I wouldn't want to insult them with my money.

Yeah, the steady stream of articles trying to justify why there needs to be an easy mode added really is obnoxious. If FromSoft felt so inclined, they should add a crybaby mode where the enemies all run away crying at the sight of you or they die instantly when they attack you. Disable trophies or achievements in it and just make it so stupid easy that it's more unenjoyable for the people begging for it than the game currently is because it's too hard.

it isn't even that hard, especially if you're blockdancing

all these bandwagoners got affected by all the media suggestion "hurr durr it's from soft games, you need to be a loser with no life to git gud at it", and probably tried early bosses and got surprised a game actually requires you to learn and not be a practical god after 5 minutes tutorial.

you just need to learn, and you'll see it's actually fair and doable. Not taking in the internet suggestion that it's hard helps a lot too.

a grown man being offended by people wanting to play a game with an easier mode is a joke.
it's a fuking game. while you sit and play it you wouldn't even know, nor should you care, that someone is playing it on a easier mode.

GROW THE HELL UP and find something more important to be insulted by. something that actually effects your life.
not a bloody video game.

elitist snob

Co-op would have made this game way more accessible and fun.

What's sad is a bunch of grown men online crying about a game is too hard. Grow a pair and stop complaining. If you're a gamer you are already familiar with fromsoftwares games. Stop being a bunch of babies and just watch it on youtube if it's too hard.

Asking for it and even making an argument for it, is not the same as begging.

Put Millenials in a concentration camp....this crying is so fucking annoying....this pussy generation will ruin everything we love

It’s just a residual effect of what the zeitgeist is in today’s culture. Everything has to be inclusive. People want maximum payoffs for minimum effort. I would venture to say most people “begging” for an easy mode really have no interest in the devs vision for the game.

I’m getting really tired of this. The games are hard. They’re about learning the mechanics, timing, patience and pattern recognition. The difficulty and dying is part of the mechanics. The games are built around a core difficulty which is why the combat is so satisfying. It’s all built to work together.

Adding an easy mode would require more time and resources to completely balance it out. It’s not just “lowering boss health” or “damage done”.

When you get powerful in the DS games and go back to starting areas, they end up being really boring because you’re not fighting for your life. You’re just hacking away and enemies aimlessly. There’s no tension, death only comes if you’re an idiot and enemies are laughable.

The difficulty is what the games are built around. The challenge, constant learning and testing the player.

If it’s too hard figure out why. Go to the training guy and practice what it is that you’re having trouble with.

Learn the game, don’t cry about it being too hard because you’re too lazy to figure out how the game works.

I wonder if this concern is raised by actual gamers or if it's mainly gaming journalists?

I'm usually having a hard time watching game streams where they fumble to handle the most basic of operations. Last night I suffered through a journalist completely butchering EDF: Iron Rain. He didn't even looked amused by what is probably the best game this year (completely objective).

I bought Demon’s Souls and loved it....until it got too hard. I played Dark Souls and....same thing. I frequently buy copies of games on console and PC. So let’s break it down:

Dark Souls : $60
Dark Souls Remastered PC: $60
Dark Souls 2: $60
Dark Souls 2 PC: $60
Dark Souls 2 Scholar of the First Sin PC: $40
Dark Souls 3: $60
Dark Souls 3 PC: $60
Bloodbourne: $60
Selkiro: $60
Sekiro PC: $60

That is $580.00 that From Software could have received from me....BECAUSE THEIR GAMES ARE TOO HARD and I am ONE consumer. Many people feel the same way I do. From Software potentially lost millions from consumers because their games are too difficult. THAT....is just plain stupid on their part. So yes, easy mode should be an option after dying like 10 times or more on ALL games.

No the fact you think it's insulting is the problem. Some people want to play them but they don't have time to sit and play the same enemies and bosses a 1000 times to "get gud" at the game.

I like the game where it’s at, but why complain about others wanting the option?

Let the hardcore play it on difficult and the casuals play it on easy. It’s a single player game so why does it really matter to any of you?

Complaining about others complaining is nevertheless complaining. Smdh!

I've said this before, game reviewers aren't real gamers

Some people just dont have the time to devote to getting good at a game. I just want to see the environment/enemy/story design throughout the whole game. Call it "explorer mode" or something.

Are they? These are people that don't have the time to "git gud" for whatever reason and just want to experience the game. If it's insulting then by that logic NOT wanting the game to be enjoyed by all gamers is selfish.

I haven’t played it yet - is it more difficult that Dark Souls or Bloodborne?

I remember when I first played Bloodborne, I had to adjust because the combat it is different than Dark Souls. But I figured it out and was fine.

I figured this would be the same.

I only approve of an easy mode if it's as insulting as humanly possible to the player. I mean lock the ending to normal mode, change sound effects to clown horns, make the main character dress like Dr. Frankenfurter and change the music to elevator jingles. Basically, make it hilariously awful so that players with actual balls will still get something out of it by taking the piss out of it and streaming it for laughs.

I'm glad that FromSoft has yet to add easy modes despite all the crying and whining every time they release a new game. This is the exact type of culture we need to move away from. Not everything needs to be all inclusive. As a person that plays games for the challenge, I don't bitch and moan about games I find too easy. Clearly those games aren't targeted at me so I don't play them. If you can't get through Sekiro, or any FromSoft game for that matter, either git gud or move the fuck on.

Sekiro is like playing Punch Out against Myke Tyson.

You need to learn the patterns of all enemies and bosses which takes a lot of time. You need God-like reflexes and timing. You need patience and be ready to die a lot.

Sekiro is a good game but I am not a fan of the new deflect based combat and the dragonrot system which I feel is unnessesary.

On previous games you died a lot and that's ok. Now you die a lot and also you have to take care of that desease too like if it wasn't enough already.

This is what happens when you give the puddle babies & the cross-play babies a voice. It never stops...

I've been reading about this for a few days now and it's truly getting old.

There are two sides and both are little crybabies.

On one hand you got mainly journalists calling for an easy mode for Sekiro.
On the other hand you got these elitists thinking that somehow an easy mode will ruin their fun. How the actual F will it ruin your game or fun if they add an easy mode? It won't.

Yes, FromSoftware games are hard. But that does not mean they can't add an easy mode for people who aren't good gamers but would love to play Sekiro without getting a stroke.

They could do it easily. Lock the trophies in easy mode so all these butthurt elitists stop crying about it. These elitists are like children and they feel like their cake is about to be taken away. Guess what, if you beat Sekiro in it's current form, no one will take that away from you.

If they add an easy mode, more people can experience how awesome and artistic this game is. It means more sales and a better chance for a sequel. So stop crying about people wanting an easy mode. It will change nothing for you. This is just a game and not your life or identity.

Jesus Christs you people.....seriously.

I enjoyed the challenge of Bloodborne for the most part, but simply dont have that much free time to invest in one game anymore. Personally I'd welcome an 'easier' mode, it would bag them another sale and why any of that could upset the badasses who do have the time/inclination to play it on default I have no idea.

Came here for all the From gatekeeping. Was not disappointed.

If you're someone who has a problem with OTHER people playing a game on a different difficulty than you, then maybe it's time to reexamine your life priorities.

I would like to enjoy the game, at least have a medium mode of play for some what of a challenge. A game being too hard is only enjoyable for a small audience of people. I’m sorry but I hated Dark Souls and still do because dying 1000 times to get through somewhere is not fun and there is no point. If anything the game should bring you in and teach you how to do well in the first couple of levels. Then after you feel like a bada**, then the game should challenge you in the later levels.

No. It isn’t.

The only people begging for an easy mode are so called games journalists which begs the question how did they review Bloodborne? This means that they were either lying or they summarised someone else's review who actually finished the game.

Would Super Mario 2 lost levels be as Successful as Super Mario 2 If they had released that game first in the US? Heck No. Having a very difficult game doesn’t sell well and isn’t fun compared to a game where someone can play through for the story and enjoy the game they’re playing. Games are meant to be fun and the casual Audience will end up passing on everything FromSoftware makes if they keep releasing games that are too hard. There’s going to be a huge differences from a sells point of view between Sekiro and Ghost of tsushima. One of those games most people will get through and enjoy the story.

An article everyday about the same subject. Let it tf go already

The more people devs can get to buy or play their games the better for all gamers so I have no issue with them adding an easier setting for this game. How does that affect your game? It doesn't. Gamers enjoy their games as they see fit. You don't get to decide for other gamers.

Or gamers can do what I do. When I run into trouble I just open up the IGN or You Tube guides.

Let game creators make the game they want to make..not everything needs to be accessible to everyone...this is yet more faux outrage. The vast majority of games are already watered down for mass appeal.

Games are meant to be fun, not frustrating.....period.

Asking for Sekiro to be easier is like asking for your sushi to be cooked. What's the point? Just eat something else.

It's like when I played Super Meat Boy. I enjoyed it, got several levels in, then started just getting slaughtered repeatedly. So I quit. Because i wasn't good enough, and I wasn't invested enough to spend the time to get good enough. At no point did I think that the game should be easier. If you were that genuinely interested in experiencing Sekiro, you'd invest the time to get skillful at it. Like I'm sure you do many other things in your life. If you're not interested enough to put in the time then you don't deserve the experience. Because the challenge and difficulty IS a huge part of the Souls-like experience. It's baked into the very structure of the game.

I don't see why adding an easy option should be a detriment to the game.
Honestly, it's a single player game and if some ppl can't overcome the challenge then it's not fun for them.
(Here's a legendary difficult game)
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

And no! it won't dilute the product because an option is inserted as an example
The original Contra is considered one the hardest game of all time yet we all know of the Konami code that grants 30 lives.
After 30 years, the game is still considered a masterpiece so is the Konami code.

No keep the game the way it is. From creates challenging games but it all relies on the player to understand what he or she is doing. It’s fair in its difficulty.

Games that have artificial difficulty is the ones I dislike. You know the ones that just make enemies take more damage and hit harder but they’re not smarter. I don’t like those.

From creates challenging rewarding games and they don’t need to change their philosophy imo.

Does nobody remember the days of 8bit gaming when you got 3 lives to finish a game (Excluding 1ups). My 10 year old has 100% completion on hollow knight, but he was shocked when I put metroid on the nes for him to have a stab at. Games used to be hard as nails. Now it seems everyone needs all the answers instantly. Learning every attack pattern and how every move is telegraphed to the point where you finally beat that boss you've been stuck on for 2 days is where half the fun comes from

It's a bit like porn vs getting a girlfriend. One is easy and fleeting the other is hard and rewarding... :P

Miyazaki is at his home LHFAO

Remember Tenchu, when if you died at the boss with multiple health bars, you had to replay the entire level? I remember.

Awesome article , i approve.

It's not hard to press L1. This is getting ridiculous.

instead release a patch and make it harder xD
this game sure is tough but i enjoy being killed over and over in it lol

"I don't want this to exist because I'm not going to use it." Current BS landscape for most things. WTF do you care if you're only playing the original way?

Insulting? It's not about you, selfish arse-crack.

I love from software games but by god I hate from software fanboys. The issue of an easy mode in sekiro has really brung the arsehole out in them. Sanctimonious, stuck up pricks. The fact that you care about other people playing a mode that helps them and does nothing to you says it all. Having you as a fan base is insulting.

Actually, the holier than thou response to a pretty reasonable request is insulting. Quit being offended by everything you may not agree with.

No one I asking to make the entire base game easier, they are simply requesting the implementation of an easier mode.

I get that it is contrary to the base structure of this title, and even understand if the request is denied on that very reasoning, but that does not make it okay to respond like this.

Japan takes pride in all of their work. If they serve you something, you are supposed to take it as it is because they see that as the best way to enjoy something. Like if you go to a restaurant in JP and order coffee, you can not make any adjustments to that coffee, or you will offend them and they may claim they don't have any sugar/milk/etc. This is seen as hostile to Americans since everything is self serve, but it's a good thing since it results in higher quality focused products instead of trying to appeal to everyone like in the west. Adding an easy mode goes against that mindset.

every game needs easy mode. none cares if your a maschoist

From Software can go ahead and keep making hard games. Myself, and MANY others, will continue to avoid their games like the plague. There are too many good games nowadays to spend an entire evening trying to beat one boss.

Why not just respect the developers vision? Video games, like puzzles, can be challenging, but that is part of the fun. That feeling of satisfaction you get by beating a boss after several hours, or days, is that much sweeter. If From Software decide to add an 'Easy' mode, I'd hope it would be a 'press X to win' where the game ends after a single button press and the player gets no trophies or achievements.

I got it. Keep the games hard and add an easy mode 1 year later so I can play it on the cheap.

there is already mods that makes it into an easy mode, just play how you want to play the game and not worry about how other people want to play it... sheesh.

Time to Git Gud cause Souls games have only 1 mode and it is the easy mode. What's next asking gamers in PVP FPS games to stand in front of you so you can get a Kill? Souls games have been around for 10yrs now and they only have the easy mode who are these people?

Yeah well I didn't want the T-800 to be lowered into the vat of molten steel. But you don't see me crying "change the movie because I can't enjoy it the way it was made" You as a consumer have the choice to purchase the product they made or to pass on it and as it is not something you'd enjoy. Stop acting like you're a stakeholder in their company because you paid money for something they created for your entertainment.

It does no harm adding easier mode,maybe same dificulty but enemys with lower HP?
or player with double the HP it would normally have.
either way some gamers want to experience the game and its story yet my struggle with certain game types.
likea game having a rpg story with selective chat and one thats chosen for you to keep the story flowing on a mor drect path (witcher and mass effect)

My friends and I, about five or six of us, buy every From game at launch. A big part of the experience is coming into work day after day and discussing our gameplay sessions from the night before. Who beat which boss. How we did it. Which paths we chose to explore. How many times we died. Fundamental to this is the level playing field. Nobody went home and beat it in a night by running through it on easy. While I appreciate this might not be for everyone, I think From know who they are making games for. We're all very passionate about these games. They mean a lot to us and I think it's ok for us to not be happy with the thought of the addition of an easy mode. I realise this is all just speculation and conjecture, but the reasons listed above are why I personally would hate this hypothetical scenario.

Ugh

From Software games are supposed to be challenging.

This is the developers vision and style that fans love them for. If you can't deal with that then you don't respect the original vision of the game and should look elsewhere.

If you want an easy game go find one. There's plenty to chose from.

I hope their next game is even more challenging. They don't need game reviewers to sell their games.

In fact most reviewers are crass anyway.

lol "i better get my superiority badge"

So, since I can beat DMC on Hell and Hell it's insulting to have easier modes then that. Everything lower then it should be removed.

If it's an option, and your not planning to use it... There is no big deal.

The option of an easy mode is like a cheat menu. It's too tempting and would ruin the game, so adding it in would be a serious mistake.

What if I told you that Sekiro is not even a hard mode.

Artistic Freedom

Diversity of games

It goes against these if we ask Devs to change things to fit people.

Its not a good thing.

Beside if you think Seriko is hard you obviously you have not game long enough to know what hard games are like for example Contra or NES Ninja Gaiden.

I have this on my back log to play because when I play it I want to give it all my attention however the solution to this is simple: If the game is too hard for you then either step your game up or just play something else, seems like we've literally just started getting real games again that actually challenge the player and now people are begging for that to go away, nah son.

Writes message,

If only i had a friend...

DS series and Bloodborne had coop that’s why it was enjoyable and people could beat them but Sekiro is balls deep in that difficulty curve with no coop that most people just give up, and that will ruin the game experience so an easy mode is logical

What's really bad is that the youtubers and games media that I actually respect are whining about easy mode too. I lost alot of respect for them over this. They should know better than to ask From to compromise their art.

Am I mistaken, but did people not bitch this much even on the first Demon Souls game? The challenge is part of the allure of From Software games. Either adapt and overcome or trade your copy in. The feeling of elation you get from beating a tough section is unmatched in gaming.

I wonder what kind of reaction these people who demand easy mode will have when they find out that Sekiro actually has a hidden "hard mode" lmao.

It compromises that director's vision. they spend years balancing the game a certain way. It's not like a typical action game, their games are extremely precise. It is never not fair Or hard just to be hard and cheap (cough Nioh cough) You hear a lot of excuses like "well we don't have the time to really sit down and learn it." Get real. go play something else then, that's the trophy generation talking. These games are geared towards a hard core demographic. it should not have to be watered down because people wont apply themselves and learn it just like the rest of us did. It took me 3 tries before I figured out demon souls and realized this game is the real deal. Now I'm hooked on the entire souls series and their games because I put in the time and challenged myself. The reward for hard work is rewarding gameplay and an exhilarating experience.

Oh get fucked wanker.

What would happen if life had an easy mode? Take all the challenge out of the day-to-day struggle and just dumb down all of existence for the weak, tired, or lazy. I'm at least 35 and I grew up playing hard-as-balls NES games like ninja gaiden, contra, mega man series, etc., and I am so irrevocably satisfied that a modern major game publisher still produces a worthwhile challenge and experience which caters to more mature gamers who might not want to have their hands held throughout their gaming experience. Sekiro and other From games are made for a somewhat specific audience, namely those who want to stick it out and be sincerely challenged like gamers used to be. Games used to teach us to think for ourselves, to have good hand-eye coordination and to react quickly and intelligently. Now it's just following orders from cutscene to cutscene. After 30 years of gaming I still kinda suck at most games, but getting the plat on BB and finally beating Sekiro (with a side order of CHEESE, why lie?) made me feel like a real gamer again. Playing either BB or Sekiro on EASY would have robbed me of the accomplishment I felt and thereby circumvent any reason I would have had to pick up that controller, or create that fictional universe in the first place. Gaming should go back to its roots and leave the weak and the chaff in its dust. Survival of the fittest, fellow "humans."

I bought this game at release on steam, loved all the souls games, finished all the souls games. However i decided to refund it after a few hours. Life being what it is nowadays i do not have the time to dedicate to a game that requires this much attention. What i didn't do was moan about it being difficult and say "i want an easy mode". I accepted that unfortunately it's not for me, and went about my day.

you have to take into account that the majority of game players (i am not using the term gamers here) is now the casual crowd. of course they are a little bit upset.

"This is the From Software way, and it’d be wrong for them to lose their unique identity solely because outsiders or naïve admirers want to hop aboard the bandwagon." I stopped reading after this line.

I'm not going to call out the author on this, but rather those who debate the "From Software doesn't need to cave in" fan base. Outside trolling, there are (and will be) gamers who want something different, and will not have an idea what type of games this company (or any others) has created in the past. And before people start arguing YouTube, Twitch, Mixer, etc. just watching someone else play a game from the company isn't really enough to justify how their games actually are. That's like me making a Street Fighter 2 video for someone who never played the series; to find out the game isn't for them because a professional/expert was showing me what they wanted me to see.

If From Software wants to make an easy mode, let them. Not everyone has 40+ hours to dedicate to a game, and sometimes people just want the story, a few other aspects, and to move on. If they like the game, they will replay again on a higher difficulty. It's not always about catering to crybabies who can't play harder games; sometimes it's to cater to those that realize real life comes first.

I've played bloodborne but it was really to hard for me. I'm not going to ask for an easy mode. I see players beating this game like it was nothing. Either i get good or play something else.
I say just name the difficulties.
Easy mode as kids/babies mode
The hard mode as for real men.

At all you haters for an easy mode; GT sports is a so called driving simulator, yet comes with a load of assist options. Does that mean you have to use the assists because others do?? Of course not! See what I mean? If people want to enjoy a game without getting frustrated why would you care as long as you can play it the way developers intended? Especially since Sekiro has no online feature, where as GT does.

People asking for this easy don't have the patience to learn and take the time to enjoy a game.

It's simply allowing for game to be accessible by more people and will have zero impact on the core game or the superfans experience with the game.

Wow, reading through these comment is enough to turn me off fromsoftwares games. You guys are absolute virgins.

And these articles from either side of the argument are boring now.

I don't understand how having an easier mode effects the game for others who don't want it.
You can still play the game the way it was intended and just ignore the easier mode.

Guess it's a reason to make an article....

Edit; reading some of these people's responses as in "it's the developers vision."
That's a crap excuse. You make the normal mode, that's their vision, then they can patch in an easier mode for the players. Their vision hasn't changed...
And people saying "it effects us because we can pick the easy mode as well" learn some self control. /Facepalm

If they do they should do what ninja garden did and put a pink ribbon on you or something else as demeaning for playing on easy

Your op ed decrying the call for more accessibility is insulting. How would more people enjoying the game through an easier play mode ruin your experience with it through the difficult mode?

From Software should focus on getting rid of the frame pacing issues and do optimizations.

Keep it as it is. It's their vision. Imagine this whinging a few decades ago:
"My Rubik's Cube is too hard, design me an easier one 😭" ffs

Honestly there’s nothing wrong with a easy mode, it wouldn’t change the vision of the game and wouldn’t affect development. It would just make it more enjoyable for those that don’t have time to waste dying over and over again in a game. It’s strictly players choice, I think these dark soul fans are grasping at straws in hopes of a similar dark souls sense the series has ended.