Horizon Zero Dawn Difficulty Level Impressions Revealed; “It’s Like A Dark Souls Game”

ThisGenGaming says "Early players have revealed their impressions regarding Horizon's difficulty with all of the players saying it's a difficulty game even on Normal."

[CyberSentinel]

I hope that's not true, I don't want every game to be as hard as "souls" games. Sometimes I just want to enjoy a game like tomb raider and uncharted, without it being to difficult.

[Nitrowolf2]

Been playing for a while and ive died a lot. Its not that its hard, its that IMO the gameplay needs a bit of tuning. Theres no lock on for starters, which could help a lot in 1v1 situations, but i feel the dodge doesnt do its job right. I can dodge an attack early, or even last minute but nk matter a majority of time i get hit. I found just running away is usually a better option than dodging. That could also have to do with the lack of lock on, cause being able to see when ur about to get attacked helps

You have to play it safe basically, but its no way hard like the souls game

[CyberSentinel]

I have it preordered, do you think it's worth a day one buy, or should I wait for it to drop in price first?

[ShadowKnight]

Its definitely challenging. Did you get the day one patch update? Just curious

[Nitrowolf2]

@shadow

The day 1 patch is not live yet

@cybersentinel

I feel havent played enough yet to say, but i am enjoying it a lot

[Majin-vegeta]

Not every game needs a Lock on feature.People need to start learning to adapt.

[uptownsoul]

comparing Horizon to a Souls game is ridiculous b/c the difficulty settings can be changed in Horizon. Souls games are Souls games b/c the difficulty setting can't be changed & thus, unforgiving

[N8]

Lock on as in so that you can focus on one enemy at a time?

[buttcheeks]

Why would a it have lock on most games when you use bows or guns as the primary weapon don't

[Captain_Mushroom]

EVERYTHING'S like dark souls, these days. kinda - no, it has DEFINITELY - lost its meaning

[MagicBeanz]

How do you have the game already when the release date is the 28th?

[WelkinCole]

Well you are going up dino robots with a bow an arrow. Its should be at least challenging. Personally I don't want it to be too easy that's its like pedestrian like many games where you just really sit through it.

[mikeslemonade]

You guys are lame. Dark Souls difficulty is fine. Otherwise you just pop and shoot and fall asleep.

[Utalkin2me]

@Nitrowolf2

"no lock on for starters"

Sounds like a casual problem to me.

[Kashima]

Tomb and uncharted are not action rpg.

[game4funz]

And this one is??? How so.. What's the difference?

[UCForce]

@game4funz Horizon Zero Dawn is RPG, you do have skill tree to level up your character. Uncharted isn't RPG because it didn't have skill tree. About Tomb Raider, I don't know which one, Kashima. You talk the old one or the current one because the current one have RPG and the old one didn't.

[sullynathan]

@game4funz this one isn't an rpg. Baldurs gate 2 does not have a skill tree yet it is one of the greatest rpgs of all time. Same for Gothic 2.

[ItMatters]

Tomb raider is now a 3rd person action adventure RPG and uncharted is a 3rd person action adventure game.

[Eonjay]

LOL no, he is saying that the Hard difficulty is 'Souls' hard. Its actually really quite difficult.

[Forn]

Play on easy then...

[Dawknight316]

If you look at the gameplay, those machines look tough. Its an RPG though so lvl up and get stronger. I keep thinking its gonna be like Far Cry. You will be a beast by the end.

[PlayableGamez-]

Actually souls games are not hard!
Souls games are fair. The problem with a lot of games now days is that it holds your hand. Soulsborne games treats you like a gamer in the most fairest way possible.

[Ashunderfire86]

Same thing with Nioh after beating that bat lady I realize all I had to do is wear medium, and light armor to move faster on the boss. I can hit her faster than she can strike.

[ziggurcat]

Well, no... they are hard, but they do get a lot easier once you get used to the way things work. people who have been playing the series have no problems with any new iteration of the game because they are already familiarized with the mechanics. those that have only recently started playing the souls games will invariably have a much more difficult time with the game (and are often the ones calling for a difficulty scale).

The game, if anything, teaches you how to be patient. the advice I tell people is to just learn the patterns, don't get greedy by trying to get in that one last strike (you *will* probably die if you do that), and don't try to rush through everything. also don't listen to people when they tell you to not go past level 120.

[PlayableGamez-]

@ziggurcat
That is not what you call hard, that is what you call a video game.
Gamers today are such wimps.

[IamTylerDurden1]

There are 3 difficulty settings, if easy is too hard you are going to struggle with a lot of games..

[joab777]

Play on easy!

[SweetLeafSmoker]

If anything it will be similar to TW3 and Death March... on the hardest diffculty

An open world game with difficulty on par to a SOULS game is still quite a few years away... I'm sure there is a developer out there working on it in some sort of fashion..

Horizon: Zero Dawn will have quick, fast paced combat encounters that require you to pinpoint aim on weak spots and stuff of the giant machine beasts...

Like I said above it's gonna to probably be like TW3 on Death March when set to the hardest difficulty... It will be like a battle of death dances... Ducking and weaving until you finally get a chance to hit the weak spot of your opponent.

Yeah... that's it... Just save your game all the time... Just like TW3 on Death March... even the smallest most asinine encounters feel like monumental tasks when played on Death March... I constantly save my game.. after every little fight with drowners or bandits.

[ColonelHugh]

Speaking of Souls series though, Death March is nothing when it is the first game you played after playing through Bloodborne. I was extremely disappointed in the enemy's AI for The Witcher 3 as you could just maneuver out of a flanked position and wail on an enemy.

The tougher, the better when it comes to any game where you get stronger over time.

[patchzon]

I gotta agree with you on this,a little challenge is welcome,but if its too difficult it might be also too frustrating to a lot of players and spoil the overall gameplay experience of this yet to be an awesome and promising game!

[Mithan]

Eh, I don't find dark souls hard. I think once you learn the mechanics, it's easy.

[DarXyde]

Perhaps the developers on the team who worked on The Witcher modeled it after the third game's Death March mode, which I consider merciless in its own way(s).

So long as the options exist, I would consider this a nonissue.

[drunkenspy007]

I hope it is true. Challenging games are way more rewarding. I don't get this "learning curve" issue, rather it seems people just would rather have things handed to them in their games instead of trying to improve their own manual dexterity. There are plenty of great games that can challenge your abilities if you don't have hand eye coordination skills, like turn based strategy games. Maybe it's not for you, but it's really not that hard once you try, fail, but continue to try until you get it. Then you'll have a blast and understand why

[DragonDDark]

Lower the difficulty

[Utalkin2me]

@CyberSentinel

Then thats why they make "TR and UC" for the casuals to enjoy. There is only a handful of games that are hard like souls games. And honestly i think we need alot more of them, instead of the 95% of constant casual games.

[FunkyGoron]

It's too bad for this game that the Switch/New Zelda comes out 3 days later. My time will be focused on BoTW. This does mean I should get a pretty sweet deal later in the year for a great game.

[BrettAwesome]

Yeah...well I think it'll be ok 😉 I'll even go as far as to say that Horizon is gonna ship more copies than breath of the wild, simply due to the enormous install base on ps4 and the might of Sony's marketing campaign

[SoulMikeY]

lol, I'm buying both, but you must've never met a Zelda game.... between wii u and Switch, I honestly don't think Horizon has a chance of beating it. I'll go as far and say the switch console will outsell Horizon.

[FunkyGoron]

I could care less... your yearly dividend's going up if Horizon does better or worse than BoTW? Insecure much? I am just happy to have a new Zelda now and new IP for a discount later. I hope you are happy with the game(s) you play too.

[nitus10]

@SoulMikeY

Played Zelda 1 including the new game plus, Zelda 2 (the last boss was interesting), Zelda 3 (pretty much Zelda 1 with better graphics), Ocarina of Time and Windwaker so I am not stranger to Zelda games.

At the moment I have no real interest in the Switch as it seems to be more of the same thing that turned me off the Wii and WiiU. I do like the Zelda games but one game is not attractive enough to make me purchase a Switch. Even Mario and Pokemon games hold no real interest for me so unless they come out with a Metroid game and some other IP that is unique to the Switch then I am afraid I will stick with My PC and PS4.

I have noticed that the Switch games appear to be anything from 15% to 20% more expensive than equivalent new PS4 and XB1 games. Most likely due to the games coming out on a cartridge.

Also, it looks like the scalpers (see eBay) are definitely out in force trying to sell their pre-ordered release for two to four times the actual price of the Switch so unless you pre-order then good luck getting one. Even some people who pre-ordered the Switch over the phone have been getting cancellation mail from some places.

[constantine_man]

Yeah, its okay now that they moved the released day forward a couple of days instead of dropping on the same day as BoTW. LMFAO

[Bran]

Yeah with 50 million PS4's out there Im sure Horizon will be fine, as long as Guerrilla delivers a solid game. Id say Nintendo needs BOTW to sell better than the 3.67 mil there last Zelda pulled to best Zero Dawn.

[Sm3000]

I'm with ya funky, the Sony pompom shakers here are ridiculous. And I'm a sony fan first

[_-EDMIX-_]

@soul- Skyward Sword barely sold 4 million copies and that was on an install base of 100 million.

Uncharted 4 just sold 8 million units

The Last of Us recently just sold 9 million units.

What you have to understand if there is definitely a chance that Horizon zero Dawn ends up outselling Uncharted 4...

I have no clue where you even think of Zelda comes into this picture but I just do not see it moving more units, the last Zelda to move 10 million units was in 1998.

The only closest zelda recently to my understanding with around those sales is twilight princess with around 8 million.

You have to consider Uncharted 4 match those numbers without a 100 million install base.

What happens when Horizon zero Dawn a new intellectual property matches or beats Uncharted 4?

The last of us has a very much shown that a new IP can outsell an established IP.

[Commandacrunch25]

@nitus10

Calling Zelda: Link to the Past Zelda 1 with better graphics is one of the dumbest things I've ever read on a gaming site.

[uptownsoul]

I'm sure Horizon will do just fine if you don't buy it right away

[FunkyGoron]

I hope so... why wouldn't it? I'll buy it later when it's discounted on PSN. Decided I wanted a Zelda experience instead. I hope you make money if PS does well.

[Utalkin2me]

@FunkyGoron

I think the point was you started bringing Switch and BOTW into a HZD article, in a fanboy way. But in no way shape or form is that Zelda experience worth close to 400 bucks. But some people lap up whatever you throw their way.

[thekhurg]

I'm sure I'll get a great deal on the switch in a few years too with a cheaper Zelda cost. Looks like we're both benefiting.

[FunkyGoron]

Hopefully! Nintendo doesn't drop their prices too often, minus the 3DS launch.

[nitus10]

Nintendo has a habit of making sure that the prices of their games remain at a higher price for much longer than the games on both Microsoft's and Sony's offerings. In time they will drop but very slowly.

[FunkyGoron]

I guess I should have clarified... I meant for me LOL It's too bad for me that I pre-ordered and got the Switch for BoTW. Didn't want to also drop the $60 on Horizon.

Wasn't trying to insinuate one over the other.

I do wonder the age of most of you responding... arguing about copies sold and being off of Nintendo LOL. Are you shareholders with Sony? It's ironic as I spend my time primarily playing PS4/Vita but what does that even mean? I like good games and am glad I'll have BoTW now and Horizon later, for cheaper.

It is heart-warming to see all of you come to Sony's defense :)

[jeremyj2913]

Just guessing here but the backlash could be because you mention getting it for cheap instead of just saying that you'll get it after you're finished with BotW. Makes it sound a little trolly.

[PlayableGamez-]

I got a question.
Why are you telling us this? What is the point.

[FunkyGoron]

I just said things b/c I wanted to. Put a smile on my face to see the comment was taken defensively by so many people. I didn't know the desire for Horizon to succeed was so strong. I just wanted to play a good game and eluded to the fact that I bought Zelda/Switch and ergo wouldn't be buying a game that comes out 3 days prior.

What's the point of being offended I chose to buy game X now vs game Y later? Interesting look at the small echo-chamber that is N4G.

[Bathyj]

.

[PlayableGamez-]

@FunkyGoron
In other words, you just want attention because you have nothing better else to do.
You came under an article that is CLEARLY about Horizon Zero Dawn and ABSOLUTELY has NOTHING to do with Zelda to let people know that you are buying Zelda over Horizon?

LOOK AT ME PEOPLES I'M BUYIN ZELDA OVER HORIZON!! I AM SO EDGY AND SPECIAL! GIVE ME ATTENTION!
LMAO. You must have some loneliness problems with some insecurity.
If you are buying Zelda that is cool. A lot of people here are buying Zelda why are you telling us that?... Are you trying to stand out or something I don't get it? Nobody is offended, everybody is trying to figure out why are you going out of your way to tell us something that has nothing to do with the topic at hand. You are deliberating trying to piss people off. That's why people are scratching their heads.

[FunkyGoron]

Whoa, chill out buddy... if Zelda hadn't come out so close to Horizon it wouldn't be on the top of my mind. If you really took my post as yelling about Zelda, then so be it. It is too bad Zelda comes out and I won't be buying both, but at least games get cheaper over time.

Forgot any mention of a product outside of PS4/Horizon would be attacked.

Why are you bothered at me talking about Zelda? What's the point?

Big mad man

[Ashunderfire86]

I be too busy playing Horizon Zero Dawn before I ever play Zelda.

[DanteVFenris666]

Besides the guy that is wanting attention. I'd suggest both. Both look like fantastic games. Can't wait to play both of them

[remixx116]

My backlog b is big as hell as I just finished gravity rush 1 and just purchased the last guardian but I'll still be buying both on release....I definitely don't have the time to play them.

Also mass effect andromeda as well as persona 5 drop not even a month after. For me there is no summer drought.

[constantine_man]

5 likes and 33 dislikes. Never change N4G, never change.

[MagicBeanz]

Then again it might be too bad for Zelda that this game comes out 3 days earlier, depends on how you see it.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

I see you keep coming back at people with the same thing about people's financials with PlayStation and how you *couldn't* care less about how it does. Just so you know, they're giving you shit because you brought up Zelda in the thread, and they couldn't care less about your purchase decision in the first place.

[FunkyGoron]

Who said they should care? I am more entertained and shocked by the response than anything else. Very interesting. I don't care about their desire for PS success, never said anyone should care about my preferences.

Very amusing to see people come to the rescue of PS/Horizon when it wasn't even attacked. I have no personal interest in any company's success, others seem to have interest in that. I want video games.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

What are you shocked about? You're on the internet. You told people you're buying Zelda instead and you're getting Horizon when it's cheaper, in a Horizon article. You really shouldn't be surprised at the response. And you said you have no personal interest in a company's success, but you just want games. Well some would say those go hand in hand, especially if it's a studio who makes games you really enjoy. But the fact that you did bring up Zelda, which nobody cares in here, and then more than once in your responses talk about how it's so entertaining and the defending of Horizon out a smile on your face, is literally the mentality of a troll, whether or not you realize how you worded that.

[drunkenspy007]

I want Zelda too... Sucks that it's so expensive due to having to buy a sub standard gaming system.

[ILostMyMind]

It's too bad for you.

[Utalkin2me]

More sheep to the heard.....

[smolinsk]

Sounds great,I like a good challenge.

[Fishy Fingers]

Obviously not the same but that isn't the impression I got from the gameplay videos (or hands on previews).

The Souls games are intentional unforgiving, punishing even. Perhaps this just has a steep learning curve initially? I personally wouldn't mind it being a challenge but I'm not looking to have to grind away at it.

[uptownsoul]

I agree with Souls games are unforgiving...I love how they force the gamer to be strategic.

[Featuring_Dante]

hold your shield up and wait for the enemy to attack. yep, very strategic and difficult.

[Fishy Fingers]

We got a badass....

[remixx116]

@fishy lol bro I'm dead!!

[nitus10]

The Souls games and Bloodborne or any RPG for that matter allow you to customize your character to the way you like to play. The problem is you have to know what you want since your selection of attributes affect the way you play your character.

@Featuring_Dante

Yes, I do know you were being sarcastic.

A good shield and decent stamina is a good way to approach playing a Souls game but if you play Bloodborne a shield (you can get one) is practically useless so you have to rely on stamina, the ability to dodge, your weapons and the rather odd magic use if you choose to use it.

In many cases in both the Souls and Bloodborne getting up close and personal is a good strategic tactic but one thing the game does well is to make some enemy quite daunting and in some case quite revolting to the point you are psychologically put off (at least the first time you meet them).

I know the jape is to say "git gud" although I do think "git bttr" is more appropriate since we all start as newbies, but at no stage are these games unfair and there are always ways to beat a difficult enemy (eg. Leveling or better weapons and armor). Patience is a virtue in games like these and if a person does not have the patience then they really should not play these games.

[slappy508]

Well the guy said "I'm playing it on hard it's like a souls game dude" Key being he's playing on a hard difficulty so not really like a souls game if you have difficulty options

[game4funz]

This is my least favorite modern gaming description for a game... Souls like... Wtf

First off those games are only difficult if you can't get your timing right and have no patience. They're not that hard. I realize many gamers have difficulty with it... Especially casuals but that doesn't mean it's hard. Master the mechanics and you can easily beat any game at any difficulty. Unless the difficulty breaks the game such as in uncharted 4.

Secondly. I seriously doubt this game has dark souls difficulty. From what I've seen of the Gameplay it seems fairly straightforward.

And being souls like isn't necessarily even a good thing. It could in fact be a horrible thing for a game.

[Injusticewarrior]

Crushing breaks uncharted 4?
I did it...

[game4funz]

I did it too but it still breaks the game in certain areas. Definitely breaks the swinging rope mechanic. And infinite nades from enemies is broken too.

[ColonelHugh]

Uncharted 4 on crushing is a great difficulty. Very fair, but challenging.

And then you have late-game areas like the pirate mansion entrance and the wrecked ships, where the game takes a brutal turn that feels more like some kind of high-level horde mode. God forbid you're like me and went into any of these areas without ammo, or an unsuited weapon. Yeesh.

[ziggurcat]

"Unless the difficulty breaks the game such as in uncharted 4."

How so?

[opinionated]

All these dark souls comparisons are starting to get annoying. It's not a walking simulator? Dark souls clone.

[UCForce]

Well, Horizon Zero Dawn have difficulty setting, so it's not Dark Souls ish. Dark Souls never have difficulty setting in the first place. But it's good thing that the game will give you a good challenge. Even people said normal difficult is still challenging nonetheless.

[opinionated]

It just seems like a lazy unoriginal argument to make. I see a lot of reviews taking this approach. Pointing out similarities is fine but basing your entire approach around a comparison is lazy work.

[game4funz]

But why dark souls like? Why not Volgarr the Viking like??? Or NiOh like??? or any other game that has been seen as difficult?
These writers are quite silly.

[UCForce]

I agree that Lazy Argument. But this come from TGG which I think they need to adjust a lot of their writing.

[theshredded]

Stop comparing anything that's hard to dark souls. And I'm glad there's a difficulty that's challenging

[mogwaii]

This game sounds worse and worse each time.

[ShadowKnight]

If you say so buddy :)

[Ron_Danger]

Ignore him... a quick scan of his comments reads like a letter home from the most depressed kid at summer camp. It's all comments downplaying everything that people find enjoyable or empty threat style "oh you'll see" kind of BS.

And I'm sure he'll come back and try to disprove us, but he can't change what's already been said.

[ClayRules2012]

Well, than you don't have to waste your money, bud =)

[Deadpooled]

This game sounds better and better each time.

Fixed :)

[PlayableGamez-]

This game is pretty tough and requires a little bit of creativity and planning.
I actually died when I played this game at PSX (which was the best PSX).
Don't underestimate this game.

[Legatus]

There's a difference between challenging difficulty and unforgiving difficulty . But that title wouldn't be nowhere near sensationalist just like infamous "16 gb day1 patch" right TGG ?
Anyway , game looks amasing and can't freaking wait to come out. PS4 gamers are in for a treat.

[N8]

I call BS it's just being said for hype

[PistolsAtDawn]

The first bad news I've heard about this game. Don't get me wrong, there are times that I enjoy a game to be difficult, but in an open-world game like this I don't want that. I mean, I guess it could work out, I'll ultimately wait and see how it works...but right now that doesn't sound like a good thing.

[Phill-Spencer]

Wtf? IT HAS DIFFICULTY SETTINGS!! So just play it on easy or normal and stop complaining.

[PistolsAtDawn]

My OCD always makes me beat a game on it's hardest difficulty...yeah I COULD play it at a lower difficulty, but then I wouldn't truly feel like I beat it...yeah, I get it's my own thing....yeah I get I can play it lower....it's NOT a deal breaker or anything at all, just the first thing I heard about it I don't like...I'd rather just play this game and enjoy it rather than have to "struggle" through it. Plus I notice that normally when companies do this...it's like an artifical difficulty. It's almost never that AI is smarter or puzzles more challenging...it's usually just that they are bullet sponges and they have endless grenades or something like that. I haven't played the game yet, I may end up liking it....at first impression though, I'm skeptical

[buttcheeks]

He is playing it on hard no shit it would be somewhat difficult but at the end of the day it's a RPG just level up get more skills upgrade your weapons use traps come up with more effective strategies for the particular enemies you have trouble with just like any other rpg

[rainslacker]

Every open world game I can think of has a difficulty setting. Are you saying you won't play any of them because of your OCD? Hard difficulties exist for almost every game, and if you default to that for your OCD, then it's likely you'll be OK in this game too. This is a mainstream title, so unless it's like Crushing mode hard, even hard mode should be plenty manageable.

[joab777]

You don't know how happy this makes me!

[IamTylerDurden1]

I'd rather it be challenging than a cakewalk. It's more rewarding when a game challenges you to get bet better and to actually use your brain to figure out tactics and strategy.

[rainslacker]

I never had a problem with hard games. It's more about the learning curve. If they throw you into the hard right away, and expect you to figure it out on your own, then I tend to lose interest. If they build the difficulty naturally through the game, I'm usually OK.

[jokerisalive]

I cant see this game being as hard or frustrating as a Souls game. If it is then that would be a letdown. I would think it is around the same level of difficulty as the Killzone series and of course will have difficulty levels you can select.

[SweetLeafSmoker]

Bullshit... If anything is will be similar to TW3 and Death March...

Yeah... that's it... Just save your game all the time... Just like TW3 on Death March... even the smallest most asinine encounters feel like monumental tasks when played on Death March... I constantly save my game.. after every little fight with drowners or bandits.

[nitus10]

I do agree that TW3 on Death March is the best way to play the game otherwise the game gets very repetitious since you have a tendency to just use your weapons on the easier modes rather than make use of your armor, potions and magic.

If you play TW3 on "Blood and Broken Bones" or "Death March" you can actually get additional quests. Just answer that all characters that you are asked about during the "interview" prior to visiting the Emperor are alive.

[ColonelHugh]

You want a tough open world RPG, try starting a new game on Oblivion with the difficulty slider set to 100. You really will be saving after every encounter.

[nitus10]

You could try doing that in Skyrim at the start of the game although you would have to be an exceptional player to get past the fist fight. I actually start off in expert mode and only increase the difficulty in the later stages of the game.

I never reduce the difficulty setting and if I find a game with a difficulty level/slider is too hard then I will restart the game with a difficulty level I can just manage. Reducing the difficulty on the fly is a kind of a cheat which I always avoid doing but if others like to do that then IMHO the only person you are cheating is yourself.

Starting Skyrim with Master or Legendary difficulty is (well for me) just an exercise in masochism.

[pody]

lol noobs

[Mr Lahey]

Hehe.. Scrubs are gettin' nervous!

[Razzer]

Talked to a guy who is reviewing the game. He said if you max out the difficulty and never save THEN it would feel like a Souls game.

[nitus10]

If a reviewer said that I would be pretty certain that he has never played a Soul's type of game since you are continually saving as you advance through the game.

Since there is no initial difficulty setting in any Soul's type of game you always have the option of leveling your stats as well as improving your weapons and armor. You can always get NPC's and if you have online access getting online help as well.

[Razzer]

He wasn't trying to make a direct comparison. Dark Souls and Horizon are two completely different games. That was the best he could do to draw a line between the two and only as far as difficulty.

I don't know. I'm not a Souls gamer. But Dark Souls is known for being difficult. Horizon Zero Dawn won't have that reputation. That was his point.

[GTgamer]

Plays game on Hard difficulty then says "Omg it's sooooo hard" :/ it's like walking in the rain and being mad that you got wet.

[Mithan]

I'm sure it is....

[Einhander1971]

I will buy both games but let's be honest zelda will no doubt feel more polished in the gameplay.
Nintendo games always have tight reponsive controls that always feel great. Concerned with the lack of lock on feature with horizon, Z targeting anyone Nintendo genius.

[ColonelHugh]

lock on was first featured in a 3rd-person action game with Mega Man Legends, but Ocarina definitely improved and popularized it. They had to, they only had one stick.

[sullynathan]

pretty poor article, was very short and was made on one comment from Neogaf. Wow.

[DiceAndRice]

There's multiple different comments actually.

[ItMatters]

I feel like people are now comparing games to dark souls just to get them a boost. Horizon zero Dawn can stand on its own and it doesn't need to be compared to games it doesn't play like at all.

[shodai]

I think thats great. as long as there are difficulty settings make the game as hard as you want. Hell, put in a crushing mode! Some of us want an experience where there is thought, careful preparation, and a shade of realism. I mean, she is a human fighting thousands of tons dinosaurs, and people just want to walk in and shoot like its a goddamn call of duty game? Come on, now. if you want that put it on easy! But I want a game that makes me think of ways to approach, I want a game that challenges me, I want a game where I have to plan stuff and when fighting bosses or in this case big machineries, I want to scrape by barely alive after vanquishing a huge dinobot. I want to feel the threat of those animals and not approach reclessly.
If you want a watered down experience, or maybe u just want to relax and play this game, thats fine, I'm not judging. Put it on normal and enjoy it. Some people dont have the skill to do this, so there is easy mode. They can enjoy the story and thats fine. But dont complain there is a hard mode, and dont complain that its too hard when on hard mode, just put it on normal goddamn it! And after that they complain that they cant get the trophy, this trophy is supposed to be an acknowlegement of ur skill, if you're not skillful enough, or dont have the patience, well guess what? You dont deserve it!

[MagicBeanz]

Its BS haters are tying to scare people off so it doesn't sell well, just ignore the lies and slander articles.

[formanbradley]

Why is everything arbitrarily compared to Dark Souls? Oh yeah, because comparing something to a cult classic will sell more copies. No one thinks to themselves "HOW is is similar, and in WHAT way?". Video game discussions need to be deeper.

[Lynx0207]

Why every news about that game makes it more and more amazing?

[bluefox755]

I really doubt this is true, which is fine, I don't want it to be like Dark Souls. I like Dark Souls, it just doesn't feel like it would fit this type of game, at least not a mandatory fixed difficulty. If they want to offer a harder difficulty for those who want it, I'm all for it.

[Segata]

Souls games are not that hard once you know how to exploit windows and timing. Souls games are NES easy mode. You want hard? Play Battletoads on NES. From now on every game that is "hard" should be called Toads hard..haha..eww.

[nitus10]

The big differences between Battletoads on the NES and the Souls/Bloodborne/Nioh games is Battletoads is tough and unfair while the other games are tough but fair.

[NXFather]

Aloy kinda bad though.

[MazeRunner]

i really hope its not true.

[JCW2005]

Hell no...... i despite those souls games... please don't do this sony...

[XStation4pio_Pro]

well i pre-ordered it but i hope thats not the case. i mean i like a challenge but the Souls games are kind of a niche area in terms of difficulty and i personally don't really find that enjoyable. I'm hoping this is a little more accessible to more "regular" players like myself - especially since its a new major IP for the PS4.

[Klonoa-dreamtraveler]

gotta finish and platinum Digimon before Horizon comes out ugh i doubt that's gonna happen.

[PiperMCFierceson]

I'm the type that enjoy difficult. The harder the better.

[Maxor]

Great news. Games like this can easily be ruined by the face roll level of difficulty. When you're taking on a huge monster you should feel like you earned the kill.

[Bjorn-c-blocker]

Souls games are not hard! They are methodical. Just because you have to think does not make something hard.
Horizon Zero Dawn has nothing in common with Darksouls... This whole Darksouls is hard and comparing to Darksouls gives a game credibility is so stupid.

[Bjorn-c-blocker]

Also.. what kind of difficult? Darksouls controls perfectly and everything bad that happens to the player is down to the player.. if this is hard because it has messy controls then that is not hard that is just a badly made game!

[Dan_scruggs]

I'm sure this is 100% true.

[rezzah]

Well...it isn't like the KZ games remained easy on the harder modes (you die fast because AI was more aggressive and did more damage).

I'm looking forward to the challenge.

[Sadist3]

Guess I'll have to play on very hard since gamers these days don't know what difficult is. Dark souls is not difficult. It requires you to learn how to fight each enemy, after that it's an easy game. Nioh is not difficult, I'm breezing through it. What's difficult is games like ninja garden, contra, or even super meat boy

[Dealerdastuces]

oh nice news!

[jeenyus]

So the trend is to be like Dark Souls now.