Top game producer

Renowned game developer Carrot: "\u003cSekiro: Shadows Die Twice\u003e Needs an Easy Mode":

"At the Windmill Game Show, the highly anticipated action game \u003cSekiro\u003e finally made its debut. Stone's gameplay recording perfectly showcased the game's charm.

From a personal perspective, I really like this game. Whether it's the character design, art style, scene design, combat system, etc., they are all excellent.

However, it has one major problem: it's too difficult!

Because of the game's high difficulty, most players may not even see the excellent content I mentioned above!

What do players want? They want smooth kills, cool and gorgeous sword clashes like in the trailers. They definitely don't want to die dozens of times against even the simplest mini-boss in the game. As for the bosses, it goes without saying. Judging from the feedback from the on-site demo, only one player out of hundreds managed to defeat the Red Oni on the first day, and the Corrupted Monk is even a level harder than the Red Oni. I think this level of difficulty is extremely unreasonable—you can't expect everyone to have the skills and learning ability of a streamer like Stone, who can quickly master the game's techniques.

Of course, if they have enough time, I believe players can also defeat the bosses in the game by honing their skills, but what about office workers who don't have much time to play games? After they get home, they get repeatedly abused by a boss for one or two hours, and still can't beat it, then get abused again the next day, and the day after that? Then they die hundreds of times, get frustrated for a week, and finally beat... one boss?

With that time, they could beat another game!

For me, dying 10 times to a boss is the acceptable limit.

Players in the past may have had the patience to repeatedly grapple with a game, but that was when entertainment was extremely scarce. But now? Players are faced with a dazzling array of games, and they can pick and choose as they please. Why should they play this self-inflicted torture game?

To put it more extremely, some players may have physiological defects that prevent their operating skills from meeting the game's requirements. As long as they are a little lacking in reaction, speed, or judgment, these people will probably never be able to beat the game unless they watch videos.

I understand Wang Jian's production ideas. He may want to create a memorable hardcore action game, but there's a reason why games are getting simpler and simpler now. This is the result of a two-way choice between players and producers. Going against the trend is destined to end in obscurity.

I can say with certainty that if \u003cSekiro\u003e is still this difficult in the official version, the game's sales will be extremely dismal.

Therefore, my suggestion is to add an easy mode to the game so that all players can beautifully kill bosses and feel the charm of \u003cSekiro\u003e, while those players who have plenty of time and like high-difficulty challenges can continue to enjoy the fun of challenging difficulties.

Does a simple difficulty conflict with a difficult difficulty? Of course not!

Like the famous game \u003cEscape from Hell\u003e, there are a total of eight difficulty levels, from Easy to Normal, Hard, Challenge, Crazy, Doomsday, Demon Mayhem, and Hell Party. For the later difficulty levels, every time you increase a level, the monsters' health, attack, and defense will increase exponentially, the number of elite boss monsters will also increase, and even the mobs have various special affixes. Although the game has attracted many hardcore players because of its high difficulty, low-level players can also have fun.

I saw in the debate about the difficulty of \u003cSekiro\u003e that some supporters put forward such an opinion: Why should \u003cSekiro\u003e be designed to be so difficult? It's like a towering and steep mountain peak. Only those who have gone through hardships and climbed to the top can enjoy the most beautiful and magnificent scenery. That sense of accomplishment cannot be replaced by a simple difficulty.

I think the opposite is true. A simple mode will not make the game worse.

Those who really like to challenge high difficulty will not give up their pursuit of climbing the peak because the game provides a simple mode. They know what they want. If they give up the challenge because of the simple mode, then it has nothing to do with the difficulty. It can only be said that their desire to win is not strong enough.

A simple mode is really very simple. You only need to slightly adjust the damage of both the enemy and us."

Carrot's article analyzed the situation in a logical and orderly manner, and also put forward his own suggestions, which quickly received the support of many players!

Players ran to Wang Jian's Weibo and shouted: "Wang Jian, come and take a look at this!"

"Wang Jian, please make \u003cSekiro\u003e easier, take care of us handicapped players, I also want to do cool stealth kills!"

"Yes, yes, isn't it just adding a simple mode? Just reduce the damage of the monsters a little!"

Wang Jian opened Weibo and looked at the comments from these players below, and was also extremely speechless!

The difficulty of \u003cSekiro\u003e is already part of the game design. How can it be as simple as "changing the damage"?

For example, in the demo, the arquebusier hidden on the high platform on the side of the city gate, if the player does not notice his existence and directly goes into battle, and is attacked by the arquebusier when fighting with the samurai, it is easy to die.

Learning from this lesson, players will know that when entering a new map, they need to carefully observe the environment to see if they can find opportunities for stealth kills, and learn to use their brains to defeat them one by one.

If you jump to the high platform to assassinate the arquebusier, the noise will be discovered by the mobs below, but if you assassinate him while clinging to the wall and throw his body down, it will not. This allows you to continue to use the grappling hook to fly to the tree trunk above and assassinate the last mob.

If players can discover this, they can completely solve most of the monsters through assassination.

When Stone defeated the Corrupted Monk, he used the maple tree to jump and avoid attacks, and found an instant opportunity for stealth kill, which made the scene look so tense, exciting, and hearty.

If the monster's damage is reduced, the players won't care at all, and can they still experience these ingenious designs?

Discovering difficulties, learning to think, and making progress will also eliminate the fun of gradually overcoming the game's difficulties.

He directly posted a dynamic reply: "I have seen everyone's ideas. The difficulty in the demo does not represent the final difficulty of the finished product. Don't be misled by the demo.

Because the production is not yet complete, some content has not been reflected. In fact, the Corrupted Monk in the demo is not in complete form. He still has a few moves that he hasn't used."

The players originally nodded with relief when they saw the first sentence. Wang Jian really listened to the opinions and immediately made corrections after seeing everyone's opinions.

But when they saw the second sentence, they suddenly rubbed their eyes in disbelief, wondering if they had seen it wrong?

What, not complete form, still has a few moves that he hasn't used?

"What does this mean? The official version of \u003cSekiro\u003e will not become easier, but will become more difficult?"

"Damn you, I'm not buying it, I'm going to play games, not be played by games!"

"I beg you, Wang Jian, please be a human being!"

Amid the players' wailing and complex emotions, the time for \u003cSekiro\u003e to be released was approaching day by day!