‘Demon’s Souls’ devs considered, and ultimately left out, an easy mode. Here’s why.

Bluepoint added a number of features to allow more people to play 'Demon's Souls' but they also considered FromSoftware's intent with the game.

[ziggurcat]

Easy mode would have totally ruined the spirit of the game.

[RgR]

Good job!
So much for an entire articles worth of reading.

Funny how the first comment correctly states why without much effort whereas the washingtonpost needs a whole article.

[Nuvem]

Nothing new in journalism, unfortunately.

[Tacoboto]

Did you bother read the article?

It's a well-nuanced piece that talks about the other changes and accessibility enhancements the remake brings, using the difficulty (that Souls games are known for, hence the headline) to segue around the different topics they touch on.

Audio options, Tempest, haptics, the 180+ tutorial videos, and the fairness in the challenge a game like this has.

[GottaBjimmyb]

I mean, I could care less if they have an easy mode, but that really doesn't make sense, you could just not play easy mode and nothing would be ruined. That said, the devs choosing to not offer it makes perfect sense as the struggle and fight to get better is part of the game, just don't agree that it changes the game in any way to have an easy mode.

[lucian229]

So making the game easy..... Doesn't change that game........

[dhammalama]

“the struggle and fight to get better is part of the game“
And then
“ just don't agree that it changes the game in any way to have an easy mode”

....what?

[RabbitFly]

It depends a lot on the game. The issue with the Soulsborne games is that the aspects most People find difficult are so ingrained in the games that it is literally part of the lore and world building of these games. I. E. The death mechanic.

To me it would be almost the same as asking someone to make a spider-man game without spider-man. You can do it but it doesn't make sense unless you are trying to craft a different experience.

I am not even that big of a fan of the difficulty in the soulsborne games and would like more developers to come up with more accessible ways to implement similar design pillars.

Its not for everyone and that is fine. I wont play genres I don't expect to like and then complain that the games are not accessible enough because it can't be tailored to my tastes.

[JasonBloodbourne]

It’s couldn’t care less.

[GottaBjimmyb]

"So making the game easy..... Doesn't change that game........"

No, it doesn't, you can just not play on easy......... the Sony fanboys on this site truly are stupid. If there is an easy mode and you don't select it, what has changed for you? Like I said, if that is their vision if the game, fine, just don't give a BS response that it would change the game, because it is an additional difficulty, not a removal of the current difficulty. IDK why that is so hard to fathom............

@jason great, so you knew what I meant then right?

[uth11]

If there is an easy mode, people like me would choose it thinking we aren't good enough for the legendary hard mode.

The games would then be cakewalk, like most other hand-holding games these days and wouldn't feel that special and would probably be beaten in just a few hours.

What people don't understand is the challenge is central to the game. They would not be Souls games without it..

And then there's the intense rush you feel when you finally beat that "impossible" boss.

[Rocketisleague]

They're not that hard even. Younger gamers are just spoiled with casual rpgs like skyrim. Where accessibility has ruined substance

I'd argue witcher 3 is a different and kinda more boring game on lower difficulties. You miss out on the planning and real fun of the gameplay, strategy and seeing your prep paying off. When I hear people say they didn't like it and mention combat is boring I role my eyes..compared to what?

[CrimsonWing69]

Good. That’s not how this game is supposed to be played.

[fitofficial]

Eh, might as well put it in. I'm always for more options. Not like you have to play it with easy mode on if you don't want.

Loving it regardless though. Demon's is my favorite Souls.

[Activemessiah]

Less is more in this case.

[fitofficial]

Why? The easy option in the opening menu that you'll never use but might sell more copies of the game is that offensive to your sensitivities?

[Activemessiah]

"It's not about the money... it's about sending a message."

[Bender6502]

Makes sense for this game I think. I have never played this game, because I know it's too hard for me and not a genre I'm into. But everything I've ever read points to the difficulty level being at the heart of the game. Usually I'm all for lots of options, but maybe not for this particular title.

[Nacho_Z]

A slow Ferrari would be easy to drive but it would defeat the purpose of the car.

[Aloren]

Yet you can drive your ferrari slowly.

[Nacho_Z]

You can do a lot of things but driving fast is what a Ferrari is designed for. The whole essence of the car is speed and style, not crawling along.

[PhantomTommy]

A Metal Gear Rex soundfile is fine, but an easy mode? No, that ruins the spirit of the original game....

They didn't add an easy mode because they knew the fans would lose their shit. I don't believe an easy mode would ruin the spirit of From's games at all, I would simply choose not to use it, but it's up to them to implement one if that's what they want. Bluepoint adding an easy mode to game that's not their own work, and one that's known for its high level of difficulty, would be overstepping a line IMO.

[RabbitFly]

I am pretty sure there is statistic evidence that if presented with the option most People will Choose easy.

So while it might not affect you, it would potentially affect most of the players that are coming in, New to the genre.

The souls games are designed as experiences in a way that is sorely lacking in most modern game releases.

There is a sense of dread ascosiated with the death mechanic and difficulty there is a growing stress level as you consider if you have enough resources to keep moving forward, hoping to reach the next checkpoint. These things are dekibrately part of the design of the gameplay, the story and the world. Changing the difficulty up would affect that balance negatively.

[PhantomTommy]

I've played every Soulsborne game, you don't need to explain the appeal of the series to me. I've also played Pathologic 2, a far more grueling experience than any Souls game, and one that received a patch enabling the player to customize the difficulty -- that includes making the game more difficult if they choose. Before you toggle these customization options, Pathologic 2 warns you that you're not going to get the experience the devs intended. Nobody complained that they ruined the spirit of the game because they didn't. It's entirely optional. If From ever does consider difficulty options. that's the approach I'd like them to take.

[solidsnake222]

Royalty class is easy mode.

[N2NOther]

Exactly.

[nickanasty206]

I know many completely disagree with me here because this has always been a hot topic, but adding an easy mode for those who aren't up to the challenge wouldn't affect my playthrough of the game at all. Of course i would play it the way it was intended, but an option for others to play on an easier mode would not be a bad thing, and would absolutely not impact my enjoyment of the game played as it was intended. Accessibility doesn't affect me here. Its a similar concept to gay marriage, doesn't affect me, so why would i be against others ability to be married and miserable just like the rest of us when it doesn't impact my life in any way? The point is, let everybody enjoy themselves. Why not?

[lonewolf10]

This, not sure why so many are against the option being there, it doesn't have to be used after all.

[RabbitFly]

People are against it because they know it would ruin the People that play on easy's experience.

People that love these games are keenly aware how overcoming the challenge of your first Soulsborne is at the core of what makes the experience great.

These are games designed to force players to overcome something that feels unpleasant and removing that from the game would cheapen the experience.

Without these aspects these games would have gone down in history as forgetable. The mechanics that enforce the difficulty, which is mostly the death mechanic is what made the game memorable to most fans of the game. This is also one of the main reasons that most fans try to talk People out of using guides When playing. Because so much of the experience is about overcoming the games cumbersome mechanics. Without these the games would probably be considered below average action games easily overlooked for better experiences.

[nickanasty206]

But don't you think that people should have the right to destroy that experience? I realize completely where you are coming from here, but if people want to destroy that experience, why not give them the option? It is in fact just a choice.

[RabbitFly]

No, I don't think people have the right to police the art of others.

As to the why not question. It makes No sense to actively destroy your design so it can maybe appeal to a subset of people. For that is resources better spent on bettering the actual game and secondly it is not rational if you think it might change the perception of your property negatively.

[nickanasty206]

Sure but as a consumer of a product that was purchased, shouldn't you be able to play the thing you buy the way you want to play it? I'm just arguing that accessibility doesn't hurt the game for us who want to play it the intended way it should be played. I agree with your statement, but also realize that an easy mode option doesn't hurt me or anybody else wanting to play it the way it was intended in any way. Let the folks who want to play on easy mode have less fun if that's what they choose. Its all I'm saying, i completely agree with what you are saying, because i want to play as intended.

[RabbitFly]

But the experience of the game would not be more accessible, it would just be a different experience.

This is about people not finding the experience enjoyable to them and then requiring that the game be a different game entirely.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion. If I buy a game I dont like I can complain about it not being to my liking, but I cannot demand the game be a different genre so I can feel inclined to keep playing it. We don't have these expectations to any other form of purchase.

The difficulty of the Soulsborne games is genre defining. Just as a turn based rpg is not real time. I can say that I dont enjoy turn based rpgs and then I can make a more informed decision in the future. It would not be within my right as a consumer to require all turn based rpgs to be real time Just because it doesn't appeal to me. And that is effectively what is being asked here. Perhaps even Worse as the Soulsborne has made so many aspects of its difficulty inherent to the lore of the world and the story of the game.

Should we demand that cod had a paintball mode to make the game more accessible to a wider audience. I guess Activision could make that if they decided it did not undermine their property, but it would be a strange thing to require from a game. As it goes against what the game is about.

[fitofficial]

Exactly.

"The existence of easy mode that I didn't use ruined my gaming experience."

You're not worth catering to.

[Grave]

It already has an easy mode built in: Coop.

[lukasmain]

Exactly. Co-op or "summoning" makes everything ridiculously easy. Not to mention going for a magic build as well.

[MajorLazer]

Also, overleveling + all those preorder bonuses.

[S2Killinit]

Thank god

[MadLad]

I'm not necessarily against an easy mode for the game if it meant more people can enjoy it, but it really does go against the *ahem* "soul" from the series.

[RabbitFly]

I Just dont see how there is much enjoyment to take out of the game When the core of the experience is removed.

Without the sense of overcoming, the games pales in comparison to other, then, similar experiences.

I. E. The combat system in the Soulsborne is booringly simple. The enjoyment of the system comes from the need to "learn" how to deal with enemies. Without it games like dmc or god if war offers so much more. The same for level design and death mechanics. The level design of soulsborne games is often simplistic at it's core, because the enjoyment of traversing the levels is designed around learning the levels, seing how far you can push it and finding the shortcuts. The shortcuts f. Ex. Only matter because it is hard, because of how costly it is to die.

The enjoyment of these games seems to only come after you push through what you find unpleasant and overcome the cumbersome mechanics of the game. Without it I dont think anyone would ever have cared about soulsborne as a series and a genre. And probably not about from software as a developer.

The idea that the game can Just be made easier and still elicit the same emotions seems naive and arguably shown to not be true.

I personally would like to se other developers try their hand at making a more accessible souls like experience, but that can only be done if that is at the core of the design, and even then I doubt it would feel the same.

[talocaca]

Just spent the first 3 hours playing and accomplished next to nothing 😅

I'm new to the series.....NOT the most straight forward journey so far. It is enjoyable, but the lack of checkpoints makes it a bit too hardcore for me.

I will try it for a week or so and see how it goes. Might fall in the "brilliant but not for me category"

[SullysCigar]

I had the same with Nioh at first. I REALLY wanted to play something less taxing, but I'm not a quitter and pushed on. I found that in many ways the difficulty is front-stacked and it lessens to some extend as you learn the rhythm of the game and start to power up, find a favourite weapon, etc. and that's when the fun kicks in and you can enjoy the game properly.

I was glad I persevered as the game was great, so hopefully you'll have a similar experience!

[Nacho_Z]

It's definitely true that it's hardest at the start and gets easier, you can tell it's true because by the time you start your next Souls game after beating your first you're decent out of the blocks.

There's also the option for a bit of grinding which I always enjoy in a Souls game, any way to get on is fair play in my book. I'd kill a boss through a locked door if I could.

[SullysCigar]

^ "I'd kill a boss through a locked door if I could" lmao, that's disgraceful and you have NO shame...me too!

I remember spending a fair bit of time perched on a rock shooting arrows into ice trolls' heads as they glitched below me in Skyrim lol

[RabbitFly]

Which, I would argue, is the point of the design. The sense of acomplishment you get for actively feeling your mastery of the game and the fruits of your labor.

[jznrpg]

There are checkpoints but they are disguised as shortcuts

[lukasmain]

If you are having trouble, instead of quitting, just google ways to make the game easier. Build a magic character and after the first boss is done with, then you can start summoning random people to help you later.

[Hawk198666]

Doing that just reduces the audience even more. I would play it if it had an easy mode, but won't how they are, too hard to enjoy imo.

[ziggurcat]

Co-op is integrated into the game, and makes it easier for people to get through.

[RabbitFly]

I think the main point of people that are arguing against it is that it is likely not to be enjoyable for anyone on easy.

If you remove the difficult elements of the game and try to compare it up to, then, similar experiences. the Soulsborne games simple do not hold up.

The story is obtuse and almost never presented to the player. It only shows within environmental story telling, bits and pieces throughout the world. Which are only relevant when you play the game slowly with the constant need to retread already trodden ground. Could you explore every nook and cranny if the game was easy. Yes, would it feel meaningful and interesting to do so? Probably not.

Combat is extremely simple. Most weapons, depending on playstyle, boil down to 1 or 2 good moves depending on the situation. You can block and you can roll. Without the difficulty forcing players to consider their surroundings and learning the enemies move sets the combat would feel extremely simple.

Level design is also comparatively simple. It feels complex because of it's interconnectivity, but that connectivity is only relevant because of the harsh death mechanic. The joy of exploring the world. Wondering if you can push on and make it to some hidden shortcut or if you need to turn back is such a big part of the experience.

Without the difficulty reinforcing these elements, so many of the design pillars of these games would simply not live up to it's purpose.

To reiterate. Many fans of the series/genre are fans because they overcame that same feeling you are having now. And they either consciously or subconsciously understand that without that sense of accomplishment, without being forced to overcome the dread, the not enjoyable aspects of the game. The enjoyment of the experience would be gone. This is also why so many fans of the game are so against the use of guides on your first playthrough. The games only really shine if you do fail over and over. If you never had to retread then you would probably never find the enjoyment the game was designed to elicit.

It is not for everyone. I am not even sure it is entirely for me. I still don't love it, but there are aspects that only these games offer, and a big part of that is the emotions the games elicit because of the difficulty. If you don't feel like overcoming the lack of enjoyment that it gives you, then that is fine. However without that challenge there are so many games in the action/rpg genre I would be likely to recommend. Like f. ex. God of War, that is a much better told story with a much more enjoyable combat system, but it never forces you to overcome yourself in the same way.

[Firebird360]

Add easy mode with no trophy support. Problem solved.
Sell more copies.

[jznrpg]

It should have one trophy called HAHA You picked easy mode , make it platinum why not

[RabbitFly]

I doubt it. I think if demon's souls or dark souls launched with easy mode, the genre would never have become what it is today.

I am pretty sure there are statistics that show that a majority of players will, when presented with the option, choose the easy mode in most games.

The soulsborne games aren't designed to be scaleable. They don't have a harder mode f. ex. They are designed with an challenge that can be overcome. They are punishing, but they are punishing to justify the existence of almost all of the design pillars of the games.

I would argue, and I am sure many fans of the series, that without the difficulty the games would have been considered below average games with only a niche following.

The aspects that people now love about the game, only seem to matter because they were forced to interact with it while trying to overcome their own lack of enjoyment. The obtuse storytelling, the simple combat, the often dated level design. Standing alone they don't give a sense of anything great. It is, arguably, only because of how the heightened sense of everything. Which is because of the punishing nature of the game.

The game is designed in a way where you are supposed to fail over and over. It is entirely the core of the games' design. The storytelling, the lore, the game mechanics, the level design. Almost every aspect of the game plays into this. Without the punishing nature I don't see how this game could be considered anything but a cheap, simple, below average action game. We would probably not have cared anything about from software today. Soulsborne would not have been considered a good series, at least not a genre.

[N2NOther]

There is an easy mode. It's called "Magic." Choose Royalty as your starting class and the Providential Ring as your starting gift. Plus you can do co-op.

[Viking_mo]

If you're asking for easy mode then the game isn't for you. Thats the original games and Miyazakis formula of making games. Thank god he didn't listen to the journalists when they asked Sekiro easy mode

[ssj27]

If you want a easy mode either spend 1 month leveling up max everything before killing other boses after killing the first boss or just watch someone stream lol.

[GoodGuy09]

Heard the game is a tad bit easier than the original because of everything being updated and modernized. The reason the original was so hard was because it being the 1st souls game and how outdated it was lol. Yes i did play the original.

Glad no easy mode. Make ppl git gud.

[Mister_G]

It kinda already has one...... Spoiler...... Faith+Moonlight sword ;-)

[Cmoney007]

People that want in easy mode in this game should never play it. I'm so sick of these dumb ideas in games that don't belong. This game isn't for everybody.

[Cmoney007]

If you want an easy mode in this game, then I suggest you play something else.

[Harryvok]

An easy mode that only lets those people play with other easy mode people would take nothing away from the hardcores who want to play it as intended. If trophies are disabled and someone playing on easy mode doesn't affect the world the 'normal' players are in (such as world tendency etc), i don't see any good argument against it.

[zelent]

Good choice.