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[Frugal]

Demon's Souls is very well designed imo! Having all of the worlds open from the start (every -1 stage is designed to be completed by a fresh character) gives you the freedom to complete most of the games stages in any order you want which is awesome! It helps add replay value to future runs now knowing what items are in which world and such can help speed things up tremendously!

Thinking that there's only way "correct" way to play is not the right mentality to be going into these games with. I think completing 1-2 right after 1-1 isn't that difficult of an task, it's a difficulty spike for sure but nothing too crazy.

Sounds like OP just doesn't like this type of game, that's okay but calling it poorly designed is just ridiculous.

 

[semiconscious]

for a game stipulating from the get-go that your character is just some poor soul thrown into a disturbing situation & left to sink or swim, i'd say that demon's souls achieves the effect it's going for quite admirably...

 

[Ebrietas]

I do feel the latest games have strayed away from what made the first few games so special. I'm talking about DS3 and ER mainly.

The enemies and bosses are way too overtuned relative the player's capabilities. ER just doesn't have the same feel of something like DS1 where everything in the game is playing by the same set of rules.

And the games have progressively focused too much on boss battles as the source of challenge instead of level/dungeon traversal. The sheer amount of bonfires and checkpoints just emphasizes that.

Another thing I noticed (which is related to the above) is that the co-op experience in ER has greatly suffered. In DS1 it was so fun just putting my summon sign down at the start of a level and just having a great time going through a dungeon with 1-2 more players ending with the boss fight. Throw some invaders in the mix and you get some of the most unique and memorable gaming experiences. In ER I drop my sign and nobody summons. I use the "auto-summon" feature and 90% of the time I'm just getting summoned directly in front of a boss door (which always seems to be Malenia, Messmir, or Fire Giant, yuck). Not to mention boss fights in ER during co-op are absolutely miserable experiences since the boss gets like 5000% more health and can still casually two-shot you.

 

[Gaiff]

I didn't think it was especially hard, because once you actually just whack those enemies they go down relatively easily. you have to be very cautious sure, but I didn't really have any issues there aside from the framerate on the original 360 version

The PS3 version was every bit as bad lol. It wasn't until Prepare to Die Edition on PC that the frame rate became playable and even then, the engine had some issues at 60fps.

 

[Shrap]

They aren't your type of games, which is fine. That absolutely does not mean they are badly designed. Those elements you claim are bad are very deliberate decisions that others (such as myself) love and consider some of the best aspects of the games. The esoteric nature of the games, the ability to go to places early and get stomped, the trial and error nature of first playthroughs are all aspects that souls fans love and desire.

Play games you like, not games you don't. And if a game is widely critically acclaimed for its gameplay and has a massive community don't be arrogant enough to claim the rest of the world is wrong. Just move on.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

no guides are needed for any of the games, the entire premise of your argument is complete horseshit.

 

[Lord Panda]

I understand where you're coming from OP but the beauty (and frustration) of the game is that it doesn't hold your hand. But there's definitely room for improvement and Fromsoft games aren't perfect, and aside from Shadow of the Erdtree, I've finished them all.

Some of the encounters and boss fights are fucking cheap as fuck, the interface is dated and should be overhauled, and don't get me started on the contrived rituals to get a multiplayer game going (that ER co-op mod is what I wish Fromsoft would get behind and implement and expand natively in all their future games). And the whole formula and schtick is getting a bit predictable.

I think my fav Fromsoft games are probably Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Demon's Souls, and Sekiro.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

Prepare to die OP

 

[Interfectum]

Let me preface this by saying that a well designed game shouldn't require ANY sort of external guide. It should be self sufficient, a whole in itself, and the player should be able to organically discover things as he progresses, providing he puts in a REASONABLE amount of effort and patience.

Souls games just don't cut it in this regard.

These games are kind of a mess, and currently playing Demon Souls have just confirmed that to me. Right from the get go the game overwhelms you with possibilities (builds, stats, weapons, special item of choice, etc.). I assume any choice should be viable since there's nothing indicating the new player one is better than the other. However, in Dark Souls, for example, it wasn't quite as straightforward.

As my "special" starting item, I chose the Master Key, since I assumed it would be the most useful, allowing me to enter areas that otherwise would remain inaccessible (a perfectly reasonable assumption). Turns out, it is quite the worst starting item a beginner can choose, because you're NOT SUPPOSED to access certain areas early. I ended up going to a "late game area" where they ripped me apart.

You would probably say to me that the fact that I was getting my ass kicked should've been sufficient sign that I wasn't supposed to be there that early, but the thing is, every fucking area you go at the beginning you get your ass kicked, so how in the world is the player supposed to know which one is the correct? Why would a game allow me to enter an area I'm not supposed to be in yet? It's just terrible game design.

In Demon Souls things are even worse. I entered the first area of the first world, obliterated everything there and defeated the Phallic boss or whatever that chit is. Then there was the bridge section, which I did immediately after. I can't begin to describe how frustrating it was, how long it took me to get to the Tower Knight and defeat him. I progressed to the second world and couldn't advance too much because I was getting crushed.

I started watching Fighting Cowboy in YouTube and, turns out, you aren't supposed to do the bridge section that early. You're supposed to jump to world II, grab some items, but not do the whole level, then jump to the LAST world and do it complete, then return to the bridge area in world I, then go finish the World II, etc. Again, how the F am I supposed to know all that? Shouldn't the second world be the logical path after finishing the first world? It is just terrible, terrible design.

Then there are so many finicky aspects in the traversal and combat that are just ridiculous. Bridges going down out of nowhere as you cross them, in areas full of enemies, incredibly narrow hallways that barely allow you to hit enemies with your sword, dragons that come out of nowhere and torch everything, items located in pits which you're supposed to "traverse" by letting your character fall in an exact position, and I can go on and on.

And the games are just so... esoteric. Jesus, did Aleister Crowley directed this? What in the world is "tendency", "faith", "intelligence", 100 different items, many of them with obscure descriptions. It feels like I'm going to summon the devil or something. "This weapon levels with this, but this other one with that, etc.". "In order to get X sword you must shoot that dragon with arrows 500 times in X angle as he flies". I just want to slay some mofos, cut with all the crap.

Bloodborne, on the other hand, was a bit special. Things were much simpler. It didn't feel that overwhelming. The game is more or less linear and while you can go certain areas sooner or later, it isn't as critical as the other games. Combat is direct, raw. It still suffered from shitty level design in certain areas (that Memphis bs, then the other late area with the hidden bell-ringing hoes), but the art style and presentation is so eye candy that makes those headaches worth it. I ended up getting the Plat and 100% of BB. But as far as From games, I'm done with them forever. They're just not worth the amount of time and frustration. I don't know how in the world they're so successful critically and commercially.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Just like every other souls community on the net, dislike them and get personally insulted by tweeny edge lords. War, war never changes.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

 

[KàIRóS]

This is the TikTok Brain equivalent for gamers.

OP wants hand holding from the start, with an arrow pointing the objective all the time and color coded enemies indicating their difficulty and genuinely thinks that's good game design

 

[FunkMiller]

Ah yes.

Those incredibly poorly designed games - that have influenced subsequent games design probably more than any other game in recent years.

Every chance they're actually well designed, and you're just wrong OP.

 

[RavageX]

My take on the games, I like the fact you can wander in places you have no business. The things I DON'T like.

Items that are stupid. "Dead Lady Finger" is not something I would keep in my inventory, or "Ashes of a half-smoked cigar".

Lack of towns. I hate that in most games. You mean to tell me that ALL games can't be assed to have a town with normal folk? That's just shitty.

And...really that's it for my complaints I think, never really got into any of the souls games, they aren't bad but just eh for me.

 

[angrod14]

OP wants hand holding from the start, with an arrow pointing the objective all the time and color coded enemies indicating their difficulty and genuinely thinks that's good game design

No. There's something called "balance" and Souls games don't have it. They're deliberately made to get you frustrated.

 

[Bernardougf]

I love souls games and some think is ridiculous to use a guide... but I always do my first play through with a guide ... and use them also to finish the npcs quests and whatnot... there is so much hidden details, itens and lore that I just dont know how people do 100% runs totally blind... I call bullshit honestly.

 

[SpiceRacz]

 

[El Muerto]

Dark Souls looks and feels like a clunky PS2 game, I never found them enjoyable. I beat DS1 and 2 and got burned out. FromSoft games are just an internet meme at this point. Nobody can handle criticism of the games. And I really hate how other games are adopting this play style too. Stellar Blade would of been so much better if it adopted a hack n' slash gameplay like Bayonetta instead of being souls-like.

 

[_Ex_]

OP is full of shit. I beat the original Demon's Souls and the first Dark Souls offline, without needing walkthroughs, build guides, YouTube video help, or boss summons... none of that wussy cop-out crap. Yeah these are hard games; they are meant for hard gamers.

 

[EDMIX]

I mean, I like Souls games and I'd agree to this lol

I'm ok with the dated design and not everything needs to reinvent the wheel tbh

3. Try any Ubisoft game out there, they’ll hold your hand and never let go.

As someone that plays both companies games ,thats not really true lol

You very much have the option for them to "let go" of your hand

You can turn off all icons, way points and a list of HUD settings, hint settings etc, but tbh, a lot of games are like this now.

So if you don't want your handheld, that can be arranged in their games 100% lol

 

[Generic]

I do feel the latest games have strayed away from what made the first few games so special. I'm talking about DS3 and ER mainly.

The enemies and bosses are way too overtuned relative the player's capabilities. ER just doesn't have the same feel of something like DS1 where everything in the game is playing by the same set of rules.

And the games have progressively focused too much on boss battles as the source of challenge instead of level/dungeon traversal. The sheer amount of bonfires and checkpoints just emphasizes that.

Another thing I noticed (which is related to the above) is that the co-op experience in ER has greatly suffered. In DS1 it was so fun just putting my summon sign down at the start of a level and just having a great time going through a dungeon with 1-2 more players ending with the boss fight. Throw some invaders in the mix and you get some of the most unique and memorable gaming experiences. In ER I drop my sign and nobody summons. I use the "auto-summon" feature and 90% of the time I'm just getting summoned directly in front of a boss door (which always seems to be Malenia, Messmir, or Fire Giant, yuck). Not to mention boss fights in ER during co-op are absolutely miserable experiences since the boss gets like 5000% more health and can still casually two-shot you.

Early Souls multiplayer was so good

 

[EviLore]

Which major publication do you write for OP? I can take a guess.

 

[salva]

I like that the games don't hand hold the player in a lot of things. But I can't stand the combat in souls games. Tbh I've only ever played Sekiro. As a huge Tenchu fan I wanna love it but the combat is shit. Stupid parry and ridiculous enemy sponges.
But there's no point saying anything neg about souls-like games in this forum, you will be burnt at the stake, stoned and your corpse dragged all the way to the purple forum. RIP OP. Good luck!

 

[reezoo]

When I had a PS3, I bought demon souls and stop playing it after trying for few days, what I was doing trying to save souls and remain in body form. Never bothered to go other way. Thought people are crazy to like this game it’s mediocre at best. Bought the same game for PS5 and holly sh*t!! Into my veins. It’s quite hard to find games now to give same level of satisfaction, God of War may be at GMGOW level, other games now feel like chores. Just finished Elden Ring DLC few days back, right now anything that can catch my attention is challenge levels in Astro Bot. Op, THERE’S NOTHING MORE SATISFYING THEN DEFEATING A INSANE HARD 7 FEET TALL HOTTIE IN YOUR UNDIE WITH JUST A NAKED SWORD, TRUST ME IT TOOK ME THREE MONTHS!

 

[Shake Your Rump]

I played through Demons Souls blind, with no multiplayer, no guides, no outside assistance whatsoever, as my first Souls game. I knew nothing about it except that it looked cool and people said it was tough.

Spend less time searching online for what you are "supposed to do" and just play the damn game. The game gives you several places to go. So, go to them.

 

[laynelane]

I really like the fact that Souls games don't hand-hold the player at all. It's one of my biggest gripes about modern gaming and it's refreshing to see at least one developer whom understands not everyone wants to be told exactly what to do. You mention Dark Souls. The first time I played, I ended up in New Londo right after being dropped off by the bird. I didn't know where to go so I went everywhere. Right before the first encounter with the ghosts, I found a corpse with an item on it - the description for the Transient Curse item told me I needed to use it to damage ghosts. I used it for the ghosts and got a very rare drop - a Jagged Ghost Blade which immensely helped me in the early game.

I should not have been in the area. It was way too high-level, but the game didn't stop me and I figured it out on my own. Plus, I got an early Estus Shard. That's what I mean by not hand-holding and just letting the player figure things out. It's not for everybody, and obviously not for you, but I love that type of game design.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Let me preface this by saying that a well designed game shouldn't require ANY sort of external guide. It should be self sufficient, a whole in itself, and the player should be able to organically discover things as he progresses, providing he puts in a REASONABLE amount of effort and patience.

i think i agree.

Turns out, it is quite the worst starting item a beginner can choose,

so, you look things up online?

because you're NOT SUPPOSED to access certain areas early. I ended up going to a "late game area" where they ripped me apart.

how did you know that?

Then there are so many finicky aspects in the traversal and combat that are just ridiculous. Bridges going down out of nowhere as you cross them, in areas full of enemies, incredibly narrow hallways that barely allow you to hit enemies with your sword, dragons that come out of nowhere and torch everything, items located in pits which you're supposed to "traverse" by letting your character fall in an exact position, and I can go on and on.

And the games are just so... esoteric. Jesus, did Aleister Crowley directed this? What in the world is "tendency", "faith", "intelligence", 100 different items, many of them with obscure descriptions. It feels like I'm going to summon the devil or something. "This weapon levels with this, but this other one with that, etc.". "In order to get X sword you must shoot that dragon with arrows 500 times in X angle as he flies". I just want to slay some mofos, cut with all the crap.

Bloodborne, on the other hand, was a bit special. Things were much simpler. It didn't feel that overwhelming. The game is more or less linear and while you can go certain areas sooner or later, it isn't as critical as the other games. Combat is direct, raw. It still suffered from shitty level design in certain areas (that Memphis bs, then the other late area with the hidden bell-ringing hoes), but the art style and presentation is so eye candy that makes those headaches worth it. I ended up getting the Plat and 100% of BB. But as far as From games,

think about the time line in which these games were developed.

I'm done with them forever. They're just not worth the amount of time and frustration. I don't know how in the world they're so successful critically and commercially.

this is something that I said to Men in Boxes...but he is too far gone.

There are three types of gamers:
1. The one that wants escapism/fantasy achieved by the setting of the game, art, music, story.
2. The one that enjoys the act of play. shooting, jumping, running, navigating menus, etc..
3. the one that enjoys understanding mechanics/systems and figuring out the META.

of course, a gamer has different ratios of these characteristics

To me, Souls games skewed heavenly on numbers 1 and 3.

so...what kind of games offer the number 3 like Souls games do in today's AAA market?... i don't think there are that many. A lot of the current AAA games feel exoteric.
and their design language feels overly familiar between them....the sense of discovery not just for the world but also for their secret mechanics or systems makes those games feel like a mystery ready to be untangled

 

[AJUMP23]

I think the developers think that you can figure everything out without a guide. I use a guide to save time.

 

[DeaconOfTheDank]

Eh, I wouldn't say there's a "right" way to play these games. Sure, there's optimized routes in something like Demon's Souls to keep the difficulty curve manageable (and finding good loot), but that's only something veteran players would know. A lot of the magic in these games comes down to figuring out and experiencing things for yourself. I hope it clicks for you OP; hang in there.

 

[Fess]

Elden Ring is the all-time best game. Limgrave alone is better designed than most games out there. And I didn’t use any guide for my first playthrough, only got the standard ending and it took me like 150 hours and I spent 3 hours on Margit and 3 on Godrick as well, but it was doable.
That said, some npc quests are incredibly complex and vague in how they want you to progress. But you can’t fail the game, all that happens is that you miss some gear or worst case don’t have any extra choices at the end.

 

[Rickyiez]

Stop reading at your first sentence when you imply that souls game needed external guide. Never even used one after finishing every souls games

 

[Esppiral]

It had to be said, and it has been said.

 

[Lord Panda]

Which major publication do you write for OP? I can take a guess.

 

[Exede]

I never heard about this world jumping stuff.
I went to world 1, crossed the bridge got my ass kicked a few times by the Tower Knight, finished world 1 then off to a world i liked after (not necessarily the *right* order). I remember going tonthe spinning skeleton knights and noped out after like 20 deaths and tried another world.
Great game, the remake is really good

 

[March Climber]

As my "special" starting item, I chose the Master Key, since I assumed it would be the most useful, allowing me to enter areas that otherwise would remain inaccessible (a perfectly reasonable assumption). Turns out, it is quite the worst starting item a beginner can choose, because you're NOT SUPPOSED to access certain areas early. I ended up going to a "late game area" where they ripped me apart.

You would probably say to me that the fact that I was getting my ass kicked should've been sufficient sign that I wasn't supposed to be there that early, but the thing is, every fucking area you go at the beginning you get your ass kicked, so how in the world is the player supposed to know which one is the correct? Why would a game allow me to enter an area I'm not supposed to be in yet? It's just terrible game design.

In Demon Souls things are even worse. I entered the first area of the first world, obliterated everything there and defeated the Phallic boss or whatever that chit is. Then there was the bridge section, which I did immediately after. I can't begin to describe how frustrating it was, how long it took me to get to the Tower Knight and defeat him. I progressed to the second world and couldn't advance too much because I was getting crushed.

Because I came from MMO-games this type of thing makes sense to me when I first tried Soulslikes. Usually in those games if you enter an area and an enemy one-shots you or kills you in almost one-shot (maybe 2 hits or 3 at most), you're not supposed to be there. It is an instant way of telling the player to go elsewhere.

That's like an MMO top 10 rule, or even certain oldschool/open world non-MMO RPGs that allow you to travel anywhere have the rule (another example being Diablo-likes), but I would need to understand what previous types of RPGs you've played in order to understand your perspective better. I don't think you're wrong for saying what you're saying, but I do think you're approaching it like it's not an old-school RPG when it is treating itself like it is, and that's what I'm curious about. The why.

 

[FrankWza]

 

[april6e]

OP's post summarized: "The Souls games aren't well designed. They insist upon themselves"

 

[lh032]

Souls game must have features:
1) Player Input lag/delay
2) Enemies has ridiculous long range attack even with short melee weapons.
3) Enemies has absurd damage to make you think that the game is challenging.

 

[abstract alien]

Demons Souls - Good design but I get the gripes with it. I have my own.

Dark Souls - Good design, with a few glaring flaws. It's ultimately more than the sum of it's parts. God tier map.

Dark Souls 2 - Try hard garbage coming from Dark Souls 1, but as it's own game it was ok I guess. I just couldn't stomach it and never finished it to be transparent.

Dark Souls 3 - God Tier and enjoyed every bit of it. God tier level design, too

Blood Bourne - God Tier gameplay, God tier level design. 60fps and a resolution bump are all that this game needs.

Sekiro: Different God Tier shit going on over here.

 

[March Climber]

As someone that plays both companies games ,thats not really true lol

You very much have the option for them to "let go" of your hand

You can turn off all icons, way points and a list of HUD settings, hint settings etc, but tbh, a lot of games are like this now.

So if you don't want your handheld, that can be arranged in their games 100% lol

Others have probably stated before but it just doesn't work. It can't work well unless the game is built around it, because you'll quickly notice that these games don't give you enough context clues to discover stuff on your own and they want you to use the quest markers. The player ends up having to open their map a lot, which interrupts the game even more, just to make sure they're going in the right direction.

I actually applauded Starfield, of all games, for surprisingly doing a good job of making large and small city layouts memorable enough to not need map markers or a map on top of having the NPCs describe to you exactly where to go. Unfortunately it's other problems were so large that this was largely ignored.

 

[TheDuskwalker]

Which major publication do you write for OP? I can take a guess.

 

[bender]

I do feel the latest games have strayed away from what made the first few games so special. I'm talking about DS3 and ER mainly.

The enemies and bosses are way too overtuned relative the player's capabilities. ER just doesn't have the same feel of something like DS1 where everything in the game is playing by the same set of rules.

And the games have progressively focused too much on boss battles as the source of challenge instead of level/dungeon traversal. The sheer amount of bonfires and checkpoints just emphasizes that.

Another thing I noticed (which is related to the above) is that the co-op experience in ER has greatly suffered. In DS1 it was so fun just putting my summon sign down at the start of a level and just having a great time going through a dungeon with 1-2 more players ending with the boss fight. Throw some invaders in the mix and you get some of the most unique and memorable gaming experiences. In ER I drop my sign and nobody summons. I use the "auto-summon" feature and 90% of the time I'm just getting summoned directly in front of a boss door (which always seems to be Malenia, Messmir, or Fire Giant, yuck). Not to mention boss fights in ER during co-op are absolutely miserable experiences since the boss gets like 5000% more health and can still casually two-shot you.

I get this feeling with Elden Ring especially, but I describe it more as trying to hold onto well established tropes of the subgenre they defined even if that design doesn't work well within an open world. For example, it's difficult to lose "souls" with the frequency of Sites of Grace and Stake of Marika and with the DLC, they had to introduce a new level up currency to give characters meaningful progression but it turn made the collection of runes almost meaningless. I'm completely with you on the escalation of boss encounters throughout the series. A buddy and I are replaying all the Souls titles in co-op and it's amazing how easy the bosses are compared to Elden Ring (far fewer combos in their attack strings, way more opportunities to attack, and easier/slower movement patterns that let you get space to recover stamina and heal). And speaking of those playthroughs, we are most of the way through DS3 now and you can tell that levels were mostly designed disparately and then stitched together evidenced by one bonfire being ten or twenty paces from another towards the end. It largely feels like an awkward greatest hits albums of the previous games. Further, I do think some of the special feeling that earlier games gave you tends to wear off as you grow so accustom to the design tropes that your far more likely to spot them and call them out (there is probably an enemy hidden around this corner, that's definitely a trap, etc.) than be surprised by them. It's why I don't think Demon Souls (started it all, most likely to surprise you, Tower of Latria), Dark Souls (the level design of the first 2/3rds of the game will never be topped) or Bloodborne (favorite setting, favorite combat system and overall balance at the cost of weapon/armor/build diversity) will be topped in my books. Those three stand way above DS3, ER, and DS2 in my rankings.

 

[Peroroncino]

OP getting raked, feels bad. I see you, OP. I disagree with a lot of it, but I see your perspective.

You might want to give Sekiro a chance, it doesn't overwhelm you with stats and builds, but offers you mostly a single approach polished to near perfection, you might gel with it.

 

[DaciaJC]

You would probably say to me that the fact that I was getting my ass kicked should've been sufficient sign that I wasn't supposed to be there that early, but the thing is, every fucking area you go at the beginning you get your ass kicked, so how in the world is the player supposed to know which one is the correct? Why would a game allow me to enter an area I'm not supposed to be in yet? It's just terrible game design.

I have a different perspective. Dark Souls 1 was the first game of its type that I played, and I had no idea what I was really getting into apart from it was supposed to be a hardcore game. I intentionally stayed away from guides because I wanted to see how well I could do on my own merits.

That first playthrough, I made so many "mistakes" with deviating from the optimal path that my run only finally ended after 77 hours. Crazy shit like going through New Londo Ruins before finding Andre, or going all the way through the Catacombs and down to the bottom of the Tomb of Giants (and all the way back up again!) before finally discovering the entrance to the Depths and Blighttown.

Looking back, that playthrough is still by far my favorite of the dozens I've since completed in the Souls series, precisely because it was so filled with adversity from exploring the world in an off-kilter manner, because persevering in spite of all those challenges felt so satisfying. It's why I love that Miyazaki and his team designed the world of DS1 in such a way that the player can actually feel truly lost. Hitting a roadblock doesn't necessarily feel frustrating but rather another memorable fork on your arduous journey: do you decide to backtrack and search for a different path, or do you instead stubbornly press forward, trusting that you'll overcome through skill and willpower?

 

[Hrk69]

 

[DelireMan7]

I never understood this kind of complaint about Souls game.

I did every Soulsborne without a guide. They looked quite straight forward to me.
The first experience is surprising some most of other game tell you everything you should do.

I appreciate the freedom and the sense of discovery they gave you. And honestly the games tells you quite a lot of thing on its own way.

Master key can be a trap but as you say the fact that the enemy obliterate you and you do little damage to them is a good sign you should turn back.
On the "good" path, enemy are much more manageable.
I never get how some people get stuck at the catacombs early. The skeletons in the cemetery are really hard to kill and then there is the respawning skeletons o the catacombs that should tell you "Go away, come back later".
While on the "normal" path enemies dies in 1 or 2 hits.

I give you that Demon's Souls is rougher on this matter. In general it's much more unfair than the Dark Souls game.
Also if you want to understand world tendency is pretty much impossible to do it without guide. But it's not necessary to finish the game.

SoulsBorne are filled with secret interaction that can rewards you with special weapons/items. I find it cool. I don't think you should be able to get everything at first.
It's not for everyone for sure.
Me I am more irritated that in most game you can't miss a thing since games tell you and show you everything.

 

[Natsuko]

Sorry but TLDR. I tried it for a while. You come across as one of those TikTok generation people who just don't have an attention span. Why does the game have to point out every banality to you? Don't you have a head to think? Nothing annoys me more than games that have to tell me every little thing and don't let me explore for myself. I'm not a toddler ...

Why the hell am I interested in seeing how strong the enemies are in an area? You go there, see how things are going and if you get hit on the face you try to do better or leave again. That's it. If the game puts numbers everywhere, I don't need to explore anymore. But that's the appeal.

Honestly, the points you mention make me wonder whether the 14 in your username corresponds to your age. That would at least explain your impatience. What you're criticising doesn't fit the game at all. And it's not necessary either. There are tonnes of modern games out there that barely let go of your hand. Then just play them.

 

[ahtlas7]

Have you tried Steelrising?

I played through it without guides or external help and thoroughly enjoyed it. Such an underrated game.

 

[ByWatterson]

 

[Moonjt9]

Your premise at the start immediately falls apart because you don’t NEED a guide to play these games.

They reward thoughtful exploration, thinking, patience, and perseverance. These are all things that modern games actively strive against!

On the contrary, From games are so brilliantly designed, that no matter how many times people try to copy them, they almost all fail at it, because From games are on another level entirely design wise.