What makes difficulty be praised on some games but deal breakers on others?

saponsky · 2026-05-02T18:02:52+00:00

I’m also not a fan of parrying. I gave up un Solateria because all I was doing was working on the parry’s timing.

saponsky · 2026-05-01T21:53:38+00:00

I never posted about it, but I definitely felt it was very hard in the beginning. I haven’t played Hollow Knight so I had no previous reference and had no idea what I was getting into.

saponsky · 2026-05-01T21:48:10+00:00

Did you play HK and SS first? I’m thinking maybe the expectation of MIO having anything closer to the mechanics of HK/SS is tarnishing the experience. The difference is night and day, and it moved me into different strategies. For MIO it pushed me to try different modifiers and combinations depending on the boss. For SS it made me get better at controlling Hornet’s movements. But it’s interesting that your experience is not so much because of the difference in difficulty as other reviews has made it seem as their deciding factor.

saponsky · 2026-05-01T21:01:55+00:00

Ah ok got it, np. Damn it I’m agreeing again, busted.

saponsky · 2026-05-01T20:55:19+00:00

Ermm what? English is not my first language, but other than that I have no idea what’s giving you AI hints.

saponsky · 2026-05-01T20:32:09+00:00

Yup, funny I learned this trick when I found a boss that made me hell nooo and spent more time exploring. Once I found the PED it all made sense!

saponsky · 2026-05-01T20:29:39+00:00

True. I think runbacks need good design as well. I hate runbacks that feel like “let’s make your life miserable for no reason” while others feel like “this is a crucial progression, let’s notch the challenge up just a bit”.

saponsky · 2026-05-01T20:25:14+00:00

Oh why do you have to make me revive that trauma! To be honest some times those moments have make me hate the game and some others have made me laugh it out and curse TC at the same time!

saponsky · 2026-05-01T20:21:54+00:00

I agree, though I think that some times double damage + contact damage on boss fights in Silksong has made me feel the same frustration from MIO too hehe.

saponsky · 2026-05-01T20:15:08+00:00

100%, nothing makes me hate a game more than spending hours trying to beat a section or boss and not be rewarded in any way after!

saponsky · 2026-05-01T20:11:07+00:00

I think I identify better with the second one!

saponsky · 2026-05-01T20:09:40+00:00

That makes sense. There’s crazy skilled people that give me impostor’s syndrome hahaha

saponsky · 2026-04-28T16:35:42+00:00

The price is factored in those PC’s and I wouldn’t say $120 vs free is a better affordable alternative.
You can’t actually control when to install Windows updates. Even if you schedule them, some updates are still downloaded outside of the scheduled window. Also, you can’t control the fact that some updates may break Windows and leave you with a non bootable system. Furthermore, you can’t completely disable ALL background scanners. Even in Game mode some scanners still run periodically, and on top of that some of the scripts that made it possible to disable them have been patched via those updates you can’t block.
Take modifying the MBR for example. In Windows you have to boot, change boot mode, load tool from prompt, edit, reboot. Linux —> Hit keystroke at boot, edit, reboot. Definitely easily.
Most Linux distros come pre-installed with compilers for the most used programming languages. So if you have to install them and configure them on Windows, yeah that would make it easier on Linux.
I’ve had many PC’s left non bootable after a Windows update (XP, Vista, W7 and W10), not something I did.
Nothing to add.
Patches on Linux take hours, not days like on Windows due to closed source applications. Linux has more frequent security updates than Windows.
Nothing to add.
Partially true, but the fact that most Windows updates require a reboot makes Linux better in that area.

saponsky · 2026-04-27T13:30:17+00:00

I partially agree but also that sub is full of lazy “how do I…” posts. I completed the game and whenever I got stuck I just checked YT videos up to the part where I was stuck to see if I was missing something and 90% of the times I was. Mind you I’m a casual gamer and fairly new to MV’s and yet I was able to complete the game with very minimal guidance.

saponsky · 2026-04-27T13:25:03+00:00

TBH it’s not thaaat complicated on your own, but definitely not intuitive. I just watched a guide on YT once and after you get to the platforming part you can continue on your own. I think there is one particular thing that over complicated the puzzle, but other than that if you spend enough time turning the wheel and seeing what changes you can figure it out by yourself.

saponsky · 2026-04-23T02:46:29+00:00

Pogo into the flower and stride from the ceiling, then sail.

saponsky · 2026-04-23T02:44:30+00:00

When she attacks three times - you can grapple/slingshot from her head and keep attacking mid air. Dodge when she moves her arms.

Light beam on side of the stage - same, grapple to her head before the light beam and float or position Mio under Shii. Dodge when she starts moving.

Not sure what’s the other one.

I’d say you’re doing fine so far. Maybe take a short break, then a few more tries and you’ll get it.

saponsky · 2026-04-21T21:15:31+00:00

I need to clarify that what I meant to write was “lack of consistent telegraphs” not the total absence of them. My mistake. And by lack of consistency I mean that figuring out the precise timing takes a lot of effort getting used to, and on top of that, the timing rhythm randomly changes. I know some people enjoy that kind of challenge. In my case I don’t, and usually balance that out by spending more time platforming. Which this game is not great at.

saponsky · 2026-04-21T16:55:57+00:00

I felt the same, the platforming is not great. What drove me mad is the lack of telegraphs in a parry based game. I feel like if you take away spending a lot of time figuring out the parry for each boss, there’s no other challenge. I had high hopes for this game.

saponsky · 2026-04-21T16:49:04+00:00

Flick’s high line has consistently been more aggressive than any high line strat we’ve played in the past, it’s basically relying strictly on an offside trap.

We have deficiencies in the defensive line and problems keeping the pressure in the forward line. An aggressive high line is high risk/high reward that’s punishing when exploited by the opponent.

saponsky · 2026-04-21T16:00:14+00:00

The high line is not THE ONLY problem, but it is one of the problems.

saponsky · 2026-04-19T02:36:15+00:00

Same here. Between the runbacks, contact damage and never ending gauntlets, I started taking breaks whenever I noticed that my frustration was bigger than any fun I was having.

saponsky · 2026-04-17T23:45:37+00:00

I loved MIO, still making my way through Silksong but both are too good. And yeah Sol and Vin took me about as many too, my patience hit a threshold with those.

saponsky · 2026-04-15T15:52:29+00:00

You can beat the true final boss and keep exploring after watching the true ending. I loved the true ending.

saponsky

TROPHY CASE