Game Difficulty

[Cay]

There's definitely been a wide spectrum of difficulty with the games over the years. How hard do you think this game will be?

I say around as hard as DPP, but that's just a guess from me. Nothing really to base off of, so it's kind of just a shot in the dark.

 

[MarinoKadame]

If there's no difficulty setting option before starting the game I expect it to be as easy as XY and ORAS.

 

[Hermione Granger]

Hopefully we don't get the exp. share early in the game.

 

[Hikamaru]

I remember hearing that Challenge Mode and Easy Mode was intended to be a B2W2-exclusive feature, but if we do get the Exp. Share like the one in 6th Gen again I hope they can tweak it to allow you to use it the way you want to. It would be a blessing to those who want more challenge in the game.

 

[blue]

I think a difficulty level on par with Platinum would be great. Lately the games have felt way too easy, easy to a point where there is practically no challenge element to the games. I get that the Exp. Share plays a big part in that, but when comparing to previous games they have made the levels, teams and even move sets significantly weaker. The difficulty key system was a great feature in Black 2 and White 2, bringing that back would be great because at least it would give players an option to how they want to play.

 

[TCB]

Platinum had near perfect sense of challenge. I don't think we will ever see the difficulty modes of B2W2 ever again, but if we do for the love of all things holy don't lock it behind the main game because by then it will feel moot. I would like my difficulty in the main game thank you very much.

 

[pkmin3033]

About as difficult as every other Pokemon game, I expect - which is to say, any and every obstacle will be beatable with grinding, so it won't be even remotely difficult for anyone who has played a game in the series before.

The EXP growth rate I'd expect to be on-par with the more recent titles, though. So, you'll gain levels much more quickly, through catching Pokemon as well as beating them, and so on. I suspect the EXP share will be available fairly early on, too. Nintendo, like a lot of companies, seem to think people want to rush through games and not spend hours on grinding these days...not sure how right they are about that, though.

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

It's only going to be easy for veteran players, because they know the mechanics inside and out, but it's going to be challenging for newcomers and players who haven't played Pokémon in a long while. So in other words, it's gonna be the same as all the past Pokémon games. the key system was really unnecessary, because you could still outlevel the CPU if you put your heart and soul on level grinding, making the challenge pointless.

 

[KittiOcelotti]

My guess is that it'll be a little harder than X and Y, but easier than RSE.

It'll be harder since a lot of veteran platers are complaining about the game's difficulty, but it'll be easier to welcome new players in.

 

[beanholestatus]

I forget who, maybe even Masuda, said that "people don't have enough time these days so we had to make the games easier because no one wants to put that much time in". Which is absolutely ridiculous and pissed me off just reading it. These games will obviously be as easy XY and ORAS but if they don't put a difficulty level in I will be disappointed, I had to grind out Pokemon Yellow when I was 7 I think we can handle that level of difficulty.

 

[Hikamaru]

Difficulty isn't usually always the actual game itself, but rather your experience with the mechanics of Pokemon as a whole. If you're a long-time player, expect the more recent games to have a tendency to feel easy, while younger and more newer players will likely face more struggle.

 

[Abby]

Honestly, while playing through normally is quite easy, I tend to incorporate a challenge aspect, And I'm likely to do what i did with X/Y and Or/As: A nuzlocke for my first run. It forces me to use some of the newer pokémon that I may have ignored beforehand.

 

[Howmander]

It's only going to be easy for veteran players, because they know the mechanics inside and out, but it's going to be challenging for newcomers and players who haven't played Pokémon in a long while. So in other words, it's gonna be the same as all the past Pokémon games. the key system was really unnecessary, because you could still outlevel the CPU if you put your heart and soul on level grinding, making the challenge pointless.

this is EXACTLY what I was going to say! I hear all the time how "this series" or "that series" is way too easy and "I've been playing this series for 20 years, so I know for sure the new games are easier than the older ones!" and don't seem to grasp that if you have been playing a series, particularly one like Pokemon that has changed very little, it's not always the games that are easier, a lot of the time it's you being better at the game than you were 20 years ago. (particularly if you're 26, meaning you were 6 when you started!)

 

[Sabrewulf238]

I'm hoping they at least add a difficulty option at the start. They've included difficulty settings before, so it can't be that much to ask.

 

[MarinoKadame]

What I'm just asking is give the veteran an hard mode, casual may go Casual mode aka normal game.

 

[Abby]

Also, Games like fire emblem have a 'regular' and 'casual' Gameplay, so It wouldn't be too hard to incorporate.

 

[Rivvon]

Having various options for difficulty would be such a great way to appease everyone--the players looking for more of a challenge and the people who want a more laid-back, casual experience. The option would need to be given right at the start to work to its full potential, though. But if we don't get any options, I'm not expecting them to be challenging--not after X & Y's Gym Leaders never having more than three Pokémon...

 

[Hikamaru]

I know why Gym Leaders started having only three Pokemon in their rosters and Elite Four members having four. It's due to what Masuda said about the fact people are busier and that's why Pokemon games have been getting easier.

 

[jombii]

Hopefully we don't get the exp. share early in the game.

This one. Having the exp. share after the first gym (or even after the second gym) was too much of a giveaway. I know we had the option to turn it off but it still makes the game easy if you're grinding. I think mid-game is where the exp.share is located at best, just during the fourth badge arc.

Anyway, difficulty-wise, I like Platinum's difficulty just right and I hope it's almost of the same level as that.

 

[Arylett Charnoa]

I've never really found a need for the games to be any harder...

Until I got to Gen VI. The EXP. Share does break things, but it is still an option, and turning it off is basically a kind of difficulty increase. Even without it though, playing through Y again just did absolutely nothing for me and I had to artificially induce methods of extra difficulty to make it worth playing at all. It is my hope that Sun/Moon, as the anniversary special of Pokemon and basically meaning that it should be an acknowledgement that us older fans exist, adds a difficulty mode toggle. This is really the best option for everyone involved.

I doubt they'll do this though, but I expect from all the complaints they've seen about the difficulty (and again, this being an anniversary special which means it should cater to older fans), they probably will address it in some fashion. So it'll probably go back to being Black and White level. And they may even tweak the EXP. Share.