Dark Souls and souls games in general. But the difficulty is just half of it. I have beaten hard games before. The problem is that everything is so bleak I can't even feel motivated to try. I'll do a thing only for some NPC to go "it doesn't matter, everything is pointless and you're so insignificant". Inevitably being spoiled I know that even the single optimistic NPC is not getting it great. Y'all can mope, I'm gonna put my effort where it's appreciated.
The bleakness is why I assume the “age of dark” endings are the good ones. They’re the only endings that also end all the suffering of those fucked up worlds. The only weird one is Elden Ring. You can end all suffering, but it’s presented as the worst possible end for that particular game.
It’s so interesting how tastes can change everything. The bleakness in the souls games is intoxicating to me and keeps me coming back. I imagine it has something to do with psychology
You might want to try Lies of P. All of the highlights of Dark Souls combat and if you play your cards right pretty much every NPC gets a happy ending.
It’s free on Game Pass right now too, if you have that.
Playing it now for the first time and just recently did that, and the main story priest mission, two of the more memorable missions I’ve done in a long time and has totally sold me on this game.
The mechanics are different, and may put people off, but once you settle into it I think the controls and various game mechanics are really good.
I love Steins Gate, but the choices you make are so wildly disconnected from the consequences that I don’t think it really counts. It’s such a strange system.
Being able to manipulate scores before the game starts is related to accessibility, and is always an optional feature. It helps balance the game or session for those who need it, or might spice up a game for those who enjoy it.
Aside from Mario multiplayer games (like Mario Party) and just sports games in general I don’t know of any games that utilise this.
There are games that give you something OP it you fail a lot though. A lot of Nintendo games work like this when they notice you failing a lot and ask if you need a hand. There was another game I can’t remember that makes you start with a power up if you die too many times, but I’ll have to edit this post when I find it.
Edit: it is Super Mario 3D World / Land for WiiU / 3DS. If you fail a lot in succession the game throws you a golden leaf that makes you invincible when picked up. It’s entirely optional otherwise.
Nintendo started doing that a lot around the Wii. New Super Mario Bros series, Donkey Kong Country Returns, etc… also on other games regular messages to let you know that you could lower the difficulty. And Skyward Sword’s Fi being unable to let you play more than 2 seconds without trying to “help”.
Honestly I did not like it much. I didn’t mind that it was an option, but I did mind that it was a shiny, blinking thing making shrieking sounds at you as soon as you’d start facing a bit of challenge.
Super Mario Bros Wonder’s way of doing this is way better IMO, with the beginner characters and some of the badges that you can activate to make the game easier when you need it.
I love them. I remember quake 3 had something similar too. It lets you challenge yourself a bit more, and in the case of Smash play equitably with players of different skill levels, so that everyone experiences a fun challenge.
Basically solves the problem of being “too good” to play with your friends
Don’t really see it much because it’s either single player game and thus it only matters to me. Or its a multiplayer game in which case it’s just a new option for a group to agree on, on what is good.
Fwiw I’ve only really seen it in smash bros that I think of, and I think it’s a great option. Let’s me try out when a friend is toooo good and we give them less lives and stuff
Wasteland 3 without looking up any guides poses some difficult choices, usually in the form of being forced to side with a certain faction at the expense of another, with no option to skip the choice once it’s presented.
I usually never complete the “extreme” challenges present in some games, like path of pain and the pantheons in Hollow Knight, or the B-sides in Celeste. I try them, but when I realize that completion will require lot of time and effort, I really don’t feel bothered enough. But I’m ok with that because this kind of stuff is optional, and it’s actually cool seeing more talented gamers deal with them
I don't think I've stopped in the middle of something without planning on coming back. If something is difficult I'm more likely to do better the next day.
But something that I know I would not have fun with is platinum any Yakuza game. And honestly, I'm glad this game taught me to not worry about not completing things I don't care about.
I’d recommend Tyranny. Its a CRPG, where you play as an envoy of basically villains that are sweeping through the world, conquering almost everything. Most of the choices are pretty difficult, because from what I remember its usually “bad or different bad”, without it being clear what’s going to be worse. Because you’re an envoy for a dictator with the power to literally wipe an entire continent with a single sentence, you can’t just go " fuck this, I’m gonna ignore the orders and do good", and balancing the long term and short term consequences makes every decision pretty difficult.
For example, if you get an order to “capture this fortress within few days or I’ll wipe the entire island”, any small war-crime now may be the long term good option, if it helps you capture it in time, and helping the soldier asking you to help find his wife nearby may be lost time you can’t be sure you can afford.
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