Is Too Easy or Too Hard Worse in a Game

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"The game is too easy" is honestly more of a pro than a con for me

• Thread starter Spinosaurus
• Start date Jun 5, 2021

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• #201

It really depends on the game, I want to feel the tension the characters are facing. If the challenge doesn't somewhat line up with story, it falls apart for me.

• #202

I like a mix of both. Sometimes I want something easy and relaxed, other times I want something much more challenging. The best games can provide both without either experience feeling like it's missing something.

• #203

If all the difficulty does it just up HP of enemies and make them damage sponges then I don't want it, and will stick to normal. I'd only want to do hard if they are going to throw more enemies at you and give bosses larger variety of attacks.

• #204

Easier to make something more challenging than it is to make something "easy". Game too easy? Then do some self-imposed challenges IMO.
Recently did that with Resident Evil Village. Doing a no upgrade playthrough on Standard was a really nice difficulty balance.

• #205

I feel the opposite, I'm bored and unsatisfied when a game is too easy.

But I appreciate the inherent subjectivity of difficulty, multiple difficulty options are a must. And stop locking difficulty options behind shit like ninja dog mode, or needing to beat the game to unlock hard mode.

• #206

Easier to make something more challenging than it is to make something "easy". Game too easy? Then do some self-imposed challenges IMO.

I've been doing that with pokemon for the last decades and gamefreak just couldnt let that stand and ruined it forever

• #207

There a fine line between easy and too easy to me, if you cross over to too easy mine brain cant physically engage with the game. As long as the gameplay still rewards me for making good decisions even if it isn't overly punishing for brute forcing or doing the wrong thing that's a good way to do easy.

Too easy to me is when you can just hold forward and mash attack to get through everything. At that point i'd rather do something else.

• #208

There is a science on making easy games, it has too have an engaging design overall that makes up for the lack of difficulty, because is very easy to have an easy game because is dull and nothing is going on so ends up being boring

• #209

These last couple of years I've been gaming more after a major disinterest after having a family, life, etc. Shovel Knight and BoTW were the first games I beat in years and they were fairly easy and I enjoyed them so much.

If I want a real challenge that isn't frustrating, I'll boot up Apex Legends.

• #210

Yeah, I genuinely don't mind breezy games. For me personally, I only want friction if it's part of my immersion in the game (but also not terribly stifling of my ability to make progress). Like if it helps the context of the game to be challenging, that's the only time I really appreciate it.

• #211

I enjoy easy games as much as hard games... but there are limits too. I don't enjoy "press X to win" games where you don't even have to think, chain combos, heal, etc.

• #212

Playing games is like second nature to me. Ultimately, it really depends on the type of game, quality of said game, and other considerations whether or not I pump up the difficulty.

Survivor games I generally like to be difficult unless the difficulty bumps are bullshit. I've never played a difficulty less than survivor in TLoU:II and as far as I am concerned, that is the best way to play the game.

Days Gone was too easy even on Hard mode, but I heard survivor mode was a bit frustrating at times so I avoided that. Should have bumped it up to Hard mode II.

The Witcher 3 I played on the second to easiest mode because the combat at higher difficulties was not fun lol. Combat also wasn't the games strong suit. However, I cranked up Gwent difficulty to its hardest and even that was too easy, albeit more enjoyable than the default which was like playing with your food level of challenge.

Spider-Man on the other hand, feels perfect at the default "Amazing Spider-Man" difficulty setting. I want to feel like a fucking super hero. Not get beat up routinely by random grunts on top of buildings. So I avoid the most challenging difficulty setting there.

All in all, it really depends. Some games really are better at the most challenging difficulties though. TLoU:II being one of them.

• #213

It depends. If I can just tap the same button repeatedly and win then it'll just be boring. But I feel like games can be easy but still be engaging for sure.

• #214

I'm with you OP. As I get older I tend to play games on the easier difficulty because I just want to enjoy the game. I do not have the patience for constant game overs like I used to.

Yep, as a 41 year old I simply won't repeat sections of gameplay over and over again like I used to be able to do when I was young.

I have way too much stuff to watch/read/play to waste time doing that.

• #215

I think the problem is directly correlated with the length.

I love a brisk, casual 4 hour game. I do not love a "brisk", casual 30 hour game. 100% fuck that shit.

• #216

The challenge is what is fun though, if I reached a point where I didn't like a challenge I would just stop playing games and watch movies instead or something

• #217

It depends on the game, something that has a larger time sink like an open world game I don't want to have huge difficulty, and also narrative focused games like TLOU I don't want to be roadblocked by difficulty because I want to experience the story with a consistent flow and pacing without having to worry about that being disrupted by spikes in difficulty.

Returnal I feel conflicted on, when I started it I was quickly hitting a wall trying to beat the first boss, which bummed me out because the narrative elements were so good that I wanted badly to see the rest of Selene's story play out. That was definitely hindered by the difficulty. And while I soldiered on and managed to beat the first boss and went on to get through the fourth one I ended up putting it down after that due to general fatigue from the time investment and core loop. While a lot of the highs I had with the game came from overcoming difficult spots I would have preferred more accessibility options just the same in order to experience the story in its entirety. I ended up watching all the cutscenes and house segments on YT but that obviously isn't as satisfying or has the same effect vs getting there on your own controlled journey/playthrough.

Overall I like a good challenge with certain games, but moreso ones with little story, or more ambient story elements like in Soulslikes.

• #218

This needs a poll.
I just can't really stand modern games that are obscenely difficult as much as I used to.

Too many games on the market, too little time to play them.

• #220

My problem is when a game is so easy that you don't need to do any of the game mechanics and you can just spam a simple move or tactic. Like if you have a whole crafting or consumables system but there is no point since you can walk through the game without engaging it at all and if you do use it it makes the game even more of a cake walk.

That's where I'm at. There are easy games and there's rolling over the back of an entire camp of orcs in Shadow of Mordor until they're dead without taking any damage.

• #221

I'm stressed out all day, honestly don't want to play a game if it's going to add on to that. I play games on normal, usually don't have a problem beating a game on that difficulty. If I do have a problem though, I'm always happy changing it to easy if that's an option.

• #222

Nope. I definitely don't feel that way lmao. That said, I don't think every game has to be hard. I play different games for different experiences. Like if I'm playing a a more casual game like Animal Crossing or Yoshi I don't really need or want it to be difficult and I'm cool with whatever vision they set out to do. But if I'm playing a game and the whole point is to be dexterous or challenging, and the franchise is known for it, I'm going to be disappointed and feel like the lack of balance ruined my experience based upon my expectations. I feel like games should have a baseline of difficulty if they have fail conditions.

Things like base PSO2 for example, when it became far too easy, the sense of progression was completely lost. You have no reason to play and get the new gear if the new gear is never needed in the first place and the only rewards are gear. The game should be designed around whatever difficulty you choose. So I'm a person who doesn't want a game that's designed to be easy made hard arbitrarily and I don't want games that are designed to be hard made easier if I'm unable to get the experience I'm expecting.

Permadeath in Fire Emblem is another example. I would be really upset if I couldn't play like that because it plays into the narrative and how much I really care about the characters if they die. It makes it so I really have to think about things. I however am also okay with them giving the option to turn off permadeath as long as I can still play the game the way I used to play it.

I personally like challenging games, but more so enjoy games that are designed with their difficulty and vision in mind. I don't like a game that's just hard artificially where the difficulty doesn't actually add to the gameplay design itself. A good example of that would be the base version Ninja Gaiden 3. That games difficulty balance was way worse than previously. The enemies had way too much hp and Ryu had far less options to deal with the attacks they were dealing compared to previous versions. The lack of mobility and tools combined with some really wonky AI and drawn out fights that didn't feel rewarding to get past made for an unappealing game.

So yeah bring on the challenge! Variety in gaming is awesome! The lack of options sometimes makes for a totally unique experience and that part is cool to me. Some people might not like it, but that's okay. It's totally okay to not play games that are too hard or too easy. It's also okay to dislike games other people like. It's merely preference.

• #223

Op, Just do whatever you want, gaming should always about fun and enjoyment.

I like easy games sometimes

Sometimes I want challenge

I'm on my third playthrough of Stellaris this month

I enjoy overcoming overwhelming odds to be the biggest empire in the galaxy

When I play uncharted I play on "normal" the first time to do whatever I want and progress

When I play for a second time I enjoy playing on hard, I force my way doing the most cinematic combat possible. I die a lot until I am able to defeat everyone

• #224

Chronic illness is a motherfucker. I wouldn't put myself in that category, but I have been sick several times for months on end (as late as last summer), and I'm also getting older, so I spend a lot of time just kind of feeling like shit. As I get older it also feels like illness or trauma short-circuits my brain and leaves me without the mental energy for taxing things, including tough games. I'm playing Dishonored 2 right now, and I absolutely love it. But a lot of the time I can't play it because it's too demanding, so I end up turning on something that I like a lot less but also demands less of me.

• #225

I am bad at games so easy tends to be just right for me in terms of challenge.

I still enjoy a challenging game where an easy mode isn't available, but it has to be a lot more interesting to get me to commit to seeing it through compared to an easier game.

• #226

Disagree, to create fun in a game that rely on how hard it is, are often bad games

I never said anything about hard games.

It's all about the topic, games need some challenge to be engaging and fun, especially in normal/default difficulty. If a game is being too easy then it means that it's not engaging at all. Boring.

• #227

Some of us just wanted the narrative side in 13S and were glad to have a way to just get through the RTS as quick and painlessly as possible. It was good that two of the difficulty modes were easier.

So here's the thing though - just having one easy mode would give you that option.

Instead, even the normal mode of 13 Sentinels is piss easy. So the majority of players (assuming they don't put it on hard) probably won't get any level of challenge from the gameplay. And it's actually worth playing when you have to think about it.

So this is exactly my point about how the default difficulty should at least leverage all the gameplay features. If normal is too much, then you can go down to easy... But don't make normal easy

• #228

What annoys me is that every time we have a thread like this people post the same "I have a job and kids so I don't want hard games". You can want whatever you want, but please drop the assumptions. People can have work, family and like harder games as well

Yeah, I feel this way as well. Though I think it mainly comes down to how you approach gaming. Some people just want to play as many games as possible it seems, so spending less time on each is their goal. Myself with my limited time I'd rather play fewer games but still have the challenge, and if that means it takes me 2+ months to finish one game then so be it.

Though personally most of my gaming time is grinding competitive multiplayer games.

• #229

Chronic illness is a motherfucker. I wouldn't put myself in that category, but I have been sick several times for months on end (as late as last summer), and I'm also getting older, so I spend a lot of time just kind of feeling like shit. As I get older it also feels like illness or trauma short-circuits my brain and leaves me without the mental energy for taxing things, including tough games. I'm playing Dishonored 2 right now, and I absolutely love it. But a lot of the time I can't play it because it's too demanding, so I end up turning on something that I like a lot less but also demands less of me.

This is really where I'm at in the end. I love games that challenge me, but I'm just so mentally exhausted from dealing with an illness every day that most of the time I just want something relaxing and easy to get into to have an escape from that fatigue. I love SMT but it's so much easier for me to just boot up a Pokemon game to serve as a distraction and generally have a more pleasant time. All the comments about how easy DQXI is just makes me want to pick it up more honestly.

• #230

If the game can engage me from its other aspects sure.

• #231

I have two kids that cry all the time so I want to enjoy whatever little free time I get (with a few beers)

• #232

To me it's a balance. I can like easy but if its do easy that combat is trivial than its too bit enjoyable. I need a slight challenge so I have to at least pay attention

• #233

It's REALLY subjective for me. It depends on the game. After the previous few zelda feeling like a cakewalk I feel like one of the best things about breath of the wild is that is challenged me. I was legit on my toes a lot of the time playing that game and it felt great.

Except for when it didn't. There was a lot of frustration, without going into too much detail. You all know what the deal is with that game. But still, It was great.

some games though, yah I just want to experience the story. I didn't play Nier: automata with the auto combat on but I sure as hell played Gesalt remaster with it on. However, that's more because the combat was a lot worse in that game. it was a real slog.

I guess, when I enjoy the mechanics of a game a lot I want to be engaged by them, which playing on easy really can't ever do in my opinion. I feel like If I need to put a game on easy to get through it then I just lose interest. Xcom: enemy unknown is an example. I could never get into that game for this exact reason. It just wasn't a fun game with the difficulty toned down but even on the default difficulty it was an exercise in extreme frustration

• #234

Depends on the game, but I prefer to be challenged rather than given a free path to the end.

• #235

The only time I'll play hard mode is on a replay of a game I really loved (mass effect and Wolfenstein come to mind). Otherwise it's easy all the way, I want to finish as many games as possible.

• #236

I like challenging but fair games, if a game is too easy I lose interest. I'm the type of person that goes for "Hard" during their first play-through, but I do ask around to check if it's well balanced beforehand.

The only cases where it's fine for me is when I'm just there for the story but that's rarely the case.

• #237

Nah. I like my games with a challenge. A lot of people say that they play games to have fun, as opposed to being frustrated, but the challenge is part of the fun, in my eyes.

• #238

If the game is too easy I feel like I'm wasting my time.

• #239

I want to at the very least be forced to interact with the actual game design/mechanics they made.

• #240

I'm 30, getting married this year, I work long hours and have 2 dogs. I'm with you OP.
As I grow older I find myself lowering game difficulties and even when I play longer games I usually do so for the story. The challenge comes second for me.

• #241

A game has to engage me to be fun and one way to do that is providing a challenge. I'm generally not a creative type who can find his own fun when given a playground to jump around in and I'm not usually into the story so often my fun is in solving a game. I'd liken it to people who enjoy solving tricky brainteasers, like how my dad will buy a newspaper just because they have a challenging crossword section.

Now I don't just play hard games so that's not the only way games can engage my mind but it does at least need help me along to interact with it's systems and not let me just mash through and ignore them.

• #242

What annoys me is that every time we have a thread like this people post the same "i have a job and kids so i dont want hard games". You can want whatever you want, but please drop the assumptions. People can have work, family and like harder games as well

Thank you.
It's OK to admit you're not great at games or want an easy ride but these are nonsense excuses.

• #243

There are easy games and easy modes for a reason. It's okay to play them.

Personally I wish more games had hard modes, because I get bored if I can run trough a game blind-folded. I need it to require my attention.

• #245

Depends on how rewarding overcoming the difficulty hurdle is. Games like Dark Souls that reward me with cryptic babble is definitely something I consider too difficult for the payoff.

However, if a game is so damn easy I can safely ignore half its mechanics and never drop a sweat it better has an amazing story that carries me through the game.

• #246

There is a difference between hard and bullshit. And it's important that the game is fun to play. Divinity 2 in max difficulty is bullshit, you can only win with broken builds and rolling the dice with enemy actions because sometimes an enemy with 10 initiative acts before your character with 60 for some fucking reason.

• #247

Nowadays I play at the default difficulty, and if the game is too easy at that difficulty then so be it.

I used to play games on the Easy difficulty until Normal became the new Easy mode, at that point I switched to Normal.

It depends on the game though, Bloodborne is my GOAT, and I've finished every souls game (Some multiple times) and a lot of Souls-likes without being frustrated or annoyed, but I can no longer tolerate old school games with their "restart at the beginning" death mechanic or cheap death traps.

• #248

For me too easy means that you don't have to engage with the game's mechanics.

Take Kirby for instance, the games are incredibly easy to beat, however thanks to the level design combined with the fact that you lose powers after taking a couple hits you are pushed to keep getting and experimenting with new powers. As a result I wouldn't say Kirby is too easy.

On the other hand you could have an action game which is technically more difficult than a kirby game, however you can get through it comfortably just using basic attacks and healing when necessary, a perfect example of this being Kingdom Hearts 2 and 3 on any difficulty other than critical mode.

• #249

Difficulty is strange topic. The repetition and memorisation of a dark souls isn't for me.

But also, engaging with mechanics is why i like games, and not having to think about what i'm doing is just boring.

Still, there are games that have gameplay that isn't really about "mastering" anything or heavy narrative components. And i'm like those too.

But like, an action game where i can never get hit or a strategy game where i don't have to plan... i wouldn't play that.

• #250

Not for me in most cases. If a game is too easy then it can really dash my enjoyment of it. It feels like it isn't balanced properly and it becomes mindless to play. It is fun to overcome challenges. Those challenges are part of the game and it feels good when you overcome them.

It isn't to say that easy games can't be good, but they need some gameplay complexity to make up for the lack of difficulty.

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Source: https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-game-is-too-easy-is-honestly-more-of-a-pro-than-a-con-for-me.437009/page-5

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