New Soulslike RPG Dev Says: “Games are meant to be engaging, not exhausting.”
The gaming market has been one of the fastest-growing markets of all time. From a basic 2D ping pong game, we are now able to enjoy immersive worlds and open-world stories that reveal the magic of both technology and storytelling.
In recent years, one of the biggest innovations was the appearance of the so-called Soulslike games, inspired by the specific game mechanics of the Dark Souls franchise. Many fans embraced the somewhat complex mechanics and many new games and developers decided to use it, but is there a limit?
In a recent chat, the developer of The First Berserker: Khazan, a promising new Soulslike RPG, Junho Lee, talked about the game, which those who have played the demo have described as being very complex.
“We wanted success to feel rewarding, but just as importantly, we wanted the process of overcoming challenges to be fun. This is a game, after all,” Lee said on the gameplay balance. “This is where fairness comes into play. If a game is too easy, it lacks a sense of achievement. If it’s too hard, it leads to frustration.”
He further added: “When the risk outweighs the reward, difficulty stops being engaging and starts feeling unfair. Balance is key. If a player takes on a high-risk challenge and succeeds, but the reward is too low, the experience becomes frustrating rather than satisfying.”
“Games are meant to be engaging, not exhausting,” he continued. “If stress keeps piling up without relief, players will eventually want to quit. This is what we consider punishing rather than challenging. Likewise, when the relationship between challenge and reward breaks down, the game loses its meaning and becomes repetitive.”
We don’t know how this will influence Khazan or how it will influence the future of Soulslike games, but we are sure that while there are fans who will play them, these games will enjoy a lot of success in the future.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!
