Soulslikes Get Easy and That's OK

Lately, a number of notorious difficult ARPGs have added difficulty options. Is that a good thing or does it ruin the experience?

[Terry_B]

As long as it is just an option, it is totally okay, but it's also OKAAAAY! To simply ignore that option.

[Flewid638]

You would think. And yet, Souls-fans literally rage when its an option.

[CrimsonWing69]

It’s kind of an elitist thing. You spend all this time learning the game to git gud and it feels like you’ve earned your spot in this exclusive club, like not just any Joe Shmoe can jump in and be part of it. And honestly, I get it. These games are built around that challenge. It’s part of what makes beating them feel so satisfying.

But at the same time, it’s just a video game. If someone wants an easier mode so they can actually enjoy the game without dying 80 times, who really cares? Let people play how they want and add a trophy or something for those to have who can beat it traditionally 🤷‍♂️

[Goodguy01]

Long as fromsoft never does it. This was only expected since the soulslike genre is so popular now.

[isarai]

Stuff like this really shows that people completely missed the point of that argument. The argument was never that souls likes shouldn't have a difficulty option. The argument was that if someone makes a game, particularly souls likes, that did not want to include difficulty options, that you should just respect that instead of demanding and berating the developers to add them.

[Terry_B]

^^ this.

[gold_drake]

if u ask dark souls die hards, they dont want difficulty options at all.

[Flewid638]

Souls-fans still complain when there's an option.

[Vits]

I see the lack of difficulty settings as one of the key traits that defines a Soulslike. It’s not just about being challenging. It’s about how the game is built around that challenge, expecting you to learn through failure and grow by mastering its systems. Once you introduce difficulty options, you’re changing that foundation. You’re giving players a way around the intended experience, actually you are killing the whole idea of a "intended experience".

That doesn’t make the game worse, necessarily, but at that point, it’s just not a Soulslike anymore. It's a action RPG.

[toxic-inferno]

The Soulslike genre is a lot more than just 'hard' games. There is so much more to it than that.

In most cases, for a genre to be successful, there must be multiple entries in that genre from different franchises, some easier and some more difficult. The Soulslike genre has grown impressively well so far with most of the games being on the difficult end of the scale.

The other aspect to consider is WHAT makes Soulslike games hard. In the best examples, it isn't just because the bosses and enemies are engineered to be difficult, but because the entire gameplay (from the hard-to-master combat, to the labyrinthine levels, to the additional punishment for dying) is geared towards creating a world that seems to be trying to prevent you from making progress. Beating a boss isn't the only thing that makes you feel as though you've progressed in a Soulslike - finding a shortcut, a particular item, or learning how to defeat a particular enemy type are all forms of progression.

An 'easier' game can still exist with all those elements.

[__y2jb]

The devs doing this just show their lack of understanding of the genre. This is why their games are mere facsimiles of From’s titles.

Souls games do have difficulty options but they are part of the gameplay itself. Overlevel, and careful avoidance of risk taking is the easy mode.

Each to their own but I would never buy a souls like game with a baked in easy mode.

[fsfsxii]

Once the fervor around these games dies down with the addition of a difficulty option, it’ll accelerate the death of these copycats, and then finally we can get proper action games again.

[gold_drake]

i personally think devs shpuld make it with the og vision, not considering anyone else but how they wanna do it

then go back and make difficulty options.

making a game purposely easier even tho those games are difficulty by nature is not how anyone should do it.

[shinXseijuro]

They call everything souls like now

[anast]

All Souls games have a difficulty slider buit in the game, save Sekiro. Other games have it on the menu. None of this is that big of a deal.

[jznrpg]

If devs want to add difficulty settings fine with me.
Generally there are trophies you can only get by beating games on harder difficulty settings and that gives an incentive to try the harder difficulties.
Devs should be able to make the game they want and if they want people to play it on one difficulty setting I see nothing wrong with that either.

[RhinoGamer88]

Yes, give me a STORY option peeps. I like a challenge, but not fighting a boss 40 times. I have two kids!