Readers’ Opinion: Should All Games Have an Easy Mode?

Readers’ Opinion is a place to share your thoughts in the comments section below. We’ll feature our favorite replies in the next installment.

“Git gud.” That’s the familiar refrain taunting anyone who has the audacity to struggle with a video game. We’ve been told to git gud at Dark Souls, git gud at the recently released Sifu, and now we’re inevitably going to be told to git gud at Elden Ring. But should we git gud? Or should each game be as accommodating to new players as possible?

There are some who will start foaming at the mouth at the mere mention of inserting an easy mode into Dark Souls. It’s not the way the game is meant to be played, they say. Making things easier will defeat the entire point of it. If you don’t see the words ‘You Died’ at least 10 times before you figure out how to beat the Asylum Demon then you might as well get a flight to Japan and spit on Hidetaka Miyazaki yourself.

However, many of the most difficult games are about more than just how tough it is to beat them. Take Bloodborne, for example — a game I’ve bounced off more times than I care to mention, but with a Lovecraftian world I’d probably love if I could just get past my frustrations with Soulslikes. I’m not ashamed to admit that, if Bloodborne were to add an easy mode that would let me just experience its world with minor pushback, I’d hop back in.

Obviously, things aren’t as easy than just lowering enemies’ health and being done with it. Game development is tough and so an easy mode isn’t always achievable. But, in this hypothetical scenario, would you prefer it if easy modes were at least always an option? Or would you prefer it if games like Dark Souls, Sekiro, et al stuck to their guns and remained as brutal as they always have been?

As always, let us know in the comments section.

You said…

Last time we asked which classic series you’d like to see make a return to PS5.

Brian Gieseke said…

I think Sony needs to make a strong statement by pumping money into the Resistance franchise again. Give it a very strong outing to counter Halo and possibly losing COD in the future. A high quality FPS is, in my opinion, the only thing missing from Sony’s strong contingent of exclusives. I may be one of the few, but I would love a strong 10+ hour linear campaign from a shooter like Resistance. I’m tired of shooters either foregoing a campaign or giving me a barebones 6 hours.

SwinnyUK wrote:

I still want Metal Gear Rising 2. I cherish the original. In general I prefer games that I can cherish. I’m not in this for mere launch days/or launch weeks. I want something that I can play for a long time. Ironic that the length of MGR was a hot button issue, and yet unlike the endless supply of 100 hour long open worlds, you can essentially play it forever. That’s my kind of game, and in general I’d like to see more of that on PS5. I know a bunch of people think that’s weird, but it isn’t so strange for a game to be played for a long time… think Golf and Football, right? I think that any game worth a damn as a game is worth replaying. In fact, it’s essential. As Platinum says, your first play through is the tutorial. The real game begins after that. I love that mentality, and I miss it dearly. And that’s not to suggest that other types of games are inferior, I’m only talking about my preferences here.

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