Namco on Dark Souls 2 marketing: "treating it as a massive AAA title, would be nice to attract Skyrim players"

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Angelus said:
Loved Dark Souls, I'll be all over the sequel as soon as it comes out

As for what many people in this thread are suggesting, adding some form of easy difficulty mode.....normally I would agree with you guys, that adding these kinds of options doesn't take away anything from the game. With Dark Souls however, I don't think they would ever do it, and they shouldn't. The reason being that the difficulty/challenge is the very core of the game. Without it, the game would lose it's identity. If you don't like Dark Souls' level of difficulty, then the game just isn't for you.

I don't think I can agree with this logic when other RPGs perhaps best known for their difficulty have already successfully implemented more accessible options for uninitiated players. Fire Emblem: Awakening is a great example. I know fans of the series will say that Casual/Normal mode is too easy, but I've seen first-time players try it out on what is supposedly "easy" mode and still struggle greatly because of the inherent complexity of the game. The only difference is changing how the series typically handles player death, which at least opens up avenues to experiment (learning, which people seem to appreciate very much in this thread) and not immediately cause players to obsess over "playing the game correctly". Etrian Odyssey IV is the same way. Easiest difficulty will still find ways to frustrate new players.