That's pretty cool OP, I think Sekiro for all its accessibility improvements in terms of letting the player know how the game works can still miss the mark when it comes to letting players find ways around obstacles. At some point (for me it was the final boss, lol) you have to learn the combat system and become really good at it.
And by the sound of it you still felt challenged especially if you couldn't beat the Demon of Hatred, which is a plus. I disagree with people saying that fromsoft doesn't believe in letting the players choose how difficult the game is, it's literally built-in in every other from game: multiple play-styles and exploration-based rewards that can make your character much stronger without having to fight a thing, co-op, magic, items, etc.. Even Sekiro has skills, combat arts and the prosthetic which are meant to help the player find a way around things they struggle with. But in the end Sekiro still relies too much on the parry mechanic for some people, and as has been said in this thread, those people will be more likely to get the intended From experience™ if the difficulty curve is lower overall.
I think from won't put an easy mode into their games, but not because they're gatekeeping who gets to play the game, that's just gamers™ being gamers™. I think From knows that if they put an easy mode as is, a lot of people will be confused as to which to pick, and when they choose it they'll feel or be made to feel as if they didn't get the "real" experience. Elden Ring probably won't have an easy mode ( although it would be just fine if it did ), and if it missed the mark in letting players find easier ways to overcome obstacles, then the modding community will supply it, and there's just nothing wrong with that.
