Support NeoGAF

[thatJohann]

You're excited about a game. The trailer looks incredible, the art direction is right up your alley, and the worldbuilding seems immersive. But then you find out… there's no easy mode.

Does that make you hesitate?

For me, it's frustrating when I realize the only barrier between me and enjoying a game is its difficulty. I'm not looking for the game to play itself, but I do want options, especially if I'm more interested in the atmosphere, story, or exploration than in dying 15 times to the same boss.

Some recent examples come to mind like Chronos: The New Dawn, which got a lot of attention, but was criticized by some players for having no difficulty options at all. And of course, the gold standard (or nightmare, depending on your perspective) is Elden Ring. Absolutely stunning game. But unless you "git gud" or lean on summons and cheese, there's no built-in way to scale down the challenge.

Games like Returnal, Sekiro, or Remnant II follow similar design philosophies. While I respect them, I can't help but wonder how many players bounce off them entirely just because there's no on-ramp for more casual or story-focused players.

The best approach, in my opinion, is when a game includes difficulty options from the start. That way, it works for everyone. The hardcore crowd still gets their challenge, but other players aren't locked out of the experience. Accessibility doesn't diminish a game's vision. It expands it.

Curious to hear:

• Have you ever not bought a game because it lacked a difficulty option?
• Does a game having an "easy mode" make you more likely to try it?
• What games got the balance right or wrong in your opinion?

 

[WhereIzJP]

Its why I didn't buy Cronos.

 

[reinking]

Nothing wrong with options. I would like to see all modes available from the beginning though instead of having to play through to unlock harder modes.

 

[Radical_3d]

Its why I didn't buy Cronos.

I guess you don't buy From Software games either.

 

[diffusionx]

The best approach, in my opinion, is when a game includes difficulty options from the start. That way, it works for everyone. The hardcore crowd still gets their challenge, but other players aren't locked out of the experience. Accessibility doesn't diminish a game's vision. It expands it.

Wrong. The difficulty is the experience. The point of a game like Sekiro or Nioh or Dark Souls or whatever is that you do overcome the difficulty hump and do accomplish something within the game. Giving people an easy mode totally compromises that vision. Slopping through the early shit test battles just undermines it. And you know, once you figure it out, it's not that hard.

And you know, anyone can do it. You have countless videos of all sorts of people beating these games with one hand, or with their feet, or with a power pad, or a guitar hero controller. It's not that people can't do it, it's that they don't want to. And that's fine, but don't blame the game for not being what you want it to be.

 

[Topher]

Personally I rarely play games that I can't adjust to my level, but difficulty options would break some games like Souls so I don't see any problem with games that don't have them.

 

[Punished Miku]

Have you ever not bought a game because it lacked a difficulty option?

Armored Core. I can't really trust that FROM knows how to balance anything at this point. Plenty of other stuff out there to play without potentially wasting money. I'm sure I could beat it if I had to. The issue is that I don't want to buy something I wouldn't enjoy if I think the balancing is busted, unfair, and unenjoyable, which I have thought on multiple games of theirs.

Normally, I could read reviews and get somewhat of an idea, but that's impossible for FROM games. Normally I could read user reviews then and get somewhat of an idea, but that's also impossible for FROM games. It makes any purchase of theirs completely off limits at this point unless there's a demo. More accurately, it's actually made pretty much the entire Soulslike genre totally off limits without a demo.

 

[pudel]

Team Options...always, everywhere!

 

[Radical_3d]

Wrong. The difficulty is the experience. The point of a game like Sekiro or Nioh or Dark Souls or whatever is that you do overcome the difficulty hump and do accomplish something within the game. Giving people an easy mode totally compromises that vision. Slopping through the early shit test battles just undermines it. And you know, once you figure it out, it's not that hard.

And you know, anyone can do it. You have countless videos of all sorts of people beating these games with one hand, or with their feet, or with a power pad, or a guitar hero controller. It's not that people can't do it, it's that they don't want to. And that's fine, but don't blame the game for not being what you want it to be.

Ehhh… I don't know. Hardcore games of the past (like ZoE2) had a difficulty slider. From is as lazy with game design as they are with graphic engines.

 

[Hypnosekroete]

Yes, dont want to spent 60eu or more and get stuck one hour in the game.
Its the only reason i didnt buy Cronos.

 

[thatJohann]

Wrong. The difficulty is the experience. The point of a game like Sekiro or Nioh or Dark Souls or whatever is that you do overcome the difficulty hump and do accomplish something within the game. Giving people an easy mode totally compromises that vision. Slopping through the early shit test battles just undermines it. And you know, once you figure it out, it's not that hard.

And you know, anyone can do it. You have countless videos of all sorts of people beating these games with one hand, or with their feet, or with a power pad, or a guitar hero controller. It's not that people can't do it, it's that they don't want to. And that's fine, but don't blame the game for not being what you want it to be.

I get that, and I see those games' appeal. That said, some people do want to experience the awesome world and mechanics at a reasonable difficulty to begin with and then replay at the intended harder difficulty.

 

[TheSHEEEP]

Accessibility doesn't diminish a game's vision. It expands it.

Bullshit.
You don't get to determine the vision, the developers do.

And if the developers say "you must be this tall to ride", then you must be this tall to ride.

Games don't need to be for everyone. That includes genres as well as difficulties.

 

[Loope]

I prefer to have options, but in some cases even without options i just play them, like Fromsoftware games.

 

[kruis]

All games should have multiple difficulty modes including a story mode. It's silly to pay $80 for a game and discover your skills aren't good enough to complete it.

Dara O'Brian explained it perfectly here how the video games industry does something no other industry does: it punishes its customers.

 

[TheSHEEEP]

It's silly to pay $80 for a game and discover your skills aren't good enough to complete it.

It is silly, I agree.
The buyer is silly for not doing their research. Fool and their money, soon parted.

(also 80$ for a video game is silly to begin with, but that's a different topic)

 

[Thief1987]

but difficulty options would break some games like Souls

The only thing it will break is the ego of some "hardcore" gamers.

 

[Fabieter]

I play some games on really high difficulty some on really low difficulty. The problem with playing on easy you can ignore like half of the mechanics. So you don't have to look what the game has actually to offer and that sucks.

Would prefer some kind of dynamic difficulty depending on how you are performing.

 

[Gonzito]

I am going to say this once again so people that haven't played Cronos can understand it, it's not that hard to comprehend but here we go


The game has en EASY MODE. In settings, if you choose full aim assist, the game is stupidly easy. The reviewers that complained about the difficulty, probably didn't check this option and they didn't know!

Cronos is difficult if you play without aim assist otherwise is EASY

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Devs vision their games with one difficulty on mind, so I go with it. Fuck "options" that dumb down the original experience.

Said this, demos should be available so you can judge before buying.

 

[Punished Miku]

Bullshit.
You don't get to determine the vision, the developers do.

And if the developers say "you must be this tall to ride", then you must be this tall to ride.

Do mods diminish a developers vision?

 

[diffusionx]

I get that, and I see those games' appeal. That said, some people do want to experience the awesome world and mechanics at a reasonable difficulty to begin with and then replay at the intended harder difficulty.

Sekiro is one of the best games I've ever played. I spent about 45 hours playing it. I could go back to it and spend another 45 hopurs for sure, but that's how long I played it for. A certain chunk of that was bashing myself against the difficulty spike bosses, sure, but ultimately, I finished the game, and really enjoyed the mechanics and fights once I got the hang of them. I loved the story and exploring the awesome world. The ddifficulty forced me to understand and get good at the mechanics. If the game was easier, I wouldn't have appreciated the combat as much as I did.

Is 45 hours too many hours to fully get there? When people play crappy slop like COD MP or Assassins Creed for way more than that? You don't need to play these games for hundreds of hours. I think people make way too much of this.

 

[thatJohann]

I am going to say this once again so people that haven't played Cronos can understand it, it's not that hard to comprehend but here we go


The game has en EASY MODE. In settings, if you choose full aim assist, the game is stupidly easy. The reviewers that complained about the difficulty, probably didn't check this option and they didn't know!

Cronos is difficult if you play without aim assist otherwise is EASY

Interesting, I'm dying to play Cronos but got turned off by all the reviews saying it's really difficult.

 

[InterMusketeer]

I don't play on easy mode so it's no factor in my decision to buy or play something. A bit of challenge is part of the appeal for me. A story where all the characters are struggling to stay alive, only to have it accompanied with braindead easy gameplay breaks my immersion.

 

[TheSHEEEP]

Do mods diminish a developers vision?

Of course a mod can go against the developer's vision - that's partly the entire point of mods.
You don't have to like the developer's vision or even stick to it - but the developer is the one who defines the vision, not the player.

 

[Kacho]

I like difficulty options when they make the game more interesting. Take Doom for example. Harder difficulty means more enemies. Perfect Dark & Goldeneye are another. Harder difficulty means more objectives.

If it's just enemies do more damage and players do less damage I go zzzz. Just give me a well-designed game that challenges me fairly.

 

[corgiix3]

fuck an easy mode. I wana be engaged not rocked to sleep

 

[Lucifers Beard]

Nothing wrong with options in games. That being said, I make an exception for Fromsoft Souls games. The allure for most (if not everyone that enjoys them) is the thought of an almost insurmountable challenge and the absolute relief and joy you feel learning from your previous mistakes and beating a really challenging area/boss.

Yes, I understand that isn't for everyone, but that's the audience Fromsoft target and not every game has to target all audiences.

 

[Bondo]

Give me my options.
I'm no masochist in gaming and no interest in pulling my hair out so i can beat a hard game to grow an E-Peen and share about it. If you like hard games that's awesome - props to you. However, how you enjoy said game varies for everyone. So, today - as a 40yr old gamer, hell yea id turn down a game cause i don't wanna deal with repetitively dying. Normal is usually suffice for me.

Its cliche to say many older gamers have less time to game- but its true, and i rather enjoy that time taking my mind off things and having fun. If having fun to you means being ultra challenged- go for it brother.

 

[mdkirby]

I'll play it whatever, that might not be the case in a decade when I'm in my 50s tho. Devs should imo create options for gamers. The default setting should be structured around how it should be played, that default could be super hard. But between older gamers getting old and rusty and having less time to play, and younger gamers being too used to handholding, there should always be options to make it accessible.

You may disagree now, but assuming you are still playing in your golden years, you may hold a different view if the skill barrier for your favourite games is too high for your ailing joints, eyes, and reaction times.

 

[Gonzito]

Interesting, I'm dying to play Cronos but got turned off by all the reviews saying it's really difficult.

Reviewers are fucking incompetents, you should know that by now

 

[SomeNorseGuy]

Can't really vote as I'd like to see a "Developer Intended Experience" option in the poll.

To quote myself from the other game difficulty thread:

What I love more then anything is passionate developers that tailor make a game to fit their vision, trends & mass market be damned. Be it a eazy-breezy button mashers, mind fucking strategy, walking sims, punishing platformers or anything in-between.

If that vision/intended experience is a multitude of difficulty options, then I'm all for it.

Personally I like a game that pushes back and make me interact with all of it's systems. What I don't like is games that lazily slap on hard/easy mode and just either make enemies damge sponges or make the game so easy it makes most of it's systems superfluous. Put some work and thought into for fucks sake.

edit: I see you added another option to the poll, thanks. ♡

 

[thatJohann]

I remember spending hundreds of hours with my brother trying to beat one of the bosses in Mega Man 3 on the NES. It literally took us months. But we were kids then, with all the time in the world and no real responsibilities.

Now I'm 40, and I just don't have the time or interest in spending weeks or months trying to overcome a single boss. My gaming tastes have definitely shifted as I've gotten older. These days, I'm much more drawn to experiences I can enjoy without constantly hitting a wall of frustration. If that makes me a "casual," so be it. I just want to have fun.

 

[Sybrix]

CBA with super hard games now, i don't have the time.

 

[trikster40]

Here's the thing for me: Difficulty can make or break sales. It can turn a niche game into a cult classic, or it can turn a AAA release into a turd bomb.

I personally don't care. If a game has no difficulty settings, all good. You either adjust or move on. If a game is story driven and has difficulty settings, I'll usually go for standard or maybe a notch below.

The key is this: Is the difficulty truly balanced, or is it "F the gamer in the A" stupid hard? There's a difference, and I've played quite a few games where the "difficult for difficulty's sake" games were almost designed to not allow the gamer to make progress, therefore sucking the joy out of the game.

I grew up in the Atari/Nes/SNES eras, so I've known my fair share of stupid difficult games that I absolutely love (looking at you, NES TMNT) but the difficulty just kept me from ever truly enjoying it.

I also know my fair share of games that are incredibly difficult, yet manageable with time and patience (eyeballs Sekiro).

In the end, to each his own, but I think the best thing is for devs to keep in mind that there are myriads of gamers with their own skill levels, and if they truly want their creation to be enjoyed by all, it's okay to have difficulty settings.

 

[xrnzaaas]

Availability of lower difficulties should depend on the genre. In the case of Cronos I definitely think it should have a "normal" normal difficulty level. Someone wisely suggested that there could be an in-game message that difficulty X was the intended way of playing the game, not the only available one.

There are a lot of folks in the forum saying how easy this game is and how the rest should git gud, but it's reaching for the other extreme. Not that many people are familiar with 'oldschool' survival horrors and if someone only knows modern RE games they will have a very difficult time. Not to mention many of us are in our 40s or 50s now and that's going to take a toll on our reflexes, free time and generally on trying to remain a skilled gamer.

 

[TintoConCasera]

100% agree with Kacho and SomeNorseGuy here. Difficulty levels should do way more than just pump up the numbers and making everything a damage sponge.

Aside from that, love me some hard games. Stuff like Alien Soldier where I could spend more than a week playing such a short game, perfecting and mastering it until I could 1CC it was an amazing experience, and way more memorable than any modern 60+ hours, easy as fuck game.

 

[RCX]

All games should have multiple difficulty modes including a story mode. It's silly to pay $80 for a game and discover your skills aren't good enough to complete it.

Dara O'Brian explained it perfectly here how the video games industry does something no other industry does: it punishes its customers.

Not sure about that. I've been watching Alien Earth recently and lots of that certainly feels like the people making it hate me.

 

[Sooner]

I'd personally prefer every game be made with ONE difficulty mode in mind and there is no other option.

There is a time for harder games and a time for more laid-back games. But the game should be what it is meant to be.

It cheapens searching for items to give me an edge over a difficult boss, when I know I can just not bother and drop the difficulty at any point to give me that edge.

100% agree with @Kacho and SomeNorseGuy here. Difficulty levels should do way more than just pump up the numbers and making everything a damage sponge.

But that means developers are spending extra time and resources redesigning the game that doesn't even fit its vision. Either this will cause further delays and costs to developers or they will have to sacrifice the original vision and instead focus on these other game modes.

 

[thatJohann]

To counter the idea of "the game just isn't for you then...", we're all here because we love gaming. That's why we're on this forum, having these conversations. I love being transported into different worlds, learning new mechanics, and getting immersed in a story. Those experiences aren't exclusive to hard games. They exist in both easy and challenging ones.

Saying that games shouldn't have difficulty options feels unnecessarily restrictive. Adding an Easy mode, or even something like an "invincibility" toggle, would open up these experiences to so many people who crave the adventure but not the punishment. It's a win-win. More players get to enjoy the game, and developers reach a wider audience and increase sales.

I genuinely don't understand how giving players more options could ever be a bad thing.

 

[Topher]

The only thing it will break is the ego of some "hardcore" gamers.

Nah....it rips out the Soul of Souls.

 

[TheSHEEEP]

if they truly want their creation to be enjoyed by all, it's okay to have difficulty settings.

That is of course correct.
But I think what many entitled brats gamers seem to assume is that devs want their creation to be enjoyed by all to begin with... which is just flatout wrong.
Especially devs of a more "auteur" nature really only want to target a very specific audience or don't care at all about the audience as long as they can make the thing they want to make, without compromises.

 

[Peroroncino]

no options suggest to me that maybe, just maybe the devs actually balanced their game around the difficulty

the more options you have, the less faith I have you balanced anything, since those options are usually some lazy ass sliders to make enemies more/less spongy or extending timing windows etc. - trash

 

[Punished Miku]

Nah....it rips out the Soul of Souls.

Do you feel like Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry have no soul?

 

[GudOlRub]

Don't consider myself an "hardcore" gamer, I love Souls games but whenever a game gives me difficulty options I choose Normal and that's it.
That said I don't really consider Cronos to be difficult, you just need to think about how you use your resources and that's it, I haven't died once so far.
And I understand console players being reticent still but if you're on PC c'mon man, just download a trainer, turn infinite HP ON and you're good to go, you have your easy mode.

Used to be games had cheat codes and people loved them, nowadays seems like if you download cheats for singleplayer games because devs don't put cheat codes in their games anymore then you're a hack. Fuck that I say, whomever is throwing shade at you for having fun in a singleplayer game in the way you choose to is the real hack.

All in all I'm down for whatever devs choose to do and I'm also down for people cheating in SP games if they're having too much trouble with them.

 

[ssringo]

Devs can make whatever they want. If it interests me then I'll buy it. Whether there's an easy mode or not is irrelevant.

I always pick the normal or developer intended difficulty anyways if there's an option.

 

[diffusionx]

100% agree with Kacho and SomeNorseGuy here. Difficulty levels should do way more than just pump up the numbers and making everything a damage sponge.

Aside from that, love me some hard games. Stuff like Alien Soldier where I could spend more than a week playing such a short game, perfecting and mastering it until I could 1CC it was an amazing experience, and way more memorable than any modern 60+ hours, easy as fuck game.

Yea, is it "better" to spend N hours mastering a game like Alien Soldier or the same amount of time moving through a modern theme park game? It's the same amount of time.Like, I'll say it again, if people can no-hit Dark Souls with a DDR controller then a normal 50 year old who has been gaming for 20 years can beat the game once. Give me a break.

Of course everyone is different, there is no right answer... I don't see why there is this need and demand to turn every game into a modern theme park game. Especially when something like Alien SOldier is like 20 minutes at Kirby difficulty.

 

[Topher]

Do you feel like Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry have no soul?

No, I'm specifically talking about Souls. Those games were designed to be like they are. I'm not suggesting other games should be.

 

[PauloRoberto]

Amazing how it looks lile no one knows anymore how to really balance challenge ona videogame anymore... and the fact that some bubbles (like GAF) have some difficulty zealots dont help anything on this matter.

 

[PlayStaytion]

You're excited about a game. The trailer looks incredible, the art direction is right up your alley, and the worldbuilding seems immersive. But then you find out… there's no easy mode.

Does that make you hesitate?

For me, it's frustrating when I realize the only barrier between me and enjoying a game is its difficulty. I'm not looking for the game to play itself, but I do want options, especially if I'm more interested in the atmosphere, story, or exploration than in dying 15 times to the same boss.

Some recent examples come to mind like Chronos: The New Dawn, which got a lot of attention, but was criticized by some players for having no difficulty options at all. And of course, the gold standard (or nightmare, depending on your perspective) is Elden Ring. Absolutely stunning game. But unless you "git gud" or lean on summons and cheese, there's no built-in way to scale down the challenge.

Games like Returnal, Sekiro, or Remnant II follow similar design philosophies. While I respect them, I can't help but wonder how many players bounce off them entirely just because there's no on-ramp for more casual or story-focused players.

The best approach, in my opinion, is when a game includes difficulty options from the start. That way, it works for everyone. The hardcore crowd still gets their challenge, but other players aren't locked out of the experience. Accessibility doesn't diminish a game's vision. It expands it.

Curious to hear:

• Have you ever not bought a game because it lacked a difficulty option?
• Does a game having an "easy mode" make you more likely to try it?
• What games got the balance right or wrong in your opinion?

PC is different, you get wider range of motions here but it doesn't help in Elden Ring to buildup your skills and face the next monster at ease, that's not how the game works unfortunately. Elden Ring is about memorizing while being patient, that doesn't count as gameplay mechanics either.

 

[TintoConCasera]

But that means developers are spending extra time and resources redesigning the game that doesn't even fit its vision. Either this will cause further delays and costs to developers or they will have to sacrifice the original vision and instead focus on these other game modes.

I don't think the devs of Thief nor Perfect Dark were compromising their visions when adding more mission objectives.

And it doesn't have to be that complicated. Changing enemy encounters or their AI to make them more aggressive could be enough, and way better than making everything a damage sponge.