The study made several difficult decisions in the debate between the inherent difficulty of a game and the desire for accessibility for the largest number of players.
For some time, when From Software launches a new game, a debate has arisen, encouraged by some media and journalists, about whether they should implement an easy way to ensure that more players can enjoy their titles. Of course, it is a popular topic because there is an angry backlash from the many fans of Miyazaki’s work who argue that there is no need and that his vision is respected, generating heated debates and a lot of visibility and visits. But beyond the superficial, that discussion has generated another conversation about the difference between accessibility and difficulty that Bluepoint has considered when raising its remake of Demon’s Souls.
Difficulty is not the same as accessibility
The study studied the inclusion in an easy way, but they quickly discarded it because it respects the original vision and because they considered that the game is fair in its mechanics and ways of approaching combat and progression, it is not an artificial or capricious difficulty. The concern of the studio was in accessibility, in removing barriers in control or visibility so that nobody finds difficulties added by some specific condition, things like allowing the sound to go from stereo to mono on either side, editing the colors from the interface palette to help those who have trouble seeing some color, sliders for motion blur and other aids that do not affect.
However, there is an “easy way” in Demon’s Souls, although not as such: 180 videos that Plus users can access with an in-game menu and that detail what to do at all times, the best strategies for each boss. In a way there is no difference from going to a guide, speaking in forums or watching a video, but now this is integrated into the game itself, with a pop-up menu that we can use, or not, like any other external resource for when lost. It is the biggest commitment made so that anyone can get the most out of this exquisite remake of the founding stone of the Souls saga.
