difficulty

Dark Souls created soulslike genre. Elden Ring perfected it through open-world accessibility. Difficulty without handholding became gaming philosophy.

Dark Souls proved that game difficulty and fairness could coexist. By embracing challenge and respecting player skill, it redefined what players expected from games.

The best games put you in a state of 'flow' — fully absorbed, challenged but not overwhelmed. Getting difficulty right is one of game design's hardest problems. Too easy and players are bored; too hard and they quit. Here's the psychology and design behind perfect challenge.