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The story
Difficulty selection features in RPGs like Dragon Quest sparked debate on 5channel’s Newsoku VIP board. It started with a dismissive comment: “That’s just wrong from the get-go.” A wave of rebuttals followed with “Just don’t use it, then” — but others argued that merely having the option available is the problem, since it plants the thought “if I lowered the difficulty, I could beat this boss easily,” undermining the sense of accomplishment. The thread split sharply between those who think everyone should be able to clear a game and those who believe a sense of achievement only exists because some people can’t clear it, with commenters citing both FromSoftware’s success and Dragon Quest’s declining popularity as evidence.
What people said
Difficulty's fine, but that's not the right kind of difficulty.
Yeah, if something like that existed, I could actually live with it.
No good — the people who can't get it will just complain.
I think 11 had it too, but that was more like an official self-imposed challenge mode, wasn't it?
The whole mindset that 'everyone has to be able to clear it' is just wrong to begin with.
Isn't it better if everyone can clear it?
The people who can't clear it complain more anyway, so it's smoother if the folks who hate difficulty selection just deal with it.
When you're struggling with a boss, the problem is that the thought crosses your mind: "Ah, if I just lowered the difficulty I'd win right away."
"This secret boss is insanely strong — alright, let's grind levels and rethink my gear!… but wait, the guy playing on lower difficulty beats this thing easily too…"
"Wait, does it even mean anything that I worked hard to win this?"
"Wait, why am I even spending my time on this game in the first place?"
That's how it goes bad.
If it's just a matter of self-satisfaction, then whether the option exists or not shouldn't matter.
There's no three-star restaurant that piles condiments on every table, right?
Sorry if there actually is one.
No matter how hard you make it, someone will show up demanding it be even harder, and if you cater to them it all falls apart.
But honestly, I think this nails it.
I want developers to confidently say, 'This is the most fun way to play it!'
This whole mess happens because they lack that confidence.
What's actually wrong with it, though?
Why do you hate it just for having a difficulty option?
Can't you just pick Normal and be done with it?
Games were always built so that the joy of clearing them comes precisely from the fact that some people can't.
I'd think that's just common sense.
That's a mindset from an era when games barely even had proper endings and were just about gameplay.
Modern games are built around story and endings as standard, so if the people who paid for it can't enjoy that, it gets bad reviews.
That's only because you're on the side that can actually clear it, right?
Because you're good at games.
There are people out there who don't have the time, or just aren't good at games.
Easy mode exists for people like that.
And yet people on the 'good at games' side mock easy mode or say 'I'm against adding a feature like that' — that attitude itself is low class.
You could just play on Normal and be done with it.
It's a good thing if adding difficulty options lets everyone clear the game.
People used to RPGs can just play on Normal.
Japanese people trash-talk things instantly, while people overseas praise them.
That's exactly why Japanese people get called low class.
And they're huge hits.
Meanwhile Dragon Quest is on the decline.
Isn't it obvious which approach is right?
That's just because it's full of out-of-touch old fans.
Can't say for sure about that.
But you can't deny it either.
It's just baseless fantasy, so there's nothing to deny in the first place.
Well, coming from the guy fantasizing back in Re: #58…
Exactly this.
Way too many people don't get that feeling.
'No difficulty options means it's properly balanced' is just an illusion.
At the very least the enemy AI routines should change too.
In 11S it actually did change.
And they tweak it so sloppily too.
'We put it right within easy reach, so if you don't like it just don't use it' is nothing but pure laziness from the developers.
This is exactly it, but don't you think way too many people just don't get this feeling?
But games like GTA and that whole genre are massive successes though.
Background and Key Points of the Debate
Whether or not games should offer difficulty selection is a debate that has recurred in the gaming industry before. A prime example is 2019’s “Sekiro,” where FromSoftware’s decision not to include a difficulty option sparked controversy both for and against. The split in this thread comes from the same root: it comes down to a difference in values between those who feel that the mere existence of a selectable option changes the sense of accomplishment and quality of the play experience, and those who believe that as long as you don’t use it, it shouldn’t affect you at all. What readers may easily misunderstand is that this isn’t simply a matter of “coddling versus grit.” As pointed out in post 121, it’s also a question of how much development resources should go into fine-tuning difficulty balance, and it isn’t as simple as post 44’s claim that “skilled players can just play on Normal.” No conclusion was reached in the thread, and it’s worth noting that no evidence was presented directly linking Dragon Quest’s sales trends to its difficulty design.
*This article is compiled and summarized from a 5ch (Newsoku VIP) thread titled “An idiot responds “then just don’t use it” to complaints that “Dragon Quest’s difficulty selection is trash”.”
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