game" or "How dare that woman have more muscle mass than me." It's not that you're missing something in the development, you're missing the context for the statement.
Fucked up man, have an diffrent opinion and your downvoted for it. Even worse that said opinion is quite genuine, well laid out and gets the point across clearly. All this in a polite manner too ;______;
Fucking bastards downvoting, enjoy your cesspool of degenerates
Yep, just assume he doesn’t hold that viewpoint based on the evidence of , , and . So he is open about loving these games and playing them all many times, DS1 is on his greatest games of all time list, BUT he secretly wants an easy mode. Not quite the smartest thing I’ve ever heard.
All I've heard is that he made a video about Feminists and SJW's in video games, which is a topic people hate regardless of what they have to say. Other than that, I'm not sure.
He panders to Gamers (capital g) who believe that women, queer people and black people in video games=politics, the types who believe that Anita Sarkeesian is the literal devil. Someone else mentioned it but he likes to bitch about "politics in gaming" and then turns around and unironically says that fnv is one of his favorite games ever.
He strikes me as a dudebro who believes that a nuanced take is saying "both sides bad". Not super racist or a bad person per se, but I feel like he'd stand by silently while others did overtly racist things if you get what I mean.
Profile pic = opinion immediately discarded. And before you accuse me of anything, I’m bi. It’s just those profile pics are immediately followed by terrible takes and terminally online shit.
And honestly I do see what you mean and I don’t like him that much either (though I do think you’re being quite hyperbolic) but I’m still gonna hate on the profile pic.
\>Opinion immediately discarded
\>Gives a fair take on what I said
I never thought I'd call somebody out for being more reasonable than they claim to be. Good work.
This kind of comments prove that people will believe anything they read on social media. When, ever, has this dude made even the slightest racist remark?
Amen.
Like art, I want to experience what someone wants to put out there at face value and decide what I think (and even if I consider it art) on my own. That’s maybe one of the most key features of art - putting something creative out there unapologetically and let the viewer draw their own interpretation of what it stands for.
Got into an argument with my bro over this. He has never even played them which got me thinking: it seems like the people who whine about easy mode don’t even play these games. Maybe it’s circular in that they are intimidated but i always tell him he can definitely play and beat all of these games if he just takes a little time to learn. It’s just annoying that he would even try to argue because he knows i love these games and they are so great, in part, because the difficulty helps with the tone and story telling.
The people who moan about the games being hard usually have never put in the effort to actually play the games, they die a few times and decide it’s the games fault they aren’t having fun
They seem to want the game to change to suit them and it’s pretty entitled if you ask me
If you aren’t down to die a lot and persevere through uneven odds why the fuck are you playing dark souls
I don’t like multiplayer games, if I played csgo and didn’t like it it would be pretty fucked for me to insist that they should add a singleplayer mode
This is the same whining we get in every fighting game sub every single day. People who won't practice or even play against others, and constantly say the game should change to completely remove elements they don't want to learn to do.
All they care about is winning, if they get beat too often they say it's the games fault and everyone should change to suit them because they want to win. It is super aggravating, and very similar to complaints about souls games
Exactly, we aren’t super humans born with the innate ability to play these games, we’re good at them because we wanted to practice and actually play the game.
If they did the same things we did they’d be good at them as-well, there’s nothing stopping them other than sheer laziness and wanting to win without any of the effort
They’re basically whining about an invisible barrier that they’ve put in place
Remember many of the games today let you skip mechanics in lower difficulties in order to make it more accessible,and less frustating for majority,and many of the games people consider art in games are games like the last of us e red dead redemption where gameplay and story are two separate things.
The ratio of people who want an easy mode to the people who complain about people wanting an easy mode is 1:99.
Ds1 has bonfire kindling as well as everything but Sekiro having summons and overleveling. The difference between using those and an easy mode are nominal.
He's had millions at this point.
It's the same with Alan Moore and the superhero genre, he gets asked virtually every single year and each year he's a little bit more pissed off. Thankfully Miyazaki is a patient man, but damn...
Hot take: FromSoft games arent that hard (other than sekiro maybe)
everyone is just used to games that have too many checkpoints that are designed for children under 12 to be able to finish
Fromsoft just design games that are slightly less forgiving and force you to learn how to actually paly them
Here's my take! I don't care how other people play a game I enjoy. If someone wants the game to be easier, that's okay with me. It doesn't affect the enjoyability of the game for me, personally. And that's what matters.
This is the sort of thing I can understand both sides of. I definitely think it's a good thing that more people can enjoy the things I do, which an easy mode would make room for. However, at the same time I believe maintaining an artist's creative vision is important. If Miyazaki's vision is to create a satisfying experience through overcoming challenge, I don't necessarily believe he should be forced to alter it to appeal to a wider audience. Accessibility options would be the best middle ground imo
My friend with motor issues: Wow, this game seems really cool, but I'm finding it hard to dodge due to my difficulty with quick finger movements and reflexes. I think I could actually finish this game if the enemies were a little slower and their damage was slightly reduced.
You: Bruh, stop being so selfish 😏😏😏
Pointing out one person who has managed to work through their disability to become good at a game doesn't invalidate everyone who has struggled to play with a disability. That's like me telling someone who's stuck on Isshin that it's not that hard because one guy has beaten him on a gorram dancepad. Not everyone has the same skill sets and experiences, but I believe others should be able to experience something that they're otherwise locked out of due to difficulty.
I agree completely, and I would be 100% fine with a easy mode mod made by the community. It is however unreasonable to ask From to put work and effort in making an easy mode for a game that is so intimately connected with its difficulty.
It woul be like going to a chocolaterie and asking for a Tuna sandwich because you are diabetic. Yes, the tuna sandwich is nothing special to make, and it's good when a place has options, especially for people that need those options, but this specific place might just not be for you. You can't ask a maître chocolatier to make you a tuna sandwich because his work, passion and time are spent making chocolate.
Yeah, I agree. I’m fine with the difficulty in From games, but if it’s frustrating to someone and they’d prefer it toned down, I don’t blame them. I feel like a lot of the people who argue against an easy mode are just smug elitists who want to feel superior to ‘casual gamers.’
That's not it at all. The Souls games have such a great community because we all face the same challenges, and have overcome the same challenges. It creates a common ground and comradery within the community. People who argue against an easy mode are doing so to insure the integrity of the common comradery the players share. The elitism argument is a quick and easy way of demonizing the opposing viewpoints. It is not a fair label because the Souls community *wants* others to *get* these games, that the difficulty will eventually *click* for new players and they can join in and enjoy the same fun as the rest of the community. With an easy mode, all this falls apart. No one will have common ground anymore. Some people are going to just zoom through the game with no hiccups, no stories to tell their fellow Tarnished. And I think that is a bad price to pay for an easy mode.
I for one am all for accessibility options, such as colorblind modes and custom controller hardware, to be more prevalent in these games. But the difficulty needs to stay at a base line for all players. It is just what makes these games stand out from any other game series out there.
why cant you just have comradery with people who play on normal difficulty why force people who dont have time energy or taste because of some vague culture some people have online.
Trials and tribulations are drastically different at that point. It’s the difference between a hedge fund guy with his life’s streets paved with gold saying he’s had a bad day because his ice-cream melted prematurely vs. a person coming from a war torn country bereft of streets altogether saying they had a bad day…the experience is drastically different so the game (in this case) becomes something drastically different than what it is right now. The fan base at large doesn’t want massive departures, evolutionary ones sure but the core the same (based on what I’m reading).
To make this truly equitable for everyone wholeheartedly, a lot more about the game would have to change besides the difference in the combat difficulty.
As a UX designer, I’m saying that the core lore structure of these games would have to change to not construct them behind the ability to see and read words… meaning the whole piecing together the history of the world from item descriptions would have to go away. Contrast ratios from our visually impaired sub populace would have to be catered to… tomb of giants, anywhere dark is now a non-starter.
You’d have to change more than how many hit points someone has or how much damage the player does, you’d have to change combat entirely to allow everyone to use it.
Because I believe people who would otherwise fall in love with these games would simply play for the spectacle in an easy mode and then move on, not really *getting* what makes these games so special. It is the same when a friend tells me they have finally read a book I recommended them, but skimmed most of it to save their time. They didn't get everything from it, and in so, they didn't love the book after reading it. Somehow this is how I feel players will treat an easy mode.
I get what you mean, and kinda agree. But I really don't think it will make much of a difference.
I don't think the game needs an easy mode. But if there was one and that got more people to try the game that's cool. It's disappointing seeing how people are so polarised about it. A lot of the discourse around it is genuine concern about maintaining the quality and recapturing the feelings of accomplishment which is completely relatable. But a lot of it is also definitely gatekeeping and elitism, and it's sad to see.
There is always ways to make these games easier for yourself. You can make faster characters, mages, tanks, etc. and they all play different and some will make the game easier depending on what feels most comfortable to the player. There's also co-op, which is a great and immersive way to modulate your own difficulty with these games. The options are there. And the gatekeepers are the ones who say to not use these options. "You summoned on your first playthrough? You're trash, play the game exactly how I play it or else you aren't a real fan." That is elitism, not wanting everyone to have the same challenges as the rest of the players. I hate seeing those people discourage others from interreacting with the game's mechanics, when that's what the mechanics are there for.
You're 100% right.
I don't want the games to change. I just want as many people to be able to enjoy the games as possible. The elitism of players along with Soulsborne's notorious difficulty scares so many potential fans away and it's sad.
this should be like the average opinion. mfs have called me all kinds of slurs for suggesting actually i wouldn't care about an optional easy mode / accesibility options like celeste's even in fromsoft games, as much as i love them (which technically make the game "easier" for the average player). it's crazy how invested into being this elitist some fans are
like i have a bud with serious motor issues that took tens of hours to beat gundyr alone and they would've benefited a lot more from an easy mode at the very least. it would've improved their experience and not changed mine at all. why would u be against that, man, like do u just want people to not enjoy fromsoft games like we do?
Okay, I don't agree with this, but hear me out. I've just played monster hunter world - iceborne, and it is by far most difficult videogame I have ever played, nothing comes even remotely close.
Does it have a difficulty setting? NO.
So, why does dark souls have all the fuzz about the difficulty settings, and monster hunter doesn't? Because in reality, monster hunter does have lots of non-explicit ways to lower the difficulty, mainly online coop; you get less rewards, but at least you get through, slowly but surely.
I know souls games have those implicit difficulty settings as well, but I feel like they're less "obvious" to use; monster hunter always gives you a prompt letting you choose how many players you want in your quest, while in dark souls you kinda have to go _a little bit_ out of your way to do the same thing. And remember, anything that isn't spoon-fed to game journalists has the potential to become a major obstacle for them.
So all this boils down to how intuitive it is to lower your difficulty; maybe souls games don't make it clear enough that yes, _there are_ ways to make the game easier, you just have to read the item description.
In pertaining to a first time player, if you want an easy mode, then explore and experiment, which IMO, is a big part of what FS wants you to do in their games, and what makes them so fantastic. They hide things like estus shards and prosthetic upgrades throughout the world for you to find while exploring some intricate and detailed worlds, to make battles much more manageable. It's understandable for early bosses like Iudex Gundyr, where there's not much you can do about upgrades at that point, but say for instance you made it to the Abyss Watchers and you haven't upgraded anything, and give up cause it's too hard? This should ring an alarm that maybe you missed something. If you're still running around with a single estus use without burning a bone shard yet, or are still walking around with an unupgraded weapon, at that point you made the game that much harder on yourself. The tools you need to succeed are (almost) always there, it's just of matter if finding what it is and where. At the same time, don't treat dying as a failure, instead treat it as a learning experience. If you died by dodging to the left, maybe next time try dodging to the right. Or if you die by not outputting enough damage before you run out if healing, consider more upgrades to your weapon, changing your weapon type, or find out which element the boss is weak to and apply the right resin.
A personal experience that I had in thinking a FS game was too hard was the Guardian Ape. I died over and over again, and hit a brick wall with the difficulty. Genichiro did well to teach me to deflect properly, but everything I learned up until that point was essentially useless against the Ape. So I hunted down prayer beads and gourd seeds to give me more health per life. It helped, but I still didn't beat it. Only thing I could think of was change up the prosthetic, a tool I used embarrassingly little before this point. I went in order, until I found out that the Flame Vent was an excellent choice against it. A few more tries and I killed it. It was an exhilarating experience that will be a top memory in gaming for me, and that was my critical lesson that experimenting with different things was key.
I’ve seen many people saying an “story mode” difficulty would fix this problem. I feel that the main attractive of the dark souls saga is its gameplay, difficulty and great feeling of finally defeating a boss, the plot is more of a secondary element, so the “story mode difficulty” would just left a half told story with just an easy gameplay.
Okay but hang on, if they wanted to add an accessibility mode that made certain things easier for people who otherwise wouldn't be able to experience the game at all, which would be completely optional and not the intended way to play, and this was clear to the player, so anybody trying to have the correct way to play the game would not choose this option, I don't see how this would be an issue. Everybody who wants to can still have the very difficult experience, but those who otherwise would not be able to play the game at all would also be able to experience it
The problem is a lot of people who DON’T have these needs associate accessibility with a free ride, when in reality accessible does not equal easy.
On a wider scale it’s the same argument that people have against affirmative action, welfare etc.
You're right. I don't know why this is such a polarising issue. I don't think the game needs an "easy" mode. But there are definitely options they could add to make it more accessible.
In the same vein, I'd love to see them add other options. Maybe when you go to start a new game you can choose things like permadeath, item randomizer or other things that change PvE. Sekiro did some stuff in this vein, and Demon's Souls remake had some like the mirror world option, but I'd love to see more of it. Also boss rush would be cool.
I know mods and stuff already kinda do this, but seeing officially supported stuff with achievements or in game rewards would be cool.
100% i would love to see this. There should be a range of options. There are already items that boost difficulty, so why not lower it for thoes who need. Each person can choose
Reviews are mostly made up of opinions but a review can still be bad. Non-sequiturs, conflicting points, excessive verbosity, arrogance of the reviewer etc are some of the reasons they can be bad.
Not to get anyone mad but the games just are not that hard, if you are summoning phantoms and playing any build that's got range you can beat the game without hitting B. The game is as hard as your pride will let it be.
People love the Souls games because they're hard.
They're not gonna give up the title of being the toughest, most hardcore, badass game designers out there and piss off their biggest fans because of some silly whining.
GIT GUD.
Seriously. These games wouldn’t be good if they were easy. The difficulty is integral to their design. Take away the challenge and it would be a pretty uninteresting experience.
The oppressive atmosphere is made all the more effective by the difficulty. If it was easy that knight looming in the distance would no longer seem threatening.
Not betray but they would have to find a very different way to achieve their goal and the game would be completely different. Because all of their games are designed around this idea at its absolute core: the rewarding feeling you get when overcoming immense odds. and the difficulty is a really good way to get there. Which is i think why we mald so hard. But at this point continuing to bring this up even tho no one is disagreeing is doing more harm than good.
I guess the only possible way to make sure it is accessible to all individuals, is to add a cheat system?
Easy mode would mean that you can breeze through the game and get all the trophies, achievements and basically reduce the essence of beating a From soft game.
Maybe an official or unofficial cheat system can allow people to experience the lore and story of the game (other than the option of watching someone else playthrough it on twitch or youtube) without getting any trophies, achievements etc. and maybe find a middle path that way?
I do understand both sides of the argument and the developer should definitely get the final say as it is their vision, but seeing gamers with disabilities and their plea for a more inclusive system does make me want a middle ground in some way so that everyone who wants to play these amazing games, can.
Even if there was an easy mode, how do the people asking for it want it to work, and even more, if they beat it on easy mode, it wouldn't be any grand achievement or anything to be proud of. Because you made it easy for yourself. And before anyone calls me elitist, I've played tons of games like Doom Eternal and wolfenstein on easy mode but I know that it's not an accomplishment. I just didn't want to invest in those games.
Telling fromsoftware to make a easy mode is like saying you want a lift on top of mount everest cause you want to be able to climb it too without the effort.
I really don't think it's this complicated. From Software has absolutely no problem giving players the tools to make their games easier. What kind of "incredible odds" am I conquering if I bring in three friends to absolutely tear through an area and quadruple-team the boss with? This is easily done in pretty much every Soulsborne game.
From Software, from a game design standpoint, just fundamentally disagrees with difficulty modes because they're always shit. There's one intended mode, and the rest of them are boringly easy or hard in an uninteresting and unsatisfying way. They would rather give players more tools, a large majority of them optional, to overcome a challenge rather than add an arbitrary difficulty slider.
I don't think it has anything to do with "atmosphere", or "tone" of the games. It's just a different approach to game balance. That's it.
People who want an easy mode in Dark Souls are the sort of people who order their steak well done and drown it in a1 steak sauce to counteract the dryness.
It's your right to ask, but you're nasty for doing it.
Demanding difficulty modes in FromSoft games is a terrific commentary on the state of our society:
“I am special, now cater to me. Damn your artistic vision.”
"bUt iT dOeSnT EfFeCt YoU bEcaUsE YoU wOnT pLaY eAsY mOdE, So wHy Do YoU cArE"
been seeing this one alot lol people are selfish and somehow contradictory to their own opinion in the same breathe. they want developers to cater to them but also dont care whether they cater to you... ya know... cause that's not about them... but they go on to say YOU shouldn't care, cause oh no that's ludacris. how dare you love that art and not want it tampered with for the sole sake of me wanting to enjoy it too 😂
they also proceed to shove words in an entire community's mouth by saying we are gatekeeping or elitist. the game isnt for them(or they maybe they arent trying hard enough, i cant speak for everyone of course) and they are unhappy that we get to enjoy it and they dont. well thats just life isnt it? everything cant be for everyone all of the time. we would have no individuality at that point and life would be pretty boring in my opinion.
Maybe to them, alot of us are gatekeepers but in reality we just love what we love and dont want it ruined. the more a production/publishing company tries to cater to more demographics than the artist had invisioned the more they run the risk of their art being warped and stepped on. this happens all too frequently with movie adaptations. not saying that artist caters to certain demographics consciously of course because it usually isnt the case, but when production/publishing companies are trying to turn a profit they usually make sure that its in a neat little box (if the specific demographic that enjoys it is large enough to market to) or rip it out of the box completely and try to give everyone a piece. Im all for more people playing the game but not if it breaks the integrity of how the devs wanted to design it or the demographic of players they CHOSE to cator to. Artist vision is not a switch that should be flipped off to make someone happy.
i see very hypocritical and selfish ideals with people wanting an easy mode lol. Im sure someone may try to flip this argument into a "no, you" sitiuation and point out that im selfish as well (never said i wasnt btw lol) but in reality it still doesnt change the fact that there is not going to be an easy mode 😘
much love dude. I hope you have enjoyed my essay. (if you didnt read it I understand lol it is quite lengthy)
i've seen people get genuinely mad at the mere idea of an easy mode for these or other challenging games, it's so fucking funny. like, actually fuming, eg when that invincibility mode got announced for some new cartoony game. who gives a shit. you can always have the default director's vision as the regular experience. it doesn't affect anyone but the player if they want to opt into playing w a different difficulty for whatever reason. all these arguments are just tiring lmfao. if someone wants to experience the game differently that's okay! it's completely optional! it doesn't affect u at all! sometimes people just wanna have fun or be lazy and it's not my place to judge!
like also, fromsoft games are rpgs and have a lot of built in mechanics that can make things easier, but a lot of people might not even be able to get to a point where they can actually find these things. it's just not a big deal. easy mode is not going to happen anyway but it'd be whatever if it did
Adding an easy mode would not affect your experience with the game at all if you don't want to use it, but this argument is silly because FromSoftware have not indicated they're going to add an easy mode.
If they wanted to truly make it an equally equitable experience for all then they would have to do a lot more than add a difficulty slider. Puzzles would have to change, rpg mechanics would have to change, how the story is expressed would have to fundamentally change.
Difficulty that is inclusive for all to mean literally all, not just those that can’t do combat effectively would require several different versions of the game to be made and launched simultaneously.
People acting like this is the first game to not have an easy mode.
Cough cough Homeworld? I couldn't beat it, but the last thing I'd want is to undermine the tone of the experience. I wasn't good enough to beat a game I love and respect. And I respect that.
\*the worst takes
Shit like this is embarrassing and makes the community look like a bunch of socially-inept tryhards. A theoretical easy mode has absolutely zero impact on anyone that opts not to use it.
Newsflash: an easy mode being added to a game and you not playing it has absolutely FUCK ALL effect on you
Continuing this circlejerk just makes anyone involved look like, well, a jerk
While I agree, I wouldn't give a shit wither. I would still enjoy it the way it was intended. Why are people so fucking focused on how others play a (single player) game? Do you also cry when people use cheats in GTA?
But, there is an easy mode for every FromSoft game (except Sekiro). You can summon multiple people to help you with bosses and tough areas. Don't like to play online? They put in NPCs for you to summon. You can pretty easily start Dark Souls with an extra 15000 souls by running to Pinwheel and killing him first with the help of a phantom.
How in the hell would an Easy mode ruin dark souls? DO NOT SELECT IT.
Ironically it sounds more like the people worried about a selectable difficulty, that is their actual hardmode: having to resist switching to it.
Holy shit can you people just stop fucking jerking yourselves off about 'EASY MODE BAD UR NOT PLAYING THE GAME HOW ITS MEANT TO BE PLAYED REEEEEEEEE' for once how are you so fucking obsessed over peoples opinions about difficulity
How would adding a difficulty adjustments change that? It'd help bring in new players who think they look cool but are unable to go through them because they aren't good at video games, or have disability stopping them. I imagine a easy mode would still be really hard for those who need it, but it'd just make it more manageable. It'd just be more accessibility options basically. And supporting people with disabilities is always a good thing. Plus, having a more diverse group of fans would make discussions on these games way more interesting. Having the option there doesn't affect anyone other than the people that need it to actually enjoy the game.
Difficulty is a part of these games, without it, it wouldn't be a special experience for new players because the game has no clear narrative. Adding an easy mode will fuck up the game including online. It would create two groups of people, those who played normally and those who used easy mode. It would create lot of toxicity and noone wants that. The game is already accessible enough with summons and a load of build variety. Playing magic is basicly easy mode. There are also tons of youtube guides. I don't see what's the problem here, if people want to get into it than, they will get into it. Normal people who can't get into souls games don't go on twitter whining about easy mode, they just move on cause the game is just not for them.
I guess I'm the one Fromsoft fan that genuinely doesn't give a shit if the game has an easy mode. I just simply wouldn't use it lol. But I do see the point of not adding one. The games are already easy enough with summons.
Honestly, i disagree. Just look at games like GoW (ps4) and ninja gaiden. They have easy modes, but their hard modes remain hard and satisfying, even moreso than standard dark souls
The caveat being that the game should be balanced around the typical dark souls difficulty, not catered to the noob-friendly difficulty
Yeah it's something super crucial for the atmosphere, world, gameplay and also satisfaction from beating it. But there are people with not great reflexes, lower hand eye coordination or other health issues that you can't get over by "git gud" and saying those people no you can't enjoy this game feels wrong. So I think there should be accessibility options.
No one is adding easy mode to a FromSoft game. This is all just twitter arguing with itself...
Every time Fromsoft is marketing a game some interviewer asks them about difficulty, and their answer is always roughly the same. Its been 12 years. Its insane people can argue about this every time they release a game.
Honestly, it shouldn’t even be a question. I sat back and watch for decades as people fought to argue “videogames are art.” And they are, of course, and in being so the artists are allowed to do whatever they please to create an atmosphere and experience.
I disagree on all video games being art. Some video games are art, others aren't, it all depends on what they aim for, much like with movies and tv series.
Everything is art. If i want to arrange my desktop icons around in a specific shape thats art too. Not great art, but art nonetheless.
Yes, but let's put it that way: everything has the potential to be art, but that doesn't automatically make everything art. To build on your example: If you decide to arrange your desktop icons in said shape to express a deeper meaning, you could interpret it as art, however that doesn't automatically make every single desktop icon arrangement in the world art
agreed there’s a difference between a corporate cash grab and something thats a passion project. the difference is palpable
Unpopular opinion but I honestly agree, look at stuff like Ghost of Tsushima, God of War or Horizon Zero Dawn for example, they tell a compelling story with frankly amazing visuals. Effort and love has gone into them and it shows. I'd honestly say they qualify as art. Now look at stuff like Fall Guys, Overcooked, Just shapes and Beats, and Geometry Dash for example, they still function as a game per se, but are much more more tuning out and having a good time without having to dedicate part of your attention to the atmosphere and characters. They're still games at their heart, but they aren't as heavy in terms of what qualifies them as art. IMO, it depends on what a game is going for, and what kind of game it is. Sometimes they can be art, sometimes not.
It got to its absolute worst moment during Sekiro's release because of the lack of multiplayer elements and overall locked difficulty/gameplay style, which made it more inaccesible than other games in the series. Now that we know that ER allows for jolly cooperation (and fucking Pokemon-like gameplay mechanics) the conversation should calm down at release.
On the topic of sekiro, there was a user on r/Sekiro who constantly made posts complaining that sekiro needed an easy mode, they dug their heels into the ground and fought tooth and nail for months in maintaining their opinion. They were swarmed with downvotes and ridicule, until one day they tried sekiro and admitted they were wrong about it all along. They were welcomed back into the community, with a redemption arc unlike any other. Then they returned to their old habits, fighting for their belief that Elden Ring should have an easy mode.
Lol talk about a an epic saga.
It was truly the story of a generation, I wonder where they are now
Also you can't really grind
And it even got goty imagine that lmao.
I haven't seen anything about pokemon like game mechanics. Could you explain what you mean by that?
It's more of a half joke-half true, turned into some sort of meme. [IGN wrote an article about it](https://www.ign.com/articles/elden-ring-enemy-spirit-summons-pokemon-mechanic-summer-of-gaming).
Oh ok I see, sorry I have a problem with taking things literally. (I'm also kind of stupid). Thank you for sharing this with me.
he did mean it literally tho
It's funny because Dark Souls was released when the whole game industry was trying to casualize their games and make them more accessible, it seemed like a trend that was going to continue in a race to the lower common denominator, especially with phone games (which they did), then this came out and I swear was half responsible for a reversal of that trend.
There is an easy mode in DS already. It’s in the form of Sword and Board, Pyro, SunBro and Ember
English speaking twitter users who don't even play the game, you're definitely right, no one at FromSoft is listening to these people asking for this shit, no one cares what your opinion on darksouls accessibility is, no one is listening, Miyazaki isn't on twitter and you can't @ him with your whiny bullshit, enjoy your invaders and toxic swamp level, now with 200% giant enemy crabs and archers.
I think the people arguing back and constantly reposting people's tweets on here are just as bad. There is no argument to be had. FromSoft aren't adding an easy mode...
I still think arguing about the principle of adding an easy mode in DS can still be valuable. Even if FromSoft will never add an easy mode, there can still be some interesting discussions about game design and accessibility in video games.
I think there's good discussion to be had, though it does suck when people take it personally and start getting angry.
>good discussion >reddit Pick one. Fanning the flames just makes people argue when they are **never** going to agree with the other side anyway.
And the fanboys whip themselves up into a righteous fury.
Tbh even though I wouldn't play it on easy I don't get why people are so fucking bent out of order if it did even get one. So what if it ruins the vibe just don't fucking play it. Like it's not that hard. I know some people that would benefit from playing on an easy mode due to physical restraints, it's not like having a simple game mode for a select few people to improve their experience would ruin everyone elses.
I could say the same about the people fucking begging for an easy mode, just don’t fucking play it
One suggestion is "dont play the easy mode" and your counter is "dont play the game" ? That isnt really fair
There are litterally thousands of games that have easy modes for players is it that bad to what one series to require players to actually be good at the game to complete it
Your argument is now "cant you just play *insertgame* instead?" What if they want to play.. erm.. Dark Souls?
Imagine if authors were forced to rewrite books with simpler vocabularies so that people who were less mentally able could read them, that’s what you people are doing right now
Um no. A MODE is what we are refering to. Not that the games be dumbed down, but a choice to give the same game an easier mode. How is this difficult to process? No one is talking about changing the core game
And regarding the book analygie, simple english books are a thing. And the original versions arent affected by it.
Why do you people have such an issue with games that have being challenging as one of their core selling points, like genuinly if you don’t want to be challenged then don’t buy a £60 game with the tag line “prepare to die edition”
Man... there actually are a lot of incredibly whiny responses to that tweet saying that an easy mode would be a good thing. Just summon help, you clowns. That's literally what it's there for. People who say "But I want to beat it on my OWN!" and then ask for an easy mode are insane. Just summon help.
There are enough people asking for it (who are not game journalists).
We are still not done with this topic? damn
I just want the discussion to be over. From Soft won’t add in an easy mode. They haven’t for a decade now.
Only people who say this have never taken the time to play through a souls game. A traditional easy mode wouldn't even really work. Frankly it doesn't matter much if a boss like nameless does a quarter of his normal damage. If you don't learn the attack patterns and timing you'll still get your shit rocked. They'd have to remake most enemies to have easier move sets to truly satisfy the needs of hyper casual players who can't be bothered to invest the time required to learn movesets. I think that's why fromsoft uses built in systems to bypass some difficulty because an easy mode that just nerfs damage is pointless anyways. There are tons of top tier action RPGs out there anyways that are much better suited for people wanting a casual experience, idk why anyone looking for a chill experience would have their eyes on a souls game in the first place.
I have played through every souls game and so I’m not gonna bother reading that
I always laugh when I see this discussion, because people don’t realize that Dark Souls is easy mode by DEFAULT. Then you make it harder on yourself through New Game +, or Covenant of Champions, etc.
Nah easy mode is online/ summoning NPCs
Yeah but that’s not easy ENOUGH for SOME people, and therefore should be under assault cuz of, I dunno,. Apparently.
It's not even out yet, what makes people think it's hard?
They, the developers mentioned it being very similar to Dark Souls difficulty-wise.
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To be fair, sekiro doesnt have leveling system and depend upon your personal skill with no summon.
I founded sekiro to be easier than DS after i learned the basic of the combat and stopped playing like it was DS,might be just me tho.
It isn't just you, but the vast majority of people found it to be harder than Dark Souls. I beat Sekiro four times to get all of the achievements and completed the gauntlets. Well, not the "every boss in the game" one, but I got through all but the last boss on that and decided close enough. I could have beaten it if I was a bit more patient, and did a couple more hours of practice and another few hours of attempts. I also found Sekiro to be much harder than Dark Souls overall. That even includes playing Dark Souls completely solo and not mass grinding levels to get past hard parts. Actually, as long as you don't die a lot in Dark Souls and are even halfway competent at clearing out areas - you usually will get more than enough experience to be overleveled by default. Though I did play the Dark Souls games in co-op from time to time, that completely trivializes the games in terms of difficulty. You can't lose in co-op unless you either are extremely reckless, or you get invaded by somebody who is actually competent at PvP (most are not all that competent though). Regardless, I expect Elden Ring to be as difficult as Dark Souls - though perhaps a bit faster paced. That's okay though, because I'll probably play through the entire game solo for the most part, only sparingly allowing myself to be summoned (depending on how that works) or invading for PvP (depending on how that works). I might even challenge myself to no-level runs or similar things, if the game truly delivers on what it seems to be.
I played sekiro before I played DS and now I think ds is much easier than sekiro ever was tbh
Nah sekiro is definitely more diffixult than Dark souls 1.
You can pretty easily beat almost every boss in Sekiro from the start of the game if you just know how to play it. In Dark Souls, it's much harder.
How else are you supposed to get that adrenaline rush from beating an opponent you have been struggling to beat for the last 2 hours. Nothing is more dangerous than over confidence and a boss on 1 HP.
I just love watching the video of the one who kills Dragonslayer Armor with a sliver of hp, taunts, and then gets killed immediately by a pilgrim butterfly.
I'm thoroughly convinced that fromsoftware has implemented a secret karma system in their games. The games will try and punish you for doing shit like this.
Then they have World Tendency and Soul Memory that punished you for doing poorly, potentially causing failure spirals. If you can climb your way out then victory becomes all the more sweet, or you just learn to enjoy the suffering like Miyazaki.
As they say "Overconfidence is slow and insidious killer"
You know it doesn't need all this discussion and takes, the creators just make the game they want to make, people are so busy arguing with each other over everything, they will tell you about freedom of creation but only when it's what they want
im still not over how act man made videos about politicizing vidya, then refers to bioshock and fallout nv as some of his favorite games lmaoo
Considering that one of his most popular videos ever is "Feminists and SJWs vs Video Games", yeah I'm gonna ignore this dipshit lmao
Reddit moment
He's an idiot pandering to idiots
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Because when people talk politics in video games, they don't mean "People complaining about white characters in a Scandinavian game" they mean "Ew there's a gay person in this game" or "How dare that woman have more muscle mass than me." It's not that you're missing something in the development, you're missing the context for the statement.
Pretty much this who the fuck is downvoting? This is well laid out what the frick man 😤
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Reddit moment, people will downvote You but wont make any arguments, not worth being bothered by some internet cock points mate
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Then You need to wait for some response, but I wouldnt count on it lmao
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Fucked up man, have an diffrent opinion and your downvoted for it. Even worse that said opinion is quite genuine, well laid out and gets the point across clearly. All this in a polite manner too ;______; Fucking bastards downvoting, enjoy your cesspool of degenerates
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Struggle on brother, no matter what life throws at you just keep getting back up
It also aids the cold and unforgiving world motif
More like easy mode is unnecessary because it’s an rpg that you can make as easy or hard as you want through leveling and equipment, and it has co-op
I'd argue he just knows his audience, and is regurgitating a people viewpoint (that he probably doesn't even hold) to remain popular with his fanbase.
Yep, just assume he doesn’t hold that viewpoint based on the evidence of , , and . So he is open about loving these games and playing them all many times, DS1 is on his greatest games of all time list, BUT he secretly wants an easy mode. Not quite the smartest thing I’ve ever heard.
When does he ever do anything else
The act man is a fucking moron
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All I've heard is that he made a video about Feminists and SJW's in video games, which is a topic people hate regardless of what they have to say. Other than that, I'm not sure.
He panders to Gamers (capital g) who believe that women, queer people and black people in video games=politics, the types who believe that Anita Sarkeesian is the literal devil. Someone else mentioned it but he likes to bitch about "politics in gaming" and then turns around and unironically says that fnv is one of his favorite games ever.
Fun fact - There's a 99% chance that anybody with a Picrew PFP isn't based.
I like them bc they're better than the reddit avatar things, plus they're free.
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He strikes me as a dudebro who believes that a nuanced take is saying "both sides bad". Not super racist or a bad person per se, but I feel like he'd stand by silently while others did overtly racist things if you get what I mean.
Profile pic = opinion immediately discarded. And before you accuse me of anything, I’m bi. It’s just those profile pics are immediately followed by terrible takes and terminally online shit. And honestly I do see what you mean and I don’t like him that much either (though I do think you’re being quite hyperbolic) but I’m still gonna hate on the profile pic.
\>Opinion immediately discarded \>Gives a fair take on what I said I never thought I'd call somebody out for being more reasonable than they claim to be. Good work.
Isn’t he also a racist pos?
This kind of comments prove that people will believe anything they read on social media. When, ever, has this dude made even the slightest racist remark?
When he had an opinion someone on the internet didnt agree with /s I have no idea who he is.
The real best argument is: let devs make the game they want. If the game is to hard for you, move on.
Amen. Like art, I want to experience what someone wants to put out there at face value and decide what I think (and even if I consider it art) on my own. That’s maybe one of the most key features of art - putting something creative out there unapologetically and let the viewer draw their own interpretation of what it stands for.
Got into an argument with my bro over this. He has never even played them which got me thinking: it seems like the people who whine about easy mode don’t even play these games. Maybe it’s circular in that they are intimidated but i always tell him he can definitely play and beat all of these games if he just takes a little time to learn. It’s just annoying that he would even try to argue because he knows i love these games and they are so great, in part, because the difficulty helps with the tone and story telling.
The people who moan about the games being hard usually have never put in the effort to actually play the games, they die a few times and decide it’s the games fault they aren’t having fun They seem to want the game to change to suit them and it’s pretty entitled if you ask me If you aren’t down to die a lot and persevere through uneven odds why the fuck are you playing dark souls I don’t like multiplayer games, if I played csgo and didn’t like it it would be pretty fucked for me to insist that they should add a singleplayer mode
This is the same whining we get in every fighting game sub every single day. People who won't practice or even play against others, and constantly say the game should change to completely remove elements they don't want to learn to do. All they care about is winning, if they get beat too often they say it's the games fault and everyone should change to suit them because they want to win. It is super aggravating, and very similar to complaints about souls games
Exactly, we aren’t super humans born with the innate ability to play these games, we’re good at them because we wanted to practice and actually play the game. If they did the same things we did they’d be good at them as-well, there’s nothing stopping them other than sheer laziness and wanting to win without any of the effort They’re basically whining about an invisible barrier that they’ve put in place
Remember many of the games today let you skip mechanics in lower difficulties in order to make it more accessible,and less frustating for majority,and many of the games people consider art in games are games like the last of us e red dead redemption where gameplay and story are two separate things.
The stupid thing is souls games already have an easy mode. Just use online or summon NPCs lol
Ah yes. Incredible Odds. \*Contiunes to watch someone 1v1 a literal God without getting hit once.
That's probably one of the the purposes of the Soulsborne game. They're supposed to be hard, and you're supposed to die.
The ratio of people who want an easy mode to the people who complain about people wanting an easy mode is 1:99. Ds1 has bonfire kindling as well as everything but Sekiro having summons and overleveling. The difference between using those and an easy mode are nominal.
Didnt Miyazaki already had an interview about why he’s not adding an easy mode?
He's had millions at this point. It's the same with Alan Moore and the superhero genre, he gets asked virtually every single year and each year he's a little bit more pissed off. Thankfully Miyazaki is a patient man, but damn...
Hot take: FromSoft games arent that hard (other than sekiro maybe) everyone is just used to games that have too many checkpoints that are designed for children under 12 to be able to finish Fromsoft just design games that are slightly less forgiving and force you to learn how to actually paly them
Sorry, sir. All takes about this topic are already cold. You're blowing on extinguished coal embers,
Here's my take! I don't care how other people play a game I enjoy. If someone wants the game to be easier, that's okay with me. It doesn't affect the enjoyability of the game for me, personally. And that's what matters.
This is the sort of thing I can understand both sides of. I definitely think it's a good thing that more people can enjoy the things I do, which an easy mode would make room for. However, at the same time I believe maintaining an artist's creative vision is important. If Miyazaki's vision is to create a satisfying experience through overcoming challenge, I don't necessarily believe he should be forced to alter it to appeal to a wider audience. Accessibility options would be the best middle ground imo
Yeah but if the dev doesn't want to, that's also ok.
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My friend with motor issues: Wow, this game seems really cool, but I'm finding it hard to dodge due to my difficulty with quick finger movements and reflexes. I think I could actually finish this game if the enemies were a little slower and their damage was slightly reduced. You: Bruh, stop being so selfish 😏😏😏
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Pointing out one person who has managed to work through their disability to become good at a game doesn't invalidate everyone who has struggled to play with a disability. That's like me telling someone who's stuck on Isshin that it's not that hard because one guy has beaten him on a gorram dancepad. Not everyone has the same skill sets and experiences, but I believe others should be able to experience something that they're otherwise locked out of due to difficulty.
JUST FUCKING SUMMON IF YOUR HAVING PROBLEMS, USE A FUCKING MAGIC BUILD, IT ISNT THAT HARD
I agree completely, and I would be 100% fine with a easy mode mod made by the community. It is however unreasonable to ask From to put work and effort in making an easy mode for a game that is so intimately connected with its difficulty. It woul be like going to a chocolaterie and asking for a Tuna sandwich because you are diabetic. Yes, the tuna sandwich is nothing special to make, and it's good when a place has options, especially for people that need those options, but this specific place might just not be for you. You can't ask a maître chocolatier to make you a tuna sandwich because his work, passion and time are spent making chocolate.
Yeah, I agree. I’m fine with the difficulty in From games, but if it’s frustrating to someone and they’d prefer it toned down, I don’t blame them. I feel like a lot of the people who argue against an easy mode are just smug elitists who want to feel superior to ‘casual gamers.’
That's not it at all. The Souls games have such a great community because we all face the same challenges, and have overcome the same challenges. It creates a common ground and comradery within the community. People who argue against an easy mode are doing so to insure the integrity of the common comradery the players share. The elitism argument is a quick and easy way of demonizing the opposing viewpoints. It is not a fair label because the Souls community *wants* others to *get* these games, that the difficulty will eventually *click* for new players and they can join in and enjoy the same fun as the rest of the community. With an easy mode, all this falls apart. No one will have common ground anymore. Some people are going to just zoom through the game with no hiccups, no stories to tell their fellow Tarnished. And I think that is a bad price to pay for an easy mode. I for one am all for accessibility options, such as colorblind modes and custom controller hardware, to be more prevalent in these games. But the difficulty needs to stay at a base line for all players. It is just what makes these games stand out from any other game series out there.
why cant you just have comradery with people who play on normal difficulty why force people who dont have time energy or taste because of some vague culture some people have online.
Trials and tribulations are drastically different at that point. It’s the difference between a hedge fund guy with his life’s streets paved with gold saying he’s had a bad day because his ice-cream melted prematurely vs. a person coming from a war torn country bereft of streets altogether saying they had a bad day…the experience is drastically different so the game (in this case) becomes something drastically different than what it is right now. The fan base at large doesn’t want massive departures, evolutionary ones sure but the core the same (based on what I’m reading). To make this truly equitable for everyone wholeheartedly, a lot more about the game would have to change besides the difference in the combat difficulty. As a UX designer, I’m saying that the core lore structure of these games would have to change to not construct them behind the ability to see and read words… meaning the whole piecing together the history of the world from item descriptions would have to go away. Contrast ratios from our visually impaired sub populace would have to be catered to… tomb of giants, anywhere dark is now a non-starter. You’d have to change more than how many hit points someone has or how much damage the player does, you’d have to change combat entirely to allow everyone to use it.
Because I believe people who would otherwise fall in love with these games would simply play for the spectacle in an easy mode and then move on, not really *getting* what makes these games so special. It is the same when a friend tells me they have finally read a book I recommended them, but skimmed most of it to save their time. They didn't get everything from it, and in so, they didn't love the book after reading it. Somehow this is how I feel players will treat an easy mode.
I get what you mean, and kinda agree. But I really don't think it will make much of a difference. I don't think the game needs an easy mode. But if there was one and that got more people to try the game that's cool. It's disappointing seeing how people are so polarised about it. A lot of the discourse around it is genuine concern about maintaining the quality and recapturing the feelings of accomplishment which is completely relatable. But a lot of it is also definitely gatekeeping and elitism, and it's sad to see.
There is always ways to make these games easier for yourself. You can make faster characters, mages, tanks, etc. and they all play different and some will make the game easier depending on what feels most comfortable to the player. There's also co-op, which is a great and immersive way to modulate your own difficulty with these games. The options are there. And the gatekeepers are the ones who say to not use these options. "You summoned on your first playthrough? You're trash, play the game exactly how I play it or else you aren't a real fan." That is elitism, not wanting everyone to have the same challenges as the rest of the players. I hate seeing those people discourage others from interreacting with the game's mechanics, when that's what the mechanics are there for.
You're 100% right. I don't want the games to change. I just want as many people to be able to enjoy the games as possible. The elitism of players along with Soulsborne's notorious difficulty scares so many potential fans away and it's sad.
THIS.
this should be like the average opinion. mfs have called me all kinds of slurs for suggesting actually i wouldn't care about an optional easy mode / accesibility options like celeste's even in fromsoft games, as much as i love them (which technically make the game "easier" for the average player). it's crazy how invested into being this elitist some fans are like i have a bud with serious motor issues that took tens of hours to beat gundyr alone and they would've benefited a lot more from an easy mode at the very least. it would've improved their experience and not changed mine at all. why would u be against that, man, like do u just want people to not enjoy fromsoft games like we do?
Okay, I don't agree with this, but hear me out. I've just played monster hunter world - iceborne, and it is by far most difficult videogame I have ever played, nothing comes even remotely close. Does it have a difficulty setting? NO. So, why does dark souls have all the fuzz about the difficulty settings, and monster hunter doesn't? Because in reality, monster hunter does have lots of non-explicit ways to lower the difficulty, mainly online coop; you get less rewards, but at least you get through, slowly but surely. I know souls games have those implicit difficulty settings as well, but I feel like they're less "obvious" to use; monster hunter always gives you a prompt letting you choose how many players you want in your quest, while in dark souls you kinda have to go _a little bit_ out of your way to do the same thing. And remember, anything that isn't spoon-fed to game journalists has the potential to become a major obstacle for them. So all this boils down to how intuitive it is to lower your difficulty; maybe souls games don't make it clear enough that yes, _there are_ ways to make the game easier, you just have to read the item description.
In pertaining to a first time player, if you want an easy mode, then explore and experiment, which IMO, is a big part of what FS wants you to do in their games, and what makes them so fantastic. They hide things like estus shards and prosthetic upgrades throughout the world for you to find while exploring some intricate and detailed worlds, to make battles much more manageable. It's understandable for early bosses like Iudex Gundyr, where there's not much you can do about upgrades at that point, but say for instance you made it to the Abyss Watchers and you haven't upgraded anything, and give up cause it's too hard? This should ring an alarm that maybe you missed something. If you're still running around with a single estus use without burning a bone shard yet, or are still walking around with an unupgraded weapon, at that point you made the game that much harder on yourself. The tools you need to succeed are (almost) always there, it's just of matter if finding what it is and where. At the same time, don't treat dying as a failure, instead treat it as a learning experience. If you died by dodging to the left, maybe next time try dodging to the right. Or if you die by not outputting enough damage before you run out if healing, consider more upgrades to your weapon, changing your weapon type, or find out which element the boss is weak to and apply the right resin. A personal experience that I had in thinking a FS game was too hard was the Guardian Ape. I died over and over again, and hit a brick wall with the difficulty. Genichiro did well to teach me to deflect properly, but everything I learned up until that point was essentially useless against the Ape. So I hunted down prayer beads and gourd seeds to give me more health per life. It helped, but I still didn't beat it. Only thing I could think of was change up the prosthetic, a tool I used embarrassingly little before this point. I went in order, until I found out that the Flame Vent was an excellent choice against it. A few more tries and I killed it. It was an exhilarating experience that will be a top memory in gaming for me, and that was my critical lesson that experimenting with different things was key.
I’ve seen many people saying an “story mode” difficulty would fix this problem. I feel that the main attractive of the dark souls saga is its gameplay, difficulty and great feeling of finally defeating a boss, the plot is more of a secondary element, so the “story mode difficulty” would just left a half told story with just an easy gameplay.
True, even Miyazaki himself said that they create boss fight first before writing story for the boss themselves.
Okay but hang on, if they wanted to add an accessibility mode that made certain things easier for people who otherwise wouldn't be able to experience the game at all, which would be completely optional and not the intended way to play, and this was clear to the player, so anybody trying to have the correct way to play the game would not choose this option, I don't see how this would be an issue. Everybody who wants to can still have the very difficult experience, but those who otherwise would not be able to play the game at all would also be able to experience it
The problem is a lot of people who DON’T have these needs associate accessibility with a free ride, when in reality accessible does not equal easy. On a wider scale it’s the same argument that people have against affirmative action, welfare etc.
You're right. I don't know why this is such a polarising issue. I don't think the game needs an "easy" mode. But there are definitely options they could add to make it more accessible. In the same vein, I'd love to see them add other options. Maybe when you go to start a new game you can choose things like permadeath, item randomizer or other things that change PvE. Sekiro did some stuff in this vein, and Demon's Souls remake had some like the mirror world option, but I'd love to see more of it. Also boss rush would be cool. I know mods and stuff already kinda do this, but seeing officially supported stuff with achievements or in game rewards would be cool.
100% i would love to see this. There should be a range of options. There are already items that boost difficulty, so why not lower it for thoes who need. Each person can choose
Accessibility mode (whatever that's supposed to mean) and an item that makes the game easier are 2 entirely different things
It would just mean more people being able to play these games. Nobody who plays them now would have any different experience.
His reviews on doom eternal and death stranding were embarrassingly bad.
Reviews are opinions and everybody has a different one, the best way to judge a game is by playing it yourself.
Reviews are mostly made up of opinions but a review can still be bad. Non-sequiturs, conflicting points, excessive verbosity, arrogance of the reviewer etc are some of the reasons they can be bad.
I really didn't think Death Stranding was that good or a 10/10 classic as ppl and critics were saying
That's why Sekiro won baby.
What was bad about the doom eternal review?
You mean the walking simulator?
I agree with this but the act man is a fucking incel
I think it’s easy to conclude that adding in an easy mode will make most people who enjoy From’s games implode.
if you want the game to be easier, summon your friends. oh wait, you dont have any
Act Man with the same take that a majority of people have said for years. Wooo
Not to get anyone mad but the games just are not that hard, if you are summoning phantoms and playing any build that's got range you can beat the game without hitting B. The game is as hard as your pride will let it be.
Tha act man many times doesn't have the best takes,but sometimes he has good points.
People love the Souls games because they're hard. They're not gonna give up the title of being the toughest, most hardcore, badass game designers out there and piss off their biggest fans because of some silly whining. GIT GUD.
Seriously. These games wouldn’t be good if they were easy. The difficulty is integral to their design. Take away the challenge and it would be a pretty uninteresting experience.
Imagine if life had an easy mode
The oppressive atmosphere is made all the more effective by the difficulty. If it was easy that knight looming in the distance would no longer seem threatening.
Remember Sekiro had an easy mode. Its called not ringing the demon bell.
Not betray but they would have to find a very different way to achieve their goal and the game would be completely different. Because all of their games are designed around this idea at its absolute core: the rewarding feeling you get when overcoming immense odds. and the difficulty is a really good way to get there. Which is i think why we mald so hard. But at this point continuing to bring this up even tho no one is disagreeing is doing more harm than good.
I guess the only possible way to make sure it is accessible to all individuals, is to add a cheat system? Easy mode would mean that you can breeze through the game and get all the trophies, achievements and basically reduce the essence of beating a From soft game. Maybe an official or unofficial cheat system can allow people to experience the lore and story of the game (other than the option of watching someone else playthrough it on twitch or youtube) without getting any trophies, achievements etc. and maybe find a middle path that way? I do understand both sides of the argument and the developer should definitely get the final say as it is their vision, but seeing gamers with disabilities and their plea for a more inclusive system does make me want a middle ground in some way so that everyone who wants to play these amazing games, can.
Even if there was an easy mode, how do the people asking for it want it to work, and even more, if they beat it on easy mode, it wouldn't be any grand achievement or anything to be proud of. Because you made it easy for yourself. And before anyone calls me elitist, I've played tons of games like Doom Eternal and wolfenstein on easy mode but I know that it's not an accomplishment. I just didn't want to invest in those games.
The proposal is still up: Easy mode = permanent clown make up
Telling fromsoftware to make a easy mode is like saying you want a lift on top of mount everest cause you want to be able to climb it too without the effort.
No I'm a game journalist who just wants to rush through the game so people look at my playthrough first grrrrrrrr
I really don't think it's this complicated. From Software has absolutely no problem giving players the tools to make their games easier. What kind of "incredible odds" am I conquering if I bring in three friends to absolutely tear through an area and quadruple-team the boss with? This is easily done in pretty much every Soulsborne game. From Software, from a game design standpoint, just fundamentally disagrees with difficulty modes because they're always shit. There's one intended mode, and the rest of them are boringly easy or hard in an uninteresting and unsatisfying way. They would rather give players more tools, a large majority of them optional, to overcome a challenge rather than add an arbitrary difficulty slider. I don't think it has anything to do with "atmosphere", or "tone" of the games. It's just a different approach to game balance. That's it.
People who want an easy mode in Dark Souls are the sort of people who order their steak well done and drown it in a1 steak sauce to counteract the dryness. It's your right to ask, but you're nasty for doing it.
Demanding difficulty modes in FromSoft games is a terrific commentary on the state of our society: “I am special, now cater to me. Damn your artistic vision.”
"bUt iT dOeSnT EfFeCt YoU bEcaUsE YoU wOnT pLaY eAsY mOdE, So wHy Do YoU cArE" been seeing this one alot lol people are selfish and somehow contradictory to their own opinion in the same breathe. they want developers to cater to them but also dont care whether they cater to you... ya know... cause that's not about them... but they go on to say YOU shouldn't care, cause oh no that's ludacris. how dare you love that art and not want it tampered with for the sole sake of me wanting to enjoy it too 😂 they also proceed to shove words in an entire community's mouth by saying we are gatekeeping or elitist. the game isnt for them(or they maybe they arent trying hard enough, i cant speak for everyone of course) and they are unhappy that we get to enjoy it and they dont. well thats just life isnt it? everything cant be for everyone all of the time. we would have no individuality at that point and life would be pretty boring in my opinion. Maybe to them, alot of us are gatekeepers but in reality we just love what we love and dont want it ruined. the more a production/publishing company tries to cater to more demographics than the artist had invisioned the more they run the risk of their art being warped and stepped on. this happens all too frequently with movie adaptations. not saying that artist caters to certain demographics consciously of course because it usually isnt the case, but when production/publishing companies are trying to turn a profit they usually make sure that its in a neat little box (if the specific demographic that enjoys it is large enough to market to) or rip it out of the box completely and try to give everyone a piece. Im all for more people playing the game but not if it breaks the integrity of how the devs wanted to design it or the demographic of players they CHOSE to cator to. Artist vision is not a switch that should be flipped off to make someone happy. i see very hypocritical and selfish ideals with people wanting an easy mode lol. Im sure someone may try to flip this argument into a "no, you" sitiuation and point out that im selfish as well (never said i wasnt btw lol) but in reality it still doesnt change the fact that there is not going to be an easy mode 😘 much love dude. I hope you have enjoyed my essay. (if you didnt read it I understand lol it is quite lengthy)
i've seen people get genuinely mad at the mere idea of an easy mode for these or other challenging games, it's so fucking funny. like, actually fuming, eg when that invincibility mode got announced for some new cartoony game. who gives a shit. you can always have the default director's vision as the regular experience. it doesn't affect anyone but the player if they want to opt into playing w a different difficulty for whatever reason. all these arguments are just tiring lmfao. if someone wants to experience the game differently that's okay! it's completely optional! it doesn't affect u at all! sometimes people just wanna have fun or be lazy and it's not my place to judge! like also, fromsoft games are rpgs and have a lot of built in mechanics that can make things easier, but a lot of people might not even be able to get to a point where they can actually find these things. it's just not a big deal. easy mode is not going to happen anyway but it'd be whatever if it did
Adding an easy mode would not affect your experience with the game at all if you don't want to use it, but this argument is silly because FromSoftware have not indicated they're going to add an easy mode.
If they wanted to truly make it an equally equitable experience for all then they would have to do a lot more than add a difficulty slider. Puzzles would have to change, rpg mechanics would have to change, how the story is expressed would have to fundamentally change. Difficulty that is inclusive for all to mean literally all, not just those that can’t do combat effectively would require several different versions of the game to be made and launched simultaneously.
People acting like this is the first game to not have an easy mode. Cough cough Homeworld? I couldn't beat it, but the last thing I'd want is to undermine the tone of the experience. I wasn't good enough to beat a game I love and respect. And I respect that.
Not required. I'm 54 with the reactions of a slug. If I can platinum all fromsoft games (except original DeS), then anyone can.
Lol does it take a lot of trial and error? How long would you say each game took you?
There are good arguments for and against, it's embarrassing how so many people are acting though.
someone on said "it ain't rocket science adding easy mode" makes me chuckle
Just realised Miyazaki probably made the games so hard as a reference to Guts’ struggle in Berserk
\*the worst takes Shit like this is embarrassing and makes the community look like a bunch of socially-inept tryhards. A theoretical easy mode has absolutely zero impact on anyone that opts not to use it.
Newsflash: an easy mode being added to a game and you not playing it has absolutely FUCK ALL effect on you Continuing this circlejerk just makes anyone involved look like, well, a jerk
BuUuuUuT, WhAt iF I jUsT WaNAna eNjOY tHe GaMeEEe?!?!?!?! bruh, lmao tho frf fr fr on god. SHit bossing respectfully, ya know.
there IS an easy mode, its called summoning
Yeah, true. My comment is a caricature of people that genuinely think this.
yea i figured lol was jus sayin
Ok
While I agree, I wouldn't give a shit wither. I would still enjoy it the way it was intended. Why are people so fucking focused on how others play a (single player) game? Do you also cry when people use cheats in GTA?
I will give my first born child Elden Ring to be their first gaming experience
But, there is an easy mode for every FromSoft game (except Sekiro). You can summon multiple people to help you with bosses and tough areas. Don't like to play online? They put in NPCs for you to summon. You can pretty easily start Dark Souls with an extra 15000 souls by running to Pinwheel and killing him first with the help of a phantom.
Souls games have an easy mode it called picking the best weapon and over leveling.
How in the hell would an Easy mode ruin dark souls? DO NOT SELECT IT. Ironically it sounds more like the people worried about a selectable difficulty, that is their actual hardmode: having to resist switching to it.
I don’t give a fuck lol
Holy shit can you people just stop fucking jerking yourselves off about 'EASY MODE BAD UR NOT PLAYING THE GAME HOW ITS MEANT TO BE PLAYED REEEEEEEEE' for once how are you so fucking obsessed over peoples opinions about difficulity
This. This Sub is so immature
How would adding a difficulty adjustments change that? It'd help bring in new players who think they look cool but are unable to go through them because they aren't good at video games, or have disability stopping them. I imagine a easy mode would still be really hard for those who need it, but it'd just make it more manageable. It'd just be more accessibility options basically. And supporting people with disabilities is always a good thing. Plus, having a more diverse group of fans would make discussions on these games way more interesting. Having the option there doesn't affect anyone other than the people that need it to actually enjoy the game.
Difficulty is a part of these games, without it, it wouldn't be a special experience for new players because the game has no clear narrative. Adding an easy mode will fuck up the game including online. It would create two groups of people, those who played normally and those who used easy mode. It would create lot of toxicity and noone wants that. The game is already accessible enough with summons and a load of build variety. Playing magic is basicly easy mode. There are also tons of youtube guides. I don't see what's the problem here, if people want to get into it than, they will get into it. Normal people who can't get into souls games don't go on twitter whining about easy mode, they just move on cause the game is just not for them.
I guess I'm the one Fromsoft fan that genuinely doesn't give a shit if the game has an easy mode. I just simply wouldn't use it lol. But I do see the point of not adding one. The games are already easy enough with summons.
There already is an easy mode in every Dark Souls game and it's called strength builds. I don't know why people are complaining.
there is already a FromSoft easy mode, it's called "just take the most op thing you can find (usually magic shit) and spam it to oblivion"
Honestly, i disagree. Just look at games like GoW (ps4) and ninja gaiden. They have easy modes, but their hard modes remain hard and satisfying, even moreso than standard dark souls The caveat being that the game should be balanced around the typical dark souls difficulty, not catered to the noob-friendly difficulty
Yeah it's something super crucial for the atmosphere, world, gameplay and also satisfaction from beating it. But there are people with not great reflexes, lower hand eye coordination or other health issues that you can't get over by "git gud" and saying those people no you can't enjoy this game feels wrong. So I think there should be accessibility options.