"We play different games for different reasons" should feel like such an obvious thesis - and yet not enough people say it; not this well anyway. Great piece on difficulty being in the hand of the beholder!
"I play different games for different reasons, and that's okay." You're really in the habit of hitting the nail on the head. Great juxtaposition, by the way: Demon's Souls and The Evil Within. Many people associate Souls games with frustration, and while I get that, I find TEW extremely frustrating, but (aside from some bosses) not Souls games. Merely talking about it makes me wanna boot up Demon's or Dark Souls, but I hate playing TEW. One's pure bliss, one's a chore, different folks, different strokes. I used to be an okay gamer, I think - I beat Super Star Wars on the SNES seven times in a row just for shits and giggles -, but those days are long gone, the hand-eye coordination and the reflexes aren't up to snuff anymore. What I love about Souls games is that they're hard as hell, but they allow you to alleviate that difficulty by playing smart and taking your time. (So as you can probably imagine, I stick to watching Sekiro playthroughs instead of playing it myself. ^^) BTW, world tendency in Demon's Souls can easily be considered BS. No, they don't explain it to you. I love Fromsoft's almost compulsive obscurity because they want you to discover everything for yourself, from the levels to the lore to the underlying mechanics. I for one like the world tendency concept, I even like it being a mystery you have to work at understanding (or look it up). Same with Dragon's Dogma's Dragonsplague: I think teasing a mechanic but *not* explaining it - although that mechanic can royally f§%$ you over and ruin your whole f§%$ing game! - absolutely does have its merits. It's enriched my playing experience, and I'm really glad I got to play the game at release when nobody knew anything substantial and countless rumors floated around, it was almost a communal experience. Now that the concept got nerfed to oblivion and everybody knows the minutiae, it wouldn't be the same. World tendency, Dragonsplague, I love these ideas because they're so deliberate, and in both cases I get why they did what they did. Hats off to them for having a pair! But I also get that some people feel they've been taken for a ride. Either way you feel about it: Bold choices like these make a game stand out, at least as long as you don't know much about the controversial concept in question. Demon's Souls was released 15 years ago, and we're still talking about world tendency and if they should've removed it from the remake. Anyway, great video as always, and I'm still waiting for this channel to take off the way it deserves. Just keep it up!
Exactly! I remember you saying you weren't a fan of The Evil Within, and I totally get that. As you said, different strokes for different folks, which goes beyond baseline enjoyment and into how much we want to be pushed. I think that's super cool and contributes to the eclecticism of the medium. Glad to hear I wasn't just missing everything, haha. I'm with you, I really like mechanics to be left nebulous sometimes. I may not always agree with a particular mechanic, but I enjoy when elements of a game aren't blatantly explained. There's just such a mysticism to these games that I enjoy so much. Communal experiences like that are so cool! I couldn't agree more. Whether or not it works for me, I love a game that takes a risk or two. It could end up being the best thing you've played. Those are the games that will be discussed for years to come. Thanks so much, Zorro. I'm truly thankful for your insightful comments. This is exactly why I wanted to make videos like these. We're gonna blow up one of these days, I can't wait!
Nice video as usual Wilson :) I personally stray away from hard games as they always feel like a big commitment. When I do occasionally play them it definitely feels rewarding but the fear of the next big 'unsurmountable obstacle' is intimidating and a put off. Regardless, good vid :) keep it up
Thanks as always, Luka! I don't blame you man. My desire to play really hard games has dropped off quite a bit. That kind of surprises me, given your knack for platinum trophies, although I guess getting those doesn't necessarily have to be super difficult.
Elden Ring and Sekiro were what broke me from Souls/Souls-likes. I just don't have the patience or time to "git gud" anymore, especially not with being a new father and such. Been gaming for 31 years now, it's my favorite hobby other than reading, and I'd like to still enjoy it.
Thank you so much for saying that!! It makes me really happy to hear that sometime digs the moments where I'm not speaking. I try to put a lot of thought into those when editing, so thanks for commenting on that :)
@@Wilson-108 oh you nailed it. Too many people (imo) fill the entire video with noise. Sometimes less is more, gives us time to digest whats being said/shown too
Thank you so much, as always, Biff! I'm really grateful to have you watching. I'm still brainstorming for the next video, having a bit of trouble picking this next one...
You could take a look at more cozy, relaxing games(might be nice after Demon’s Souls) if they’re something you’re interested in! But I’m sure no matter what you decide to do it’ll be great!:)
Difficulty is important for some games like in the case of Souls-like, where the difficulty is a narrative device. Especially when diving into the lore of some of these enemies and bosses, if they were easy, it wouldn't sell their plotlines correctly. Also, I'm not a dad, but I'd love my kids to play games the day I become one. Specifically difficult ones like souls-likes, cause I think they teach the idea of perseverance through failure very well. School often shames you for failing and kids sometimes lose the ability to want to try frequently till they get it right, I think games like this hold great psychological value for how people can view success and failure.
The concept of difficulty being intertwined with narrative is really interesting to think about. More games should implement some kind of mechanic dealing with that! I'm right there with you man, I can't wait to raise my future kids(s) with games, assuming I ever have any. I think we can learn a lot from games.
I gave up on Lies of P, got it refunded. Did not get a refund after I gave up on Sekiro though. THanks for the great video again! Still love the content Wils!
Thanks as always, Noble!! I've got Lies of P waiting on the shelf, we'll see what I think about that one... I'm still too scared to attempt Sekiro, haha.
Demon Souls never felt as hard as, say, Sekiro 😅 maybe its because its easily cheeseable or because ive had enough practice with these games, SOMETIMES they can be like second nature anyway. I know the jist, so I just do it ... Unless its Radahn at the end of the Elden Ring DLC... Still havent beat him....
Sekiro is the only recent From game that I haven't attempted (I also haven't played Elden Ring yet, but I will 100% get to that). Maybe I'll try it someday, but man, it really intimidates me. Overall, barring some early game struggles, Demon's Souls wasn't too bad for me. I think the hardest From game is whichever you play first, haha.
@@Wilson-108 Yes, maybe I will give it another try later, I've played a lot of souls games like nioh, Bloodborne, sekiro, the surge, etc that's basically my favorite genre
Demon's Souls is easily my least favorite FromSoft souls game. I may revisit it if they bring the remaster to PC, but until then, and despite its very unique atmosphere, in the end I just didn't have a very good time with it, nor did I vibe with most of its gimmicks very much.
I loved playing through it, but I think it may be my least favorite. Having the game split into distinct levels was surprisingly underwhelming to me. That being said, I still really dug it, could be worth checking out if the remake does come to PC eventually!
Games can be as hard as they want as long as everything else can appeal to people, stumbling thru hollow knight and Celeste is way more fun than from soft games will ever be for me and it comes down to I like platformers.
Yup, all a matter of personal taste! I love platformers too, but others won't touch them. That's part of what I love about this medium! Thanks for watching, as always, Lunar :)
More criminally underrated S tier content from Wilson :)
Why thank you, madame :)
"We play different games for different reasons" should feel like such an obvious thesis - and yet not enough people say it; not this well anyway. Great piece on difficulty being in the hand of the beholder!
Thank you very much, Arf! I greatly appreciate the kind words.
Looking forward to your next video!
"I play different games for different reasons, and that's okay." You're really in the habit of hitting the nail on the head. Great juxtaposition, by the way: Demon's Souls and The Evil Within. Many people associate Souls games with frustration, and while I get that, I find TEW extremely frustrating, but (aside from some bosses) not Souls games. Merely talking about it makes me wanna boot up Demon's or Dark Souls, but I hate playing TEW. One's pure bliss, one's a chore, different folks, different strokes. I used to be an okay gamer, I think - I beat Super Star Wars on the SNES seven times in a row just for shits and giggles -, but those days are long gone, the hand-eye coordination and the reflexes aren't up to snuff anymore. What I love about Souls games is that they're hard as hell, but they allow you to alleviate that difficulty by playing smart and taking your time. (So as you can probably imagine, I stick to watching Sekiro playthroughs instead of playing it myself. ^^)
BTW, world tendency in Demon's Souls can easily be considered BS. No, they don't explain it to you. I love Fromsoft's almost compulsive obscurity because they want you to discover everything for yourself, from the levels to the lore to the underlying mechanics. I for one like the world tendency concept, I even like it being a mystery you have to work at understanding (or look it up). Same with Dragon's Dogma's Dragonsplague: I think teasing a mechanic but *not* explaining it - although that mechanic can royally f§%$ you over and ruin your whole f§%$ing game! - absolutely does have its merits. It's enriched my playing experience, and I'm really glad I got to play the game at release when nobody knew anything substantial and countless rumors floated around, it was almost a communal experience. Now that the concept got nerfed to oblivion and everybody knows the minutiae, it wouldn't be the same.
World tendency, Dragonsplague, I love these ideas because they're so deliberate, and in both cases I get why they did what they did. Hats off to them for having a pair! But I also get that some people feel they've been taken for a ride. Either way you feel about it: Bold choices like these make a game stand out, at least as long as you don't know much about the controversial concept in question. Demon's Souls was released 15 years ago, and we're still talking about world tendency and if they should've removed it from the remake.
Anyway, great video as always, and I'm still waiting for this channel to take off the way it deserves. Just keep it up!
Exactly! I remember you saying you weren't a fan of The Evil Within, and I totally get that. As you said, different strokes for different folks, which goes beyond baseline enjoyment and into how much we want to be pushed. I think that's super cool and contributes to the eclecticism of the medium.
Glad to hear I wasn't just missing everything, haha. I'm with you, I really like mechanics to be left nebulous sometimes. I may not always agree with a particular mechanic, but I enjoy when elements of a game aren't blatantly explained. There's just such a mysticism to these games that I enjoy so much. Communal experiences like that are so cool!
I couldn't agree more. Whether or not it works for me, I love a game that takes a risk or two. It could end up being the best thing you've played. Those are the games that will be discussed for years to come.
Thanks so much, Zorro. I'm truly thankful for your insightful comments. This is exactly why I wanted to make videos like these. We're gonna blow up one of these days, I can't wait!
@@Wilson-108 "We're gonna blow up one of these days, I can't wait!" Love your enthusiasm, Wilson! 😂
Haha, gotta keep the "glass half full" mentality going
Nice video as usual Wilson :)
I personally stray away from hard games as they always feel like a big commitment. When I do occasionally play them it definitely feels rewarding but the fear of the next big 'unsurmountable obstacle' is intimidating and a put off.
Regardless, good vid :) keep it up
Thanks as always, Luka!
I don't blame you man. My desire to play really hard games has dropped off quite a bit. That kind of surprises me, given your knack for platinum trophies, although I guess getting those doesn't necessarily have to be super difficult.
Elden Ring and Sekiro were what broke me from Souls/Souls-likes. I just don't have the patience or time to "git gud" anymore, especially not with being a new father and such. Been gaming for 31 years now, it's my favorite hobby other than reading, and I'd like to still enjoy it.
Whoa, a new father?? Congratulations, I'm very happy for you!
You've got more important things to do than gitting good, haha.
@@Wilson-108 Thank you, man!
a game is too hard when you throw a controller against the wall while fighting a monkey that throws feces at you... Oh wait that's just Sekiro.
Haha, you know you've gone too far when the controller starts getting thrown!
Absolute masterful editing here. Love the little bits of downtime between some of your points I'm a sucker for that stuff. SO good
Thank you so much for saying that!!
It makes me really happy to hear that sometime digs the moments where I'm not speaking. I try to put a lot of thought into those when editing, so thanks for commenting on that :)
@@Wilson-108 oh you nailed it. Too many people (imo) fill the entire video with noise. Sometimes less is more, gives us time to digest whats being said/shown too
Great video! Your editing is noticibly improving!
Thanks so much dude! That's really encouraging to hear.
Looking forward to your next video!
Another amazing video!:)
Your editing is incredible and the topics you cover are always interesting and I can’t wait to see what you put out next!
Thank you so much, as always, Biff! I'm really grateful to have you watching.
I'm still brainstorming for the next video, having a bit of trouble picking this next one...
You could take a look at more cozy, relaxing games(might be nice after Demon’s Souls) if they’re something you’re interested in!
But I’m sure no matter what you decide to do it’ll be great!:)
That's great idea! Definitely want to tackle cozy games in a video (I love those kinds of games) :)
I think a game is too hard when it beats you
Great vid!
Ooh I like that, well said, Zander! Thank you very much!
Another well done video from Mr Wilson
Thank you so much, Gino!! Means a lot :)
Difficulty is important for some games like in the case of Souls-like, where the difficulty is a narrative device. Especially when diving into the lore of some of these enemies and bosses, if they were easy, it wouldn't sell their plotlines correctly. Also, I'm not a dad, but I'd love my kids to play games the day I become one. Specifically difficult ones like souls-likes, cause I think they teach the idea of perseverance through failure very well. School often shames you for failing and kids sometimes lose the ability to want to try frequently till they get it right, I think games like this hold great psychological value for how people can view success and failure.
The concept of difficulty being intertwined with narrative is really interesting to think about. More games should implement some kind of mechanic dealing with that!
I'm right there with you man, I can't wait to raise my future kids(s) with games, assuming I ever have any. I think we can learn a lot from games.
Bro u are so underrated man
Thank you so much, I really appreciate you saying that!
How do you have so little views while pumping out such great content?
Now that, my friend, is a great question ;)
Support from people like you is what helps the channel grow! I really appreciate you watching :)
I gave up on Lies of P, got it refunded. Did not get a refund after I gave up on Sekiro though.
THanks for the great video again! Still love the content Wils!
Thanks as always, Noble!!
I've got Lies of P waiting on the shelf, we'll see what I think about that one...
I'm still too scared to attempt Sekiro, haha.
Give me more difficult souls games. I will honestly play these games as long as I live.
I'm right there with you! What are your favorite non-From Software Soulslikes?
@@Wilson-108 I very much enjoyed Lies of P.
Then you should git gud in your real life.
@nifftbatuff676 Only getting better with each passing day brother.
Very nice, I'm looking forward to playing that one!
Demon Souls never felt as hard as, say, Sekiro 😅 maybe its because its easily cheeseable or because ive had enough practice with these games, SOMETIMES they can be like second nature anyway. I know the jist, so I just do it ...
Unless its Radahn at the end of the Elden Ring DLC... Still havent beat him....
Sekiro is the only recent From game that I haven't attempted (I also haven't played Elden Ring yet, but I will 100% get to that). Maybe I'll try it someday, but man, it really intimidates me. Overall, barring some early game struggles, Demon's Souls wasn't too bad for me. I think the hardest From game is whichever you play first, haha.
I stopped playing that game because of the levels, I felt they were unfair and unnecessarily difficult.
I felt that way sometimes too! Totally understand why you'd want to stop. Have you enjoyed any other From Software games?
@@Wilson-108 Yes, maybe I will give it another try later, I've played a lot of souls games like nioh, Bloodborne, sekiro, the surge, etc that's basically my favorite genre
Demon's Souls is easily my least favorite FromSoft souls game. I may revisit it if they bring the remaster to PC, but until then, and despite its very unique atmosphere, in the end I just didn't have a very good time with it, nor did I vibe with most of its gimmicks very much.
I loved playing through it, but I think it may be my least favorite. Having the game split into distinct levels was surprisingly underwhelming to me. That being said, I still really dug it, could be worth checking out if the remake does come to PC eventually!
Games can be as hard as they want as long as everything else can appeal to people, stumbling thru hollow knight and Celeste is way more fun than from soft games will ever be for me and it comes down to I like platformers.
Yup, all a matter of personal taste! I love platformers too, but others won't touch them. That's part of what I love about this medium!
Thanks for watching, as always, Lunar :)
@@Wilson-108 thanks for making the great content, I'm just doing my part to get you famous like you deserve 😉
Haha, we'll get there eventually!
Wilson play Elden Ring u nerd
Just you wait, that's gonna make for a great vid ;)