Why An Easy Mode Would RUIN Dark Souls & Elden Ring

"Get up to 37% OFF your Displates here: displate.com/theactman/displa...
The debate has waged across Twitter and internet forums. But no, Dark Souls should NOT have an Easy Mode. No From Software title would be better off WITH one. They already have ways to make them easier. People that continue to ask for an easy mode have never outlined how it would actually work, and the reason why is if you try to do that, you realize very quickly it just won't work.
Why Is Dark Souls A Masterpiece?! ➤ bit.ly/3fhcAIu
My Tweet That Caused me to make this video lol: / 1416210040894095360
✪ CONNECT WITH ME ✪
Subscribe ↪ kzbin.info?s...
Twitter ➤ / theactman_yt
Act Man TV ➤ bit.ly/2kPXk7f
Discord ➤ / discord
Instagram ➤ / theactman_yt
Xbox Live Gamertag ➤ The Act Man

[@TheActMan]

"Get up to 37% OFF your Displates here: displate.com/theactman/displates?art=5f1a04cfccdfd The debate has waged across Twitter and internet forums. But no, Dark Souls should NOT have an Easy Mode. No From Software title would be better off WITH one. They already have ways to make them easier. People that continue to ask for an easy mode have never outlined how it would actually work, and the reason why is if you try to do that, you realize very quickly it just won't work.

[@vulkan2513]

Do u like curry?

[@brando8408]

The difficulty of dark souls is what makes it so rewarding, if the game gives you everything, it loses the charm. Good stuff Act Man 👌🏻

[@Obama-zg8gt]

Is an LA Noire review on your radar?

[@comfortzoneking8785]

UNBELIEVABLE. Today I took my son to Chuck E Cheese for his birthday. He won a game and exchanged his tickets for a Mickey Mouse ring pop, but then a large man with a receding hairline came in and SNATCHED it out of the poor kid’s hands! To my dismay, It was the Act Man, the evil gamer himself!

[@RussianAiden]

Dying light review pls

[@jacobpourchot6294]

As someone who has cerebral palsy a disability that effects my fine motor skills I believe accessibility is important. But that doesn't mean you should take away from the amazing experience that is a From Software game. Overcoming the soul crushing difficulty is where the full experience comes from. I have beat Dark Souls 1,2,3, and Sekiro despite my short comings. As someone with a disability I don't want to be treated differently I want to prove myself by completing the same challenges as my peers.

[@123deserted]

Lmao this^ Well done mate, beating dark souls is hard for everyone, good job on doing it with your own disability combined ...But the sjws will still rant on and get triggered for you themselves

[@pewpewplasma3793]

Props to you mate. As someone who also has cerebral palsy this summarizes exactly how I feel.

[@Whistler112]

As someone who has currently hit the fucking wall hard on The Owl fight, I salute you my man.

[@jacobpourchot6294]

@@Whistler112 I love to hate that fight! Good luck!

[@littlespoon7942]

I just can't do Sekiro lol, its so different from any game I've ever played

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Getting clapped in Dark Souls is simply part of the experience, even life itself doesn't have an "easy mode".

[@justhaku9240]

My guy has 6 likes and already second comment, rigged

[@Shiro_Naraka]

Yo Act Man, pin this in comment.

[@piefrosty319]

Unless you pick the “born rich” class, has good starting stats and perks, pretty low street smarts though

[@madkoala2130]

Hello again.

[@arielguzman9675]

Born female, nuff said *leaves chat*

[@iank472]

Elden Ring is the perfect embodiment of how to build a game without needing difficulty modes. You can strictly limit your leveling and go straight for the bosses while only using specific weapons for maximum challenge or you can level up more, use sorcery and/or use summons to have a less tough time. It's available to every skill level no matter how low or high!

[@Grivian]

It's also a different challenge depending on what build you play

[@alexanderscott5492]

To be honest this is my personal easily unpopular opinion so do not bash on me, but I actually disliked elden ring for this reason. When I was growing up, I had a major anger issue, and all I did was play games like Fortnite and call of duty. I'll stick with cods campaign for example, as it's linear design along with my terrible eyesight since I needed glasses but wasn't with actual parents for a while and didn't have an insurance card from my dad in the army for his Tricare made call of duty campaigns so unbearably hard. Mind you this was when I didn't have "gamer instinct" as well, I mean I was like 10. The reason I love those campaigns is because even though I felt so angry all the time, it was up to me to learn tricks and patterns to understand how to get through each area, so when I went to replay said map, I knew ways to dominate the battleground. Dark souls is no different, but elden ring on the other hand gives you the option to go wherever you would like, and in this it can lead frustrated players into a trap, such as going to caelid at level 60, whereas dark souls linear gameplay makes the maps navigational and not misleading (unless of course they do it to poke fun at the players. Looking at you heides tower of flame). It's a personal perspective, but although I like the freedom and game time of elden ring, I think they could just make that game time into a long lasting linear experience, and also I wont complain about the graphics or anything, simply cuz they were fuckin amazing, so no complaints there or on gameplay. I will say one thing though: I did not expect to be able to go from staring in awe at the great erdtree, to going there. That kept me hooked the whole playthrough

[@Mahh_Nery]

​@@alexanderscott5492 I kind of see where you're coming from, but isn't this the same with any open world game? You have areas for various player levels, like Assassins Creed Odyssey. A lot of RPGs do the same, Elden Ring just doesn't scream it into your face like any other FromSoftware souls like games. Okay, it's misleading sometimes but that's on player's decision, right? On my first Elden Ring playthrough I unexpectedly went to Leyndell without facing any demigod lol, I was super weak and everything killed me so I kind of get it but at the same time, it's a open world game mechanic at the end of the day

[@azarghadimi4492]

I just hate the fact that they nerfed bosses like Radahn or margett

[@alexanderscott5492]

@@Mahh_Nery See that's funny, because I loved assassins Creed Odyssey until it got to the point where I wanted to continue main story quests, but they were all above me, forcing me to backtrack and waste more time on side quests. I have the same issue with elden ring, since caelid is probably the most intriguing area to someone like me, but it took until I was ready to take on elden beast to be able to freely explore caelid. I also had problems with looking for equipment without the help of a guide, due to how vast the land is. It's jus small inconviences for an arpg I wasn't fully into. That being said, I still thought it was a good game and will still be excited for the next entry, but it won't beat that feeling of coming into an area barren and finding ten ways to change up or enhance my build before I head into the next. Elden ring is jus a little too broad for me to get that feeling

[@madbro1520]

the difficulty of the Sif boss fight adds to the story and sadness as he isn't realistically the hardest boss, but it truly feels as if he was fighting with all his strength to defend his master's grave

[@Phylonix]

ohhhhh that was a grave? makes a lot of sense now

[@miimiibeschde4818]

​@@Phylonixyes and sif uses artorias's old sword

[@historicflame972]

@@Phylonix Bro skipped all the cutscenes, dialogue and DLCs

[@01-aleriorayyaarifaisal91]

Wait i doesn't get it. Isn't sif trying to protect you so you not go to the abyss?

[@solidsnake8008]

@@01-aleriorayyaarifaisal91 Artorias was corrupted by the Abyss, essentially becoming a soulless husk. Sif decided that killing the travellers that desired to traverse the Abyss is a better fate than having them submit to the darkness and basically becoming a zombie due to the corruption.

[@davidsepulveda5812]

"Dark Souls is not unfair, it's just authentic, cause if a dragon hits you, sure it takes most of your healthbar, but thats the point, if a dragon hits you and barely affects you, it wouldnt be a dragon, itd be a joke" I'll never forget this quote, said by a Spanish reviewer, and couldnt be more accurate.

[@prongs82]

Also Midir is OP, that's why I love him. Died 69 times and killed it on 70th

[@davidsepulveda5812]

@@prongs82 agreed, I think Dark Souls makes every mechanic, Item and detail something with weight, and makes the world more beliavable. People always have issues to differ a well thought opinion from just a high moral stand one, before was with religion, now is with politically correctness/whatever twitter is about lol

[@mr.voidroy6869]

This is why i love classic wows leveling system over the retial version. If there is only a destination there is no journy.

[@juanpabloleonvazquez7376]

Good Old Muzska

[@dantefromdevilmaycry9857]

@@prongs82 Nice

[@Katpasniss]

I'll admit, Demon Souls Remake really isn't accessible because of the difficulty Trust me those ps5 are fucking hard to get

[@corporalkills]

Saw your profile picture and thought it was a comment I made

[@Katpasniss]

@@corporalkills LOL, a fellow toothbrush enjoyer

[@corporalkills]

@@Katpasniss *head tilt intensifies*

[@redseagaming7832]

Yep getting a PS5 with a pain in the butt but I finally got one in February of this year I had my copy of demon souls for PS5 on my shelf and I couldn't play it until I got my PS5

[@theunseenparagon7074]

Amen

[@Alyks_the_Emerald_Sage]

i feel the reverse of this is people complaining that Kirby Games are TOO EASY, when the series developer/creator Masahiro Sakurai literally stated that Kirby is supposed to be a baby's first video game.

[@discipleofdagon8195]

Should we start naming overly easy/chill games Kirbylikes?

[@noalt4028]

and then there's star allies' true final optional bosses... void heart(I think) and butterfly meta knight

[@DrDolan2000]

I always thought to myself "why do Kirby games seem so easy?" Now I know why

[@Epicgorilla101]

And funny enough one of the first games I ever completed was Kirby’s dreamland for the OG gameboy. My little baby brain was so impressed with myself then

[@DiaomBayet]

@@discipleofdagon8195Stardew Valley is the Kirby of farming games

[@justneedaname]

When I was in choir, my teacher use to tell the better louder singers to tone down to the ones who weren’t as loud and not as good. Eventually she realized that people should be told to get better to make the group better instead of telling the better singers to get worse for the benefit of the not as good. Which makes a lot of sense.

[@BSJINTHEHOUSE420]

Journalists: When will we get an easy mode for Dark Souls? FromSoftware: That’s the neat part, you won’t.

[@JonCom3dy]

Love this comment lol

[@theshadowwing]

@i Play Sometimes spamming this link will make your account get banned by spamming..that is if you are not a bot.

[@Zathren]

Stright up, I'd love for them to just flat out tell people they ain't ever gonna do no dang easy mode.

[@VergaVenuda]

@@Zathren they basically did with what miyazaki said and im glad

[@gregorymirabella1423]

@@theshadowwing it's a bot. i see this fucking link everywhere. there's no point in even reporting them at this point.

[@UnpronounceabIeName]

So did everyone just forget that you can summon people to basically play the game for you? Easy mode won't ruin the game because it already has one Edit: This comment is a year old stop replying to it jesus christ

[@kingnothingvi2347]

Yup, but i think its fine for those who want to use it. However it WAS fun watching so many soulsborne fans rage over Sekiro when it released, made you realize just how many of them clearly never got gud and just decided to summon lol.

[@curielramirezsebastian]

Stop crying, git gud

[@bendavis6457]

So stop asking for it

[@adjustfire7749]

Ngl got carried through all 3 and bloodbourne

[@mauve9637]

Summoning for bosses gives the boss more health, not saying it doesn’t make it easier

[@prestipapi9648]

I have 100% gotten better at Souls Games because of Elden Ring. I'll admit, I sucked at Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro (my first Souls games) and now I can finally get past their respective first bosses without issue, something I haven't been able to do before. Yeah, these games can be incredibly frustrating, but it makes it sooooo worth it when you figure it out.

[@zboy1152]

Hell yeah!

[@peeekaaay]

Yeah man! Elden ring was the first From soft game I actually beat. So I went back and finished sekiro and am half way through bloodborne. Elden Ring gave me hope 😆

[@thatoneguy932]

Elden ring was the first souls game I played and at first I took about an hour to beat Margit

[@IrrelevantOaf]

Ds1 was my first and boy oh boy I was stuck on the middle portion for literally months before rage quitting and coming back with a clear mind. The term "git gud" might sound rude but honestly it's the best kind of motivation for these games. The satisfaction of finally beating that one bullshit section/boss. Just.... Yes.

[@OptimusBruh]

Bruh I took maybe 3 hours to beat margit

[@Atrium____]

they should add an easy mode but instead of being easier its literally the same as the regular game.

[@kirayoshikage1735]

the placebo effect journalists would get from that would be absolutely insane

[@obamabinladen9684]

Or “game journalist mode” where the opening cutscene plays and then immediately cuts to end credits

[@miimiibeschde4818]

​@@obamabinladen9684Game Journalist Mode 1. You See the Intro 2. You die 1000 Times because you just spawn under the map 3. You won and the Credits play

[@dru4111]

Perhaps, call it “Easy”….but it starts the game on NG+7

[@YOUR_NARRATOR975]

That'd be funny, but then make every fire keeper go on about you not being good enough to play the regular mode.

[@abelleyva3204]

That's like adding "fair mode" to Mario Party

[@comfortzoneking8785]

UNBELIEVABLE. Today I took my son to Chuck E Cheese for his birthday. He won a game and exchanged his tickets for a Mickey Mouse ring pop, but then a large man with a receding hairline came in and SNATCHED it out of the poor kid’s hands! To my dismay, It was the Act Man, the evil gamer himself!

[@TheActMan]

LOL ain't that the truth

[@RussianAiden]

@@TheActMan you’re the one who stole my dying light review aren’t you

[@unknownwill4th549]

@@comfortzoneking8785 lmao

[@hammerite6418]

@@TheActMan that you stole a ring pop from a little kid

[@rheenusthebeanus4559]

"The harsher the desert, the greater the oasis" *HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT HIT HARD*

[@ironkevman1513]

I never heard that saying, but I’m honestly glad I did just now.

[@mateoreyes6921]

I'm going to steal that

[@SpottedHares]

"most oasis are figments of ones desperation"

[@tranquility6789]

wow So deep

[@billyette886]

Except when u r too weak to even get to the oasis lol

[@dafff08]

being a sunbro is also a key part of the experience. i specifically build a multi purpose character with passive regen, just so i could guide people across those wretched lands for extended periods of time. showing them secrets. flex with different strategies on different enemies etc. and when the time came where i was in need of help because.. well, im not good enough to beat the dancer at sl1, i went to the steam forums and asked for help and found people that happily stood up to the challenge.

[@thatbloodyrisk]

How do people still not understand that making FromSoftware games easier is like adding an autodrive feature to racing games

[@travistotle]

It's taking the "Everybody Gets a Trophy!" mentality and putting it into video games. People don't seem to understand that the difficulty, and the subsequent triumph over that challenge, IS the experience.

[@GAMENITE]

Lmao isn't there a option for that on mario kart 8?

[@Sjem554]

I mean its kinda there with drive assists/brake assists

[@albanmarku6743]

@@travistotle I understand that difficulty is the experience but it's still ultimately up to the user how they want to play the game. What if the player has a disability? What if they only want to play it for the lore and characters? I don't see how a valid argument against having an easy mode buried in the options menu with a dev note making it clear the game is not supposed to be experienced this way.

[@TheBussyAnnihilator]

Except they trivialized the entirety of Elden Ring with spirit summons & bleed builds. The game is the virtual embodiment of "everybody gets a trophy." You can literally summon LetMeSoloHer to kill Malenia FOR YOU and still get the achievement for "beating" the boss. Just because there isn't an "easy mode" option in the game settings doesn't mean they haven't added one. I'll never understand how you pseudo-intellectual Redditors valiantly defend spirit summons & other skill-less game mechanics on the forums while simultaneously arguing to the DEATH against "easy modes" in FromSoft games. You're the epitome of contradictory thinking.

[@smallss7197]

My brother just started playing Dark Souls and he sucks at it. But he isnt complaining about an easy mode. He comes to me to ask for advice or looks up videos to figure out stuff.

[@mfisher9977]

Glad he stuck with it and is willing to learn to better his experience with the game. Those are the type of players who end up enjoying games like Dark Souls.

[@peterbarlow5709]

Good lad, always nice to see new people coming to the community. Can’t wait to join him in some jolly cooperation!

[@thunderlifestudios]

Sekiro use to kick my butt. Now I can come months later and actually beat most bosses in 3 or less tries. A lot I can do in one turn assuming I don't run in to a bad situation e.g. drawing enemies nearby, accidentally pressing the wrong button or just kinda screwing myself by being in a bad position particularly with the Ogre.

[@mirkiyleparks2516]

@@thunderlifestudios same with me and bloodborne

[@JK-vy8vh]

Lol when I got this game in 2011 my youngest bro liked it so much I gave him my copy. I’ve only beat ds 1 he’s mastered all three.

[@Shyguymask]

I never understood the "No one cares if you beat big bad baddy on impossible mode!" argument. There are entire channels with big audiences dedicated to gaming challenges with restrictions, there are entire channels with big audiences dedicated to "nohitting" bosses in Dark Souls among other games, and do I even need to bring up Speedrunning & E-Sports?

[@stevefromaccounting1890]

Thats cool for them. I'm just playing by myself in my house.

[@joaogarcia6170]

Also, i play these games for personal reasons I couldn't care less about saying to people that i finished dark souls what mattered was the experience. The idea that video games (art overall) has to be accessible to everyone is stupid, unique experiences like dark souls wouldn't exist if games were accessible yo everyone.

[@stevefromaccounting1890]

@@joaogarcia6170 but can everyone really have the same experience? Between all the different classes, loadouts, and path choices, no two folks are going to have anywhere near the same experience. Then consider that early players lacked access to guides, KZbin tutorials, or mods compared to newer ones. Add to that, differences in player skill and bosses that were a breeze for some might as well have been a brick wall for others. The idea of a shared, unique experience is laughable. Trying to force everyone jnto the same arbitrary "difficulty" to promote it is a joke.

[@devonaveii2675]

Lobos Jr proceeds to beat every game in the series with a wooden ladle 😂

[@APVZ-fi8mt]

Are you forgetting, "E-Sports isn't even sports."

[@TheDestroyer702]

I had never played a souls game before and was super intimidated by them. Then I bought Elden Ring. I was shaking in my boots around every corner and I absolutely loved it. The atmosphere was so much more intimidating and when I actually discovered how to play the game well it felt like I actually became a part of the world and overcame it. It was truly an experience that will live on in me forever

[@iambravvo]

I had a similar experience but with monster hunter hoping I’ll also enjoy elden ring on that level

[@johnnyflannigan136]

​@@iambravvomonster hunter doesn't hold a candle to elden ring... Good game though

[@robertjv]

Lol I relate but when I watch a bunch of horror movies I had the courage to play it finally

[@pizzazwned5772]

I had the same experience but in preparation for Elden Ring my buddy convinced me to play through the Dark Souls games and so I did and I had an absolute blast

[@robertjv]

Watch horror movies and you'l be confident enough to play a souls game. That's what lead me to play Elden ring and now dark souls next

[@Tohlemiach]

Holy shit, I'm writing down your example about horror games right now. That's actually the single most genius point about this debate I've ever heard. I literally have no clue how someone is supposed to argue against that.

[@sewer_dweller5385]

Its ironic that people like Tamoor think DS is gatekept, when in reality its the opposite. DS is one of the few communities who encourage new players. I haven't seen any one abash someone for dying to the first boss. In fact, people bond over dying to the first boss. They know what it was like to struggle to the first boss and what it took to finally beat it.

[@calebtimmons4458]

I took like 3 hours to beat asylum demon cause I didn’t realize there was the door to the left

[@glizzynobler4231]

@@calebtimmons4458 damn first time it took me a long time too haha but I was like 8 I think can’t remember

[@bannanabean8792]

I mean I sat there and died to Vordt for like 3 straight hours before finally beating it and this was after I had easily over 100 hours into the souls games as a whole. I would be no better than an idiotic hypocrite if I laughed at someone who died to the first time without playing any of the games before.

[@bendavis6457]

@Wario it's not just single player. I'm guessing you haven't played it

[@neenann9431]

@Wario Dark souls is multiplayer dumbass and it doesn't make a difference if it was single player or not

[@StressHaze]

Fun fact : There is an indie title called "Castle in the Darkness", which is about rescuing a princess. If you play on easy mode, she doesn't get kidnapped and the game ends after two minutes.

[@rammantakhsh9247]

that’s incredible

[@scarecrowhobo]

I love it

[@B3N_Youtube]

Hence why there should never be an easy mode

[@hughjaenus2235]

@@B3N_KZbinIt's ok for games to have an easy mode, but Fromsoft games with easy mode wouldn't work

[@rogueraccoon1840]

Well if they want an easy mode then from software should definitely do this. Anyone that starts the game on easy will skip straight to the credits and they have to play the game on the normal difficulty in order to experience the story lol

[@diy_mushroomguy]

The anger and frustration these games bring forth are instantly diminished when you finally achieve that victory. And it's literally through actively becoming a better player through leveling up and technique. When I reached a boss I obviously was having trouble with I would go back and play parts I knew were a bit less challenging and gain XP. Going into the menu and simply changing the difficulty level would take away not only the legit feeling of success. Because you know for a fact you only won because you legitimately got better through practice, but playing time as well. Using my strategy it added many hours of gameplay. With a purpose I'd like to add. Playing games without a purpose isn't that much fun. Unless it's something like GTA obviously. But it's also a much more complicated subject seeing as I understand it to be. Difficulty level mechanics are changed in many different ways. For instance I think the most common is the amount of enemies and types of enemies you may encounter. Plus the amount of damage they might inflict on your character. Both may be added or just one probably depending on the developers of the games feelings of what difficulty may mean. And I'm sure it's a bit different with each one.

[@mobbs6426]

I've actually got a perfect example of a difficulty slider going wrong. Like many, my first game was Pong, and I simply had the AI wait for the ball to reach a certain section of the field before moving up or down to meet it. Logic dictated that seeing the ball for longer would make the AI paddle more accurate, so at easy, I made it see 25% of the field, medium saw 50%, and hard saw 75%. On testing however, it turned out that the opposite was true. On easy, the only way to beat the AI was to ensure the ball was far away enough from the enemy paddle at the 25% fieldspace. Hard on the other hand chased the ball like a novice in Rocket League, putting itself into awkward positions making it easier to beat with any simple bounce shot. I didn't want to simply flip it, as it was technically making the AI dumber to act smarter, so I just highlighted it in my report, and got to tidying. I've since wondered if centering the paddle after each hit would help mitigate the confusion, but never tried it out. The ideal would probably be a Ray-tracer with different bounce limitations. 1 bounce for easy, 2 for medium, 3 for hard, but it would need to be tested That was Pong, and what seemed like a simple problem turned out to be more complex than I first envisioned. If that difficulty slider was more than just changing numbers, you can bet it gets harder for an RPG. Oh yay, you hit harder. Now you're ill prepared for status effects and bosses that leave no opening

[@erfarkrasnobay]

There is such thinds as "Flexible difficulty options" when you for example could move slider of +/-10% damage between "immortal" and "oneshoted" or "How much souls you lose on death" or "Do you want ability of respec" or maybe you want your weapon to broke or not

[@LuxEternis]

@@erfarkrasnobayWouldn't work for DS or anything alike. Why? They actually even responded to such questions. They purposely didn't add easy mode or anything with difficulty because they want the community to be able to talk about overcoming the SAME challenges. If 1 guy decides to reduce damage taken by 30%, they can't exactly talk about the same challenge, can they? Or if some absolute extreme player made themselves a 1 shot & still beat it whilest you can't at -30% dmg taken, it would make certain people feel left out and whatnot. Could allow some players to flex more, etc...

[@erfarkrasnobay]

@@LuxEternis why other game community could talk about same chellange? Why i could say Stellaris Grand Admiral x25 crisis and every stellaris player would understand what that mean.

[@Sonichero151]

Some people have a horrible temperament that makes them unable to stop being angry even after winning because they stew in the pain and misery they had to go through until it completely takes over their mind......

[@lordscrubbinton858]

Not only did Artorias use a great sword with one hand, it was his nondominant hand. Artorias is left-handed and he uses his sword with his right arm.

[@Laxhoop]

A disabled guy beat Dark Souls with a foot-based controller. The *software* doesn’t need the be made more accessible, the hardware does. And game journalists using actually disabled people as a shield to hide from criticisms of their inability to play games, is f*cking disgusting.

[@tomg5187]

I totally forgot about that! Now there’s a guy who’s opinion I’d love to hear about on this topic! 😃

[@Hades1100]

Happens to people like me all the time, we are used as arguments and ways to shit the goalpost and virtue signal to us. I'm tired of this shit tbh with you

[@SerTomKatze]

I was going to mention this very thing. It's like walking into a sea food buffet and complaining about getting sick because you have a shell fish allergy. Only you put your stupid ass there.

[@SerTomKatze]

@@Hades1100 don't you know youre hopeless and so oppressed that these privileged wealthy 20 somethings from the west coast know better than you?

[@tomgl6684]

I'm someone who: - isn't disabled - isn't a videogames journalist - HAS beaten PS3 Demon's Soul and 360 Dark Souls And I can't for the life of me wrap my head round people who get this irate about an easy mode option. You'd never use it? Great. I wouldn't use it. I know I don't need it. But so long as it's an option and the default is the difficulty as is, why the fuck do you care? Like, they could add a mode where Solaire is chronically depressed for the entire game, where Frampt lays down some straight up truths on you about exactly what's going on, where Anor Londo is a tourist attraction and where Gwyn greets you with a hug and says "hey bro, word to the wise, you *really* don't want to touch that fire". And you know what? So long as that was a separate, clearly marked "silly mode" option and not the default, intended experience setting, I. WOULD. NOT. CARE. It's just *really* weird and cringeworthy how parts of the community get so worked up about a hypothetical easy mode that the devs themselves have said they have no intention of adding. We get it: it's a hard game and you're very proud of yourself for being part of the club that beat it. But honestly it's just a fucking videogame at the end of the day.

[@jmrudy1]

I would love it if From Software trolled all these people by putting an easy mode in the game and all it does is remove every enemy, and you just walk from start to finish.

[@stevefromaccounting1890]

Why do you want to troll people for playing differently than you? How does someone playing differently hurt you?

[@jmrudy1]

@@stevefromaccounting1890 Ok, so I like this question because I've been thinking about it from the Devs perspective. How about this extremely likely scenario....They add EASY MODE, and during the review process, you can bet your ass all the journalists will use that mode, and because a huge part of the game IS the difficulty, they give the game a lesser score because they were bored or just didn't like it (because it's not the same game without the difficulty) So there's one HUGE reason Please refute if you can/want to

[@yourewallsareveryconvenien8292]

@@stevefromaccounting1890 Ok let me ask you a question. Why do you care so much?

[@stevefromaccounting1890]

@@jmrudy1 games journalists aren't human and they should be banned from existence. That's unlikely however, but they should be required to disclose what mode they play on. Alternatively, let's go back to demos and let the players decide for themselves if they want to buy based on their direct experience with the sample product.

[@stevefromaccounting1890]

@@yourewallsareveryconvenien8292 honestly? Because games should be fun, and how someone else wants to play the game they purchased does not impact me in the slightest. As a result, I cannot wrap my head around the idea that others would force people to either play a specific way or tell them not to play a game. And I find the idea that an additional and optional mode would destroy a game absurd. Many of these arguments act like I'd be going back in time and deleting the original settings and replacing them with super, easy baby mode.

[@Kaynadian1337]

I love rewatching this video. So disingenuous some people would claim people with disabilities require an easy mode. How insulting honestly. Game Journo's wanting their own difficulty again

[@sirmaerske6884]

This is my 4th time rewatching this video. I just love hearing these points and reflecting on my own experiences in these games.

[@carl5025]

An idea for an easy mode is just have an option of easy mode or normal mode but when clicked on they are the same. so the difficulty is exactly the same and gives the player an idea that he is on easy so he must get through and then at the end with a message that says “this difficulty you played on is the same as the other”

[@yamo511]

haha that would be awesome

[@toast6375]

Bro imagine dying repeatedly thinking that your on easy mode lmao

[@LecorbakOfficial]

or even better, the game is literally the same up until the end, and at the end it says "if you want to see the ending, go play the normal mode. ah also, by the way, easy mode was the same difficulty."

[@dont-touch-mepg1392]

Also all these ppl keep talking about more ppl seeing fs games and experience theyre art and theyre work. And their gonna do that by forcing fs to makes games and modes they dont want to make? What gushing hearts they are for fs.

[@dont-touch-mepg1392]

​@@toast6375the thing is NOT ONE of these ppl bitching for easy mode are saying, "I want to play but it's to hard", they're ALL saying it for others to play it. They don't want to play it so wtf?! I don't get it. Just bitching to bitch. And even if there was an easy mode they would still bitch and die and not like the game.

[@joed5150]

One of the funniest parts of that dumb thread was someone calling him out and him responding that he's interviewed Miyazaki for hours before so in his words "he's accomplished a lot". So he talked to the man himself and still doesn't have a damn clue why the games are the way they are..smh lol

[@n00blord14]

Fun fact: Artorias is left handed. He’s fighting with his off hand during the boss battle.

[@CrackHardy]

I was gonna critique some lore here, but Artorias do be flipping a sword with one hand...

[@thegoodgameguy7149]

Thats the only easy mode we get. And am happy with that

[@thepleasednutlord]

That's broken he's kicking the players ass with a broken Arm doing flips and shit like a ninja dark souls doesn't care if your handicapped or not anyone can beat the game if they want to

[@grotus5549]

Artorias may have been crippled in his battle in the Abyss, but he was still powerful enough to be doing sick flips on my corpse with a literal handicap.

[@thepleasednutlord]

@@grotus5549 just picture him in his prime instead of the broken state

[@SirenSong207]

I am a 57 year old grandma with MS. I beat DSR, DS3 and Elden Ring....if I can Get Gud, then anyone can Get Gud...you just need to understand "You Died" its just part of the road to victory!

[@Theinvisibleguy_]

Damn bro that’s insane

[@mortis5551]

Respect

[@flashdalsu9792]

first time i fought gwynn i died nonstop for 3 hours. i actually cried the next day when i beat him and finished the game. that feeling when you overcome the challenge is undescribable

[@xxshadowchainxx9246]

When I fought Gwynn for the first time I was lucky, as I had learned how to parry and was pretty good at it. And I had him dead in two attempts. but fights like Nito had be fighting for hours

[@SuperLegendOf364]

Don't FromSoft games sell like hotcakes? It's not like they NEED to make an easy mode to have the games sell better.

[@dynamicflashy]

Players are begging for a Bloodborne 2 or remastered/remake, for example. But that's up to Sony.

[@Drake00000010]

@@dynamicflashy Actually it's up to FromSoftware too for u know making the damn game and the closed Japan Studio who gave a lot of the Bloodborne ideas to Fromsoft. From hates doing sequel so its not happening.

[@xBinyWolf]

@@dynamicflashy nah. Miyazaki hates making sequels he said it himself, dark souls 2 wasn't made by Miyazaki and DS3 was made to make people shut up about "DS2 killed ds1 loreeeeee11!1!!!!1!1!"

[@dynamicflashy]

@@xBinyWolf That's fine. Bloodborne doesn't need a sequel. All we need is a 60 fps mode or a 4K/60 remaster.

[@xBinyWolf]

@@dynamicflashy BB really needs steady 60fps. It would be the best game ever made.

[@EndOfExistence1337]

I mean if you want to "experience" souls games without the difficulty, just watch a lets play or something. There you go, you can appreciate the story and art style without putting in the effort.

[@SpartanSouls256]

exactly.

[@InfernalMonsoon]

These are likely the same people who will complain about let's plays as well tbh lol

[@Aaron-is8yt]

@@InfernalMonsoon It's people that are either used to getting what they want, when they want or people who are getting upset because they think someone else might be upset.

[@trapback7638]

Facts but experiencing it in game like you’re actually playing and controlling the player is way way different from just watching

[@jakedill1304]

Or just get a mouse and keyboard.. suppose that's not hard anymore since the timesaver you can buy from the remaster that lets you have basic hardware support on the api and interface level for an easy 20 extra plus a few years of silent unapproving fuck you unacknowledgement...

[@DetectivePlays0]

You actually changed my mind on this subject. I used to think some of the same things as the people complaining, but playing the games and seeing your take has officially convinced me. I probably should have typed this when it first convinced me but better late than never With this understanding, it's much easier to appreciate these games for what they are. They are pure games, not plagued by microtransactions, corporate greed, or complaining fans ruining a good thing. And I absolutely love them for that. Even when I don't like one of their games (preference), I can always appreciate what goes into it and what it is at heart

[@Leonismychild]

If i could simply turn on an easy mode, then i wouldn’t have had my heart racing and my hands shaking when i beat Father Gascoigne for the first time. Difficulty is one the reasons that makes the souls games my favourite games.

[@eiprilfoss2294]

If so, then why turn it on in the first place? If you personally believe the game is better in normal mode then you yourself should personally play the game in normal mode while other players play it on easy since that's what they find to be more enjoyable. The argument of "they won't enjoy it as much though:(" is not a good one because you don't know how everyone else thinks; to each their own.

[@eiprilfoss2294]

@@michelecais4111 dom't reply to me unless you have a valid counter argument, you will not be humored nor given mind to your statement :3

[@arnerippey3677]

@@eiprilfoss2294the issue with an easy mode in Sekiro for example is that the combat is all about timing and knowing you’re enemy’s move while playing aggressively because hesitation means defeat Also dragon rot punish you for playing bad forcing you to get used to the combat

[@amirk4511]

@@eiprilfoss2294 If you are so desperate with an easy mode, just dont play soulsborne genre entirely😂. Now with Internets , you should have know in general that it is a difficult game and did you even watch the video. The main reason why Fromsoft is where they are nowadays is because of those difficulties, to give you that great feeling when u beat he boss for example, the connection with the community when you search guides on how to beat certain bosses, its waht makes Fromsoftware is Fromsoft. Giving an easy mode would rip the notion of soulsborn entirely. The developers wants you to learn, to strive, to git gud in the game. Maybe some people just don’t prefer games like that in general, then do not play it or buy it in the first place.Its not like they are gatekeeping it from everyone else, like ActMan said its impossible to make everyone satisfied with a product.

[@amirk4511]

@@eiprilfoss2294If having an easy mode or playing it for casual is what you are saying some people enjoy JUST DONT PLAY IT OR BUY IT. There is something called a CHOICE idiot. Difficulties is what differentiate Soulsborne genre with other game and thats what makes it special.

[@ChristopherCoxFilm]

I love the points you made Act Man. I recently got into Dark Souls and totally got the whiplash in difficult jump plus super vague and confusing world. But it's interesting enough that I WANT to explore and experience something different. My biggest takeaway from your arguments is that no one is entitled to experience everything the same way. Genres, ratings, difficulty, tone, EVERYTHING in any form of media is made for a crowd. Some appeal to larger crowds, others don't. Demanding everything be catered to your desires is entitled and selfish. If you truly want to enjoy a form of media, you'll find a way. But don't try to change that media itself to suit your limited scope. And if you try and just can't get into it, then oh well. You don't have to like everything. And you don't have to tell others their form of media is lesser just because it's different from yours.

[@argondrolf785]

Release nerf gun zombie apocalypse episode 3 you hack!

[@SerTomKatze]

No I won't repaint my masterpiece because the colorblind can't see it. I'd recommend they listen to a really good song instead.

[@TheDansonT]

“Super vague and confusing world”, I 100% agree with you

[@daveyjoneslocker4703]

Yes dude that’s exactly what these games do. They are SO punishingly hard to new players, but the worlds and enemies are so unique, enticing and horrifying that you are compelled to explore every corner and claw your way to the next bonfire to see what new abomination and challenge lurks around the next corner. I love these games so much and I’ve only beat DS3 and almost beat Sekiro.

[@JK-vy8vh]

Dark souls is actually very lax and cheesable once u get your bearings. It’s so much easier than you think and you’ll see what I mean eventually.

[@dutchvanderlinde3865]

I have a plan act man, all we need is some money, faith and A got Damn red dead redemption 2 review.

[@smoker5989]

You mean "Why Red Dead Redemption 2 is a masterpiece".

[@neighborhoodofmemes8486]

Yes indeed

[@davele2299]

ooh also rdr1 review

[@RussianAiden]

Red dead revolver review lololol

[@dutchvanderlinde3865]

@@smoker5989 indeed when our plan is over, we’ll be farming mangos in Tahiti.

[@totallynotthebio-lizard7631]

On top of that. I noticed that my experience with dark souls when I first started and my experience now are worlds apart. I lost interest my first play through fighting a bill monster. Now most bosses are beatable (yet challenging in a way). It’s all about perspective.

[@IrrelevantOaf]

Same. I raged quit twice on Ds1 (my first souls game) against Capra Demon and O&S. Took about close to a year before coming back and it just clicked for me. Nowadays bosses are still tough but aren't as impossible.

[@lukes401k]

9:45 I think sekiro is the LEAST deserving of an easy mode. how can you alter the perfection that is isshin the glock saint

[@obamabinladen9684]

Hesitation is Defeat

[@vinyl69]

Honestly it would be hilarious if they did add an easy mode, but everything is the same. The characters just chastise you for choosing that option, and refuse to help you.

[@Javmonster]

Omg your comment has me laughing out loud

[@scorpiowarrior7841]

imagine Melina in elden ring being like "you picked easy mode so,I am afraid, you must remain maidenless"

[@SuperAwesomePerson64]

A friend of mine had an idea for an easy mode where the only difference is that you start the game with one additional soul

[@baltstop2702]

Easy mode is already in the game anyway

[@TcherryTHOREST]

It will be labeled the "toxic mode" real fast. 😂

[@arsennegiovanna]

Another good point is that Dark Souls is based on Berserk, which is all about struggle. Dark Souls manages to capture that essence and having an easy mode would defeat the point of its reference.

[@petemadrona2252]

Hear fucking hear

[@jordank6546]

Thats not the only thing they took from berserk but i guess i agree

[@ismaielcummings2525]

exactly

[@agudgorl]

I hear your point Though, an item you can pick up in the beginning of the game that reduces damage taken by maybe 20% or something and does nothing else except take up a slot that would otherwise be used for a shield or secondary weapon would probably be best for a soulslike. It'll make the player learn to parry with their weapon and use evasive tactics more often to avoid taking damage at all.

[@whiterunguard6415]

Waiting for actmans why skyrim is so awesome is almost as painful as taking an arrow to the knee

[@TheWhiteHorse6969]

Hold the gate boys. #f*ckeasymode

[@ChronicRen]

Honestly I didn’t really care either way before. But then, out of curiosity, I played the easy mode mod for elden ring after I had already beat the game multiple times. After my experience with the intended difficulty, the easy mode felt so pointless and soulless. I got no joy from winning, I felt no stakes, it was just sad. If that had been my first experience with elden ring I don’t think I would have played for very long. It was my first souls game and I didn’t know how satisfying winning against difficult odds was yet. I would have 100% switched to easy mode the first time I felt stuck, and it would’ve ruined the whole experience.

[@EricA-ds6rs]

If Dark Souls had an easy mode from the start then the fanbase wouldn't be what it is today, we probably would've just got stuck on Smough and Ornstein then switched to easy mode.

[@GreatRaijin]

I would have never got into the series, the memes about it being really difficult is what even got me to buy the games in the first place

[@utisti4976]

Funnily enough, I managed to beat Ornstein and Enough on my very first try during my first playthrough. It got super close though. I was completely out Estus flasks and had about 2/3 health left.

[@killerdude151]

If it had an easy mode, We wouldn't be 6 games deep, a whole new genre and a sea of knockoffs to follow it. Its a cult classic because of the difficulty, Matched with an incredible world design, combat system and lore.+

[@stevefromaccounting1890]

@@killerdude151 great. Now that it's established though, why not add one?

[@killerdude151]

@@stevefromaccounting1890 Because I want fromsoft to focus on making masterpieces and not waste time watering down the experience to appease people who likely wont finish the game anyway.

[@thejallenator5722]

Every game has an easy mode: It’s called “get your older brother.”

[@grug1343]

underrated comment

[@jimit.4220]

nah it's called google

[@belligerentgoose3190]

Shi, I am the older brother 💀

[@thundageon5962]

@@grug1343 that was exactly me. My younger cousin asks me for help to beat old demon king and I beat him easily.

[@thundageon5962]

@@belligerentgoose3190 me too man

[@just_cade]

The lack of a difficulty option is what makes the game fun. If you could just turn the difficulty down every time you came to a roadblock, then you would get no sense of reward from overcoming it.

[@christopherregan1654]

The difficulty actually comes from choosing whether or not to upgrade your Health. If you have more health, then it will result in a noticeably easier experience overall, since you're able to take a lot more damage before dying. It's especially invaluable early in the game, before you find better armor and weapons to give you more of an edge over your enemies.

[@ZEBRACOW13]

I remember beating Slave Knight Gael and The Nameless King in DS3 being the greatest moments of my gaming career. The sense of accomplishment was overwhelming. Definitely could have done a backflip…or meagerly tried to. Once you click with the learning curve and manage to understand the leveling system and stats, and telegraphing of boss attacks…it all just comes together. EDIT: I still suck ass at Sekiro though. That shits so hard. 🤣

[@pianospawn1]

That's funny, I beat Sekiro like %100 and found it so demanding and fun. But the Nameless King, Gael and the final Elden Beast in Elden Ring I still can't beat solo.

[@ZEBRACOW13]

@@pianospawn1 I got all the way to ishiin the sword saint…and the demon of hatred. I can’t kill either. Let alone come close 😅

[@Dark_kittens123]

Friede is easily harder than al those bosses yet no one mentions her difficulty

[@ZEBRACOW13]

@@Dark_kittens123 ah, that’s another one. Intend to forget ashes of Ariandel. I tried her twice. Not gonna happen for me either. 🤣

[@ghoulkinggruul7345]

Ultimately it's about respecting the intentions and desires of the artist. If the developers believe adding easy options would reduce the quality or merit of the game, they have no obligation to create such a mode to placate a given group.

[@bodaciouschad]

I don't want an easy mode, I use whatever difficulty setting is hardest(except hardcore ultimate ironman. I like a challenge, not suffering). That said, why not give the cruddy games journalists noclip and invinicbility and be done with their moaning?

[@Tavicx]

I can't respect the artist or his/her desires because I'm an entitled Games Journalist who demands special treatment.

[@inyrui]

i think it's funny considering if FS ever *did* decide to put in difficulty options (not that they should or would i like DS the way it is), i can almost guarantee a majority of the FS fanbase would be pissed lol. i think your point is true though if the devs want those options then okay if not then also, okay. idk why Act Man even made a video on this imo it's such a tired thing. that article was obvious clickbait; that headline always garners a bunch of angry clicks every time a FS game comes out. he shouldn't have even given the article exposure. it was meant to antagonize an angry reaction haha

[@SpottedHares]

and if half your consumer base deiced to bail so quickly they effectively wasted their money, then that their choice as well.

[@BruhMoment-fr4zr]

FromSoftware knows who pays their bills and it's certainly not the dipshits on Twitter that (evidently) can't even get past the tutorial boss.

[@imaginary9588]

people often forget that dying doesn't necessarily mean hard, it's an opportunity for something else more, use it to learn patterns, not to rage spam and cry online you perceive deaths as failures, leading you into thinking it's a hard game, but in reality it isn't as frustrating as it is if you just played the game and master it. where's the fun in playing a game about humans trying to beat gods if you're already OP?

[@pirs_d_vejl]

True

[@imaginary9588]

idk but its how you perceive the game is your win-con, these game journalists cant win for shit because they brand DS as hard LMFAO and they accept it

[@axronnin6260]

Also dying is in fact part of the story and lore itself. Dying actually means something

[@howdyimhowdy3751]

i feel like this is a very bad point to make as someone last time i checked if your game requires trial and error to teach the player, that's bad game design

[@RyanJonesOoT]

@@howdyimhowdy3751 The depends on what you are trying to create. In the real world we very often learn things from trial and error. If we have the time, or feel strongly about learning something we will learn about it (i.e. searching posts online for what to do). Without that knowledge though, we have to use our precious experiences to make educated guesses and see if they hold true in any particular situation. If you want your game to mimic real life situations, trial end error gameplay (that ALWAYS follows and obeys the laws of your world. I.e. NOT something like kaizo blocks or IWBTG) is an excellent way to cement the realism of your game. However, if you want to make a game that should be able to be played through it's entirety without the need for a community and knowledge to be shared amongst players, than trial and error gameplay is absolutely terrible game design.

[@makotoplush9776]

While I do love games like Devil May Cry that lets you unlock higher difficulties letting you decide if you want it to be harder, I also appreciate how Souls games force you to think how you can make this seemingly impossible game easier for yourself

[@shealtiel__]

a games difficulty correlates with how the games devs want the player to feel. lets take doom eternal. the goal is to make the player feel like a badass. some people feel that way when curbstomping everything, while others feel that way when comming out of a fight with 5 health. thus difficulty options. the goal with souls games is to make the player feel accomplished by overcoming tough challenges. challenges cant be tough if the enemies dont hit hard.

[@BorkKillsOneLegMan]

My first souls game was bloodborne I literally spend an entire month trying to be the first boss Father Gascoigne After I finally beat it him I literally jump out of my chair a scream joy This is the only game that ever gave me that type of emotion and through out the whole playthrough I wore Father Gascoigne's jacket just to remind myself It doesn't matter how hard the next boss is there's always a way I finished the game with my arcane build at new game +3 ever since then this game still remains a 10/10

[@gamerinatrance3618]

Good for you, not everyone necessarily will experience those emotions even when doing those same actions.

[@allmight9840]

Good work brother. Continue to enjoy the thrill of accomplishing hard things.

[@dathunderman4]

@@gamerinatrance3618 no, but nearly everyone who has played a souls game has had a similar experience of overcoming a tough challenge. And that’s precisely the reason why an easy mode would be bad for the series

[@deepapaul3533]

Congrats!

[@gamerinatrance3618]

@@dathunderman4 Yeah as someone who's been playing games since 2006 I agree that I have had a similar experience of overcoming a tough challenge. It also turns out that the vast majority of them come from games with optional easy modes that I never touched because I didn't need to, but others would have gotten use out of.

[@that1dumbass774]

Seeing victory within a dark souls game is like holding in a piss all day,it's painful and you'll have to endure but once you get to the victory that is a toilet it's just satisfying

[@CommissarChaotic]

you ever dreamt of a cutscene like sequence where you jump outside of a building while tanks and trucks drove on the road in front of the open portaloo in front of you and then you just run and desperately grab the door then you took the most gratuitous piss ever then you wake up with piss on your pants/pajamas and bed?

[@SpartanSouls256]

very strange analogy but very accurate

[@archersterling6726]

He's out lf line, but he's accurate

[@Ministern-]

Best comparison so far

[@UnreadyBelief]

I love the darksouls fanbase the games are super difficult which just cleanses the fan base of all the people who dont even actually like it

[@viyka2141]

I've been so furious at the insane damage of Godfrey, first Elden Lord that I could spit blood, and I firmly believe that fight is as it should be.

[@tyr8849]

The whole thing is just "I don't like pistachio!" "Then why did you ask for it?"

[@MelAncholynus]

Well yes, but... 'no! They should make pistachio more appealing to people who prefer chocolate. Those people could just go eat chocolate of course, but maybe they just want the pistachio to taste like chocolate so they can say they ate pistachio and enjoyed it....'

[@mcdc3037]

@@MelAncholynus yea just think about the people who are allergic to pistachio. Are you really going to gatekeep pistachio so these people cant eat it?

[@dantefromdevilmaycry9857]

​@@mcdc3037yeah!.... f*ck their allergies they need a taste of Pistachio even if it kills them.

[@stevefromaccounting1890]

No. It's "I like steak, but the chef only cooks it well done and refuses to offer medium rare. Meanwhile, a group of zealots scarfs down charcoal and mocks anyone who doesn't want to choke it down as well."

[@mmcfeat]

@@stevefromaccounting1890 no, it’s more like you went to a nice steakhouse, ordered a Big Mac, and then spent weeks bitching about it on youtube comments because you couldn’t wrap your mind around why the chef refused to serve McDonalds and why nobody else at the restaurant wanted a Bic Mac.

[@binky8843]

That’s like adding “finished game” mode to cyberpunk 2077

[@shib5267]

bruhh

[@randomstuff....iguess6521]

@@shib5267 bruhhh

[@cherryjayhawk4845]

bruhhhh

[@manguything6301]

bruhhhhh

[@soaplewdsmatter]

bruhhhhhh

[@ericmay560]

When I beat Ornstein and Smough finally was probably in my top 3 gaming moments of my life. It took me 3 days and exhausted all the resources I had. The feeling of accomplishment was euphoric. And I never picked the game up since. I do want to finish it someday but I felt a sense of completion after the slog of finishing that fight.

[@leaky4230]

Twitter users when dark souls is hard

[@Malek-bd6gl]

Stupid people when they auctally need to play a game Which doesn't have a 6 min cutscene every 5 min of gameplay

[@Talesfromtheshelf]

The “hi how are ya” took me the fuck outttt

[@jamesweiner5288]

I think the game should also be “accesible” to people with specific disabilities, such as having color blind modes or one handed controller schemes. After that, it’s up to skill.

[@justarandompersoniguess]

If that was true I couldn’t wait to see someone just straight up one hand the entire game

[@Foreseer117]

Lucky for you those options exist on the game!

[@FemboyJoe]

A man beat the game with the fucking donkey kong bongos.

[@justarandompersoniguess]

@@Foreseer117 even better

[@editorrbr2107]

That is why they hate “Get Gud” so much - it ultimately comes down to skill, where your failures are your own. These people don’t admit failure.

[@lol101lol101lol10199]

I don't know about unlocking Easy, but you get Hard in Gwynevere's room

[@eccsubs2179]

bro...

[@duckymouth]

Fromsoft should ask you to select a difficulty at the start of the game but they affect nothing and actually are all the same

[@notarealspy4090]

To quote TGX game reviews: my one specific gate is here, you don't need this gate to appeal to you specifically when there are thousands of other gates catering to you. Not every game is going to appeal to you is the lesson here

[@Arexion5293]

TGX is sort of interesting to follow since his reviews change and improve as he makes more of them, while he still ends up occasionally repeating the same downsides as before. That sort of growth overtime makes watching his content interesting to me. There's a lot of effort in what he does, but sometimes he also poorly manages his projects like the Megaman series review. Those videos are like watching a steady spiral towards madness, showing why you probably shouldn't review every single game in a row like that.

[@notarealspy4090]

@@Arexion5293 I agree wholeheartedly, although I find myself relating to him alot since his childhood strangely parallels mine, although he's currently on break due to mental issues from what I heard, its a good thing he's getting help too

[@mikeabbott810]

I have 60% functionality in my left hand since 2008 due to nerve damage from a neck injury. I’ve beaten every Soulsborne game and am currently enjoying the hell out of Elden Ring. It’s called practice and patience.

[@Vernius_]

Hell yeah brother, wishing the best for you.

[@HASH134]

chad

[@stevefromaccounting1890]

Ah, so you speak for all disabilities and skill levels then. Good to know.

[@knoxw2491]

@@stevefromaccounting1890 he doesn’t have to but if you’re able to play video games at all you can beat a fromsoft game

[@Nhouyengah]

@@stevefromaccounting1890 Maybe he can't speak for your disability but he can speak for some sure :)

[@giantlizard9158]

I want fromsoft to add an easy mode, except when you select it it makes the game like 1000x harder

[@mistercaleb2857]

Its not just with dark souls games, this argument applies to so many other things. As a pianist, I go through the same struggles and frustrations learning a piece as a do when im fighting a boss in dark souls. They can be frustrating and demotivating when you're learning them, but absolutely satisfying when you get them right.

[@ahmeeklegend7393]

I just helped my brother beat Margit in Elden Ring. He had never played a souls game before. I taught him how to punish certain moves Margit does and what moves to just avoid. There's always a way to make the game easier, it's just not a menu option.

[@waveygravey3575]

The difficulty has been nerfed in Elden Ring. I flew through it as opposed to Scholar of the First Sin

[@jeremyhorner9531]

@@waveygravey3575 there were only a few bosses that were truly difficult. The world as a whole felt better but it did feel easier. Also NG+ doesn't feel nearly as hard as it used to.

[@rezonance4937]

Im legit doing the same thing with my brother too rn, hes almost got margit down

[@sassas1487]

@@waveygravey3575 no it wasn't you just got good in dark soulses and then passed the skill on elden ring

[@waveygravey3575]

@@sassas1487 I hate the saying but this is one of the few instances where "git gud" applies.

[@corporalkills]

I would be okay with an easy mode as long as they named it “Twitter Mode.”

[@moistmarsupial3528]

lmfao

[@everyone1liesd459]

And they have to make it obvious that you're playing on Twitter mode, I don't want a game review from some limp wristed journo that played the game on easy mode, to hand in a half baked review to get paid

[@corporalkills]

@@everyone1liesd459 for sure. All the enemies have to use Soylent bottles as weapons and wear blue check mark shirts, so all their footage is fucked up

[@arsnakehert]

Or game journalist mode

[@truecaliber1995]

"Journalist" mode.

[@travisnachtrab1933]

“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” -Jimmy Dugan, A League of Their Own Quote was about baseball, but fits perfectly for FromSoftware games

[@Elwood128]

Even if it had an easy mode, hollowed-out losers would complain that easy mode isn't easy enough.

[@Noperare]

Suggestion: "easy mode" is a video of someone from the team showing all the game features and speedrunning the levels. Let´s face it, game journalists don´t wanna play the game, they just wanna complete it ASAP to write the damn review so they can start their next shitty article.

[@cooldude1565]

''FromSoftware's new title is transphobic, which isn't surprising'' is some shitty headline I'm sure they would write

[@SpartanSouls256]

this is honestly true, Days Gone didn't sell well because game journalists didn't take their time and didn't pay attention, so then they made the game seem bad

[@psyjinx]

I was on Deployment and a friend of mine on the ship convinced me to play the first 2 games because he was so hyped for 3. Every day he would ask me where I was in the game, or what build I was running. He also gave me hints to where cool items were. Like breaking tails, or hidden walls. Eventually, I finished DS1, and made it half way through 2 because Dark Souls 3 dropped. We had a port visit in Dubai. We buddied up and went to a wifi cafe to download the newly released Dark Souls 3. The next month of our free time after our shifts were dedicated to a full exploration and journey through dark souls 3 without any online guidance. It was a magical and brutal experience, and I'll always treasure this series because of him.

[@squiglythegoon9678]

Another bit, if there were difficulty options, some people who could definitely beat these games with a bit of effort wouldn't want to play on the "intended" difficulty, before I started playing souls games a lot I was playing games with difficulty options and I always picked easy mode because I didn't feel confident that I could beat the harder modes. When I first played Bloodborne I hated how hard it was and how I got my shit rocked by everything, but I kept doing it anyway, now I'm on NG+7, and I've beat all of the games several times over(besides sekiro) and I wouldn't have accomplished that kind of thing, or changed that much as a player if there were difficulty options.

[@Ocelot35]

Not true. I played both Mass Effect and Dragon Age through on easy first to enjoy the stories without frustration. I beat them on insanity/ nightmare to get the achievements later. I enjoyed both playthroughs for different reasons. One did not detract from the other. Would some people never bother with the higher difficulties? Yeah, most likely. What's it to you? Does your experience revolve around their enjoyment of the game?

[@squiglythegoon9678]

@@Ocelot35 SOME people, I didn't say everyone.

[@Ocelot35]

@@squiglythegoon9678 Right. But the video is arguing that an easy mode would ruin the game. Not that it would ruin the game for some people. And I would also argue that failing to select the appropriate difficulty level is not a flaw in the game itself. That's just user error.

[@Ireee702]

​@@Ocelot35those games are literally focused on narrative, not difficulty.

[@Ocelot35]

@@Ireee702 And? No one has an argument for why an easy mode ruins the game. Does a kid shoving chess pieces up their nose ruin it for the grandmasters? Didn't think so.

[@pankace3296]

When you have a series of games that have literally taught people grit and determination, changing their lives forever, suggesting we should make them easier is literally advocating for directly degrading art.

[@hi14993]

Btw artorias's broken arm is his good arm. He is left handed and fighting you with his weak hand ALL WHILE SUFFERING FROM AN ABYSSAL CRAZED RAGE. you are basically fighting him at a tenth of his strength.

[@cynaxis4002]

And that's why making him hard is important. To show how much of a badass he was. How would we know if we beat him first try without any difficulty? We would just forget him the second we leave the arena.

[@nurfathirobi8615]

and even so he still tear me apart.

[@darthcaedus9130]

Oooooo, I like this

[@TheeLZ]

I had to get a shit ton of poise to beat him. He made me re think my equipment because I died so much. Now I wish there was DLC to fight artorias in his prime.

[@TheeLZ]

@KillenX Ultimate Ginger oh fuck that guy. Pardon my French but yeah. I hated kalamet lmao

[@poly_g6068]

"Why does it matter" God I love this one. It matters because Fromsoft is making the best games on the market right now, yet people are begging them to fundamentally change how they make them.

[@Johnspartan296]

" because Fromsoft is making the best games on the market right now" Debateable.

[@devilsbossa]

@@Johnspartan296 Their big games are better than the 90% of the market anyways.

[@egonszutner9154]

@@devilsbossa exclusively better than EA

[@mclovinjr9086]

@@Johnspartan296 They do make some of the best though, and they’re pretty much released 3 amazing games in a row. Bloodborne, DS3 and Sekiro

[@kylelegarvier172]

@@Johnspartan296 not quite considering ever since demon souls almost every game was a near and if not an actual masterpiece

[@gurpreetbajwa4490]

The Souls games already have an easy mode. Just play as a magic build or Co-Op with a friend. Jolly Cooperation- Seigmir

[@KK-kz9ee]

You forgotten about bleed build

[@b1tfl1p]

What if we just let developers decide if and when it's appropriate to add an easy difficulty.

[@sanuelmoran6358]

Here's what easy mode should look like in the Souls games: Darks Souls 1 - In the cut scene where Oscar drops the key to your cell. In easy mode he takes a look at you, shakes his head and carries on without dropping the key. Dark Souls 2 - When you try opening the door to the Firekeepers house, you find the door is locked, with the old firekeepers laughing hysterically inside each time you try. Dark souls 3 - When you try to pull the coiled sword out of Ludex Gundyr, it won't budge.

[@killerdude151]

We can only dream lmao

[@lordheadass3662]

bloodborne - the blood beast lookin thing eats you

[@killerdude151]

@@lordheadass3662 Better yet, The blood procedure in the beginning fails and you just wake up in a totally normal world, Fade to black, roll credits.

[@stevefromaccounting1890]

How about this? Dark Souls 1 - The player has control over the difficulty and selects the option they enjoy, with achievements/trophies being locked behind the intended difficulty. Dark Souls 2 - The player has control over the difficulty and selects the option they enjoy, with achievements/trophies being locked behind the intended difficulty. Dark Souls 3 - The player has control over the difficulty and selects the option they enjoy, with achievements/trophies being locked behind the intended difficulty.

[@sanuelmoran6358]

@@stevefromaccounting1890 kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWrEnpShm9KHftU

[@Ar1AnX1x]

the thing about Souls games is that it gets easier as you go on, the more you play the easier it gets unless you're not paying attention and if you don't wanna pay attention and learn then that's YOUR problem, it's not the game's problem.

[@Ar1AnX1x]

the difficulty in these games make a lot of sense and is very intelligent and reasonable difficulty, also it means they only focus on just one universal difficulty instead multiple so it means that one difficulty will be really balanced. they also give a lot of options on making the game easier or harder with different weapons or other RPG elements, they give you so many options that you can literally make the game easy by just out leveling everything. so there's literally no reason why the game would need an easy mode when it already there. but the thing is people who want an 'easy mode' probably won't notice or learn about anything I said here because if they were the type of people who are about to take on a challenge and paying attention and learning, they'd never need an 'easy mode' but here we are.

[@Someone-vq6jk]

Tbh these games are not even that hard, don’t see what all the fuss is about

[@Ar1AnX1x]

@The Leaprachaun with the muscle memory you have now from playing all the souls games, the hardest game for you would be Sekiro because the combat in it is totally different.

[@Ar1AnX1x]

@@Someone-vq6jk most of these people have probably started gaming since around 2010, probably only AAA and very mainstream games that are very easy. so they feel alienated when they play a game that's not overly easy. but even SoulsBorne games give you a lot of options to make the game a lot easier, like completely out leveling an area or using an overpowered weapons, etc.

[@gatsu7742]

@@johnmclawson3982 He didn't even say any of that stop trying to project your self image onto him, Souls game always have an easy mode and can be easily utilized if you're not braindead.

[@jonathankylemusic4007]

the statfox 64 audio gave me flashbacks

[@ham9444]

I just love they stood by their audience instead of making the mistake every other game makes and trys to get a bigger audience and in the process makes their original audience less happy and this is coming from someone who has never played a dark souls game

[@Supaawesomeification]

I love artorias so much. Not only is he broken. Not only is one of the hardest bosses in his most weakened form. Not only is he fighting you with a great sword with only one hand. ITS HIS OFF HAND. Artorias is LEFT HANDED. He’s such a badass

[@literalcancer8810]

Ummm... Artorias isn't left handed. His shield arm is more reinforced with armor to provide more defense. It's why his left arm and his shield are both broken. He took a hit that was way too much and it messed up his arm. So no Arty isn't left handed, but I do agree that he's badass as hell C:

[@Supaawesomeification]

@@literalcancer8810 I mean this is a really old debate. It’s never been confirmed either way but there’s evidence for either apparently. I’m convinced he’s left handed because pauldron placement isn’t exactly historically consistent in the series. Plus there the item description for his sword in dark souls 2 (says the users were left handed). And there’s always that cover art that people always assume was artorias

[@lordzooq8987]

I fucking LOVE DARK SOULS

[@felipetartas5434]

Did you know Senna was left handed and had to drive cars with manual gearshifts and gas and brake with the right foot?

[@_Kakoosh]

I’d argue that the souls games, especially the first dark souls, are all about perseverance. Most people that are fans of these games know that. That’s the real message behind them, and no one who has ever beat any dark souls game would argue in favor of easier difficulty options. As the developers said, they want everyone to be able to share the same gratifying experience.

[@anubis2044]

Exactly....perseverance. Those of us that actually conquered the game did so because we would NOT give up. Quelaag killed me so many times it was ridiculous. But after enough attempts she died just like every boss before and after her.

[@Gerald-of-Riviera]

Kakashi Tom? Interesting

[@rageoftyrael]

I've beaten numerous souls likes and I'm absolutely on board with an easy mode. It wouldn't be for me but I really don't see a problem with making the game more accessible for people.

[@morgrnn]

To never go hollow

[@jfelton3583]

@@rageoftyrael thank you

[@kalestone7618]

Beautifully said. New to these games. Came because Elden ring. Gonna get Sekiro and probably try the OG souls games too. Absolutely love elden ring so far and although it's frustrating, that feeling of overcoming is so nice.

[@Huseyin_Gazi]

This is exactly why I love dark souls, code vein, sekiro and other soul-like game where the difficulty is primarily depending how you're approaching things and what your builds are. Hollow Knight is a 2D platform that I absolutely love as well and only challenge they added is steel soul mode (it was challenging for sure, though more forgiving!). In my entire soul-like career... my only complain would be how broken Melania was in Elden Ring... her endless slash chasing you all the way and every hit she absorbs HP REGARDLESS if you block it or not! >_< Took me 128 tries to beat her without summoning T_T My god, it felt so satisfying to accomplish that!

[@marcohoiner1751]

" theres already an easy mode its called sorcery build " This is actually true. I had hard time playing darksouls 2 but then i was like: why not magic ? And it was a breeze from there

[@SpartanSouls256]

yeah, I started with magic, combined it with the fire sword and I did amazing

[@prongs82]

Try miracle.

[@wealthybone2990]

Idk had an easier time with Sttength build than sorcery in ds2 but I don't like the sorcery in ds1 or ds2 nkt because I hate spells but that fact that you're limited on some of them.

[@YeahItzzV]

“By not pushing yourself to do harder things, you will be at the bottom of the mountain while everyone steps on you to make it to the top” a teacher of mine

[@zaneheaston8254]

Damn, that’s savage

[@MIOrko]

One difficulty means better difficulty balancing and lore accurate boss fights.

[@osaka_phong]

No, it means the designers are lazy.

[@MIOrko]

@@osaka_phong Nope but option to increase or decrease the difficulty in the menu instead of in the gameplay is.

[@RyansArachnids]

I want accessibility options in these games but when I mean accessibility I don't mean making the game easier, I mean bigger text for item names and descriptions, etc. I'm registered blind, I've played all 3 dark souls they are amazing. I love them, but I do think making some things a little easier to read for someone like me wouldn't hurt the game. What do you guys think?

[@wife_beater_]

Lvl up perception. Skill issue.

[@RyansArachnids]

@@wife_beater_ Yeah yeah very funny

[@abiski8851]

alright well thats sounds fair

[@dblundz]

The whole point of a souls game is that you're a weak souled individual facing overwhelming odds and challenges. To die, and die again until you get strong enough to overcome it. The story is built into the gameplay. That's the game. You can beat the f'ing game with a banana, if that's not accessible idk what is (Also never ask a creator to change their art. Big boy companies should be making accessibility controllers/devices so everyone can enjoy the game for what the creator made)

[@daizenmarcurio]

I dig the nightingale pfp

[@Hevvvyyy]

@@daizenmarcurio fr, that nightingale armor in skyrim looked cool and has decent stats

[@kronodex6172]

But- but not everyone has a banana! Dark souls isn’t accessible! Think about the children in Africa, how will they be able to beat dark souls with a fruit???

[@berkinserim]

Some people lifted 6,270 lbs(2844 kg) in time. Does that mean every people can lift that weight all of a sudden. I don't think so. You said some people beat the game with banana but that doesn't mean everyone can play it because some guy put 2000 hours into souls games and wanted to try to play it with banana on his 33th run.

[@SpartanSouls256]

right, I mean dark souls 2 literally has an achievement for dying!

[@OmgWtfFate]

This is so on point, I couldn’t agree more. The whole point of the “Souls” games is to overcome such a challenge, to realise your mistakes, to adapt and over come what has stopped you in your path. Think of it as a puzzle game. You change this to help with this, you learn this which is useful for this and so on. Taking that away would cripple and destroy the whole reason the game exists.

[@mildlystable5083]

I agree as well

[@harryredknapp7396]

I mean…if that’s the experience you want then select the higher difficulties. I personally wouldn’t play it but if the devs wanted to put in a weenie hut juniors difficulty then I don’t see how it ruins my experience so long as I don’t actually use the difficulty

[@sethgaston8347]

I feel the same about the Witcher 3, Death March, especially in the beginning, is a crazy fun experience every fight is a dance with death. But I could understand if someone only wants to play on Easy. The story is just that good.

[@roger1835]

Summons exist

[@Spartan-sz7km]

I agree. I suck at dark souls but I still agree

[@hardmask4685]

Elden ring and the Souls games in general are not made to get the player comfortable or to make the game seem easy. The souls games are made to feel like everything is against you. You start off weak in a souls game and you are going to die alot, but you are supposed to learn from these experiences and improve from every single death. Simply removing the challenging “you against the world” feel would cripple the game and get rid of the marketing gimmick. You don’t play a souls game to simply play and win, you play it to get a real challenge. Something that is rare in today’s gaming.

[@weebabyvee948]

I wouldn’t even want an “easy” mode, I want basically Minecraft’s spectator mode. I don’t want bosses and other enemies to be easier, i just want to be able explore some of the cooler looking areas without worrying about the dragonator 9000 about to rip me to shreds. I wouldn’t want to be able to earn anything from it, i just want to see some cool areas.

[@axetheviking6482]

What if when starting a new game, there was an option labeled "easy mode" that; A: changed nothing whatsoever B: made the game harder.

[@GreebusBleeb]

Kuro's Charm in Sekiro basically, which Act Man fails to mention

[@mohamnad6079]

@@GreebusBleeb why are you fuckin everywere are really that desperate for an esay mode?

[@TLJ1025]

That would be amazing. Lol

[@TheMachine3165]

How about A: it changes nothing. B: NPC’s make fun of you for it.

[@dimitri0404]

It shouldn't make it harder because then the normal mode Will be considered An easy mode, and you Will once again have the community split up

[@ARC--5973]

One time when I was hanging out with a friend of mine, he handed me a controller, turned on Dark Souls 3, and said "go". I don't know how many times I died to that giant crystal lizard, more than I could count, but when I finally beat it, the sense of accomplishment was so intense. It's what made me fall in love with the series. If I had done it on "easy mode" then I never would've become such a big fan

[@_Just_John]

Cheers to you and your friend.

[@kylekrueger2327]

Lol sounds like your friend just wanted to watch you suffer a little. Glad to see it ignited an interest in the franchise because it is just amazing

[@ARC--5973]

@@kylekrueger2327 you are correct in thinking that lol

[@jankjaws9815]

Eyy my brother did the same thing to me. Fell in love and went back play all soulsborne games. Now putting in mad hours in Elden Ring.

[@insensitive919]

That's awesome! I wonder if the giant crystal lizard was any harder than the Spirit of Motherwill? That's the From Software boss that did it for me. I had zero expectations going into the game since I found it in a bin, but when you're a long-time gamer and the first boss spanks you like a baby, you take it personally. 😅

[@kathycoleman4648]

As someone with disabilities, my one critique is that I wish they would offer access to a demo so people can determine whether the experience is for them or not. I 100% support the idea that these games can and should exist. But it's also important to help people be able to make informed purchasing decisions so they don't buy something and then want to send it back. One thing I loved about old school Xbox 360 is how many demos it had. It let me try genres I would never have touched if I had to pay up front, and helped me discover games I still love dearly to this day that I otherwise would not have played.