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This game is too easy. That game is too hard. The real issue is whether or not the game is fun. Difficulty is a fine line to walk. Make an RPG too easy and people complain about the lack of a challenge. If the RPG is too hard, then people will still complain. Creating a balance in the difficulty in RPGs is a challenge for developers. Where is the fine line between challenging and annoying? I've touched on this briefly in another editorial, but I want to focus more on the challenge of creating the perfect balance when it comes to RPG difficulty.
When I play an RPG, I generally don't want to be spoon-fed. I don't want to just press the A button mindlessly for the entire game and succeed. However, on the other hand I don't want to get mad at the game, because I don't feel like I'm getting a fair and balanced gameplay experience. I can understand that some RPGs are made to be friendly to first time players. That's understandable, but why should hardcore gamers not have an option to increase the difficulty? Some games do offer an in-game option of changing battle speed or play modes, such as the recent Final Fantasy XII. The game was much more difficult in Active mode with higher battle speeds. Not extremely difficult, but the ability to make that adjustment was a nice addition. It seems a much better option than having an Easy and Hard option at the beginning. Difficulty settings are nice for some games, but most RPGs would seem awkward with that kind of setup, though some of them do offer it. It just doesn't seem natural for an RPG, though in-game options are nice.
Along with the issue of some games being too easy, there are also games are that can be very unforgiving. For example, a game that allows you to put a couple of hours into a dungeon and doesn't give you an opportunity to save your progress can be very annoying. Yes, I'm talking to you Final Fantasy III. Without spoiling anything, let me just say that the final dungeon can be frustrating if you haven't built your characters up just right. This kind of difficulty walks the fine line between challenging and annoying. If you are prepared well enough, then you can plow right through this baby with few problems, but the fact that you reach a point of no return is just annoying. I can understand not wanting to make the game too easy by allowing you to defeat a boss or two and then leave to save your progress, but there is a point in the game where you can't go back at all. You are in it for the long haul, ready or not. Maybe the option of returning out, but having to work your way through all of the bosses again would have been a better path to take, but it wasn't. While the rest of the game is more challenging than annoying, the final dungeon has been a sore point for many gamers. For the hardcore gamers, they will just suck it up and do what is needed to complete the game, but the annoyance factor could well deter many. It is a fine line that developers must walk, so we just have to live with the decisions they have made for us. I, for one, want to make my own decisions.
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