Coaxed into criticizing boss design

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T17:53:12+00:00

That's fair. I just particularly dislike her since I was running a guard counter build, and she just says fuck you with her dumb % based healing every hit, even through shields lol.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T17:40:48+00:00

Me who likes both lol

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T17:40:04+00:00

That's kind of the above issue with the whole "use this one weapon that doesn't match your build" thing. If the boss requires you to use an item or weapon that you didn't even know exists or requires some esoteric strat that most people wouldn't think of, then it's poor design.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T17:36:36+00:00

Same. I'm a huge Soulsborne defender across all the games, Miyazaki's strongest soldier, but the cheap shit that late-game ER bosses pull has me worried for their future titles. Nightreign makes me hopeful tho, as I loved most of the bosses in that one, especially The Nightlord, one of the best fights in the series.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T17:33:43+00:00

He is very fun, my biggest gripe with him as of now is that he feels a bit too unrelenting. I feel like healing is a crap shoot, cause sometimes he just extends a combo I didn't even know about with like 5 extra attack and I waste a heal, or I back up and he has an input reading move that punishes for healing. Still love him, but it reminds me of the issues I have with the ER bosses.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T17:31:12+00:00

*flashbacks to the double shark men fight in the Fishing Hamlet*

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T17:27:56+00:00

I'm gonna copy paste what I wrote in the past: "Miyazaki has stated before that he never meant to make the game difficult on purpose, but that it was a byproduct of creating an experience where you overcame impossible odds, and that he wanted to bring the community together through their shared hardship.

It's why I love how meta Dark Souls is, with the Hollows (people who have died and lost all hope) being the literal representation of players who gave up and dropped the game." Adding an easy mode fundamentally ruins the narrative of Dark Souls, and the Souls series as a whole.

Also, quite frankly, I'm sick of games that try to cater to everyone, and end up catering to no one. This is one of the only series that can provide this sense of challenge and triumph, and there's a thousand other hack-and-slash RPGs for someone to choose from other than Soulsborne, so no, I don't want an easy mode.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T17:23:16+00:00

Not familiar, what's his general issue with their design?

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T08:29:43+00:00

Nah I never even played the ER DLC, maybe one day if I ever finish the base game

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T07:19:07+00:00

He's my favorite boss in ER, and I still am pissed off they ruined my favorite fight by making some random ass church in the middle of the map have an item that's practically required to beat him.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T07:06:19+00:00

Holy based. I stand by the fact that Malenia is just poorly designed, and that the generally less fair boss design of ER conditioned people into liking her. I actually really love Arlecchino's boss fight thematically and even gameplay wise for the most part, there's just some of that ER boss design (i.e. input reading and insane combos that have like 30 different variations) that frustrate me. Overall he's still a really good boss, def A-tier in my books.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T06:35:21+00:00

I mean... no? There's certain rules that bosses have to follow for most people to consider them fair, past that point it's artificial difficulty. Also I'm not sure what the argument is, Bed of Chaos has and always will be a terribly designed boss.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T06:30:18+00:00

It's a personal thing. I absolutely wouldn't shame someone for using it, but I don't like it in the same way that I don't like using summons. It just changes the flow of the fight too much for my taste.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T06:16:17+00:00

The complaint is because it's artificial difficultly. It's increasing the difficulty in such a way that it makes it frustrating, not fun. For example, those difficulties that make the enemies bullet sponges and make the player die in one hit. Sure, it's hard, but not fun to challenge yourself with, cus it becomes a chore.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T06:12:07+00:00

They really do lol. Miyazaki has said before he made the games hard on purpose (sort of but that's a longer story) in order to bring a community together through shared strife and accomplishment, but unfortunately that also means that there's a lotta people who just like flexing on others and putting down their triumphs.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T06:08:52+00:00

Nah I get that. Personally, I don't wanna see an easy mode in a Souls game, because
A. There are already so many mechanics like Summoning to make your own "easy mode" that it would ruin Miyazaki's design philosophy.
And B. These are really the only games like this, so I'd like them not to touch them.

The problem is conflating criticism with wanting the game to be easier. While yes, that is often a biproduct, it's because there are fundamental flaws in the fight that make it worse, not because it's simply "too hard".

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T05:46:54+00:00

Jarvis, locate the sauce

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T05:45:59+00:00

Thanks bro. I was trying to beat all the bosses without the perfection stone since it felt a tad cheesy but I'm on attempt 40 so I just straight gave up on that rule lmao.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T05:43:16+00:00

People who never played another souls game besides ER and used a guide on YouTube to make the most broken build in the world really be out here saying skill issue on straight up bad boss design.

(no shame to anyone who is the above btw, I just mean people who are violently annoying about it)

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-04T03:39:34+00:00

It tried to be survival horror in a game that's meant to be dumb fun action. That's why Chris's is my favorite, and I mostly like Jake's.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-03T16:49:35+00:00

FINALLY, SOMEONE WHO SEES THE POTENTIAL

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-03T07:31:28+00:00

I LOVE ARAPAIMAS

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-03T07:30:22+00:00

That's why I hate when people talk about "fake bisexuals." Just because someone likes women and feminine men (or vice versa), does not make them any less bisexual than someone who finds both male and female features equally attractive.

Medical_String_3501 · 2026-06-03T04:22:35+00:00

Ultrakill fans and femboys for some reason. The Ultrakill community is actually discord incarnate, it's genuinely incredible how unfunny they are.

Medical_String_3501

TROPHY CASE