Rewrote my brain chemistry.
No, genuinely. This is my first Fromsoft game. I had always thought I was "too bad" at reflex-based games to ever enjoy them. I bought ER on a whim, on sale, and said fuck it. I'm going to die a lot, but if I hate it, I can stop playing.
On some good advice, I played astrologer, and relied heavily on my girlfriend (Lhutel the headless) at the start. I died. A lot.
But I wasn't angry about dying, because, well, it's a Fromsoft game, legendary for their difficulty. Where in other games I may have given up while beating myself up for being bad at games or turned the difficulty down, I kept playing ER. I began to confront my own minor self-esteem issues: my tendency to give up and blame myself right as a new skill gets difficult instead of embracing the challenges ahead. By the time I got through Stormveil Castle, I was anticipating every challenge with nerves and, strangely, excitement.
By the time I put the game down, it had become one of my most treasured gaming experiences, ever. I have played games differently ever since. In the past, I sometimes would start a game on easy before trying it, assuming that I would never be good enough at games to get through it on normal. Now, I always start on normal, no matter the genre, with no judgement if I need to turn it down later. Before, if I couldn't beat a boss on the third try, I would blame myself for trying and give up. Now, the first five times are basically just reconnaissance, and I can see with good humor, that I was being really mean to myself for no reason.
This is not going to be everyone's experience, far from it, but if you're on the fence about ER because you don't think you're a good enough gamer: come, join me in dying a lot and having so much fun that you won't particularly mind.
This game has some flaws: some of the caves can be repetitive, I can't kiss Malenia, but it changed the way I game. Forever. Can't wait to play Dark Souls next year.
(Important note: Fromsoft should have accessibility options. And a pause button. That is a conversation for another time, but I recommend the blog "Can I Play that?" for discussions of gaming and disability).
No, genuinely. This is my first Fromsoft game. I had always thought I was "too bad" at reflex-based games to ever enjoy them. I bought ER on a whim, on sale, and said fuck it. I'm going to die a lot, but if I hate it, I can stop playing.
On some good advice, I played astrologer, and relied heavily on my girlfriend (Lhutel the headless) at the start. I died. A lot.
But I wasn't angry about dying, because, well, it's a Fromsoft game, legendary for their difficulty. Where in other games I may have given up while beating myself up for being bad at games or turned the difficulty down, I kept playing ER. I began to confront my own minor self-esteem issues: my tendency to give up and blame myself right as a new skill gets difficult instead of embracing the challenges ahead. By the time I got through Stormveil Castle, I was anticipating every challenge with nerves and, strangely, excitement.
By the time I put the game down, it had become one of my most treasured gaming experiences, ever. I have played games differently ever since. In the past, I sometimes would start a game on easy before trying it, assuming that I would never be good enough at games to get through it on normal. Now, I always start on normal, no matter the genre, with no judgement if I need to turn it down later. Before, if I couldn't beat a boss on the third try, I would blame myself for trying and give up. Now, the first five times are basically just reconnaissance, and I can see with good humor, that I was being really mean to myself for no reason.
This is not going to be everyone's experience, far from it, but if you're on the fence about ER because you don't think you're a good enough gamer: come, join me in dying a lot and having so much fun that you won't particularly mind.
This game has some flaws: some of the caves can be repetitive, I can't kiss Malenia, but it changed the way I game. Forever. Can't wait to play Dark Souls next year.
(Important note: Fromsoft should have accessibility options. And a pause button. That is a conversation for another time, but I recommend the blog "Can I Play that?" for discussions of gaming and disability).