DIFFICULTY IN BLOODBORNE

Recently I've gotten back into Bloodborne, last year's infamously difficult PS4 exclusive successor to the Souls series of games. Alike its predecessor, Bloodborne is renowned for being unforgiving. While it is indeed challenging where every mistake is punished, I eventually finished it with ease particularly because I adapted to it early in the opening segments of the game. You could say Bloodborne just 'clicked' with me having found the game callously grotesque but fair. In spite of it all, I feel it should have an "Easy Mode" just as any other game reliant on player skill. 

Consider a scenario where a gamer walks into a game shop and gets awestruck by the box art of Bloodborne. Now for argument's sake let's label him as a 'casual' gamer and do note that, just because one is into Call of Duty/Battlefield doesn't necessarily imply that they can't be into Bloodborne's Victorian Gothic premises. Moving on, said casual gamer having bought Bloodborne plays around for half an hour or so before realizing the game is too tough for him and eventually quits. Basically he has been excluded by virtue of savage difficulty and not because of lack of interest, endurance or commitment. 'Get good' or 'keep trying' isn't a plausible instruction as many don't play religiously as others do. 

What must be comprehended over here is gamers love video games, however not everyone is a masterful player. You and I might dig Bloodborne's aesthetic as it takes us to a daunting trip of the hunt but do realize that Bloodborne takes advantage of this dichotomy by presenting the player with a punishing miasma of a flamboyant nightmare that outnumbers and outmatches your insignificant, blood-starved character both in design and in combat. Not everyone has the capacity to endure such a trial and they are denied entry into Yharnam.

So the big question is whether or not From Software should implement an 'Easy Mode' into Bloodborne. Before answering, heed the idea of completing a game is marked differently to the concept of a game concluding. One implies victory and success, while the other connotes denouement. Did I 'beat' Bloodborne or just experienced its closing chapters? If veterans can demand New Game Plus's crushing difficulty, then all the more reason casual gamers have the right to play under an 'Easy Mode'. Speaking personally, reducing the toughness of the gameplay may dilute the overall impact; however introducing an 'Easy Mode' is not a sacrilegious feature. It's an option, not an enforcement. Matter of fact, it invites new players who were previously excluded with an opportunity to interpret its enigmatic lore and foreboding atmosphere which might be missed by hardcore gamers who have no issue dealing with the 'core' difficulty. This is essentially a win-win situation for all. 

Lastly, video games are pieces of art and a form of entertainment which is all the more reason not to bar off folks from enjoying any game by not enabling the difficulty to be toned down. Video games should inspire debate and interpretation. Do not do the game you love a disservice as your experience is yours and yours alone. Why deny that for someone else?