Some games are meant to be difficult. Certain designers relish in creating games that push players to their limits, and conversely, certain fans actively seek out games that push them to their limits and reward dedication and mastery. One of the most infamous examples of this is Dark Souls. From Software’s fantasy action RPG franchise is notorious for handing players encounters with towering enemies that seem completely insurmountable at a glance, and Dark Souls certainly pulls no punches. It forces players to learn boss patterns, figure out how to play around them, and constantly be ready to adapt to new overwhelming threats. For a lot of fans, it’s a rush.
However, the Soulslike genre has gotten so deep in its identity of challenge that one has to wonder if it’s very welcoming to new players. Some people interested in a game’s lore or plot that they might not want a huge amount of challenge, so that kind of game design becomes off-putting. Maybe the developers of Soulslike games should consider allowing a little wiggle room for newcomers. They certainly don’t have to abandon the extreme difficulty that defines the genre, but it just might be wise to allow some players to play in easy mode so they can get acclimated to the genre.
Accessibility is everything when a game wants new players to join its ranks. A game that’s very difficult from the outset is not very accessible. If games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne added an easy mode, it really wouldn’t get in the way of the game’s identity. Developers could stress that the easy mode isn’t the main way to experience the game, but that it’ll still offer a reasonable challenge for players more interested in learning about a game or a franchise. Easy mode would help players get into the game at a gentler pace before they switch to normal difficulty later.
Some diehard Soulslike players might take issue with the idea of an easy mode. However, there’s lots of ways to make sure it doesn’t get in the way of their experiences. Developers can lock difficulty switches before boss fights so that players can’t breeze through Dark Souls‘ most intimidating bosses. For players that play these games looking for an intense challenge, it really isn’t an obstacle for other players to play the game at an easier difficulty. Once a difficulty has been chosen, it’s pretty easy to never check the settings again and forget that a game ever had difficulty settings at all.
Easy mode might even be healthy for Soulslike games in the long run, as adding some more easygoing fans to the community would offer new perspectives for developers to work off of. It’d also probably result in more players picking up Soulslike games in general, resulting in more revenue. It’s a pretty simple feature to add — merely a matter of tuning down enemy damage or adjusting their behavior. With just one extra feature, From Software and other developers could see their games get even more popular than they already are.
There’s no reason it would affect the challenging reputation of Soulslike games. Even with an easy mode available, the odds are most people will get into future Dark Souls games and hypothetical Bloodborne sequels looking for a tough game. There’ll just be an extra part of the community more interested in exploring the worlds created by From Software and its peers than testing their mettle against towering monsters. Hopefully upcoming Soulslike games like Elden Ring take note of this opportunity. There’s no harm in helping more people get into a new game. In fact, there’s everything to gain.
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