What Makes a Great Challenge in Gaming?
Ask any group of gamers what the “gold standard” of video game difficulty is, and you’ll get a hundred different answers. It’s a debate as old as the medium itself. Is it the brutal, unforgiving nature of old-school arcade games? The finely tuned, rhythmic combat of a FromSoftware title? Or is it the freedom to make a game as easy or as hard as you want? The truth is, there’s no single answer. But there are definitely some design philosophies that stand out from the crowd.
For years, the default method was simple: crank up the numbers. Enemies get more health, hit harder, and suddenly you’re unloading clip after clip into a garden-variety goon. This approach, often called the “bullet sponge” method, is widely seen as a lazy and frustrating way to increase a game’s challenge. It doesn’t make the game smarter or more engaging; it just makes it more of a grind. Games that rely solely on this often miss the point of what makes a hard mode satisfying.
The Art of the Fair Fight
So, what separates a good hard mode from a bad one? The consensus points to fairness and intelligence. A truly great difficulty setting doesn’t just inflate enemy stats; it changes their behavior. Enemies might become more aggressive, use smarter tactics, flank you, or deploy new moves you didn’t see on lower settings. This is where the real challenge lies. It forces you, the player, to adapt and improve your own strategy.
- Smarter Enemies: Games like the modern Wolfenstein series are often praised for this. On harder difficulties, enemies don’t just absorb more damage; they actively try to outmaneuver you, making firefights feel more tactical and rewarding.
- The Souls-like Model: Games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring have built a reputation on their firm-but-fair difficulty. Every enemy, from the lowly skeleton to the final boss, can be deadly. However, their attack patterns are consistent and learnable. The challenge isn’t about having the best gear, but about mastering timing, patience, and observation.
Putting Players in Control
Another approach that’s earned a “gold standard” reputation is customizable and adaptive difficulty. Instead of a simple Easy, Medium, or Hard slider, these games give players the tools to tailor the challenge to their exact preferences.
The action-RPG Bastion is a classic example. The game features a shrine where players can invoke idols. Each idol makes the game harder in a specific way—enemies might move faster, drop bombs when defeated, or regenerate health. In return for activating these challenges, players earn more experience and currency. This system rewards players for pushing their limits and lets them find their own perfect sweet spot of risk and reward.
A more modern example is Hades, which uses its “Pact of Punishment.” After your first successful escape from the underworld, you can add various conditions, or “Heat,” to subsequent runs. These range from giving bosses new moves to adding more elite enemies. It’s a brilliant system that provides incredible replayability and a finely tuned difficulty curve that grows with your skill.
Difficulty as a Storytelling Tool
Sometimes, the difficulty is inextricably linked to the game’s narrative and themes. The critically acclaimed platformer Celeste is known for its incredibly challenging gameplay. However, its story is about overcoming anxiety and self-doubt. To ensure everyone could experience this powerful narrative, the developers included an “Assist Mode.”
This mode allows players to tweak the game’s mechanics in granular ways—from slowing down game speed to granting invincibility. It does so without judgment, sending a clear message: the story is for everyone, regardless of their skill at precision platforming. This approach has been widely praised for its inclusivity, proving that high difficulty and accessibility don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Conclusion: A Challenge for Every Player
The “gold standard” of difficulty isn’t a single setting, but a design philosophy. It’s about respecting the player’s time and skill. Whether it’s through smarter enemies, customizable challenges, or thoughtful accessibility options, the best games provide a satisfying sense of accomplishment. They challenge you, but they always give you the tools to rise to the occasion. The next time you boot up a game, take a moment to appreciate how it challenges you. Is it just a numbers game, or is it something more?
FAQs
What is ‘bullet sponge’ difficulty?
This is a term used to describe a difficulty setting where enemies are made harder simply by increasing their health pools. Players have to shoot them many more times to defeat them, making them feel like sponges for bullets. It’s generally considered a poor way to increase challenge because it doesn’t require more skill, just more time and ammo.
How do FromSoftware games like Dark Souls handle difficulty?
FromSoftware games are known for being challenging yet fair. Instead of relying on high enemy health, the difficulty comes from complex enemy attack patterns, environmental hazards, and a high cost for player mistakes. Success is based on learning, observation, and precise timing rather than just leveling up stats.
What is adaptive or dynamic difficulty?
Dynamic difficulty is a system where the game automatically adjusts its challenge based on how well the player is doing. If you’re struggling, the game might subtly make enemies easier or provide more resources. If you’re breezing through, it might ramp up the challenge. Games like Left 4 Dead use an AI Director that functions in a similar way, altering enemy spawns and pacing to keep each playthrough intense and unpredictable.
Are difficult games becoming less common?
Not at all. While many modern AAA games include a range of difficulty options to be accessible to a wide audience, there’s still a huge market for challenging games. The massive success of the ‘Souls-like’ genre, as well as punishingly hard indie games, shows that many players still crave a tough-as-nails experience.
Why do some games let you customize difficulty in detail?
Allowing players to customize difficulty gives them a sense of ownership over their experience. Games like Hades with its Pact of Punishment or The Last of Us Part II with its granular sliders for things like enemy awareness and resource scarcity let players create a challenge that is uniquely suited to their skills and preferences. It moves beyond simple presets and acknowledges that every player is different.