Firstly, I know what kind of wrath I am asking for by making this thread.
So, I recently beat Dark Souls 1 final boss solo. Previously I had played Bloodborne and Demon Souls, so Dark Souls was just next on the list. I struggled many times throughout this game, but never like I did for this boss. I couldnt even get a hit in initially, and that would to progress to one or two hits before I would inevitably get trampled, with no time to heal.
So, I did the Dark Souls thing. I tried until I got it. Over many months I would occasionally jump in and try again, to no avail. I never really improved. I even dedicated one day to as many as 15 attempts in a row, which took several hours (the gauntlet to the final boss has 5 enemies, takes about 10 minutes each time depending). I knew that I would get it eventually, right?
Whelp, after what I would have to guess is about more than 50 attempts I finally did it. Gwyn's AI bugged out and he got stuck or something, I was able to finish him. That was that. The big epic finale. And i didnt care. I was just glad I was done with the game, officially.
This leads me to my point. People say the best part of the Souls series is overcoming the tremendous odds, finally beating a boss that seemed near impossible when you first walked through the fog gate. And, yeah, I get a little of that, but its not really that satisfying. I remember beating Ornstein and Smough and honestly, all I can remember is just the relief that I could finally proceed. I dont view it as an accomplishment. In fact, I think I just got a lucky roll of the dice.
The more I thought about it, the more I was questioning how exactly I got to the end boss? I want to be clear, I am not very good at these games. I get through because of overleveling and trial and error, and then, some luck. So did I really beat Ornstein and Smough because I had finally gotten good enough to beat them? Or did the bosses derp out enough to give me opportunities I shouldnt have had.
One of my last encounters with Gwyn I think said all I needed to here. I entered the fog gates, and without getting a single attack in I was dead. His attacks were relentless. Its very clear to me that if this boss had perfect AI, no player could beat him. Well, maybe not "no player" but it would certainly be next to impossible.
So, what if you never "get good" at souls? I replayed Bloodborne (new game) recently and got my butt kicked once again even though that was a game where I was able to defeat MWN in one go. Is there a route for people to appreciate these amazing games while also keeping the difficulty (or the world) in tact? I manage to get through, but what about a person who has far less time than me (90 hours). How much time is enough time to dedicate to single game to "get good" and what if you just arent getting it.
Personally, I think there is a route to more accessibility. And i dont mean making the game easier or having difficulty modes necessarily, Im talking about in-game ways to eventually be able to overcome obstacles. Like co-op, but its important to note that co-op isnt forever (I was unable to find a person to co-op Gwyn with). What if instead of changing any difficulty, the gauntlets to the bosses were more or less removed, allowing players to make more attempts per hour to try to succeed.
So, I recently beat Dark Souls 1 final boss solo. Previously I had played Bloodborne and Demon Souls, so Dark Souls was just next on the list. I struggled many times throughout this game, but never like I did for this boss. I couldnt even get a hit in initially, and that would to progress to one or two hits before I would inevitably get trampled, with no time to heal.
So, I did the Dark Souls thing. I tried until I got it. Over many months I would occasionally jump in and try again, to no avail. I never really improved. I even dedicated one day to as many as 15 attempts in a row, which took several hours (the gauntlet to the final boss has 5 enemies, takes about 10 minutes each time depending). I knew that I would get it eventually, right?
Whelp, after what I would have to guess is about more than 50 attempts I finally did it. Gwyn's AI bugged out and he got stuck or something, I was able to finish him. That was that. The big epic finale. And i didnt care. I was just glad I was done with the game, officially.
This leads me to my point. People say the best part of the Souls series is overcoming the tremendous odds, finally beating a boss that seemed near impossible when you first walked through the fog gate. And, yeah, I get a little of that, but its not really that satisfying. I remember beating Ornstein and Smough and honestly, all I can remember is just the relief that I could finally proceed. I dont view it as an accomplishment. In fact, I think I just got a lucky roll of the dice.
The more I thought about it, the more I was questioning how exactly I got to the end boss? I want to be clear, I am not very good at these games. I get through because of overleveling and trial and error, and then, some luck. So did I really beat Ornstein and Smough because I had finally gotten good enough to beat them? Or did the bosses derp out enough to give me opportunities I shouldnt have had.
One of my last encounters with Gwyn I think said all I needed to here. I entered the fog gates, and without getting a single attack in I was dead. His attacks were relentless. Its very clear to me that if this boss had perfect AI, no player could beat him. Well, maybe not "no player" but it would certainly be next to impossible.
So, what if you never "get good" at souls? I replayed Bloodborne (new game) recently and got my butt kicked once again even though that was a game where I was able to defeat MWN in one go. Is there a route for people to appreciate these amazing games while also keeping the difficulty (or the world) in tact? I manage to get through, but what about a person who has far less time than me (90 hours). How much time is enough time to dedicate to single game to "get good" and what if you just arent getting it.
Personally, I think there is a route to more accessibility. And i dont mean making the game easier or having difficulty modes necessarily, Im talking about in-game ways to eventually be able to overcome obstacles. Like co-op, but its important to note that co-op isnt forever (I was unable to find a person to co-op Gwyn with). What if instead of changing any difficulty, the gauntlets to the bosses were more or less removed, allowing players to make more attempts per hour to try to succeed.
