Khazan Dev Addresses Souls-like Difficulty; Says Games Should Be Engaging Not Exhausting

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Says Players Will Quit If Games Are Too Frustrating!

Story Highlight
  • Junho Lee, the creative director of The First Berserker: Khazan, says games should be engaging, not exhausting.
  • If the challenges aren’t rewarding enough, the experience becomes frustrating, and players quit.
  • The director recently made adjustments to the RPG, adding an easy difficulty.

Soulslike titles have become a norm in the gaming world, with many RPGs being 30-hour adventures today that pit you against one hard boss after another. Phantom Blade Zero and Wuchang Fallen Feathers are just two of the major AAA titles set to follow the formula.

The Soulslike genre produces hits and misses every year, with some failing to capture the magic while others succeeding in finding the balance. The right amount of difficulty is the key to an RPG succeeding today, and the director of the upcoming The First Berserker: Khazan knows this very well.

Why it matters: Gamers have been complaining about difficulty recently, so it’s good to see a developer acknowledge that aspect of Soulslike titles.

The First Berserker: Khazan
The First Berserker: Khazan added an easy mode recently.

While talking to GamesRadar about the upcoming RPG, creative director Junho Lee said that he wants the experience to be fun as the purpose of games is to be engaging, not exhausting.

Lee commented that The First Berserker: Khazan won’t be easy, and overcoming challenges will be difficult. However, it won’t be unfair and will reward the players according to the challenges they face, keeping the experience engaging.

The creative director said that balance is key, and if the high-risk challenges don’t reward the players enough, the experience becomes frustrating and exhausting.

Games are meant to be engaging, not exhausting. If stress keeps piling up without relief, players will eventually want to quit.

As per Lee, if Khazan fails to get the balance right, gamers will want to quit as they’ll feel stress instead of relief. Hence, he doesn’t want his RPG to be overly punishing and lose meaning.

The First Berserker Khazan
The First Berserker: Khazan Boasts A Pleasing Cell-Shaded Aesthetic

The First Berserker: Khazan changed some features recently due to fan feedback, adding an easy mode to the game and difficulty adjustments ahead of release. Furthermore, if you die too many times while fighting a boss, you can lower the difficulty. 

Do you think video games are becoming too difficult, and should they be easier? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum to read more.

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