Why Dark Souls' notorious difficulty is largely a myth

If video games were gangsters, the Souls series would definitely be regarded to have the most street cred. It's often considered to be the last truly challenging AAA series left in the market. It is also the series with a very passionate fan base known for working together towards peeling off all the layers of the many secrets hidden in the Souls universe.  And despite the series being truly remarkable in many aspects, the perceived insane difficulty of the games remains the most recognizable quality of From Software's creation. The thing is, I've played all the (currently released in the West!) entries of the series except Demon's Souls and I've come to the conclusion that people making generalizations about the difficulty is often a bit misleading. Ultimately, I feel at times that many potential players are discouraged from giving DS a fighting chance based on a rather simplistic way of looking at the games. Since DS III is upon us and I want every game-loving human being to take part in this glorious experience, let's debunk ourselves some myths.

Let me start off by saying that I'm not a gaming ninja secretly bragging about my "hardcore" gaming skills. While I am an avid gamer I also happen to be a disabled gamer. My right hand's flexibility and strength could be compared to this of a 3 years old baby ,one or two years away from mastering proper fine motor skills. What this means in practice is that I'm slow on the right trigger and kind of inaccurate with the right analog stick. Admittedly, this makes games with the traditional Third-Person Perspective less of a problem than FPS'es, for example. At the end of the day, however, I simply cannot consider myself more than an average gamer in terms of my  overall skill. Yet,  The Dark Souls series never seemed to be an impossible challenge. Generally speaking, I might get stuck on a boss for 2 or 3 hours of gameplay but I always prevail one way or another.

My secret to being decent at Dark Souls is that I never bought into the entire "Prepare to Die" marketing slogan. Do I think the Souls games are easy? God no!  Deaths are obviously plentiful in Dark Souls and Yours Truly probably struggles a bit more than your average  hollow warrior. What makes Dark Souls unique is that it's that the path to victory is always clear and attainable, while your mistakes feel minuscule and completely avoidable.  The Souls series' true greatness lies in the ability to always tease you with the prospect of victory at your fingertips. Upon finally beating a difficult boss you are regularly filled with the peculiar realization that the challenge was in fact quite easy and the only obstacle that impeded progress was your own inadequacy.

From Software's sublime game design strategy makes a point to reward methodical play as opposed to demanding pure skill. None of the core mechanics demand physical dexterity; they simply demand patience. The Souls games teach you to take that extra breath between your moves. The players are encouraged to think analytically and think about a difficult encounter in the same way one tends to strategize during a chess game. When you start seeing the game for what it really is, the experience becomes akin to learning a language. You're progressively becoming more "fluent" and what seemed completely foreign to your brain not so long ago suddenly starts making perfect sense. And, as with learning languages, your willingness to power through the initial overwhelming stage is much more important than skill alone.

The moments when a scary boss fight suddenly starts making sense in your head is where Dark Souls games truly shine. I can hardly think of anything more satisfying in modern gaming. Incidentally, this is why I would actually be against introducing an easy mode into Dark Souls.  Adjustable difficulty makes sense for almost all games and the fact that there is backlash against the invulnerable mode in Star Fox Zero is simply ridiculous. As a disabled gamer I know full well that games should always strive to be more accessible. Dark Souls, however, is my only exception to this rule.

The requirement to be methodical in your approach radiates from every element of From Software's design. The game banks on you being analytical and ready to problem-solve. The way Dark Souls games build immersion is inherently tied to your commitment to the game. Introducing an easy mode would give players an option to effectively break the game. We wouldn't be OK with that if it was a game-breaking technical bug and we shouldn't OK with that in terms of breaking the game's internal logic. The developer takes full responsibility for the experience they deliver and a challenge-less Dark Souls is simply not a Souls experience. At the same time, I'm all for a user-created offline easy mod. The customer always have the right to break the game at his or her own risk.

Dark Souls is still not an experience for everyone. While being a lot more accessible than many people assume, the game still requires a fair bit of finger dexterity and might be too much for some gamers. Also, If patience is really not your forte, DS might not be the perfect fit. Despite all this, I really believe that Dark Souls is one of these essential gaming experiences people should have on their bucket lists. Don't let the "Prepare to Die" mantra discourage you, you should definitely  try it out. Dark Souls wants you to develop a reciprocal relationship with it; the more you'll give , the more you'll get in return. If you are ready to commit, Dark Souls won't mind that your skills are sub-par. Every death in DS is a wonderful learning experience that brings you closer to the ultimate goal of conquering the puzzle and slowly unraveling the mystery.  The game teaches you to take a deep breath and slow down in demanding situations. And that lesson, while requiring quite a bit of commitment, may well benefit every one of us in a way that transcends video games.