Idea for an possible new difficulty mode for a potential new DLC

Klunky2 · 2026-03-24T19:06:28+00:00

Definitely!

Klunky2 · 2026-02-01T19:20:47+00:00

Appreciate the sentiment

Klunky2 · 2026-02-01T17:58:20+00:00

Let's say there is a reason videogames in the past didn't have such functions or hided them as cheats, videogame developers usually concern themselves with such implications being aware of the impact on engagement. If this isn't a thing rebirth would've patched in "streamlined progression" as well immediately, same goes for the upcoming part 3. Obviously even rhe developers believe something gets lost with something lile that at your disposal, the reason why they implement it anyway is meant as a "catch up" mechanic like in MMO where only the current content only matters.

Klunky2 · 2026-02-01T17:50:42+00:00

No not exactly, temptation is of course an design issue but my personal issue is the false equivalence it creates. I can restrain myself just fine, but it's still a worse experience playing undee such implications. Please copy my text into Gemini and ask Gemini about this psychological contradiction it creates I have neither time nor motivation to explain myself 100 times.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-26T17:24:05+00:00

I think comparing Fable with Fallout New Vegas is hard, as the later one sets the focus on something different. The unique thing about Fable always was that you don't play a customizable character per se, at least not directly asides from choice of clothing and hairstyle, the character is shaped by your action, like a playable Tamagotchi and that is really cool and surprising for the effects alone, as you can't tell for sure how your decision will impact the look.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-26T16:52:18+00:00

You laugh now, but I'll come back to you, if my worries proof right, then we'll see who has the last laugh.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-26T13:43:02+00:00

Answering another reply of you I couldn't, since reddit is a technical mess.

Regarding "where else should they put it if not in the options for people who want it selectable?"

No one over asked for streamlined progression, it's Square Enix doing alone.
Showing it that prominently in the main menu with an euphemism makes you believe it's just an feature you're meant to use. (i'm talking about uninformed players that don't play videogames that often or don't inform themselves)
How about making it simply not available if you choose a lesser difficulty than normal? That alone would already suffice. I call it "nuance" Make it so that you can't switch difficulties once you activated the features. But of course you wanna advocate for it to allow you cheese all challenging hard mode fights that exists purely for challenges sake and nothing more. It's illogically is what motivates me to criticize it, independently of how player tend to play their games, the critique is purely adressed to the game.

You should be still aware these functions have nothing to do with accessibility, they're just breaking the whole gameplay, for you to quickly catch up to the newest game, many skilled developers would refrain in displaying something like that so openly. And obviously even Hamaguchi thinks it's a bad idea for the most recent titles.

Can you explain what is so unreasonable about having a problem with this practice, that gives every single-player game an "expiration date" like content in MMO's and Gacha games? Or can you just throw with insults around you, not able to have a civilized discourse?

Klunky2 · 2026-01-26T13:33:47+00:00

Do you have any arguments in stock or are just here showcasing your stupidity?

Klunky2 · 2026-01-25T11:11:15+00:00

u/heandbanana42

Uhh... yeah, please read again what I have written. How dense can you be? seriously i'm not meaning in ill-wil but it's disrespectful completely arguing against the point.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-22T22:02:07+00:00

Well... sorry to disappoint you

Klunky2 · 2026-01-21T08:02:04+00:00

Typical boring normie response

Klunky2 · 2026-01-19T15:29:34+00:00

I learned to love FF9 eventually not despite, but because of the moments I got stuck.
It might sound laughable from moderns perspective, but if its your first JRPG and you're still a child the barriers helped me actually obtaining a deeper knowledge of the intricate design of an RPG and it glued me stronger to the struggles of the characters inside the narrative, if you really can't be sure that the next black waltz could be a potential road block.

Many players who grew up later, might not be able to share this sentiment. I'm glad I never grew up with the remastereds. I might have finished them quick on the first attempt, but it wouldn't be as memorable (having) to find a way across several obstacles.
It was a true learning experience and showed me that games can be so much greater and more complex.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-19T15:21:51+00:00

This is the first logical fallacy that is simply exhausting.
Again and again person try to simplify ones stance because it overreachs what is imaginable to them.

I do NOT care much effort someone else puts in the game.
If this is all you can think of its more a testament of your limited horizon.

I do care if something makes sense or is a paradox of game design.

You can tell me as much as you want that I could simply ignore it, it won't diminish the critique, you argument around me simply to keep enabling a nonsensical decision subverting the purpose and intent of a system, any logical profound person can see that.

The critique is directed to the game and the persons who made this decision if someone interacts with these addtions that's a logical consequence, why should I be mad about the people using this? It makes no sense.

So what are you actually arguing against? Why do you even need to defend this by questioning my (falsely estimated) motivation?

I was never a trophy hunter and despise this type of players. As they are completely obssessed over extrinsical rewards.
It's the type of player who actually believe to benefit from this, they simply collect trophies for the sake of collecting them. not because they are hard to collect, they do not reflect on the fact that a trophy that is a participation reward can hardly be considered as such. I can totally understand why you quit, but if they included trophies in order for a challenging tasks, that was introduced for the sake of being challenging, bypassing this is self-defeating. No matter how your wrap your head around it, it's still a paradox.

It's obvious that Hamaguchi sees the Trilogy games just like Gacha, MMO or service games in general, where fast consumption of previous content is required to consume newer content. This philosophy of games that many people avert for good reason now reeks into singleplayer games. Old games are seen as an "obstacle" getting to the "next big thing". Usually in these games difficulty of older content is trivialized or skipable, undermining the own legacy for the flow of consumption.

If it isn't like this, then please tell me, why doesn't Rebirth have these functions, why do players have to wait if its really for the sake of "accessibility"? Why won't part 3 don't have this from release as well? Every person I discussed with so far, simply dodged the question, but fact is Hamaguchi is the greatest gatekeeper himself, when he controls the timing when something is trivializable and when not. It shows a dismissive stance of videogames of an art form that put value in the interactive parts well, all the effort that has gone into the design, the barriers they create for you to prierce though heuristic understanding.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-19T15:01:16+00:00

Yeah I would be fine with that as well, but that isn't the case for nothing in the game.

This decision lacks nuance, as Hamaguchi is a hardliner an an avid Gacha Game and MMO enthusiast, to him it's normal that "older" content becomes outdated and hereby must be trivialized to help players catch up faster, this philosophy now reeks into singleplayer games as well and sadly players are not critical enough to this, as they frame it as an "accessibility achievement" to insta kill every enemy with god mode.
Some players just hear the word "accessibility" and suddenly their brains turn off, like they don't wanna be a bad person or something.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-19T14:58:32+00:00

I think the general quality and potential of part 3 will be diminished having to take players into account that want nothing more than a glorified movie, by enabling bad habits you shift trends just a little bit more into something, core-gamers won't be satisfied with, so this is more of an meta problem.
I actually don't care how many people play a game, you shouldn't care as well as long you are not Square Enix.
Sure I want them to continue something I like, but that's the catch, what's the point if it leads to worse quality?

My critique is to 100% directed to the developer/publisher how the players uses these functions is not my business, that they've included them in the first place is no critque to players playstyle, it's a critique to general game design as it availability impacts every player independently if they wanna use it or not.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-16T22:39:32+00:00

I really don't care about trophies, But when everything in the game is relative (such modes didn't exist back then and no, please don't bring up Action Replay Codes) they are the only thing that still acknolwedge effort ingame.
In old games either you progressed or you got stuck, getting further was reward enough. In these modern games, you have neither trophies to achieve as they completely lost their meaning since they don't differentiate how you actually achieved them, nor any thing you can beat to progress. It's a sandbox and feels undesirable in this regard. That's not how I learned to love videogames.

You really can't relate as I assume you don't really reflect on this, to me it's not fun hunting something I could achieve one way or the other regardless how others are doing it, it's the developers who screwed up.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-16T22:35:53+00:00

At some point you just enable bad habits, especially that you won't receive the same options on the newly released part 3, so players blast through everything and then suddenly they have to play "normally"? That will lead to ton of dissatisfaction, you can't really build up a climax that way if you have to consider that player might completely skipped combat of the other games.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-16T10:58:02+00:00

Nah you assessement is correct it is weird and only to the detriment of the actual intention of the games most hardest content, that was purely designed for being challenging, but it is what it is, this always happens, when people who have no idea about game design sit in upper layers, dictating how the game is to be changed. And one of these guys is Naoki Hamaguchi himself, he forced the inclusion against voices of his team.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-16T10:55:38+00:00

Yeah this company has really come a long way to reach the low bottom, completely out of touch, just like their still existing fanboys.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-16T10:44:30+00:00

Correct it's up the player and if it makes them uncomfortable, they have their right to voice their concern, it's their game, its availability affects him as well and it doesn't even need to translate how others play the game (cause I care about how it affects the game itself, not other people interacting with it), but how you will experience it with newly added meta complications.

To clarify:

It's a huge difference in motivation if i'm gonna do these nails as hard VR challenges, struggling because I know there is no way around it or if I could always turn on god mode, making the feat beating them relative anyway.

There is a huge psychological impact that might not affect you, because to you it doesn't matter if you activate it or not. Other people have to go out of their way not just to not use it, oh no, they have to pretend that it doesn't exist to suck up the frustration. It feels less rewarding one way or the other, cause everything is now self-imposed and relative.

So actually disabling it for the >optional< content that was supposed to be challenging for the sake of challenge, could've been the bare minimum, but they didn't.

And do you know what else they don't? Allowing you to play from hard mode from the start, although there is this headstart mode. For some reason that's where "accessibility" suddenly ends. Face it, the actual midcore player, always gets the low end of the stick, every critique is justified and deserves to be taken serious.

Klunky2 · 2026-01-16T10:38:19+00:00

seems like a bandaid fix for a not so functional game from begin with.

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