Where Sekiro's Easy Mode and Accessibility Debate Collide

There has been a conversation surrounding easy modes in video games, which has gotten way out of hand. “Sekiro Shadows Die Twice,” From Software’s latest game has come out and just like most From games, shortly after release the conversation about its difficulty has sparked furious debate amongst gamers alike. Yet, this time around conversation has turned towards “accessibility” in video games. Giving people with disabilities the capabilities to take aspects of a game’s software to find tune the game to where they too can play. Though that all sounds fine, does this inhibit game developers from making their vision of their game?

[Vanfernal]

Bah. The "journalists" got ridiculed because of their crybaby narrative about needing an easy mode so they decided to shift the debate to accessibility. And that argument falls flat considering there's videos of quadriplegics beating the game. They're trying to sound like they're activists fighting towards a noble cause when in truth they are just unskilled players that found out that writing about games is not all fun when you have to cover the harder games. They should abstain from covering games that they suck at altogether and stick to something more down their alley.

[sampsonon]

i take it that all games you play are on the hardest setting?
if so, do these games have lower settings? because i know that 99% of all single player games have settings to give a player the best experience for them.

when you played these others games were you thinking about other gamers playing on lower settings? or did you just fine tune the game to your needs and play without any after thought?

my point is simple. and i get why people want From games to remain the way they are.
but if they decided to have settings for financial reasons, would you buy their next game?

and yes there are people with disabilities that game and would love to play Sekiro like their friends.
why would their having fun effect your game?

[DaDrunkenJester]

If they add it in their next game then so be it. At that point it is their decision and they can tailor the game for different kinds of difficulties. But whining about adding an easy mode after the game is already done and launched is silly. FromSoft knows the experience they want to create, the challenges they want their players to overcome. Most games with difficulty modes always have artificial hard modes, they usually only tweak the HP and damage modifiers. Sekiro is perfectly balanced with its one difficulty setting, and if you want to change from normal mode to hard you can ring the demon bell.

I feel like From games are their own style, just like JRPG's. People hate when JRPG's start to cater to western crowds, right? So why should From cater to players who want to treat it like a streamlined easy game?

[AspiringProGenji]

Not every game difficulty is balanced properly and not done right, Kingdom hearts 3 is an example of this.

I myself play every game at the hardest setting available from the start because I am tired of games with “scalable” difficulty and dumbed down challenge games nowadays offer, and I don’t want fromsoft to appease to lazy gamers because it will require then to re balance the game and change their game philosophy; I want their to remain like that because that is what sets them appart from the rest. They should not be forced to do this and the people asking for easy mode because they can’t beat the game should be embarrassed

Financial reasons...accessibility... these are excuses you and the other have created to ask for am easy mode. FromSoft doss not care about maintream money, and people with disabilities are not complaining or asking for an easy more.YOU ARE... there are people on youtube who have beat Souls games with guitars and drums... and there are controllers made for gamers with disabilities

There! Both of your excuses debunked. Now gonand play the game it was meant to be played

[BloodyBorne]

Players with disabilities can play it. Maybe you shouldn't think so lowly of the disabled.
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[uth11]

It is super simple.

There are hundreds of games out there that were not created for people like me. That's fine. I would not dream of telling them to change their game to cater to me. After all, who am i to demand such a thing? Nor do i see most other people make such demands from most games. They move onto something else

But when it comes to From, why does this rule go out the window?

The From games are honestly not that hard if you want to commit a little bit of effort to them. If you don't want to make the effort, then they are not the games for you.

The "accessibility" angle is just a trojan horse. When all the other games on the market are fully accessible, then we'll talk.

[sampsonon]

@DaDrunkenJester:
"But whining about adding an easy mode after the game is already done and launched is silly."

whining? the people in your life whine or is it you?
I'm having a simple debate about access to games.
like i said. i play on the hardest mode in games.
so whining is not what I'm doing.

IT'S A SINGLE PLAYER GAME THAT WILL HAVE NO! NO! EFFECT IF SOMEONE PLAYS ON A MEDIUM LEVEL. so why do YOU care so much?

and that's not whining, it's trying to get the simple point across.

WHY DO YOU REALLY CARE? lol

[Hungryalpaca]

The answer is:

The game isn’t for them. It’s that fucking simple.

I’ve watched disabled people beat dark souls. Someone did it with their feet. Someone did it with a guitar hero controller.

Stop with this easy mode bs. If people can beat it with literal potatoes you can do it with a controller.

[AspiringProGenji]

''IT'S A SINGLE PLAYER GAME THAT WILL HAVE NO! NO! EFFECT IF SOMEONE PLAYS ON A MEDIUM LEVEL. so why do YOU care so much?''

From Soft fans care because we know what makes these game appealing is the challenge and how everyone is playing at the same odds. They also know better that the Their games actually have a very unique dynamic difficulty that changes depending on your builds, abilities, items, and so on... From soft should not ruin this by adding difficulty modes, especially when the outcry is because some people can't beat the game. Sorry but no! This game is not that impossible and requires actual player agency and effort. If they can't beat it, then the game is not for them.

I'm pretty sure many have already expressed ''why do they care?'' but you keep ignoring From soft's game philosophy, reasoning, and using disabled gamers as excuse. There's a video up there showing you an actual disabled gamer giving one the of bosses hell. And again, From soft has said before that they are not after mainstream media with their games, and they have done pretty well up to this day. All this have worked for the better and we fans enjoy their games. Anyone who isn't a fan can join the Souls community at any time, and I was one of them who wan't a fan and ended up beating the games and become a fan, and I never asked for an easy mode. Literally everyone could do this too if they spent more energy beating the game rather than whining because of the lack of easy mode

[ReVibe]

rofl, I love when people bring LimitlesSquad into this "argument."

No offense To the guy, but he has NOTHING BUT TIME TO SIT THERE GIT GUD.

[wolf581]

Whats next.? .ask Ferrari to make cheaper cars so anyone can afford?
I dont know why all the noise.in..almost all games you can choose a difficult level of your choise....the dark souls series borned from the fact that some gamers want more hardcore games like the old good days that most games where brutal..like ghost n goblins..y had to finish it twice in a row with fixed lives to see the ending.the from software games are hard..but not so hard..as people claim..I mean is just a fact that the new gamers playing fps all the time and open world games..that use you as a vacuum cleaner...many of that gamers dont want to afford the time to learn the new mechanics..of the game and they want eagerly ro return to lets say fortnight..
So lets accept that there is hard games out there for the people they want to play that kind of games.
Its like a friend of mine that he complains that the pvp games are hard and that its sucks because of glitches,lag,cheats etc
No accept that in these kind of games y suck and continue with your life or train to be better.
End of story

[bluefox755]

Can we just be done with this topic already?

[TheEnigma313]

Stop complain being a beta and learn the game. These complainers don't have the testicular fortitude to beat this game, so they cry like babies.

[TGG_overlord]

Some games just isn't for everyone...

[TacoTaco]

The whole point is that this game *could* be for everyone who is interested in the story/aesthetic but may have awful hand-eye coordination. FROM loses nothing from their vision by having a lower difficulty, because the standard git-gud mode would still be the default. They could implement accessibility for the lesser-skilled in a way that totally makes fun of them. Pink blood, no trophies, crybaby sounds, "YOU [STILL] DIED [WIMP]" messaging, whatever they want.

I can't believe so many people are against an accessible mode. An easy mode being available has not-once-ever tempted me away from starting a game on Hard.

[SpinalRemains138]

Coordination? You press L1. Come on.

[DarXyde]

Then watch someone play it on YouTube.
The end.

[uth11]

If you are really that interested in the lore and are complete crap at playing, Twitch exists.

Truth is From games are not so heavy on storytelling, cryptic cutscenes here and there, you learn most of the lore from reading item descriptions. You could just as easily read the wiki if you really want to know all that.

The main point of these games is the combat and the challenge. Take away the challenge you are left with a totally different game that you could finish in just a couple of sittings.

The real easy mode is to go to one of the forums. The other fans of these games are very helpful and will give you lots of advice and encouragement or join your game in the games that support it.

I believe anyone can finish these games with the right advice. No need to dilute the game to get there

[AspiringProGenji]

You don’t play From Soft games for the story. Even if you tried, you would hardly make any sense of it.

Sekiro could be for everyone, everyone who wants a challenging experience. But if they can’t take it, then play something else. Simple!

“I can't believe so many people are against an accessible mode.”

Because we don’t want what makes Souls game unique taken away because of lazy gamers. There’s already an easy mode... it’s called mastering the game mechanics

[DarXyde]

AspiringProGenji,

I have to push back a bit. I don't think it's about being lazy. Some people honestly can't make progress. Dark Souls II had something resembling an easy mode through items and covenants. It's also widely regarded as the worst of the SoulsBorne games. Correlation isn't causation, but you never know with the things...

The point that I wish to make is that it is, by nature and design, a difficult game. I think it is perhaps more palatable and easier to explain the difficulty as a "genre". You can't change Halo into an open world RPG. It's either you like it for what it is, or you don't. People might say "but From Soft could add an easy mode!" Yes, and 343i could add an open world RPG feature. "Fans of Halo don't want that!" Likewise, fans of Soulsborne titles don't want that either.

Take it as is, or run away.

[uth11]

> furious debate amongst gamers

Furious debate between gamers and clickbaiting journalists

FTFY

[TheGoodestBoi]

iT nEeDs An EaSy mOdE!

[moomoo319]

I feel like "easy mode" is misleading. Sekiro still wont be easy with a difficulty slider. Most game's hard mode is easier than sekiro lol

[SpinalRemains138]

Pressing L1 is incredibly difficult.

That's basically what those who want an easy mode mean. They just refuse to admit it.

[AK91]

From Software games have never been about being easy or accessible they cater to their specific audience only, it's the reason why all their games are so successful, deviating from that would defeat the point of the series.

[BoneMagnus]

So...every product needs to be usable by everyone - regardless of ability level or disability?

Pretty ridiculous if you really think about it.

[uth11]

Everything must be made mediocre to the point it appeals to nobody, apparently

[william_cade]

The "journos" need to piss off with that. I am missing 3 fingers, which makes certain button combos a pain in the ass and I am not clamoring for an easy mode. Bringing "disability" (even though most of us are already part cyborg) into this is sleazy, especially when it's coming from some fuck bags that most likely have never actually fought for equality of any kind.

They only need to pump out their next garbage opinion piece for clicks. I will be happy when their niche "politics in gaming" dies out and these morons have to work next to the rest of us working class people.

[Smokehouse]

I’m surprised they haven’t tried the “inclusive” line yet. Don’t you want to be inclusive from software?! You ability bigot!

[DrumBeat]

It's the developer's game. It's their choice. They've chosen a single difficulty, and nobody can make them add others. Period.

This should have been put to bed long ago, but stupid people are keeping this nonsense on life support.

[KillBill]

Where is my easy mode for Flappy Birds.... I demand it!!! lol

[ReVibe]

Games are usually critiqued around these criteria; Gameplay, music, graphics, story, presentation.
If a game has all of these to offer, then why should they only be reserved for those willing to dedicate themselves solely to the gameplay? Let those with lack of skill or time to dedicate enjoy the beautiful graphics, the immersive sound and music, and... is there even a story? Well let them get as much out of the game as [the devs] put into it.

I think it's non-nonsensical that a dev should refuse an "easy mode" in a game infused with so much art to be appreciated. If I want to play a game where the difficulty and challenge are the epitome of the presentation, then I'll play SuperHot or I Wanna Be The Guy. If you create a game that's challenge-centric but add art and lore into it, then it becomes a presentation of many artists, and not just a group of coders challenging you to their rules. I'd like to be able to experience that art and lore on the terms of the gamer. It wouldn't damage anyone's reputation for "Easy/Story" difficulty to be there. Anyone touting that "S0ulz R4 pr0z" are egotistical trolls that spend too much time on one virtual entity at a time to understand the various workings of real people.

tl;dr Games, especially ones with stories to tell and songs to be sung, are for everyone. No one is losing out because there's something easier than what they're capable of.