Dark Souls 3 sold something like over 10m copies and the franchise like 27m, they absolutely aren't niche. The sub genre outside of From maybe, but plenty of "Souls-likes" that sell well.
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I've come to the conclusion that hard games like Demon's Souls aren't for me.
- Thread starter Marossi
- Start date
Agree with you OP. The Dark Souls games I did not enjoy and tried to like them with all the hype. Just feels like a chore for me and not fun.
But may I recommend you try Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. It is an awesome game. It is Dark Souls-like but makes it fun, enjoyable, and has its own great characteristics.
But may I recommend you try Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order. It is an awesome game. It is Dark Souls-like but makes it fun, enjoyable, and has its own great characteristics.
I don't like Soulsborne games, so my hard games are just shmups. I play relatively casually, though, giving myself like an hour to see where I get, and quitting if I ever get frustrated.
This. And everything OP states.
No more really hard games for me. I can't do really long times either. Looking for more split-screen or shared screen co-op games.
Same, OP. If these games ever have easy modes in them, I'll give them a try. Otherwise, I'm out.
The lock on can be real shit vs anything beyond a mid sized single target.
There is an easy mode, but you have to work for it. It's called the Royal class and a few hours of grinding to get your magic stat up.
Yeah, GTA doesn't do it for me either. I love RDR1, but the only GTA I actually loved was Vice City, for some reason. Never truly liked any other, but kept buying each one because they felt like "canonical" games, you know? Those games you have to play. Not anymore, next one that comes out I'll pass. No need to bother with stuff I know I won't enjoy.
That's not what I mean though. Like a real easy mode. You select it from a menu and it's easy from start to finish. If I get that, I'm in. Otherwise, I'm good.
I heard its pretty hard, harder than demon's souls (i am already struggling with this one :D)
I find them very fair, when you die you know what you did wrong and the games are very predictable. They're mostly about learning patterns and executing correctly.
It's way harder than Demon's Souls, but I had a much easier time with Sekiro than The Last of Us on Grounded, as well as any FPS on the hardest setting. Of course, each person has a different skill level for each genre, so maybe I'm as good at parrying as I suck at aiming, that's a strong possibility.
Understandable but I absolutely love Demon's Souls. Perfect blend of atmosphere, lore, challenge and aesthetics for me. If you aren't in love with the game or challenge just drop it. Plenty of games that I find unenjoyable on the hardest difficulty settings like Fire Emblem and all the save scumming and trial and error.
I agree 100%. I don't enjoy getting angry or frustrated. If I think a game is gonna be overly difficult I just don't bother.
I wish there was an easy mode for people who just want to enjoy the world. It's probably the best Dark Fantasy story and world-building I've ever encountered. The art design is simply beyond this world and nothing is comparable.
Probably the best games of the generation. Not sure what dark magic From is doing, but it's incredibly they churn out so many amazing, GOAT games on a consistent basis!
Probably the best games of the generation. Not sure what dark magic From is doing, but it's incredibly they churn out so many amazing, GOAT games on a consistent basis!
It's the rewarding feeling of catharsis of completing an area that keeps you coming back. Real life isn't fair or straightforward but when you achieve something it feels great, that is why overcoming something that seems unfair is so rewarding compared to other games where everything feels like it's pushing you towards success.
See this is kinda funny to me because I think it really must just be like an age thing. I used to be ace at ninja gaiden and I now suck at both it and souls games. I'm not sure if it's really even reflexes so much as I'm actually decent at mp shooters, it's just I don't care enough to have to learn the enemy patterns and I don't care about dodging and rolling all over the place and parrying is annoying too.
I'd be fine with souls games if they didn't have bosses I die on 7x over and have to retread so much ground.
Fallen order is an example of a souls type game but it isn't needlessly frustrating on the default difficulty.
I get that the appeal for people is to "get good" and it is satisfying to beat that boss. I got pretty far into bloodborne and sekiro and then hit a wall. A wall I don't care about surmounting after 15x retreading the same shit to just barely miss the timing on a dodge (again) and die.
I may still give demons souls a shot though as I'm sure the ride will still be fun up until I get too frustrated to give a shit.
I love the idea of them, and I love the methodical combat. But I suck at them and I'm not patient enough for them. I bought Bloodborne at release and got as far as Blood Starved Beast and couldn't beat him for ages and gave up. I got Sekiro for cheap a while back and loved it, until I got to certain point I couldn't beat and gave up. I think I'm just not cut out for them.
However, I started playing Bloodborne again on Saturday and got to BSB yesterday. I died, maybe 6 or 7 times but every time I died I knew it was just me fucking up. Getting greedy and going for an extra hit or trying to use an antidote and blood vial one after the other. Today I beat BSB, 5 and a half years in the making and I haven't felt a rush like that in a while. I'm really hoping this is the start of me properly liking those games.
However, I started playing Bloodborne again on Saturday and got to BSB yesterday. I died, maybe 6 or 7 times but every time I died I knew it was just me fucking up. Getting greedy and going for an extra hit or trying to use an antidote and blood vial one after the other. Today I beat BSB, 5 and a half years in the making and I haven't felt a rush like that in a while. I'm really hoping this is the start of me properly liking those games.
He's a real tricky bastard, so you might be good for the rest of the game now. And of course you can always get help on a boss if you need it.
I think it is healthy to know what you like and don't like. We should seek out content we think we will enjoy. It is good that games offer an array of experiences and not every game is for everybody because what one person enjoys can be different from someone else. Everyone can take different things and look for different things in media. You shouldn't try to force yourself to like something you just don't vibe with.
I love fighting games, for example. I love the spectacle, I love the community, I love the history, and have watched countless hours on summaries and retrospectives and development records for fighting games. But I don't actually play them. I don't like competitive video games. I don't like having to outsmart and outmaneuver another player. It's not something I like to do or am good at doing, so I just enjoy them from a distance. I have tremendous respect for fighting games and people who are good at them, but they're not for me.
What's great is that they exist for the people who love them and I get to watch. Not everything is for everybody, but there is enough out there for everyone.
That said, tastes changes and sometimes you take to something new. You shouldn't fault yourself for trying either.
I love fighting games, for example. I love the spectacle, I love the community, I love the history, and have watched countless hours on summaries and retrospectives and development records for fighting games. But I don't actually play them. I don't like competitive video games. I don't like having to outsmart and outmaneuver another player. It's not something I like to do or am good at doing, so I just enjoy them from a distance. I have tremendous respect for fighting games and people who are good at them, but they're not for me.
What's great is that they exist for the people who love them and I get to watch. Not everything is for everybody, but there is enough out there for everyone.
That said, tastes changes and sometimes you take to something new. You shouldn't fault yourself for trying either.
I felt this way for a long time, but I realized that much of my frustration was coming from a mismatch of my expectations and how the game expected me to play. When I stopped caring about losing progress or dying, I began to appreciate these games for more than their challenge. Ultimately, these games are RPG sandboxes, and the fun comes from trying new weapons, magic, and builds as well as the sense of wonder and discovery that Miyazaki's games create.
There are difficult elements to this game, but it's entirely possible to simply sit back, relax, and not feel stressed when playing. Losing souls is meaningless, and grinding is only helpful if you're incredibly underleveled. Dying is an opportunity to learn, and if you're still losing then that's a good thing- there's more to explore and understand. When a game fails to offer new challenges or things to learn I am no longer having fun. Relaxing, to me, is spending time staring at a map to plan a faster route or exploring a boss's moveset to see if it has any glaring weaknesses.
I can appreciate that not everyone enjoys experimenting like I do, and some people want gameplay to service the cutscenes over creating unique gameplay opportunities.
Edit: I also wanted to mention that, though I have a very intense job, I still find these games fun. It's nice to have a sandbox to play in that has encounters to break that work on my time. I feel in control when I play a souls game. I know that there's a path to victory and a strategy I've yet to try. This isn't a situation I find myself in in real life very often.
There are difficult elements to this game, but it's entirely possible to simply sit back, relax, and not feel stressed when playing. Losing souls is meaningless, and grinding is only helpful if you're incredibly underleveled. Dying is an opportunity to learn, and if you're still losing then that's a good thing- there's more to explore and understand. When a game fails to offer new challenges or things to learn I am no longer having fun. Relaxing, to me, is spending time staring at a map to plan a faster route or exploring a boss's moveset to see if it has any glaring weaknesses.
I can appreciate that not everyone enjoys experimenting like I do, and some people want gameplay to service the cutscenes over creating unique gameplay opportunities.
Edit: I also wanted to mention that, though I have a very intense job, I still find these games fun. It's nice to have a sandbox to play in that has encounters to break that work on my time. I feel in control when I play a souls game. I know that there's a path to victory and a strategy I've yet to try. This isn't a situation I find myself in in real life very often.
Lol my dad is 67 and currently bulldozing through Demon's Souls. He's insane at Bloodborne as well. Those game are not for me, though. Guess in this case the apple did fall a bit further from the tree. xD
There is a reason I've never played a souls game. I'm sure I can eventually get good at it but I just don't have the time or patience.
Thank you for this topic, OP! Makes me feel less crazy. I'm right there with you.
I really want to like these games, but I think at the end of the day, they just aren't for me. Which I'm ok with...! Mostly. I love the aesthetic of all the Souls games so much that I wish I could get into them.
I also really wish I didn't buy Demon's Souls remake digitally...
I really want to like these games, but I think at the end of the day, they just aren't for me. Which I'm ok with...! Mostly. I love the aesthetic of all the Souls games so much that I wish I could get into them.
I also really wish I didn't buy Demon's Souls remake digitally...
It's frustrating for me since I love the look and atmosphere/aesthetic of the games and Demon's Souls is currently one of the few PS5 exclusive next gen graphical showcases, but I refuse to shell out $500+ on a console and $70+ on a game I know I would find agrivating.
I feel similar. I love difficult platformers but difficult Action RPGs based on animation and timing for combat aren't really my thing. It's part of the reason I felt weird getting a PS5 when only Astro's Playroom excited me looking at the launch lineup. But I figured old PS4 games with unlocked framerates would be enough even if they didn't get patches. 2021 should be a lot better, but I imagine a lot of people like you who happened to score a PS5 will feel the need to get one of the few launch titles and exclusives.
I own every Dark Souls game, so I decided to try the technical first, Dark Souls Remastered. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll be dying a lot and that bosses and even some mooks will be difficult to kill. I don't mind losing souls, because I know I can always farm them back anyway. I can even deal with the intentional input lag. What I find annoying about Dark Souls is the tedium. I'm trying to fight Quelaag right now and just getting to the boss is an exhausting endeavor. I don't mind playing other difficult games, or games on the hardest difficulty, because when I die in those I'm typically brought right back to the start of the fight to do the dance again. And I get that this is part of the appeal. Dark Souls punishes the player for dying. But paying in progress made sucks.
So yeah, Souls games probably aren't for me either.
So yeah, Souls games probably aren't for me either.
Yeah, that's a weird post unless solely talking about the original Demon's Souls while ignoring Dark Souls and Bloodbourne completely. I have no interest in the series myself, but it's undeniable they're both influential and popular.
Aside from annoying and/or truly broken aspects of games, I much prefer a challenge. Nothing turns me off of a game more if I'm just going through the motions without consequence.
I hated them at first, bought Demon's Souls from Hong Kong before it came out here and didn't even make it past the first area. Bought Dark Souls when it released and didn't progress more than an hour in. Gave it another go a while after and everything clicked. Not sure what changed, I think I just realized souls are dispensable and easily replaced, and I started to see improvements in my own skill at playing the game, then the pressure was off.
I totally understand that these games aren't for everyone, but I'm glad I gave it a second (third) chance personally. They're my favourite modern game series.
I totally understand that these games aren't for everyone, but I'm glad I gave it a second (third) chance personally. They're my favourite modern game series.
I have hight hopes that DS will click with me because it's finally 60FPS. To my surprise, I actually liked fighting Valkyries in the new GoW because the game was 60FPS (in those scenes in particular) and felt like I could actually feel what the hell I was doing and when something I wanted to happen was going to happen. I beat all the Valkyries in that game on regular difficulty, and the last two, and especially the last queen was way, way harder than at least the first boss in Bloodborne, which I've also beat, and then given up on that game. With Bloodborne and its shambolic framerate, it always seemed like a freaking guesswork when I was going to see the result of my control inputs.
I also really value atmosphere and visuals in the game. If they draw me in, I'm willing to overlook a lot - and DS looks absolutely amazing.
I do however worry about the whole restart from the beginning of the level thing, but there's apparently a simple trick that can be used to avoid that, which I'll gladly use. OP, maybe you should try that. The trick is simply to save the game before the boss. Then when the boss kills you, instantly quit to console's home screen and kill the game. Then restart the game and reload the save, and you'll be back at the boss. I imagine with PS5 game, this process really won't take long at all.
I also really value atmosphere and visuals in the game. If they draw me in, I'm willing to overlook a lot - and DS looks absolutely amazing.
I do however worry about the whole restart from the beginning of the level thing, but there's apparently a simple trick that can be used to avoid that, which I'll gladly use. OP, maybe you should try that. The trick is simply to save the game before the boss. Then when the boss kills you, instantly quit to console's home screen and kill the game. Then restart the game and reload the save, and you'll be back at the boss. I imagine with PS5 game, this process really won't take long at all.
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Nailed it. I truly adore FROM and the Souls franchise but these games are absolutely are not for everyone, so play them if you want/can but if not it's cool...
Totally ok. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
I love them to death but I understand they're not for everyone.
I love them to death but I understand they're not for everyone.
I'm just on the cusp of seeing if this is my last Souls game. I just haven't got the time these days dedicated to "get gud". I beat DS and it's DLC back in the day and it was such a gaming high but had to put a lot of time in. What an experience and amazing for those who can put in.
Demon Souls looks amazing, just at the big knight. This will make or break it for me if I have the patience to get through. Wish me luck.
Demon Souls looks amazing, just at the big knight. This will make or break it for me if I have the patience to get through. Wish me luck.