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Souls games - which did you find most difficult/challenging overall?
Eh I don't really do that unless it's top 10 material and it has alot of variety in builds (which I've heard sekiro may have the least).
FrankWza
Member
Not when it first came out. At least not for me. I wasn't conditioned forbthat shit at all
RiccochetJ
Gold Member
For me it was Demon's Souls because neither I nor anyone else knew what the hell was going on when it first came out in 2009. When I bought it at release, there was zero community to speak of.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Like I said first time when you don’t know anything yeah it can be tough, especially when it first came out in 2009 when back then most games were super easy and hand holding.
R6Rider
Gold Member
Demon's Souls was the first I played, and it's the easiest by far.
Hardest was probably DS3 or BB, but depends on the build.
Elden Ring has some bosses that are basically impossible with some builds (like Greatshield only Malenia), but overall wasn't too bad.
FrankWza
Member
I know. Im just saying the difference was pretty big at the time. It felt like the whole game was going to be the castle area and losing all your souls was demoralizing.
Mozzarella
Member
Sekiro, and also if you dont pick Sekiro, then its your first Souls game.
The Cockatrice
Member
Sekiro without a fucking doubt lol. That game is the definition of pure fucking skill and patience. At least in souls games, you can get pretty OP but in Sekiro? Nah brother. You literally have to git gud. And it's the most satisfying experience of them all when u succeed.
MiguelItUp
Member
Don't mean to echo, but while not really full fledged Souls game, Sekiro. I had many more attempts against various bosses in it more than I ever did in a Souls game. Completing it felt nice.
Bernardougf
Gold Member
Lol loved the gif ! Going to keep it
(j/K)
SCB3
Member
I'm of the same mind as others and separate Sekiro from the rest, its alos my least liked one, once you master the Parry system it gets easier but theres something about the game that didn't click with me, and its not the setting as I loved Nioh
As for my personal hardest, I have to say Demons Souls, there are times where it is just unfair and you are actively punished for dying, that Red Phatom mechanic feels like its the wrong way round tbh
As for my personal hardest, I have to say Demons Souls, there are times where it is just unfair and you are actively punished for dying, that Red Phatom mechanic feels like its the wrong way round tbh
Wildebeest
Member
Lost Kingdoms was the most challenging Souls game.
SeraphJan
Member
This can be tricky, as there are so many factor affecting first playthrough, take Demon Souls for example, Mage build are totally broken in this game, in fact Demon's souls is the most breakable out of all souls game.
What I'm saying is in general, there will always be exception
Take me for example, I also had some personal experience some one else might not have. Dark Souls was my second Souls game, but this game I personally had the most trouble with, because I did many things in the "wrong way", for example I tried to venture into Catacomb in the very beginning and went pretty far (before I finally gave up). I also beat the Tomb of Giant without light source in my first playthrough, because I didn't know how, this is harder than anything other Souls game could throw at me.
In fact I find Sekiro to be the easiest, because the structure of how this game was designed, its almost impossible to play it the "wrong way" like what I've mentioned above. Of course, since I also had previous experience of beating every Onimusha games on Issen mode, the parry in Sekiro is an absolutely joke compare to that. However, that didn't prevent Sekiro becoming my favorite Fromsoftware game, this game just had so many quality I liked outside of its difficulty, I liked the theme, the music and the lore.
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Fuz
Banned
Oh I don't disagree with this. Sekiro is quite hard for modern standards.
kicker
Banned
Well, to start with, this is an informal subgenre so I understand people can have their own definitions. I understand why Sekiro is unique. This is me from another thread:
This question comes down to what people believe makes a souls game a souls game. Is it certain mechanics or the gameplay experience those mechanics bring out? And that's why I asked what your reason for that belief is. What is it that makes a 'souls game' a 'souls game' that Sekiro lacks? (maybe this topic should be its own thread, but, eh).
I've seen this opinion a lot across discussions and excluding Sekiro completely just confuses me.
To me, Sekiro is what happens if you take a souls game and hyperfocus on a certain playstyle within souls games. As in, most of the aspects people seem to think exclude it just seem like hyperfocused souls-game features to me.
The features that are new in Sekiro just seem like additions and subtractions to/from the base of a souls game, the way horse-riding, ashes, and the mimic are in elden ring, or the way no shield, dual weapon forms, and rally mechanics are in bloodborne.
To me, In terms of combat mechanics:
It's a souls game with a focus on bladed souls-game melee combat, a souls game with a focus on souls-game parrying, a souls game with a focus on the souls-game bosses that were fast and aggressive, a souls game with a heavy focus on the posture/stagger mechanics that all souls games secretly have, a souls game with outright skills that serve the same purpose as special weapon effects, a souls-game that doesn't let you grind but rewards you with the same experience level-up potential when you defeat a boss.
And In terms of themes and overall narrative, I'll quote myself from another thread:
I get it, in a way. Sekiro is very unique even among the unique souls games. That uniqueness is different enough for you that Sekiro is a separate game. But based on the above, you can probably see why I think saying it isn't a souls game is odd
Pelao
Member
Minus the initial shock of not having experience with the game dynamics on your first Souls game, it seems to me that they all have a relatively similar difficulty if you take advantage of all the tools that the game gives you. Yes, the games are not easy, but they are not these insane obstacles that are impossible to overcome.
I've been able to get through the FromSoftware Souls games I've played relatively smoothly. In comparison, there's still some NES shit I can't beat without save states.
I've been able to get through the FromSoftware Souls games I've played relatively smoothly. In comparison, there's still some NES shit I can't beat without save states.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
To me saying Sekiro is souls games it’s like saying Catherine is Persona game. Catherine also shares elements from Persona and even SMT but it’s not related to those games at all, it just Hashino and his team brought their experience making Persona to Catherine.
Same thing with Sekiro and upcoming Armored Core VI, FROM just bringing their experience making Souls games to their new games but it doesn’t make Sekiro or Armoured Core VI “Souls” game.
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begotten
Member
Demons Souls PS3 > Bloodborne > Sekiro > Dark Souls 3 > Dark Souls 2 > Dark Souls > Elden Ring > Demons Souls PS5
Sekiro is only hard if you somehow never parried and played the previous games just mashing roll to dodge and bruteforcing bosses, which looks like how 100% of GAF have played these games.
Sekiro is only hard if you somehow never parried and played the previous games just mashing roll to dodge and bruteforcing bosses, which looks like how 100% of GAF have played these games.
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NeoIkaruGAF
Gold Member
DS3. Infinite stamina mobs, magic pretty much useless until NG+, not much really OP stuff, inexistent poise for your character, absolutely ridiculous enemies like those crabs in the swamp, absurd combos from enemies and bosses with no hint at how long the attack is going to be (that 5-part combo from the final boss and the Dancer's spinning were something else). It simply follows different rules compared to DS1 and 2, it's visibly influenced by Bloodborne's gameplay but your character isn't really made for that. I hated pretty much every moment of it. ER has several DS3 moments, but at least it has so many ways to cheese almost everything.
Sekiro's worst moments were all due to the horrible camera and some really awful non-combat setpieces (that fucking snake, my God). The game proper is somewhat manageable if you have some sense of timing, even if it really does go overboard in the final stretch. I never beat the final boss though, I'm just too twitchy to get through all that in a sigle fight.
Sekiro's worst moments were all due to the horrible camera and some really awful non-combat setpieces (that fucking snake, my God). The game proper is somewhat manageable if you have some sense of timing, even if it really does go overboard in the final stretch. I never beat the final boss though, I'm just too twitchy to get through all that in a sigle fight.
SeraphJan
Member
Bed of Chaos is laughing in the corner
Dark Souls because it's the first i played i guess. I eventually obliterated the game with my build but the learning was very hard, this game is still intimidating to me because of that.
Or perhaps Dark Souls 2 Scholar of the first Sin, oh my god...Sekiro might be tough on the beginning but it's a walk in the park compared to this fucking SotFS.
Immediately in my second playthrough of Sekiro i could rush through the game in like 3-4 hours. I could never do that in any Souls, those games still scare me. In Sekiro the areas are inoffensive when they don't put a miniboss in front of you. You just have to learn bosses and minibosses in this game, that's it. Your character is smooth and fast, you learn how it works and become untouchable.
Or perhaps Dark Souls 2 Scholar of the first Sin, oh my god...Sekiro might be tough on the beginning but it's a walk in the park compared to this fucking SotFS.
Immediately in my second playthrough of Sekiro i could rush through the game in like 3-4 hours. I could never do that in any Souls, those games still scare me. In Sekiro the areas are inoffensive when they don't put a miniboss in front of you. You just have to learn bosses and minibosses in this game, that's it. Your character is smooth and fast, you learn how it works and become untouchable.
Fuz
Banned
I had no idea this existed and it actually looks like something I would have enjoyed immensely.
Wildebeest
Member
kvltus lvlzvs
Banned
The Infectious Paradox
Gold Member
Sekiro I'd a category of it's own. I'm still not past the white ape. DS3 had the best and most challenging bosses. I put it above Elden ring. Those final bosses were cheap as hell.
_Idea_of_Evil_
Member
Orphan of Kos is a tougher fight than Malenia or Ishin.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
I don’t agree, his first phase is very easy to parry and second phase is little more unpredictable but I would say Malenia and Ishin are much tougher boss.
nightmare-slain
Member
Sekiro > Bloodborne > DS > Elden Ring.
DelireMan7
Member
This.
Love the Soulsborne (and Sekiro) but difficulty is not what make them so good.
Objectively, I'd say Sekiro is the hardest of all due to the absence of "build" and you have to adapt to the game combat system. In the other games, you can always choose what suit you best.
Also Demon's Souls has a lot of "dirty" areas, settings or traps that makes it so frustratingly hard (not in a good way for me). "Ho look ! A poison swamp heavily reducing your mobility, removing your dodge ability and we added a black phantom that will one shot you !", "Let's put a very narrow starcase just before a boss, with 2 red version of the squid guards. Like that if you miss the timing to dodge throw their paralysing beam, you're dead !"
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Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
The thread is bout which Souls is more challenging, not which one is your favourite. I like Demons Souls but compare to other Souls series came after...I dont know it feels much more basic.
Most of that game's challenge comes when you playing for very first time and you dont know anything but after the first playthrough its becomes a cakewalk and honestly little boring in my opinion.
FROM wasn't trying to make "Souls" with Sekiro, it was their take on action game and FROM put their experience making Souls games to Sekiro and they are currently doing same with Armoured Core VI.
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bender
What time is it?
No shit, sherlock.
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DelireMan7
Member
Fully agreed on that. I just don't get why Sekiro is often categorized in "Soulsborne" game/genre.
It's definitely an action game.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Then I dont understand how Demons Souls can be considered more challenging?
Same reason some people thinks 13 Sentinels is "Persona" with mechs.
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bender
What time is it?
Because by the time Dark Souls came around, I had the experience of playing Demon Souls and had a better understanding of the mechanics and design philosophies From often employs. And by the time Dark Souls II came around, I had DeSo and Demon Souls under my belt. And so on and so forth. It's really not a difficult concept to grasp.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
So because it first Souls game came out? Even with that I would say Bloodborne was more difficult because it played very different than pervious Souls games and you couldn't rely on your shield to protect you.
Jigsaah
Gold Member
Sekiro was 100% the hardest just because it was a departure from the typical souls gameplay, even morethan Bloodborne. The bosses were Brutal. I remember seeing the 2 monkeys together and literally lost my will to fight.
The last boss was very difficult as well. Probably took me over 30 tries.
I cannot wait til they put it on gamepass so I can play it on PC.
The last boss was very difficult as well. Probably took me over 30 tries.
I cannot wait til they put it on gamepass so I can play it on PC.
bender
What time is it?
No, because it was the first Souls game I played. Jesus.
I didn't think Bloodborne was all that difficult, relatively speaking, outside of the DLC.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Demons Souls on PS3 was also my first experience with Souls game and first playthrough it was challenging without a doubt but only my first playthough, Dark Souls 1-3 and Bloodboren can still give you decent challenge if on NG+ run but Demons Souls losses all that after first playthrough.
bender
What time is it?
It's almost like different people have different experiences and why the OP asked the question in the first place. Shocking, I know.
unlurkified
Member
I don’t think Sekiro should be included in the list. Entirely different formula and style of difficulty. I voted DS1 because 15fps Blighttown.
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