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This was one of my first thoughts while playing. How tf does the “best game ever made”, in 2022 no less, have no accessibility options, in an already inaccessible game? For example, music and sound is essential to know when enemies are behind you or around. so just fuck deaf people, I guess?
If that was true, that’d be actually damning for From Software.
That’s the thing: it is true, and it is damning. Like it’s objectively more approachable than their previous games with some of the QoL things that those sorely lacked, but it’s still obtuse for no reason and has terrible controls that fundamentally break a lot of basic design best practices also for no reason.
It has decent things to it once you get past those serious problems, but actually getting to those means overcoming the terrible interface and controls itself and even there it’s not like they’re great, just somewhat enjoyable in spite of the terrible decision Fromsoft made.
Im confused about what im hearing, and I trust hexbear opinions more than generic ‘gamer’ opinions who would huff From Softwares farts if asked… Seems like its a very good game with some weird ass issues according to most people here, not ‘perfect’ like some gaming outlets are claiming.
Im a single player guy as well, and I haven’t played Elden Ring yet, but I always fuckng hated getting invaded in From Soft games. Half the time it’s just people trying to ruin your session and be a dick.
It’s pretty easy to control invasions. Just don’t summon multiplayer people. You can only be invaded if you’ve summoned someone for coop and the blue cops get called extremely fast if you don’t already have two coop partners. Plus you can only ever have one invader unless you use a special item. And there are bonfires everywhere and it’s pretty easy to get to most of them with your horse. Also the invasion item is, like, crazy difficult to get unless you complete an easily missed quest that requires you to be reasonably high level.
Re: Not summoning people; there is an item you can use to summon AI allies for most boss fights and difficult areas instead of summoning players, so you can entirely skip MP and still have buddies to help you fight.
Those are all valid criticisms.
If I were to apply theory brain, I’d guess a lot of the challenge and masochism for some players is rooted in the same energy of those people that brag about working twelve hours a day every day without taking a break. Or those who went without basic comfort and enjoyment in a workplace setting because they could handle that.
I think some people can enjoy souls games for other reasons, but I think the folks who are against difficult scales etc. are the ones I described above.
I think a difficult game that approached difficulty well was Bayonetta. The first few stages don’t give the full catalog of her powers are you’re introduced to new mechanics.
The real difficulty is totally optional - choosing the mode and trying to increase your score.
I still get satisfied dodging just in time to slow the enemies. I think that’s the satisfaction people describe with souls games, but I think giving a couple of early/easy wins can just be fun. Especially if you revisit it and realize how much you’ve accomplished.
One thing I like about the souls games is their lack of interface/clutter. I wish games like elder scrolls or fallout could have that without making it difficult to interact with certain things. Like how the quest radar is tied to the target reticle. I can’t pick things up and know if I’m stealing unless I have a perfect sense of where I am.
It all just boils down to options. Give people the options that work for them and don’t give people shit for not playing it your way. If somebody wants to run around a map exploring the areas in very easy mode, let them.
Do you have examples? I think I understand what you mean - like how later Mass Effect games have ‘cinematic’ mode? Or hand holding tutorial/levels that ruin potential exploration like many Pokemon games?
Celeste’s assist mode lets you slow down the game by up to half, pause and let you select a direction whenever you dash, skip entire chapters, have infinite climbing stamina, have infinite dashes, and can make you invulnerable.
Very valid criticisms, and I definitely agree on the direction aspect. I was told to go after someone in the big castle and follow the way the bonfire’s point. So went to the castle and struggled with the boss you meet after entering. After that I decided to explore, but I don’t have any real aims or direction and while that’s fun I still have no idea what I’m doing. I also feel like I’m not getting that much stronger. I can deal decent damage it feels like, but that doesn’t matter when most of the bosses just 1 shot me.
My first few hours have been like this. I’ve been watching a few beginners’ guides to gain more of a sense of direction and I still kind of just feel lost.
Yeah, I’m blown away by the sheer size of the world and how many interesting things there are, but I feel like I’m barely engaging with it because I’m mostly just touring around rather than after a goal.
I guess I’ll have to watch an LP and just see what they do and follow along like that for a bit. Maybe it becomes more clear later.
You’ve got to learn the boss’s move set until you can dodge most of their attacks. Like 90%. Or you need a good shield and good armor and a ton of poise and a lot of stamina so you can tank hits. Or summon coop players or spirits to tank while you hang back and shoot spells or arrows.
Getting stronger is as much about developing skill as it is about getting better stats. More health, stamina, and FP will definitely make things easier because you’ll be able to make more mistakes, but winning comes down to frame-perfect dodge rolls and mastering damage dealing abilities like parry, guard counters, bleed, or just raw damage output.
Also, that first boss is a major skill check. He telegraphs all his moves and has plenty of spots where you can get a hit in. He’s arguably harder than other bosses you’ll encounter at that level. He’s basically the end of the tutorial. Once you can beat him you have git gudded enough to move to the rest of the game (which will kill you many times).
Ok, cuz when I first encountered him I was thinking I’m not doing enough damage and while i can dodge well enough I’m still running out of estus fast. On subsequent returns I’ve gotten him down to half health, which becomes hammer time.
I’m not new to Souls games, but getting my shit rocked the first time made me think maybe I’m supposed to do something else come back later. I’ll just throw myself at him tonight then.
If you’re talking about Margit, try using the Jellyfish ashes. I tried using that jelly dude on my third try and absolutely rocked Margit.
You definitely are supposed to do other things for a while. Try heading south and poking your head in everywhere you can. I think they did a major disservice to players by directing them right to Margit. He’s a very difficult boss compared to some of the things you fight.
