Design in Difficulty

Difficulty is one of the core components of a video game, and one of several components to a game that are unique to the medium, at least in the way it is presented. (By that, I mean a film or book can be considered difficult to read or understand, but only a video game can be literally difficult to DO, in the same way that it is difficult to build a house) Difficulty is a carefully-orchestrated balance between two extremes of simple and relentless, and depending on the genre of game, difficulty can mean a number of things.

Some of the most traditionally-beloved pieces of software are also some of the most difficult, but for varying reasons. Some games are hated simply because they ARE difficult, and are seen as unforgiving and simply not worth the time and effort required to get through them.

Now, when talking about bad design in terms of game difficulty, I would like to take a page from the reviews of the "Angry Video Game Nerd", or AVGN. He is a fictional character created by James Rolfe of Cinemassacre.com, who takes it upon himself to review old games from bygone consoles, and add a borderline-ridiculous amount of expletives into the mix, to make his frustration with gaming's past that much more palpable. The reviews are crude, but make a multitude of good points.


One of his earliest reviews, dating back to around 2007, is of the game Dragon's Lair, for the NES. Dragon's Lair features some of the most perplexing, anal, ridiculous mechanics of any game I can think of, and the sheer difficulty in coping with the way the game forces you to play it makes it a prime example of horrible design. In short, if Dragon's Lair did it, you don't want to put it into your game. There is no logical reason to make your players suffer like that.

For instance; why does the main character, Dirk the Daring, even have a life bar if something as simple as touching a wooden door can kill him? See the wooden drawbridge door in that picture just above? Stepping into it will kill you instantly. The only way to open the door is to kill the dragon, and yet the only way you can kill the dragon is by ducking and throwing knives. But when you duck, the dragon ducks, too! So you are forced to alternate between standing up so the dragon puts his head up, and ducking and throwing a ton of knives. It's pointless, and it isn't fun. The entire time, there is a small bird that flies at you, and if it hits you, it takes a piece off your life bar; EVERYTHING else in this screen (The dragon, the door, falling in the water, getting hit by the dragon's fire breath) will instantly kill you. This is typical through the entire game, as enemies and hazards in the game are, for whatever reason, divided into things that kill Dirk instantly, or take a piece away from his life bar. During the Nerd's 15 or so minute review of the game, he was only able to make it through a single door, and into a second room, where he died. That's all the further he was ever able to make it.

The difficulty of that game was designed arbitrarily, without care or reason, and resulted in what is unquestionably a pain to play. I've tried it myself; it's HORRIBLE! Playing a game like that makes me wonder exactly what the developers were thinking when they made it, a question the Nerd frequently finds himself asking his viewers. The answer? I don't know. Maybe it's because the game was created before a heretofore meaningless subject like the difficulty of a video game became the subject of serious thought and discussion?

For every game like Dragon's Lair that didn't understand the concept, there are those that mold the idea of game difficulty into an art form. They understand that difficulty should be a progressive affair, and that difficulty can be used as a tool to drive a player forward.



When I think of a game that is difficult and yet FUN, I think of Mega Man 2, in particular. The game is a culmination of all things that make this medium so engaging, from its incredibly well-orchestrated chiptune music and iconic graphics to its perfect balance of fun vs. difficulty. The game is HARD, don't get me wrong; I have never managed to beat it.

For those who don't know how an NES-era Mega Man game works, you have 8 different robot masters, who each control their own themed level (Air Man has a stage set in the clouds, Metal Man's level looks like an iron foundry, etc), who can all be fought in any order. Each robot master has a power-up granted to the player upon their defeat, and this item is also themed after the elemental nature of the different robot masters (Metal Man gives you Metal Blades, Air Man gives you Air Gust, etc). Once all 8 robot masters are defeated, access is granted to the final series of levels, which culminates in a showdown with Dr. Wily, the mad scientist behind this whole robotic army.



The catch with Mega Man 2, as well as all other NES-era Mega Man games (There are 6 in total), is that each boss has a weakness. Metal Man is weak against Mega Man's default blaster, and so should be tackled first. He gives the Metal Blades, which Air Man is very weak against; so you should do Air Man's level second. Air Man will then give you another weapon that another boss is weak against...and so on, and so forth. Challenge is derived not just by playing the levels and bosses in a specific order, but by creating even more difficult challenges without actually being prompted to do so. Want to brag to your friends that you beat Crash Man with nothing but the default blaster? You are allowed to try, but it will be frustratingly difficult! The reward for doing so however, is to be considered an excellent player of the game. Why do people do it? Because they can, and because it's fun!

Dragon's Lair did not understand this; the game was unreasonably difficult, and there was no way to actually play WITH it. Either you play by its rules, or you throw the game in a garbage can and light it on fire, like the Nerd did.

Game players like to make their own rules, their own challenges, their own fun. Ever wonder why the Grand Theft Auto games are so popular? THIS IS WHY! The violence is part of it, but THIS is the real reason! The games are freeform sandbox playgrounds, that let you do anything you like. I can remember spending hours just trying to see how high and far I could fling a sports car off a ramp, just because it was so fun to tinker with it. These games can be as easy or as difficult as you want them to be, really. Want to impress your friends by getting the police so agitated that they send the *military* after your character, and yet you are still able to survive? You can. Want to take the easy way out of a difficult mission by finding a helicopter and flying over the tough parts? You're free to do so. Want to just do what the game suggests you do, and take the moderately challenging way through? Go right ahead.



A recent evolution of the way video games present difficulty is embodied in a PlayStation 3 title, Demon's Souls. An unassuming Japanese title, Demon's Souls presents a world covered in a thick grey fog. The fog steals men's souls, and resurrects them as demons, corrupted by hatred for all things still living. They are lorded over by the Archdemons, who are in turn brought into existance by the ancient god, known only as the "Old One". He must be lulled back into slumber for the crisis to come to a close, and it is up to you to do so.

The game is punishingly difficult...but not without reason. This is one of the few games that forces you to play by its rules...and yet it feels fair. If you die, it can ONLY be your fault. The game did not trick you, it did not overwhelm you out of nowhere, it did not pull the rug out from beneath you and cackle as you rip out what little hair you might have left. Because the game does not trick the player into death, players learn from their mistakes by repeating their deaths, and are given incentive to learn the layout of the worlds they traverse. The more you play, the better you get; not because you got lucky, but because you became wise. Each Archdemon has a pattern that can be learned and taken advantage of. Each world has secrets that can be uncovered to those who are persistent, such as shortcuts and useful items. They make the game *easier*, as a reward for patience and care.



This kind of difficulty culminates in what might be the most unique award I have ever felt by playing a game, and is a testament to how a video game can evoke emotion. When you face a dragon in this game, it is an enormous beast that could take a thousand arrows, maybe an hour and a half of your time, to kill...but when you finally beat it, and know that it was by your skill, by your patience, determination, and wit...you feel like the king of the world. You are not simply some gamer pushing buttons and dealing with arbitrary rulesets. You are a DRAGONSLAYER.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is GREAT design.