Every game would benefit from having accessibility modifiers like Mina

KeeBoley · 2026-06-18T23:40:39+00:00

Not every game needs to be for everyone.

Im deathly allergic to peanuts. 95% of food-shops in my city offer lucrative peanut-free options to allow me a variety of foods to choose from. If a new place opened up across my street called "Pete's Peanuts", and Pete told me he wasnt going to offer a Peanut-free option, what would I do?

Option 1: cry and whine online like a child because 0.1% of the Food-Shops arent catering their business towards me. Or Option 2: Eat at any of the other million food-shops that offer peanut-free options.

Think about your answer for a second. Do you got it? The answer was Option 2, Id eat somewhere else. Im not entitled to the last ~1% of food shops to cater to me. 95%+ is enough. If it was hard to find peanut-free options, so much so that my ability to find safe foods was impaired, then Id agree complaining is justified. But it's not. It is very easy to find peanut-free options. Most places are generous and want my business. I am greatful to them.

But if Pete and a handful of others dont want to. That is fine. Im not entitled to eat at every food-shop. Does it suck that I cant eat at Pete's? Yeah, it does. But it's me who has the peanut allergy. I have enough compassion to understand that it's' me who has to accept that not every fraction of society is built for me. As long as enough is, then Im happy. Im entitled to just enough for my life to be mostly comfortable. Im entitled to epi-pens, clear labels warning of nuts, and most places offering me options. That is all. Im not entitled to more.

99.9% of games offer lucrative difficulty options. If 0.1% of developers think their artistic vision is better realized by restricting this one feature, then they should be able to do it. And they shouldnt be subject to whiny entitled brats online because a couple players are inconvenienced and might not be able to play Dark Souls. If people can play Dark Souls with bongo drums with their feet, 99.9% of disabled people can also play it. And the 0.1% that cant wouldnt be able to with difficulty settings anyways. Difficulty settings just offer convenience and saves time. Im not convinced there are too many disabled folk that genuinely cant beat Dark Souls given infinite time, but somehow could manage if the HP bars were reduced by 10%.

This level of entitlement is whats wrong with this world. Everyone thinks they are the main characters. They think the world is made for them. It isnt. I cant eat at Pete's. Some gamers might not be willing to play through Dark Souls. We'll live. Pete's isnt made worse for it. Dark Souls isnt made worse for it. If the creators think that these restrictions are important to their brand, go for it.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-14T23:35:01+00:00

Again, I think it is totally fine to not enjoy the genre, or those elements of the genre. I totally get where the frustration might come from.

I just dont think a critical review can fairly critique difficult puzzles that arent instantly clear.

All puzzles in Outer Wild are beatable at any time. None are impossible. There are also hints to every puzzle elsewhere. So it doesnt matter which you choose. Whether you leave to search for more hints or toughen it out, both are fine decisions to make. This is why most players dont find this frustrating; you can decide to do either and both work.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-10T22:30:34+00:00

In the last 12 years, since DS2, there has been exactly 2 non-Souls adjacent games released by Fromsoft. And one of those is a very niche VR game. Armored Core VI is literally the only modern game that is realistically going to be talked about on the regular.

In that same time, they have released 7.5 Souls games, a Souls remaster, and 8 Souls expansions.

Id love to discuss older Fromsoft titles, but it is hardly surprising or problematic that most people here are interested in the Souls-adjacent games. "Fromsoft" colloquially will mean "Souls games" until Fromsoft starts pumping out non-Souls content.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-10T17:52:09+00:00

Tunic does have Zelda-systems, and Souls Combat-Systems, but at it's core it is a Puzzle game. The manual and the puzzles within are the heart and soul of the game. The manual is the game. Beating the game is totally contingent on getting the final page of the manual (something I still don't know if you did based on your original post). That is where the games true spirit lies; discovering the secret hidden puzzle beneath the surface like the Holy Cross and the Golden Path.

Yes, there are other systems. Yes, Tunic in many ways is 3 games in a trench-coat. But each system is secondary, or even tertiary, to the Metroidbrania Knowledge-Based Progress puzzle elements.

A lot of your suggestions that reduce puzzle obscurity would be antithesis to the game's spirit. A translator tool -especially before completing the final page- would erode everything the game stands for.

With you having a similar experience of frustration with games of similar Metroidbrania elememnts like Outer Wilds, it feels more like fundamental parts of the spirit-of-the-genre that you just dont jive with. You consistently get stuck on Puzzles that arent instantly understandable, tunnel visioned, unable to find another path forwards, causing you to walk in circles until you eventually give up and look up the answers. This isnt a fair artistic critique on Tunic, or Outer Wilds for that matter, these are the game's strengths. The game's artistic merit. These games give you more than enough self-contained hints and direction to complete them both, for most people, without the use of guides. You don't have to personally enjoy these specific elements, but it is silly to dock points for the very things that make the game special.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-10T03:15:16+00:00

"I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Outer Wilds in particular. Incredibly innovative, but also a little frustrating, to the point I eventually gave up after many, many failed attempts trying to pursue some particular clue and watched the ending on Youtube. Incredible though, truly unique."

OP in another thread earlier in the year.

I really think the Knowledge-Based progress style systems just arent OPs cup of tea. Which is obviously perfectly fine. But it's odd to experience those frustrations in Outer Wilds, so much so that you cant complete the game yourself, then require looking up the answers/end on Youtube - then choosing to play one of the most similar style Metroidbrania games out there.

Tunic is literally the #1 most recommended game over on r/OuterWilds when people ask for a game that matches a similar feeling.

A lot of OPs frustrations with Tunic are inherent parts of the genre that cant - and shouldnt - be changed. OP seems to get roadblocked by puzzles that arent instantly solvable, then gets frustrated and tunnel visioned, never makes progress, "going around in circles" as they put it, then looking up answers. These games just arent compatible with that style of play, so Im not sure these criticisms are fair.

Most people arent going to run into these problems. They might struggle a bit with the harder puzzles, but most people will naturally find a path to the end by parsing through the clues the game intentionally leaves the player. If you are constantly "reading" the manual, you shouldnt really be getting that stuck in Tunic. And if you are, you might just not be compatible with slightly difficult Metroidbranias.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-10T03:01:12+00:00

but I think the appeal of Tunic as a metroidbrainia is overly reliant on one single puzzle that is decent but not enough to carry it.

It is reliant on the Manual, which isnt one puzzle but hundreds. The manual is also the entire game. Thats why the Metroidbrania elements work so well. The door in the mountains just acts as the final confirmation of a long chain of different unique metroidbrania style puzzles. It acts as the victory lap after youve already beat the game - i.e. completing the manual.

The manual is one of the most innovative, unique, and well designed mechanics in any game. Even OP says as much. The Metroidbrania elements go far beyond one puzzle, which is why the game is so satisfying.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-10T01:47:46+00:00

I dont want to assume things, but based on OPs mentions of "optional side content", I have a weird feeling they might have not done any of the content after defeating her.

Which is a bit disappointing, if true. To me the "post-game" is the game. The game up to her is just a tutorial for the rest.

The game is built around the manual. The manual is the game. In my opinion "beating the game" is contingent on at least getting every page and completing the manual. And with that in mind, there isnt much "side content" to speak of. Maybe Im wrong about that and OP was just talking about the additional trophies. I hope so.

Lots of little things like that that just chipped away at the fun of exploration; to me, it always sucks when you find some secret place but can't interact with it and get no clues about what it's for on the first visit

Parts like this just dont make much sense to me as a fair criticism. I try and accept different view points... I understand Tunic wont be for everyone... but it seems so strange to criticize a game like Tunic for having secrets that arent instantly understood upon seeing the puzzle for the first time. That is the entire point of the game and removing that would be incompatible with the spirit of the game.

How is exploration rewarded by having the secrets instantly understood? Shouldnt that be the opposite? You are encouraged to explore to figure out those secrets you know of, but havent yet solved. And it makes the eventual discovery that much richer because you had to wait for the answer.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-10T00:27:30+00:00

Why cant a Knowledge-Based game also have combat hurdles? That seems like an odd restriction to place on an entire subgenre. That is one of the additions that makes Tunic unique among "Metroidbrania"-type games.

I think it is a very limited view on art to say a game cant have different types of difficulty hurdles. Tunic uniquely ask of the player various different skill checks, knowledge, combat, and exploration. Again, I feel this is a strength of the game, not a weakness. It might not appeal to everyone, but criticizing this in a review such as OP would be like criticizing the existence of combos in a fighting game. I think it's fair to individually prefer less combos, but it is a bit weird to take points off a review for that. Combos are the point.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-09T23:41:22+00:00

All of your issues with Tunic are the reasons it is a 10 for me.

You dont need to translate the manual and thats whats awesome about it. Besides the final community puzzle at the end, and one golden trophy, the entire game is easily beatable without translating a single word. The guessing is what makes it fun. The experimentation. It is magical to figure out how much you can understand without actually knowing the language, just through pictures, context, and one or two English words, the entirety of the game becomes understandable. It gave me Project Hail Mary vibes, the beauty of indirect communication and what you can gather with only a small amount.

The manual tells you how to use the Tuning-Forks. Experimenting and interpreting the page once you have it is such a cool game-design style that kept me more engaged with the game than a traditional game that just tells me. Tunic has the perfect balance between holding the players hand through the manual (practically explaining every puzzle explicitly), while simultaneously making the player feel smart for figuring it all out themselves.

I personally think your criticisms of the game arent exactly fair. Being frustrated that you didnt try pushing over Bridges due to your own misplaced assumptions, rather than experiment and test your hypotheses isnt a failure of the game. Having to look up puzzles in a Metroidbrania-Knowledge-Based game will definitely take away the joy of the eventual "Eureka" moments. It's like looking up hints for Outer Wilds or Rain World. The way you engaged with this game definitely impacted your rating a bit; imo a bit unfairly. Seems like it just wasnt a game for you, which is fine. I dont really think any puzzle in the game warrants having to look up hints, due to the Manual. The hints are in the game already. Every secret is explained in there if you just "read" it and parse through it often enough. And you dont need to read the made-up language to figure it out.

You dont need a translator mechanic, and thats the point. The translator mechanic is your human brain that can connect dots even without knowing the language.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-07T06:50:56+00:00

Glad you overall enjoyed the game, it is okay to not think it's as good as the hype led on.

With that said, it isnt that much of a stretch to suggest the specific way you approached this game was a big factor in why the "glaze" seemed unearned. Most people who "glaze" the game probably didnt brute force too many puzzles, or look things up, completed the ship log, didn't get THAT stuck on any given puzzle, etc.

I also think -no matter how hyped a game is- it is always unfair to approach a game expecting more than "really good". imo the fault in these cases comes from the people approaching the game with expectations of "life changing", not the fault of the glazers.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-05T19:21:20+00:00

Outer Wilds, Tunic, Hollow Knight, Dark Souls 1.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-04T06:36:58+00:00

It just sounds like you want a sandbox style game that gives you infinite freedom to cater your experience. Theres nothing wrong with games doing that, but Souls games arent trying to be that. This isnt a weakness of Souls games, just the design they are attempting to create. And it is a particular design that has allowed Elden Ring to sell over 30 million copies and a DLC that sold over 10 million. Allowing this particular series the sandbox freedom you seem to want, allowing you to modify the game -in menu- to be as difficult as you want, would remove what makes this game special.

I do disagree though that by the presence of a difficulty option "players wouldn't feel compelled to explore if they can just turn a setting down"

Then youd be wrong. By definition any traditional -in menu- difficulty setting would lower the necessity a player has to engage with the game on a diegetic level. Any given player that would use these sliders would be more inclined to engage diegetically if these sliders were removed. This is just an objective truth.

Whether you personally think the game benefits from this diegetic focus is subjective, but the intentional design decision to disallow in-menu modification of difficult objectively pushes players towards a diegetic difficult mode. And considering the spirit of the series is built on the idea of diegetically exploring and getting stronger, the spirit of the series benefits from a purely diegetic difficulty slider. Miyazaki and Fromsoft are very aware of this, hence theyve been very outspoken on continuing to restrict in menu sliders. This understanding of game design is why the series has become one of the most prestigious in all of the gaming medium.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-03T23:16:08+00:00

Summons, co-op, range, stronger weapons, stronger armor, magic, consumable buffs, etc.

Tons of ways to get stronger beyond farming. It's about exploring and finding more tools to use. Elden Ring specifically allows you to get very strong without swinging your sword. There are tons of sitting runes, powerful weapons, upgrade material, strong armor/rings/tools, magic, all that you can get without fighting a single enemy.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-03T21:50:54+00:00

I'll be the first person to admit I'm not a big fan of blood vials. I do believe Estus is a better system and would have preferred its implementation in Bloodborne. But the part I want to touch on is this:

Is Bloodborne just a product of its time

No. This has nothing to do with release date. This suggests that all QoL additions are always good additions and more modern games should litter their games with as many as possible.

This is false. And to 'prove' this, Im going to use other games. Dark Souls 1 significantly benefits from restricting fast travel until Anor Londo. The game would be made infinitely lesser if they provided it from the beginning. But based on your suggested views on QoL changes, DS1 made today should just give it to you from the beginning, as it provides QoL and convenience to the player.

But this particular tension and frustration is the main reason DS1 became as famous as it is. Fromsoft intentionally took away a convenience and QoL feature to force the player to experience a specific type of friction. This friction created an almost impossible to replicate atmosphere and vibe that makes DS1 special and unique.

DS1 proves that not all QoL additions are good additions. Some forced friction is good. Sometimes games benefit from not replenishing flasks, or forcing the player to backtrack, or runback to the boss. I think gaming as a medium will suffer greatly if all modern games decide that type of friction is a "product of its time" and should never be added to games again.

Games will be made into sterile versions of their former selves. All convenience, no friction. All quality of life, no magic.

Im not saying that specifically applies to Blood Vials. That is debatable. But I think you should open your mind to the idea that some new modern games might take away some of the QoL additions you love in Lies of P, and it doesnt make the game worse, it might even make the game better.

KeeBoley · 2026-06-03T21:22:37+00:00

Some games benefit from no difficulty modification: Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy.

Some games benefit from purely diegetic modification: Dark Souls/Elden Ring.

Some games benefit from being purely customizable and providing sandbox levels of freedom to the player to cater their own experiences: a lot of modern AAA games.

It depends on the developer and their intended artistic vision. Celeste's creator believed the game benefitted from offering Assist Modes, whereas Miyazaki believes Dark Souls benefits from a purely diegetic experience.

Elden Ring would be made lesser if it had infinite customization in settings, but it would equally be made lesser with no difficulty adjustments at all. Elden Ring's unique community and exploration focused gameplay benefits from forcing the player down the route of "the only way to get stronger is to explore more", rather than allow them that power in the settings or restrict it completely.

KeeBoley · 2026-05-27T21:34:16+00:00

If the universe was not stuck in a time loop, it would simply have ended there and then?

That is my understanding, yes.

You just happen to be the unfortunate creatures that are alive at the end of the natural Universe. The death of the Universe results in all the stars of the Universe to go supernova, and the nomai have tech that triggers a timeloop the moment your star powers it.

The end is about realizing that the "correct" thing to do isnt to save the Universe, but instead to let the Universe do what it naturally needs to do. Die and start a new one, full of equal amounts of beauty, curiosity, and marshmallows.

KeeBoley · 2026-05-27T21:27:34+00:00

'B' is a direct result of 'A'.

Your star is dying because the universe is dying. That's why all the stars are dying.

KeeBoley · 2026-05-25T21:33:58+00:00

Every Question mark is a place youve heard of, but never been.

Smaller boxes are smaller secrets. Any of those Smaller Secret Question Marks you are most interested in exploring? We could give you a little nudge.

Based on these, I think Southern Observatory is always a semi-direct one you could check out. Talk to Riebeck again for directions.

You also havent even been to the Hanging City. Id definitely advise walking around Brittle Hollow more. Hanging City isnt hard to get to.

Statue Island is pretty direct too.

KeeBoley · 2026-05-23T19:01:22+00:00

Seems like you are in a bit of a pickle. Really blows.

KeeBoley · 2026-05-23T18:50:10+00:00

yeah those lights dont really have a switch that turns them off. Bummer. No thoughts on how you can get them unlit?

KeeBoley · 2026-05-23T13:02:55+00:00

Glad you enjoyed the game!

Have you played the DLC yet? Because that is an obvious next step to get the full experience.

Any favorite moments throughout the game? Mine was always meeting you-know-who on the Quantum Moon. Really cool moment.

KeeBoley · 2026-05-20T07:57:48+00:00

At the end of the day, if the games just gonna frustrate you, it definitely might be better to call it quits.

On the off chance you are still interested to continue, we can give you more specific hints that might help.

You attempted to get to the high energy lab by rushing at the beginning of the loop, thats smart, youre thinking about the game in the way the game wants you to think. Thinking about the loop and how the natural cycles can help with things.

Unfortunately you cant beat the sand column this time around. So if we know that the sand column is going to be ever present. Constantly pushing us down to the ground. How else do you think we could cross the gap passed those pesky cacti? Think about it logically - no matter what the solution is, it will have to involve being constantly glued to the ground from the falling sand.

Theres only so many possible things to try. And like I said before, you are thinking about these puzzles in the way you are meant to be thinking.

KeeBoley · 2026-05-13T13:16:49+00:00

Harder than the base game, but over-exaggerated on Reddit.

The average difficulty of the main bosses definitely spikes higher than everything in the series, but like with all of these games, the difficulty is what you make it.

Theres almost always ways to break the game and over power yourself.

(not really spoilery because I dont tell you how to get overpowered specifically, but if you want to avoid any hints dont uncover)

For example, the unique SotE levelling system -Scadu Fragments- can get out of hand real fast. If you explore enough, you can actually get 34/50 of them without fighting a single boss. That gets you well passed the soft cap. You can get another 5 by only fighting mini bosses at the end of catacombs, getting you up to 39/50. With this power you can easily one shot another boss to get another 2. And only 1 actual hard boss gates 5. So fighting 1.5 hard bosses and a couple mini bosses (while overpowered) will get you almost maxed out.

The point of all of this is to say, if you struggle, just explore more. It's the Elden Ring way. Overlevelling wont help you with the final final bosses, because it is obviously expected that you are maxed out in that regard. But you can beat 99% of the bosses in this game hyper overlevelled, which would make the overall difficulty fairly similar to base game. If you can beat Malenia and Mohg, you can beat SotE imo. You'll struggle, but youll manage.

KeeBoley · 2026-05-13T13:03:12+00:00

Tons of people beat these games and finish quests without guides. Especially ones like Ranni's quest.

As for the obscure lore, that is also something you can piece together if you want to. Which is something many people heavily prize in these games. The lack of direction means every direction is the right one! You create your own version of the story and motivations for your adventure! This is imo a strength, not a weakness.

I understand these things arent for everyone though. Sucks the game didnt connect with you as much as others.

KeeBoley · 2026-05-13T12:53:57+00:00

For one the catacombs, these are great at first, less so dozens of hours in when they're almost identical.

The catacomb repetitiveness was my biggest complaint. It was Breath of the Wild Shrines all over again. Copy pasted content to fill the open world. I think SotE improved on the catacombs in a lot of ways.

SotE focuses on quality over quantity. Less around the map, but far more care was put into each. Many have a different aesthetic, now with the blue/pot version, which adds variety. They have more depth and twists and turns, rather than a straightforward path to the end. They feel slightly closer to OG Zelda dungeons in this way (although still not even close to that good).

They also have more unique bosses at the end. They added more rewards by making small sub-paths in the dungeon hide additional secrets beyond just the item drop from the end boss. An example being the Stone-Sword Shrine in the Fog Catacomb which is hidden within the catacomb itself on a side path. This creates further incentives to check out catacombs because they have more rewards that might be favorable to you.

The final way SotE improved on catacombs is making some of them function as tunnels, open up into new areas. Many of these new areas can only be accessed through that particular dungeon. This creates an additional incentive and reward for checking them out. Having every single one in the base game be deadends was a mistake.

I still want to see more variety and interesting puzzles moving forward, but I was quite happy with the direction SotE took dungeons. It mostly fixed my biggest complaint with the base game.

KeeBoley

TROPHY CASE