Why Dark Souls II isn’t as Hard as You Think

I missed this earlier, but Videogamer.com published an editorial that attempts to give people intimidated by all the difficulty talk surrounding Dark Souls II a reason to play the title. Here’s a snippet:

That’s the thing. To say Dark Souls 2 is all about its difficulty is ridiculous yes, it is a tough, unforgiving video game, but the Souls experience is more about the tight combat, exploring the world and working out which weapons and armour suit your playstyle. Then, you use your knowledge and skills in all three to overcome the challenges set out in front of you, be it the enemies, the traps or the tense boss battles that will test your abilities. That’s all still here, only now with a fresh challenge.

Ultimately, From Software has made a much more well-rounded game than the original. The gameplay remains intact and just as punishing/rewarding as ever, and the barriers to entry have been lowered ever so slightly so that those who gave up with the first one or were even put off entirely have a much greater chance to get hooked in the way many others have. Dark Souls 2 proves that making a game more accessible doesn’t mean that you have to dumb down or compromise in any way, instead simply giving players of all abilities a chance to get hooked. If you’re a Dark Souls master, you’ll find a new challenge to embrace and even more possibilities than ever before. If this is your first Souls experience, I’m insanely jealous of you.