all-knight-party

That’s a good example. You simply can’t grasp optimal choices or know possible events and outcomes before going through it a great deal of times, and it’s likely that you’ll get killed too fast to experience much if you start on normal. You definitely end up switching to normal as you improve, learn, and unlock, but it really benefits and smoothens the learning curve to start easier.

Playing on easy doesn’t mean you don’t want to play. Or at least, that’s not my personal experience when I put games on easy, which is not always.

I’ll throw out two examples. Age of Empires 2. I suck ass at real time strategy, so I put the bots on easiest. What this gives me is the experience and feeling of building up my faction, gathering resources, making upgrades, feeling later like those upgrades were smart (which I wouldn’t get on harder difficulties as my actual poor choices would backfire and punish me), and then I get to conquer my enemies with my large army.

I still got to build something up from nothing, create a satisfying army, utilize what I made to conquer. I got something out of it that I wouldn’t have if I played on normal. I would’ve struggled and likely lost. I might’ve just as likely actually risen above the challenge and came away with a more satisfying, but hard fought win, but I have challenging and hard fought wins at work every day. I don’t need that in a genre I’m only a tourist in at home. I have Monster Hunter for that.

I put Gundam Breaker 4 on easy, the combat is satisfying on a surface level, but too precise and finicky as the challenge rises. I enjoy the combat still, on a smaller scale, but I moreso enjoy acquiring gear and making a Gundam that looks a certain way. The things I enjoy more about the game are facilitated by easier combat, I can get to those parts more easily, but still enjoy the combat.

It’s really the kind of game that either requires a significant in-game tutorial and very long ramp up (and you’re right, even with all the info in the current tutorial it’s not all inclusive) or it requires someone to bounce questions off of, which is the far superior way to learn, even though it’s far less accessible.

Once you’ve learned it, though, I actually don’t think it’s all that complicated, it’s just such its own beast that someone coming from nothing would have a hard time wrapping their head around the whole loop and all of the systems, but once you do one time it’s like riding a bike.

The pause menu in Rise is if you press start, it’s the bottom option on one of the menu tabs, it’ll only show mid mission, so trying to find it in the village is pointless. But if you found a workaround that works too.

Also, yes, the free game breaking gear with no clear indicators is fucking stupid. I understand why it exists, but it trivializes the experience for so many new players due to the way its implemented that I think it should never have been created. I get wanting to get to end game fast if you’ve done it before, but the consequences are absurd.

I love this series. First played 4 Golden on the Vita, and it was really something that connected with me. I loved the combination slice of life and intriguing mystery, and the characters and voice acting really drew me in. It took me years to actually finish that game, and I’m about halfway through 3 Reload and 5 Royal as well.

However, biggest thing we need to mention here? The soundtracks. Holy fucking shit, these games have the best OSTs I ever damn heard, as someone who plays bass and loves acid jazz and other adjacent music every game hits the spot in different ways.

Dead Cells released in a state that felt pretty complete to me, so I just appreciate all the extra content, especially the free updates. It’s a game that’s so good I’m glad it got such loving support, because the core is so fantastic that I really did just want some more levels and items to increase replayability.

I think it’s okay for it to end now. I’d also think it was okay if the devs kept going, but it’s in a place where it’s got enough content that it can end here and I’m okay with that.